Lavender Town
10 years ago....

"Hurry up, grandpa!" the 8 year old Growlithe-morph, Hino Tamashii, shouted down the hall. "The show's about to start!"

The older Mightyena-morph, Infenris Tamashii, laughed a bit as he made his way toward the living room. "I'm a bit slow, Hino. I don't have the youthful energy that I used to." He walked into the living room, and settled down on the couch next to his grandson. A short and pudgy Riolu-morph sat on the floor in front of them. "Joining us today, Art?"

Art nodded, giving a thumbs up. "Wouldn't miss it, sir."

Hino grinned, "Yeah, grandpa, you know Art's as big a fan of the show as me." The two kids brought their left hands back into a fist by their sides, while sticking their right hands out in front of them.

"Chou henshin!" the two shouted, and laughed and leaned forward, high fiving each other as the show's theme song played on the tv. 

"No Fear! No Pain! Kowasu mono to mamoru mono. No Fear! No Pain! Kotae wa subete soko ni aru! Choujou shissou! Ore ga kaete yaru! Chou henshin! Kamen Raidaa Kuugaaaaaaaa!"

The three sat there, the kids cheering on the show's hero as they watched the episode. After the big action scene, with Kuuga fighting the monster of the week, Hino spoke up.

"Why doesn't Kuuga just use his more powerful forms at the start of the fight? Wouldn't it make things go quicker?" the pup asked.

"Yeah, but then the show wouldn't run as long," Art replied.

"Actually," Infenris started. "There's a better reason than just that." The two boys looked at him curiously. "One of the first things they taught us in the Pokemon Rangers was that you never escalate a fight. Basically, even if you have something powerful, you shouldn't use it unless you have no other option."

"Why not?" Art asked.

Infenris laughed, "Well, look at Kuuga. If he used his big attack on some of the bad guys he fights as his first move, they'd still be too strong for it to work on. Then he'd have nothing to fall back on later in the fight."

Hino thought for a moment, "I think that makes sense."

"When a hero fights, their body is like a weapon," Infenris said. "And like any weapon, it should never be used in anger or hatred. It should only be used to protect, when they can do something good with it." He looked at the two boys, who had forgotten about the show so they could listen to him. "A hero fights to make the world a better place, even if it is just for one person. A smile is contagious, and if one person is happy, maybe it can spread to the rest of the world."

Viridian City
Present day, 10:00 PM

"And then Doctor Haunt and Magnum began dueling with their cane and umbrella!" Hino said, acting like he was fighting with a fencing sword. "Wah! Wa-tok! Clackclack! Ching!"

Mitzi, a fellow senior, and Growlithe-morph, covered her mouth as she laughed. "Oh wow, I remember that! Didn't they, like, wind up tumbling over the edge of the stage?"

Hino nodded, "Yeah, right into the band stand. They wound up having to grease up the edge of the tuba just to pull Haunt out." The two continued chatting as they made their way toward Mitzi's residence, stopping outside her door. It had started thundering on their way in, and they were happy to have made it before the storm opened up.

Hino smiled, "I had a real good time tonight." It'd been two months since the two had started dating, and things had been going pretty good so far.

"I did too, the was a pretty good place you picked out." Mitzi replied. 

"Well, Kurata's beefstake IS world renowned," Hino said with a chuckle. "The man loves meat."

Mitzi, smiled, leaning against the frame as she opened her door. She tilted her head slightly, and began leaning toward Hino.

'Holy cow, this is it!' Hino thought to himself. 'The first kiss! Don't screw it up! Just lean in and do like you practiced!' Hino leaned his head forward, preparing to meet Mitzi's lips with his own.

The female growlithe stopped, narrowing her eyes at Hino. "You've got a piece of roughage stuck in your teeth."

Hino blinked in confusion, and then pulled back. "Ah-ah! I do? I..erm.. sorry, I thought you were trying for a uh.. well.. I mean."

Mitzi looked at him, curious, but her attention was caught by the phone ringing inside. "That's probably Nicole. Have a good night, Hino!" She waved cheerfully, rushing inside, the door shutting behind her.

The male Growlithe gave a weak wave, watching Mitzi vanish inside, and then let his body slump. "Idiot!"  He began walking back to the parking lot, and his motor scooter, throwing his arms in the air. "Why would you think she's going to kiss you?" he said outloud to himself. He picked up his helmet off the scooter, putting it on as he looked out from the parking structure at the rain now falling. "Aaaand it's raining. Wonderful! Super! Faaantastic!"

He started up his scooter and began pulling out into the street, as he started his way back to his campus apartment. 'You really need to start working harder at this relationship, pal,' he said to himself as he drove. 'You lost your shot with Licorice, and here you were probably seconds away from taking things too fast with Mitzi and screwing that up. Good jorb, chief!'

The scooter pulled to a stop at a red light, and Hino glanced around. Not another car or person in sight. Just him, his scooter, the rain, and the sudden appearance of a small figure being thrown out through a nearby window, the glass shattering around it as it hit the pavement and rolled to a stop.

'That's... not a normal thing,' Hino thought. He made a quick glance to make sure there were no sudden cars, hit the gas and steered his scooter toward the alley way the figure had landed in. He quickly parked his scooter and rushed over the fallen 'mon. 

Hino knelt down to check on the fallen figure, and pulled back as he got a good look at what he realized now was nothing more than a 10 year old male Cleffa morph. Remembering the basic training his grandfather had given him, Hino quickly checked for a pulse, and then called 911 on his cell phone. "Hello? Yes, hi! I'm at the corner of 12th and Mockingbird. Some kid just got tossed through a window into the street. He's got a pulse, but he's cut up pretty badly."

He turned to look toward the window, "No, I didn't see what caused him to go thro-CRAP!" He used himself to shield the Cleffa kid as a large Aura Sphere shot through the broken window, and exploded on the ground next to them, throwing the two 'mon aside. Hino's phone hit the pavement, skidding away from him. 

A purple Lucario morph with red chest fur hopped down from the broken window. He was clad in an unbuttoned leather vest, fingerless gloves, and a pair of jeans that had definitely seen better days. His dreads bounced behind him, large piercings through the tips of each. The fighting-steel type cracked his neck and pointed toward Hino. "Best step off, son. I got business with the kid if he's still breathing."

Hino stood up, putting himself between the Lucario and the Cleffa. "Give me a good reason for attacking a kid."

The Lucario put his hands behind his head, and popped his neck, not seeming overly concerned. "Kid's mom owes me money. Figured I'd send a message about late payments. Now make a tree and get outta here."

"Yeah, not really a good reason there, sorry," Hino replied, taking a defensive stance. He knew this wasn't going to be pretty. The rain was going to prove a major hindrance to his fire abilities, cutting off a large portion of the special attacks he knew.

"Tck, not like your opinion matters. Let's turn this clock up, eh?" the Lucario said, before shooting forward in purple blur using Extremespeed.

Before Hino even had time to react, the Lucario was delivering a series of blows, moving faster than the Growlithe could keep up with. Hino stumbled back from an elbow, only for the Lucario to reappear right next to him with a fierce roundhouse kick that sent the fire dog to the pavement, his helmet cracked in two.

Hino tossed the remains of the helmet aside, wiping a bit of blood away from his muzzle. The Lucario's speed was making him practically invisible, only brief glimpses of him when he stood still before moving again. He kept changing position, almost as if taunting Hino. The Growlithe closed his eyes, focussing on his canine sense of smell with his Odor Sleuth ability. 

He picked up on the scent just as the Lucario rushed toward him once more. Swiftly, Hino stuck out his arms, hooking his across the Lucario's upper chest, and under his left arm, while grabbing the jackal pokemon by the back. Before the Lucario could even register the grab, Hino lifted him up, his body glowing with Pokepower, and Body Slammed the Lucario onto the wet pavement.

Not wanting to give his attacker a chance to recover, Hino gripped his hands into a double axe-handle, and brought them down on the Lucario's chest with a Rock Smashing crack. He tried for a second strike, but was knocked back by a Dark Pulse of energy from the Lucario's body.

The Lucario kicked up to his feet, clutching his chest, "Nice shot, kid, but not good enough." He launched himself forward with Extremespeed once more, his hand turning metallic as he sliced across Hino's chest with a metal claw. Hino doubled over, clutching the now bleeding wound. As the Lucario came rushing back for a second strike, dropped down, catching his attacker's leg, and tripping him up.

Hino held on to the Lucario's leg as the jackal fell to the pavement. He kept his grip as he managed to pull off an enhanced Aerial Ace fueled leap, and slammed the leg knee first into the pavement, hoping to cut off the fighting-steel type's speed attacks. He managed to do this a second time before the Lucario twisted free, and fired an Aura Sphere into Hino's chest, knocking him back against a chainlink fence. 

The Lucario managed to get up, and slammed a Force Palm right into Hino's chest, the spiked hand starting glow purple as he pumped a Toxic poison into the Growlithe's open wound. "Time to put Ol' Yeller down, I think."

Hino cried out, shaking as the poison coursed into his blood stream and through the rest of his body. His eyes glowed red as his body Fascade ability kicked in, using the poison to amp up his own strength.

He fought with the Lucario's grip, managing to hook his arms under his attacker's. Not letting go of the Lucario, Hino began to repeatedly Headbutt him, busting both of their foreheads open. The two stumbled apart, both shaking their heads as they tried to recover. Hino gritted his teeth. He knew it wasn't going to be at full strength, but he had to chance it.

Hino stepped back and then broke into a run, leaping toward the Lucario, and tucked his body. Flames circled around the Growlithe as he shot forwad in a Flame Wheel attack. He slammed into the Lucario,  knocking him back, though the jackal's wet fur weakened the flames' power. Hino stumbled as he landed, barely managing to keep his balance as the Toxic poison began weakening his body.

The jackal pokemon laughed. "Fire in the rain, really? You idiot." He shot a hand forward, unleashing a Dragon Pulse blast, that sent Hino slamming against a side wall, the blue dragon flames ripping at his fur. "Now dragon fire doesn't give a ratata's ass about rain." He reached behind himself, unstrapping a pair of foot and half long bones from inside the back of his vest. he brought them out, twirling them in both hands, as he watched Hino stagged back to his feet. 

"Nor do these. Bone clubs, gotta love'em," the Lucariosaid as he rushed forward, though nowhere near as quick as he could before, thanks to Hino's work on his knee. He slammed the bone clubs into the Growlithe's head and upper body, moving quicker than the teenager could defend against them.

Hino cried out under the onslaught of Bone Rush strikes. The Lucario twirled the bone clubs in his hands before swinging them simultaneously, striking the growlithe under the chin, and sending him airborne. The jackal-pokemon grinned, watching his opponent slam into the brick wall, bounce off a dumpster, and crash onto the wet pavement. He balanced one of the clubs on his shoulder, pointing toward Hino. The fire dog staggered, trying to push himself back up, only to collapse back down.

"Next time you wanna play hero, kid, try bringing your A-game," he said with a smirk, before turning back toward the cowering cleffa kid. "Now, as for you, you little runt. I believe we had unfinished busi-" He was cut off as a large rock struck him in the back of the head. He stumbled forward, clutching his head, as he looked down to see what the heck had hit him. By his feet was a blackened fire stone, the fire emblem flickering inside it before vanishing completely. The Lucario looked back toward Hino, seeing the bloodied fire dog back on his feet, bolts of orange energy arcing around his body.

"Hey, asshole...." Hino panted, clutching his arm. Every part of his body was screaming in pain, and it was taking all he had just to fight remain standing. "Game's not over yet...." 

The Lucario smirked, twirling one of the bone clubs once more. "Master's gonna have to put the fear of Arceus into the mutt, huh?" He took his time as he advanced toward Hino.

He could feel the fire stone's energy coursing through his beaten body. Would this work? Would he be killed trying to protect a kid he didn't even know? Maybe it was his goofy imagination, or maybe just the flash of a distant memory, but Hino could only think of that time with his grandfather and Art so many years ago. He remembered the speech his grandfather had given,and one simple phrase from the show they had watched together.

"No fear.... no pain..." Hino said softly. He stepped forward, drawing his left hand, palm down, to his body over his waist, as he shot his right hand out in front to his left, curling the top of his fingers slightly. He drew his right hand across, pulling his left hand into a fist at his side, his body shaking as the rain battered against it. This was it, the biggest change he had ever made in his life. "CHOU HENSHIN!" Hino brought both arms up, crossing them, and immediately threw them to his side as the Fire Stone energies surged and a torrent of flames erupted around him, the fire-type evolution energies unaffected by the rain.

The Lucario pulled the club up defensively, and then gritted his teeth as he rushed forward with a Quick Attack. "New body ain't gonna save you now, matchstick!" He swung the club toward Hino's head, only for it to be blocked by a flaming arm. The flames dissipated on contact, revealing fuller orange and black striped fur, a large blue tuft of fur flaring out from the elbow. He recoiled as the burning dog struck him in the gut with his other fist, followed by a knee to the face as he doubled over, and finishing off with a spin kick that sent him hurtling backwards. 

With each strike, the fires died, revealing more of the now fully evolved Arcanine morph. Hino's now thick blue and purple mane flowed behind him for a few seconds before the rain began to mat it down. Even as the residual Fire Stone energies arced around him, Hino could still feel the poison weakening him. He had to finish this, and quick, otherwise both he and the Cleffa kid were dead meat. He stepped back, holding his arms out to his sides as he turned his right heel inward slightly.

He focussed as much as the remaining Fire Stone energy as he could into his own fire-type power, and began to run toward the Lucario. With each step, fire-type energies flared around his right foot, steam hissing as he ran across the wet pavement. As the Lucario finally managed to get to his feet, Hino jumped into the air. The Arcanine pulled his right leg back and then extended it out. "TOH-YAAAAH!" he howled as he delivered a fierce kick into the Lucario's upper body above his chest spike, once more sending the Fighting-Steel type hurtling backwards. Hino landed on one knee in a crouched position, panting heavily.

The Lucario stumbled back up once more, clutching his chest. "Is that... is that all you got.... you baAAAAAUGH!" He shakily removed his hand from his chest as a Fire Blast emblem burned through his fur, and then erupted outward, engulfing him in flames.

Hino fought to catch his breath, watching as the Lucario collapsed into a smoldering heap on the pavement. He could hear the faint sound of sirens coming their way as he fell forward, and lost consciousness, the poison finally taking him out.

2 days later

"You know, your mother is very hard to understand when she's in angry Latino woman mode," Infenris said as he walked into the hospital room. He pulled up a seat next to the bed, grinning at Hino. "I had to get one of the other Rangers to translate for me."

Hino laughed, rubbing at the bandage on his head. "Yeah, mom's cool like that."

"So your father says. Probably why he married her," Infenris chuckled. "I hear the kid you helped is going to make a full recovery."

"Good to hear," Hino said. "And the guy I fought?"

"Wanted felon, so he was already in the hot seat before he got caught this time," Infenris said. He looked at Hino, thinking to himself. "What made you choose to evolve?"

Hino looked at his grandfather, trying to think of the right words. He finally settled for, "You, actually. Well, what you used to tell  Art and I anyway."

"Oh?" the Mightyena asked.

Hino nodded, "Yeah, back when we were kids. I remember what you said, about how a hero will fight even to protect just one person. I kept thinking about what that guy might do to the kid if I couldn't hold him off before the police got there. I mean, he threw the kid through a window, there was no telling what else he had planned. It wasn't anger, or hatred, but just... I guess.. the desire to make sure that kid got to smile again."

"Then you fought for the right reason," his grandfather replied, smiling. He slapped Hino's knee and stood up. "Still thinking about joining the Rangers when you graduate?"

"Better believe it," Hino said with a grin.

"I'll put in a good word for you," Infenris replied. "I'm off to get a sandwich, want anything?"

Hino shook his head, "I'm good."

Infenris nodded, and started to leave. He paused at the door, "Forgot to ask, Art wanted me to ask if you shouted anything before you evolved."

The Arcanine grinned a bit sheepishly, "Yeah... I shouted 'Chou Henshin' when I did it."

His grandfather grinned, "Looks like I just won five bucks."

"What?" Hino asked, laughing a bit.

Infenris shrugged, "Art bet me that you would just say 'henshin.' Told him you'd go all out." He gave Hino a thumbs up and headed out.

END