Reflected self

____________________________

"Dad?"

"yes?"

"can i become a trainer like you?"

"of course you can!"

if I could...

____________________________

why do I feel so relaxed... i know that someone is after us... but... are they gone.

i woke up from my sleep and try to look around, it's very bright! even though the trees block the sunlight for a moderate amount... but is if that the sun just bathed me with sunlight. the time Is supposedly... kinda late.

i got out from my bag and then coming over to the tent while also turning off the... wait, the lamp is off? did someone turn it off? i opened the tent to see... no one! where are they! oh no! are th-

Rustle!

i heard a distant bush rustling right behind me! i tried to look at the direc-

"HI!" i jumped at the voice that Lucario made, was that supposed to be a surprise!? i see Gallade is beside him too. well, that's a relief.

"man you scared me!" i said to Lucario.

"i thought you are... gone!" i add

"Sorry, we're just collecting some food while you're asleep" Gallade said

"well next time leave a sign, ok"

"sorry" Gallade replied in a bit low

"it's okay, at least we got a bunch of fruits to eat!" Lucario said aloud... wow his attitude is more different now, i guess his old personality is coming back.

"K then let's eat" i said to everyone, the fruits that they got is just a bunch of apples, orans, Pecha? and... sitrus, only a few tho.

then we eat the fruit. after that, we will pack up our camp

////////////////////

after we packed up our stuff and the camp, we then continue our journey to Shalour city while still being aware of the stalkers... but no traces or anything, are they gone? like really I've been walking till at the entrance of the cave, are they waiting at the exit of the cave? but that doesn't mean i should let my guard down... but why do i still feel relaxed! is someone telling me that it is now safe?! this is weird.

ok, let's not get carried away... even though I'm not. so we entered the cave and it is bright! the mirror crystal makes the entire cave very bright just by the sun! and there are many of me and my friends, it was spectacular, with the layout of mirror shards, mirror walls, and the cave is mostly mirrored! but it was kind of a confusing walk, I'll get to talk again when this is done

/////////

"This place is confusing," Gallade said to me

"and look, there's another you again," Lucario said again while pointing behind me

I turned around to see and tell him that's a mirror, again

"I told you it's a mir-" I paused to see myself standing with my friends...

wait, that doesn't look like a reflection? and I just past through that...

"What the-" my self said... i mean the other me.

"are you, me" I pointed at him... he didn't point back! okay, he is not a reflection, also I see that the other Lucario doesn't have a bandage? as far from my exploration goes, this is the weirdest one yet.

then suddenly, a big explosion came up, the entire cave is filled with smoke! i decided to run towards behind me,

"come on, follow me!" I yelled to my actual friends as I run off to get out of the smoke, after coming out from it with coughing, I turned around to see the smoke, waiting for my friends to come out, after waiting they finally came out from the smoke... wait, where is Lucarios bandage? wait... are they-

"Hey... aren't you from the other me?" I said to them, Gallade tilted his head, While Lucario is just standing there looking at me... at my soul? okay, this is weird, too weird...

//////

okay, the encounter is kinda painfully, the Lucario punched my stomach while I was trying to make sure that they are not my friends. Gallade stopped him before he actually tries to kill me! but anyways i noticed that i can't actually communicate with them at all, Lucario can't talk, and Gallade just says... Gallade!

apparently, my actual friends are with the other me, we got separated from the explosion soo i guess we need to return his friend to the other me... i still can't process my brain here... it doesn't make sense, and i cannot talk telepathy to Gallade as well, this is very different. it's like they are the opposite... wait, did it happened to me! the rumors are true! they came from the mirror world, but why? there has to be a reason why do they actually come here... of course, i can't tell them since i can't communicate to them at all! so i need to find the other me to tell me what is going on... okay that's confusing, this is just plain confusion!

it's kinda weird to have an unknown pokemon walks beside me, and Lucario tries to walk away from me, but Gallade kept him from getting away, kinda funny...

also, i can't talk directly to my Gallade, this cave is weird... maybe because there is two same Gallade... not really.

////////

after a bunch of searching... i haven't found the other me with my actual friends yet... yeah... this is confusing. i should not talk to them... the one with me. it will make the Lucario madder. and so i still search for them... unless they come into the portal!

"Hey!" a voice of a teen made it's way to the cave, i turned around to see the kid, he is wearing white clothing, almost full but the eyes (of course) it has the same style as the black-clothed gang that tried to follow me! are they the mirrored versions? it must be right?!

"Bring us back that Lucario, now!" the kid said, he was rather young. also, it seemed like Lucario is at a fit! I've never seen an angry face like that in my life... rather scary, now i wanted to see my Lucario.

"RRRAAAGHHHH" the Lucario made a roar to the kid, he seemed intimidated, even i am.

"Fine then, slowpoke, come out!" then a slowpoke came out from the Pokeball, it looks rather weak! while this happened, i tried to let out my white Pokeball with a sword sticker... then a ball of beam past through me in a very fast motion, it hit the slowpoke! then after the explosion, the slowpoke glowed in pink! then i noticed that Lucario has begun to glow in pink as well, he is using psychic!

"POKE!" the slowpoke made the call while also flinging Lucario to a bunch of mirror shards, he got slammed at the crystal! he didn't move after that, he is unconscious! i run towards him, to be honest, he was rather weak... then i turned around to see that Gallade is fighting against the slowpoke. Gallade is using night slash at the slowpoke, it manages to knock it out by that effective attack. then he returns the Slowpoke to the Pokeball,

"I'm prepared for you this time!" he said, then a haunter came out from the Pokeball! Gallade is weak against ghost!

haunter then punches Gallade in the guts! did he use Shadow punch?! with the attack Gallade got Launched by the attack, he landed on the ground, he was trying to get up. but he was struggling because he was attacked by a powerful attack!

"Alright, time to finish you this time!" the kid yelled, he's going to finish Gallade! the Haunter flies up and dives towards Gallade and uses shadow punch to finish him, I need to stop him!

I've never felt the feeling of someone about to lose their life right in front of me... i need to stop this... this is...

WRONG!

then I jump towards the direction where Gallade landed as the Haunter is still diving down towards Gallade. life is at stake! then I opened the sword Pokeball, a form of the sword came out in bright light from the Pokeball, I grab the handle of it, then I grabbed the forming shield as well, the sword has a two cloth wrapped around me, then I slid towards Gallade and block the attack from haunter with the shield on my left arm, also the shield is making a faded blue screen that blocks the attack! with the impact Haunter bounce of the shield and now floating right in front of the unknown kid.

"what the... is that an Aegislash!" he yelled... yes, my second pokemon.

Aegislash!

my sword and shield, he was rather small for an Aegislash tho, quite weird. but thanks to that, I was able to use him as an actual weapon! of course, no one would expect this, but because of him, I could train with Gallade. (of course, since pokemon powers are way more powerful!) well now it's not the time to talk about Aegislash, it's time to save the other Gallade and Lucario!

Gallade is still awake but he was too injured to get up, this is bad. Haunter has ghost type attacks! but luckily I have something to counter that!

"I'm sick of you doing this, how about I finish you" I countered him, and with that, i charge towards the Haunter with Aegislash still in my hands and in high-speed thanks to Aegislash help!

"Gaaahh! Haunter use shadow ball" Haunter quickly uses shadow ball, a black ball formed and it is launched towards me, with aggression i positioned my shield right in front of me and then the same screen formed right in front of me, i blocked the attack!

then i jumped directly towards the Haunter in his scared face, then i swing the sword while it is glowing in a light-purple, i hit the Haunter with Night slash! the hit is so powerful that it flings the Haunter towards the kid!

"Ohh s-" before he could curse, the Haunter hit the kid so hard that he was flying to! then both of them are flying towards a mirror wall. when they collided, the mirror didn't crack! instead, they both went through it... is that the portal!

after a short pause, i turned towards Lucario and run towards him, he is still unconscious, i release Aegislash from my hand, then he floats towards Gallade, i grabbed a yellow crystal that is formed of a shard from the bag, a revive shard! then i used it on Lucario... is he oka-

Whack!

a paw was launched towards my face, i stumbled backward by the punch. the Lucario just hit my face!

"Aaack" i reacted.

after wiping my face by the punch while still in the ground, i looked at Lucario who is still sitted and huffing... probably still tired since that shard didn't really heal him that much. i look at Gallade to see him walking towards me with Aegislash helping him walk, he also said something to me... (which he said "Gallade")maybe he said thanks to me for saving his life, i hope.

"Hey!" a voice was heard in the distance... is that Lucario... my Lucario!

i turned around to see him waving at me beside the other me while Gallade is running towards me... my Gallade... this is hard.

anyways after he reaches me he hugs me while also being mindful about his spike (i thought he stabbed me) after a while hug. he lets go with a bit of tear in his eyes.

"Hey, no need to be sad. were just lost" i said to him, then he steps to right beside me, then i turned to the other me,

"How did this happen" the other me said in a lower tone, is he mad?

"oh uh... I'll explain it" i said to myself... the other me.

then i turned to see my Lucario that is confused at the Aegislash.

"oh anyways here is Aegislash, one of my friends too!" i said to Lucario

"hi, it's been a while," Gallade said to Aegislash

"yeah, it's been a while," Aegislash said calmly, then i took a look at the other me again and he is... shocked?

"what's wrong," i said to me... that me.

"i... don't have an Aegislash" he said...

wait, what!

////////////

"so... you launched him to the portal" me said... the other... aaahh, forget it!

"yeah, to that one" i pointed at the mirror that the kid went.

"Hmm, nice one, I should get back now," he said walking towards the mirror

"wait!" i halted him

"What?" my other me responded kinda annoyed, man is my mirror self not good! he didn't even call his friend a 'Friend'. he prefers to call them a tool!

"What is that kid doing anyways?" i said

"that weirdo... hmph... he is after weak boy here" he pointed at the other Lucario in which he growls back at him, while Gallade bumped him.

"why?" i said

"dunno, maybe his weak power" he said weak again, in which the Lucario tries to use force palm on me... the other... (sigh) sorry, I'm not used to this. in which he succeeded and Launches him toward the mirror by the explosion... that's harsh. but he gets what he deserves, and with that the Lucario quickly jumps through the mirror portal, disappearing.

then the Gallade tries to hurry to get inside the portal... then he stopped and turn around, and after staring at my Gallade for a while, then he went into the portal... that's it, they left... and things are back to normal... not really.

I turned to see Gallade, confused.

"What happened" i tell him

"He just sent me a message... It's in a different language" he said,

"Can you decipher it?"

"Yeah. It's been a while since i see this kind of message" Gallade said

"So... Should we be going to Shalour city?" Aegislash suggested

"You might as well decipher it while we're walking towards shalour city" i told Gallade

"Okay" he replied, so... We head outside off the cave... While Gallade is deciphering the message, i decide to return Aegislash to the Pokeball, then i begin talking to Lucario on the way out.

"So how was the other me?" I said to Lucario to see if my other self is actually the opposite of me.

"He is... Quite" Lucario said

"Quite? You mean he rarely talks?" I asked

"Yeah, when we do make a conversation, he quickly cuts it!"

"Wow... Is he really that bad?"

"Yeah! I think he even cursed? He said something like b-" before Lucario completed the sentence, i quickly shut his jaw so this cursed word isn't used preferably.

"You should not say something like that here... its... Not polite" i said to Lucario so he doesn't have this habits, also i let go of my hand from his jaw

"Okay... Sorry" things went silent for a while.

"You know... I think I'm glad that i am with you" Lucario said surprisingly

"R-really?"

"Yeah! You're the most caring person I've seen"

Wow... I was genuinely surprised.

"Heh... You know. I'll buy you your favorite Pokepuff" i said to him

"Really!" He replied quickly

"Hehe, yeah. Of course, let's say that this is a gift for you" and with that, he jumped around a bit happily... It was heartwarming to see him this happy... Reminds me of someone... Then Lucario went ahead since the exit is right in front of us, he is almost too excited for the treat. While i was trying to stop him from going too far, but then Gallade stopped me by grabbing me in the shoulder, i turned around to see him and stopped walking, i see him in this scared and worried face... Is the message bad?

"I just decipher it... It may seem fine but... This might have been concerning" Gallade said by telepathy only.

"What is it" i speak quietly so that Lucario didn't hear us

"The message is like this" Gallade prepares to copy it.

Then a picture went in my head by what Gallade gave me... It was words, it was written like this

________________________________________

You might have not known what is our life looks like, in our world. People are mostly cruel, even my trainer is. But one thing that is most important, that the kid you are fighting, called team plasma... our team plasma is not secretive, stubborn, but kinda strong, and mostly fail by even just try to get a glass of water... I'm not even kidding. All i could say is... Our life as pokemon is mostly suffering because of our trainer... I wish i could be with you. But i need to save my trainer... Even if he hurts me for way too many times. I am jealous of your world... I wish i could be there. But it was my life to go through... You taught me that people could actually change.

You made me this hope.

I will try to help as many living beings as possible.

Thank you.

And Goodbye

________________________________________

This is such a surprising message... Is the mirror world that bad? But it was nice to see that the other Gallade learned something... But now what worries me is that this... Team plasma? It might have been those black-clothed gang is, they are not playing around... They want something from us... And seeing that they are after Lucario... This makes things clearer... This team is no joke... They are less powerful but are smart, and secretive. This might have been the reason why they left us... Might as well we act like we don't know anything, this may leave their guard open. Now i know that i will be expecting them, Gallade and the rest is too.

"Hey!" I heard Lucario yelled from the exit of the cave.

"Come on, aren't we about to leave," he said again, i smiled at him

"Alright, I'm coming!" I told Lucario while also nodding at Gallade to accept these terms... And so... We run towards our future, to be more powerful... More aware of our surroundings... And for our happiness...

We will beat anyone who wants to stop us from reaching our destiny!

I'm proud i was given this opportunity...

Like how i have it when i was a kid.