Sam and Bit walked back into the apartment to see Luke and Vincent sitting on the couch, their legs crossed and eyes closed. "Training going well?"

That depends on your definition, the Gallade said, opening his eyes and nodding at the box in Sam's grasp. Your things?

Sam nodded and set the box down on the floor. "My tie, Bit's monocle, Vincent's hat, and a surprise gift from Iron Will."

Oh? This time Vincent opened his eyes and looked at the Scyther. What did that Minotaur leave us?

"A bag of bits. Apparently passage back wasn't as expensive as we thought. He left us quite a lot of them."

The top hat was coated in a blue aura and flew to land on top of Vincent's head before the Abra hopped off of the couch and looked into the box. The bow tie and monocle were secondary to the large sack that was in the middle. Carefully drawing it open revealed a small mound of currency, and Vincent whistled. That...that must be everything that Iron Will took in that poker game.

And...what will you do with them? The feel of a psychic 'hand' on his shoulder made Vincent turn to look at Luke, who was even now standing up from the couch to walk over.

Before Vincent could even form a plan or line of thought, Sam coughed to gain their attention. "Actually...I gave half to the police department." At their blank looks, the Scyther shrugged. "Figured it'd be the right thing to do. Smooth over relations between us."

A wise idea...though I don't know how Ace will react... The Gallade fidgeted with his sweater. And the rest?

Vincent picked the bag up, hefted it a few times, and nodded. Living expenses. Food doesn't come free. The Abra looked up at the Gallade and smiled. Along with other things that I may think up.

Before the Gallade could respond, the little psychic walked into the kitchen. C'mon, let's eat.

Lucy looked down at the entrance to the quarry from her position at the top and saw something she could only claim to have seen in her dreams. A male and female Lucario. They were working with the ponies to help move and occasionally break heavy rocks, and after a moment's observation, Lucy noticed that the male of the two seemed to be more...comfortable with his power.

Lucy made her way down to the entrance of the quarry at the base of the hill and was stopped by one of the ponies. One without a horn or wings, with a brown coat, tan mane, and green eyes. He had a hard hat on to go with his stern expression. "Another one, eh?"

Lucy nodded before remembering that the ponies wouldn't be able to understand her. Fortunately, that didn't seem to be too big an issue. "You here to help as well?"

Lucy pondered how best to answer that question before it came to her. She placed a paw on her chest, nodded once, then pointed deeper in the quarry and nodded twice before cocking her head at the pony before her.

He, thankfully, got the idea. "You want to see them?" At her nod, the pony grunted. "Can't very well stop you. Just don't cause trouble, and help if you can."

Lucy nodded again and walked in, looking for the two she'd seen. After a minute of searching, she found them sitting cross-legged in front of a boulder. Internally, she debated how to best go about introducing herself, before she heard the male speak up.

"Why did you come?"

His eyes opened and glared into Lucy's, and she felt herself shiver a bit. Before she could answer, the female's opened as well and fixated on her spikes. "Your spikes are small. Why?"

Lucy sighed. "Does the name Nurem mean anything to you?"

The two Lucario in front of her winced at that. "Deepest apologies. I suppose that explains a bit..."

The female nodded once. "How long ago were you taken?"

Lucy sighed and looked to the ground. "When I was a Riolu. When I had scant memories of my parents."

She breathed deeply once, twice, and looked up. "That's why I'm here. Just because I have these," she said while showing off her spikes again, "doesn't mean I know anything about being a Lucario. I don't know anything about life, or battle, or the things a Lucario should know. I need to learn from one about what it means to be a Lucario, and you were the first I found. Please, teach me."

The two looked at one another before the male spoke again. "I understand why you wish to learn. But why did you not begin your search upon the day of the shift?"

The female nodded. "Assuming that you were a captive of Nurem's until the day of the shift, why did you not seek aid until now?"

Lucy picked her hat off her head and looked at it. "Because I wasn't a Lucario until recently. And only now do I realize the depth of my not knowing."

The male smiled a bit. "Ah, it is always a wondrous thing when one of us Evolves. What was the tipping point for you?"

"Two sentences were said to me. Said with such power and meaning that I had no trouble believing them." Lucy closed her eyes and recalled the words Vincent had said. "'I would see my family safe, comfortable, and for that I would do anything. Damn your rules and morals, these three mean more to me than such ideals!'"

The pair before her shared a glance at that. "Who said that to you?"

Lucy opened her eyes and looked at the female. "A little Abra who I thought of as a brother for all our time together. And until I can say those words back to him with any real power behind them, then I can't go back." She looked to the male and included a hint of pleading in her voice. "Please. Teach me."

The two looked at each other again, and they both nodded. "I'm Maylene," the female said.

"And I have no name," the male said.

Sam, Bit, Luke, and Vincent all sat around the table, eating a simple but filling supper. Vincent was practicing his fine control, which ended with interesting results. Half the time, he managed to actually eat the food he was controlling. The other half of the time, the food ended up somewhere else in the room. On someone else's plate, on the refrigerator, impacting the ceiling, and one unfortunate time ended up with a carrot and someone's nose.

All the Pokemon there vowed to not mention whose nose it was or how the carrot impacted it, but anyone who cared to look would have seen a carrot sliced into very fine bits, and those bits scattered around one particular chair.

So, Vincent broke the ice after dinner, did you and Bit look for jobs?

Sam grunted and nodded. "I'll be helping to fix up the casinos we turned into battlegrounds, and for afterwards, the Monte Colto expressed an interest in hiring me on as part of their security team."

Bit, surprisingly, nodded as well. "When I made it known my talents lay in pat-pat-pattern recognition and calculation, along with almost anything advanced enough to with-with-withstand my presence, the guard decided that my services could be worthwhile, but only on a con-con-consultation basis."

Considering that the rent is paid up for a little bit...those sound like more than enough...especially should Vincent actually become a detective. Luke laid his hands in his lap and fidgeted slightly. Speaking of which...we should get to your next bit of training.

Vincent sighed and made his way to the guest bedroom. Fine...Not letting up for even a moment, are ya?

Luke nearly smiled and got up from the table as well. Not until you've learned to control yourself, no.

Bit and Sam looked at each other and shrugged, after which the bug-type moved to the master bedroom and laid down to sleep. Vincent laid his small form down on one of the pillows, at which Luke actually did smile. The Gallade looked to the dining room slash kitchen and brought a chair floating in. Carefully positioning it close to Vincent's sleeping form, Luke settled himself near the little Abra and closed his eyes. While he didn't need to be close, it would help...

"I suppose the first question is, where do we start?"

Lucy grinned at the nameless male Lucario. "At the beginning, of course."

The two in front of her blinked before the male spoke up again. "You...really don't know anything about combat? At all?"

At those words, Lucy waved one paw in a 'so-so' fashion. "I've experienced the simulator, had moves taught to me. But I've only been in one 'real' fight, and I got beaten pretty easily in it. I can use my moves easily, it's using my moves and thinking on my feet that's hard."

The female, no, Maylene, Lucy corrected herself, got up and walked around her. Lucy rotated her head to try and keep the other female Lucario in sight, which seemed to please the male. "Hmm," Maylene said. "Well, apart from her smaller spikes, she seems to be a fine specimen of a Lucario, in good health and fitness."

"Yes," the male said. "I'd come to that conclusion myself." Lucy only just noticed that the organs on the back of his head were floating and slightly glowing, or that his eyes were closed. Just as she went to comment on it, the phenomena stopped, and the male opened his eyes. "We can test your durability, strength, speed, and power tomorrow. You should get some sleep, it's getting late."

Lucy's grin was mischevious, and the other Lucario there shivered a bit upon seeing it. "Oh, we can test durability right now."

Maylene paused at that. "Excuse me?"

Gesturing to her chest, Lucy looked directly at the male while saying the next phrase. "Hit me."

The male blinked twice at that before slowly getting up and walking over to her. He looked Lucy up and down before tilting his head to one side and blinking. "You are certain? You, who have only been in one real fight, wish for me to test your durability by hitting you?"

Lucy nodded again, and the male bowed his head. "I see." He then drew his fist back, somehow caused it to glow for a moment, and said "Power-up Punch."

The glowing fist impacted Lucy's chest five times in rapid succession, and she leaned backwards slightly as she took the attack. Breathing deeply for a moment, she leaned forward again and gave off a cocky smirk. "That it?"

Maylene frowned and turned to the male Lucario. "You didn't hold back?"

The male shook his head. "Indeed not. She wanted to test her durability, and test it I did. It would appear you have a few things to thank that...psychopath for."

Lucy nodded and rubbed her chest once while wincing. "Yeah...I mean, if you hit me again like that, I'd definitely feel it. But as it stands, I'm pretty hardy. Sam hit me once by accident when I was a Riolu wanting to get the drop on him. What should have at least broken a bone just caused me to bounce off the wall giggling and asking for another ride."

Maylene looked between the two other Lucarios and grinned. "Say...think we should give her the same treatment I gave you?"

The male nodded. "It was my plan." At the male's devious grin, Lucy felt a chill race down her spine. "Rest well, female, for tomorrow you aid the quarry in its operations."

Lucy snarled at the two opposite her, which caused them to flinch and take a step back. "I have a name. Two, in fact, but if you use one I'll hit you until you stop using it. The doctor called me subject thirty-five, but my brother called me Lucy. Use my name, or I'll use my fists."

The male slowly nodded. "Very well, Lucy. But I still advise rest. I was being serious about helping the quarry."

Lucy sighed. "I had a feeling you'd say that."

Vincent was stunned. He was in the field, but ringing it were no small amount of white stones, perfect for building a wall with. While they had been placed somewhat haphazardly, he could tell by the amount that he had more than enough for his wall. Security, stability...I have those things now, don't I?

Indeed, Luke's voice came from behind him. But a wall is nothing without mortar to hold it together. Brace yourself, Vincent, for now we must begin tempering the emotions of your heart and drawing them out.

The Abra turned to look at the Gallade and cocked his head to one side. Tranquility, Stability...these things aren't enough on their own, so...what else is needed?

Resolve, the elder of the two replied while bowing his head. And I apologize in advance for doing this, but it must be done.

Wha-

At that, the scene shifted, to the one that Luke had helped him suppress first: that of Bit in his Porygon form on top of the steel table. Vincent was watching from the sidelines as his father began to push the button that would seal Bit's fate, and suddenly felt an indescribable anger welling up within him. Before he could act, however, the memory shattered, and returned full force.

Wha...the block...it wore off...

Why did you seek to stop him? It was only a memory. Even if it were reality, if you changed it, then things would be different, would they not? Why did you seek to change that which was not real?

The Abra glared up at the Gallade, but couldn't quite find the words he needed. The elder psychic sighed once. Again.

The next memory, that of Lucy being held down by restrains as the doctor prepared his scalpel, swam into focus. Once again, Vincent found himself on the sidelines, and once more, before he could act to prevent the act of cruelty about to happen, the memory shattered, and he felt it again.

Why? Why do you seek to change the past? Only Celebi has that power. Why do you defy your memories?

The young fox panted as he held himself up, barely, with his arms. Be...because...

The Gallade shook his head and waved a hand. Once more. With feeling.

The final memory, that of Sam about to be injected, surfaced, and this time, Vincent did act. With a mighty yell, the syringe was torn from his other self's hands and plunged into the doctor's eye. With a scream and a sound of an almighty screech, the memory fractured, leaving behind a very angry Abra, and a blank-looking Gallade.

Why do you seek to defy what happened?

BECAUSE SOMEONE HAS TO! The Abra all but roared back. Yes, they happened, I admit it! But if someone doesn't seek to defy him and his work with every waking breath in their body, then our time there was for NOTHING! If he succeeded in breaking us, then in the end, no matter how many worlds away we might be, he'll have WON! I seek to defy my memories because that's the RIGHT thing to do! Not because it is easy, but because I HAVE TO!

There was silence for a moment as another scene swam into view, that of the Crown Jewel, pre-fight. The other Vincent was sitting on a slot machine with his eyes closed, but his voice at the time rang out loud and clear.

I would see my family safe. Comfortable. And for that, I would do anything. Damn your rules and morals! These three mean more to me than such ideals!

The Gallade smirked and gently rubbed between Vincent's ears. You possess a lot of resolve, Vincent. Perhaps a skewed moral compass, but you can hardly be blamed for that. But when you determine something is right or wrong and worth fighting for or against, then Arceus help whoever you single out.

Vincent turned and gently hugged Luke, who watched as the blocks started to pick themselves up and form the rough shape of a wall around the clearing...

Author's Notes:

Yeah, this is what Zeus and I agreed to. It'd be a hassle to have Lucy show up in Ponyville, but fortunately, there was another fighting-type master and her Lucario yet to be used. This way, I don't end up stepping on the main story.