Fandom A Secret to Keep

[Aron the Aron]

"Legend"
A Legend is a person whose knowledge, skills, and determination exceed the ordinary.
​

Cobalt was falling.

The gold walls and marble pillars of the Champion's Hall were blurry as his world tumbled all around him, or was he the one tumbling? Even after all those years, a Lucario's senses could get mixed up in the heat of it all; the speed and ferocity of of a Pokémon Battle never allowed more than a brief thought before the demand for attention pulled him away to more immediate matters.

"Grr! One more time Blaze! Hit him with Flamethrower!"

Just like last time he had no time to dwell on his thoughts, stretching his arms out to catch the floor before springboarding up and over a large spiralling mass of flame. That would've definitely clipped his leg if he had been slower on the draw; maybe some practice with his reflexes was in due order. With a ten-point landing, he righted himself on the pyramid top they had to call their battleground. Sure it felt climactic having challengers ascend a stepped pyramid to meet him and his Champion, but it was only half the size of a usual battle arena.

Speaking of champions...

A quick glance back still confirmed Cobalt's thoughts. Against the backdrop of a starry night sky, his Trainer stood out like the centerpiece of a painting.

His Trainer: seven-year reining Champion and still going strong, their name...

 

[Charaphenelia]

Charaphenelia Heartsworn stared down at the battle before her with a calculating gaze, watching every move that was made and analyzing them. Not just her opponent's, but her loyal Lucario, Cobalt, as well. With a watchful eye, she monitored his injuries and exhaustion to ensure he wouldn't overdo himself during the fight. Years of experience taught her that the key to being a good Trainer was to know your Pokemon and their limits.
She met Cobalt's gaze as he glanced back at her, and she gave her signature winning smile. It was one Cobalt knew meant he was about to end the match.
"Cobalt," She called, making sure he was looking at her. With a finger, she tapped her left shoulder, "Use Aura Sphere."
During the match, she'd noticed after Cobalt had dealt an especially hard hit to the Fire Pokemon's left side, it had favored its right. She'd watched a bit longer to confirm her suspicion; they did everything they could to protect their left side-specifically the shoulder-when Cobalt would attack. With the last move, the Flamethrower, she'd seen the final tell that she should strike; the left shoulder had quivered with the attack.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Charaphenelia and Cobalt shared a combination of teamwork and wit that could be rivalled by so few; years fighting and training together had developed into an uncanny habit of matching ideas non-verbally to each other: tells and calls that conveyed entire plans in the time it took to blink. It helped separate them from the rest of the Pokémon Trainers that vied to usurp Chara's title as Pokémon Champion.

Here, it was on proud display as they defended said title.

That radiant, confident smile eased Cobalt as he turned back to the battle in front of him. He confidently dashed towards his opponent with his arms drawn back around his right; the opposing Trainer's Blaziken reflexively kept its stronger right side towards him, and was caught off-guard when he jinked left around the Fire Type's vulnerable back. It began twisting around to meet Cobalt, but he quickly ended that plan by launching his Aura Sphere early into its leg. Cobalt's Aura Sphere painfully slammed home into the side of the Blaziken's knee, making the Fire Type crumple onto its right side as it tried to fight the pain. By then, the battle had already been decided.

Prey crippled, Cobalt delivered his coup,-de-grace, striking the Blaziken square in the back of the head with a charged Force Palm. Down on one leg and with its weakened left exposed, there was nothing the Blaziken or its Trainer could do.

Victory was theirs once again; the title of Pokémon Champion would remain in Chara's hands.

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara pumped a fist into the air as she jumped in excitement, "Another victory! We are on a roll my friend!" She cheered. Descending from her place at the top, she made her way to Cobalt's side first, doing her regular "after battle check". She scanned every inch of his limbs and checked him over for injuries before giving a satisfied nod and making her way to the other Trainer.
With a smile, she extended her hand for them to shake, "That was a nice battle out there, your Blaziken has so much potential! I just know you two will work even harder at getting stronger, and I can't wait for the day we get to have a rematch! If you ever need some help training, you should swing by and join in on one of my sessions."

((Sorry this one is a bit short, I spent more time on the bio than I realized the next post will be longer!!!))

 

[Aron the Aron]

In the brightly lit hall of the Champion's room, Chara's brilliant midnight-blue hair shone with a violet highlight as she stretched her hand for a handshake. It was hard not to be awestruck by the Unovan Champion! The way she commanded her team with so little dialogue, the exuding presence of confidence, and her Pokémon! They were beyond superior to contemporaries.

Sel Aymsworth felt pretty silly for thinking she could take on somebody like Charaphnelia Heartsworn. She and her Blaziken still had a long ways to go despite earning every Gym Badge Unova had to offer, and at the very least: she was being offered a special opportunity by the Unovan Champion of all people!

"Um... T-thank you Miss Heartsworn!" She managed to say without fumbling her words, nervously shaking her hand with an uncertain grip. "Me and Blaze will try to get stronger in the future; it's the least I can do for him!" Mentioning her Blaziken made her look down at the Pokéball holding her fainted partner, and with renewed spirits she pulled away and gave a quick bow before descending the pyramid down and out of the Champion's Hall.

Cobalt chose that time to stretch his arms and look back out into the cool night sky. Overall it had been an entertaining battle, and he was satisfied with himself over his performance. He avoided any noticeable harm to himself, which was always a win in his book, though he quietly criticized himself over some of the near-mistakes he made. Some more training with his reaction times were probably in order, along with maybe some agility practice while the night was still young.

Well, if Chara didn't try to force him to relax that night...

 

[Charaphenelia]

With a stretch, Chara folded her arms behind her head before glancing at Cobalt and nodding towards the door, "I'd say that's the last one for now, why don't we lock up and head home? You guys fought well today and could use some time to decompress. Take the rest of the night off."
Though she'd formed the first part as a question, it was apparent as she began locking up that it wasn't a choice.
However, as she started to lock the front doors, Yue, a local girl, came running up to them, frantically calling Chara's name through the glass, "Chara! Please! You have to help!" She yelled.
Throwing open the doors, she put a hand on Yue's shoulder, speaking to her calmly, "Take a deep breath, breathe, tell me what's going on."
The girl did as instructed, calming herself enough to explain to the Champion, "There's a baby Cubone in trouble, it's hanging on a branch for its life on the side of Cobalt's Cliff. You have to help it Chara!"
With a nod, she looked to her Lucario, "Let's go Cobalt!" She didn't wait, she knew her partner would follow without hesitation. She ran out the door, running as fast as her legs would go. She knew where Cobalt's Cliff was, and headed below it. There was nothing she would be able to do from atop, but she might from the bottom.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Cobalt didn't need a prompt to follow Chara out of the Pokémon League; his Trainer always had a very strong sense of justice, and in many ways she helped mold his own. Just one of the many things he had to give her credit for in his life...

So named because it was an old training ground for its namesake, Cobalt's Cliff was nestled deep within the twisting maze of mountainside paths and caverns that made up Victory Road. Victory Road was already notorious for being an arduous test of a Trainer's endurance as they navigated the nightmarish trek up the plateau to Unova's Pokémon League, but Cobalt's Cliff was especially notable for being completely impossible to reach without the aid of a Pokémon. Many Trainers loved to test their Pokémon's mettle by scaling the cliff, but only the ones who flew the way up could say they knew what the top of the cliff looked like.

Cobalt was obviously proficient in travelling up to his old practice grounds. Having split off from his Trainer early on, he swiftly negotiated his way through the cliffside and its many rivers towards the clifftop. Not even halfway there he could see a decrepit husk of a tree precariously hanging onto the cliff's edge by the roots, and a little Cubone clinging onto one of its many branches.

Huh, Cobalt remembered that tree still being healthy and growing last time he was there... Maybe four years back. Slight tangent; back to the task on hand...

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara halted in her run as the view of the Cubone in need came into her sights. That was weird, the tree the small Pokemon clung to had once been vibrant with life. As an afterthought, she wondered what had happened to it since she'd last seen the cliff.
Glancing around, her mind moved quickly in determining the safest course of action for retrieving the baby Cubone as safely as possible, "Cobalt," The Trainer said thoughtfully, "Which do you think would be the safest route; using Sky Uppercut and grabbing the baby, or using Psychic to bring it down?" She bit her lip, the poor thing was already so scared, would floating in air scare it even more than suddenly being grabbed? Or would grabbing it scare it more?
There was really no way to be sure, but she couldn't let it continue dangling there like that for much longer, she looked to her partner for his decision in the matter. This wasn't their first rescue, and before Cobalt had learned as many moves as he now has, they'd faced far more challenging situations than this in the past.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Cobalt crossed his arms as he mulled over Chara's offered ideas. Initially they sounded great, but he knew better than to take it at that; his Psychic was just as strong as one performed by a Psychic Type Pokémon, but even he would admit that his take was raw and unrefined: akin to violent blasts of telekinetic force rather than the surgical strike it should otherwise be. If he tried using Psychic to take the Cubone to safety, he'd more likely injure it than anything...

Sky Uppercut was also quickly chucked into the bin. Not that it was a bad idea, but more that Cobalt didn't trust himself to not somehow make the situation worse. He'd be moving up into the air by sheer power of his uppercut alone, and once he stopped he'd not even have a second to act before gravity pulled him down, not enough time to pull the Cubone out of the hanging tree safely. That, and it was probably not a good idea to be using a move to approach a brittle dead tree anyways...

Loathe he was to say it, but it looked like Cobalt was going to have to scale the cliff the old-fashioned way. Luckily, he was no stranger to climbing that particular cliff (how else would he have gotten up there to train?) and there was even a move to help facilitate the process!

Cobalt's paws glowed white as a set of long claws formed around them, harnessing an old forgotten use out of the move Rock Climb. With climbing implements now ready, he leapt up as high as he could before slamming his intangible claws into the stone sides of the cliff. Everything suddenly felt different to the Lucario once he latched on; the odd sensation taking him was akin to gravity suddenly changing directions from pulling him down to pushing him against the cliff, only gravity was still properly working according to everything else around him.

And like as though physics decided to take an off-day, Cobalt shot up the cliff at a hectic pace. He was almost running up the cliff, his arms working frantically to keep himself attached to the cliff while his legs continually pushed him further up. Reaching the dead tree took little time, and now Cobalt was presented with a new problem when he stopped to reassess the situation.

How the heck was be going to grab the Cubone? As it was: the Cubone was hanging off one of the tree's furthest branches, and Cobalt essentially had to get on the tree to reach the little Pokémon. He had no clue how sturdy the old tree was, and if it just happened so that it couldn't support his weight... Well, one look down was enough to get his imagination going...

Of all the times that Chara had to not have a Flying Type Pokémon with her...

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara watched as Cobalt ran up the side of the cliff in an attempt to get closer to the Cubone, then get stuck as he reached the tree the baby Pokemon was dangling from. Chara understood her Lucario's hesitation; the tree didn't exactly look sturdy enough to hold his weight long enough for him to grab the distressed creature.
She swore at herself, thinking of all the Flying Type Pokemon she had back at the Tower. If only she'd brought one... Her brows crinkled as she remembered the previous days events.
Her hands went to the belt she had all of her Pokeballs holstered in and looked for the two only ones not empty. Finding them, she released the two inside, "Gligar, Noibat, come on out!" The two burst from their Pokeballs with the enthusiasm that of those their age often had. Gligar was quite energetic and eager to please his new master any way he could, whereas Noibat was a bit more on the timid side, but still wanting to be useful, "Ok guys, I need you to fly up to Cobalt and give him a hand, alright?" She instructed, pointing to the tree where both Cobalt and the Cubone were.
Nodding, the two wasted no time flying as fast as they could to their teammate.
"We're here to help!" Said Gligar.
"What can we do?" Asked Noibat.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Cobalt was snapped out of his troubled thoughts when Gligar and Noibat eagerly flew up to him. He had forgotten about those two, being relatively new additions to Chara's ever-growing team of Pokémon; their flying capabilities would come into use very handily here. "Good timing you two; I'm not going to be able to get all this done alone." He greeted, pointing to the Cubone hanging far on the end of the tree. "I'm not going to be able to reach the little Cubone, not without causing this old tree to break and fall off the side of the cliff."
Gligar and Noibat wouldn't be able to simply get Cubone down by themselves; their anatomies couldn't accommodate flying and holding onto someone similarly sized, even with the two of them together. Thankfully, the tree was still just barely connected by the roots to the clifftop. If they could get Cubone up onto the tree trunk, then it would simply be a matter of walking along the tree roots until it reached solid ground.

"I need you two to fly over there and help 'em up onto the tree; guide the tyke along until he safely gets to the clifftop. I'll stay here to help hold the tree up so it'll support all three of you, and just in case the Cubone falls and I need to jump and catch him."

 

[Charaphenelia]

The two nodded with enthusiasm, determination upon their expressions. As a team, they flew to the other end of the tree where the Cubone hung suspended in the air. Gligar and Noibat made "Shh" and "There there" sounds at the kid until he calmed enough to understand what they had to tell him.
"We have to get you up and to the cliff! We're going to grab your arms and lift you and onto the tree, so please don't freak out just stay still, ok?" Gligar asked, waiting until the Cubone nodded to go to the right arm, wrapping his tail around it.
Noibat went to the left arm, clutching the limb between his claws. Counting to three, they heaved the kid up and onto the bark. Keeping their hold on him, they helped him slowly walk to the cliffside where Cobalt waited.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Every crack and snap of the dead tree's bark made Cobalt more nervous as he hung off the cliffside, holding up the sideways tree from underneath while wondering what was taking so long for the Cubone to reach safety. Hanging from the side of a cliff with one arm and holding up a dead tree with a small Pokémon with the other was starting to put a minor strain on his muscles. "How's the progress coming along? I don't think the tree can wait for much longer before it crumbles or breaks in some way!" He called to his two juniors, vaguely able to track their progress by the way their auras moved with his senses.

In a few words: slow, careful progress. Noibat and Gligar were nobly guiding the Cubone along step-by-step, but it was unclear if their pace was faster than the rate the tree was possibly deteriorating. Cobalt was still strong enough to hold the tree up in case it started to dip down off the cliff, but things as they were were starting to test his endurance. Thank Arceus Chara was not in any danger...

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara watched from below as her Pokemon worked to rescue the Cubone. Gligar and Noibat gingerly urged the baby along the tree bark as fast as the scared little thing could go. With good grips on both arms, the two even tried dragging him a bit. The length of the tree felt far too long as they slowly ascended to the cliffside.
"How on a little longer, Cobalt." Gligar said, "We're nearly there. Come on little one, you've got it!"
About a minute later, the two Flying Types were carefully guiding the baby Pokemon to the base of the tree and instructing it where to climb and hold onto.
Chara gave a sigh of relief as it seemed like the three had made it back to her Lucario, "You got it guys! Bring that Cubone to safety!" She called encouragingly, keeping a watchful eye on the group and waiting for a chance she can be useful in some way.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Everything had been going well up until that point; Cobalt was still steadily holding the tree up from further tipping over the cliff's edge, and the Cubone he was helping rescue was just beginning to climb up to safety. Things looked like it'd be over soon, so that was the perfect time for Mother Nature to intercede.

Small pebbles fell around Cobalt as the tree suddenly groaned under its own weight; the cliff face no longer had the strength to keep its hold on the decaying tree, and gravity began ripping its dead roots from its formerly stable grip. Cobalt had not been in a proper position to carry and entire tree since he was still latched to the cliffside himself, so the tree began slipping from his free paw despite reaching out to try and stop it.

Unfortunately, Cubone had not yet gotten off the tree trunk when it suddenly began to break off and fall. Noibat and Gligar had tried valiantly to hold onto the Ground Type's stubby arms, but the surprise had caught them off-guard; Cubone slipped from their collective grasp and began tumbling down (up?) the dead trunk as it fell. Cobalt was the only Pokémon capable of doing anything to salvage the unforseen disaster...

So he did what any self-respecting man would do, something incredibly stupid and half-cocked: he jumped.

Now Cobalt wasn't so eager to die that he put his whole strength into his jump, only lightly pushing himself off into free-fall so he could catch the Cubone in his arms. And catch he did; the baby Pokémon handily landed in his arms a mere second after he left the cliffside, and now he had to wrestle with a new problem.

He had a baby Cubone in his arms, and he was rapidly free-falling down beside a cliff and a dead tree. What on earth was he supposed to do? Now Cobalt's Cliff had a river that curved around it at the very bottom, but wagering his odds with perilous rapids hiding many jutting rocks under its raging surface was firmly reserved as a last resort...

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara's blood ran cold as her heart stopped in her chest at the sight of the Cobalt falling with the Cubone in his arms. Her mind raced, trying desperately to think of some way she could help. However, before she could come up with an answer, her body reacted of its own accord; she ran as fast as she possibly could, her feet pounded against the forest floor as they carried her in the direction of the cliff. Logically, she didn't think she would make it in time, but she had to try something.
"Think Think THINK!" She mentally begged herself as she continued to run, adrenaline now flowing through her veins.

Noibat and Gligar were surprised when the tree suddenly gave way and their hold on the baby Cubone slipped, sending the Pokemon plummeting down the cliffside. It wasn't a surprise, though, when Cobalt jumped after him. The two weren't about to give up on their mission, they were determined as they dove for their falling comrade. Grabbing at whatever part of Cobalt they could get a grip on, they tried slowing his descent by holding open their wings and letting the air catch in the webbing. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough and their effort was only able to slow down the fall slightly. Should they make it to the ground at their current velocity, at the least they could expect some bad injuries.

Chara berated herself, how could she have been so stupid? Why did she rush out her with only Cobalt and not think of bringing back up for a situation like this? She was lucky she had Noibat and Gligar's Pokeballs on her from earlier, but she should have thought ahead and grabbed a stronger Flying Type before leaving on a rescue mission. She was impulsive, that was something she'd always had issues with, and today was obviously no exception.
Certainly there was something... It was like a lightbulb went off in her head. There were more Pokemon in the area, they had helped quite a few throughout their years here, one in particular stood out in her mind in that moment, one she knew would still be there even after all these years, "Braviary!" She called as loud as she could as she ran, gaining the attention of every nearby Pokemon, "Please, help Cobalt!"
She hoped beyond hope that the Braviary they'd helped when it was just a Rufflet could hear her plea and help in time. Given there was the possibility that it was no longer around, the Trainer didn't stop running or trying to think of another way to save her beloved partner and the baby he was protecting.

 

[Aron the Aron]

As if answered by divine intervention, the Braviary Chara called upon soared up from a nearby tree. It was an absolute miracle that the little Ruffled Chara helped ages ago happened to be nearby; it was even more of a miracle that our of all of Unova, the now grown-up Valiant Pokémon was within earshot of the girl who helped it once upon a time.

For Cobalt, Braviary was a welcome sight as he continued to plummet downward; Noibat and Gligar could relax now that helped arrived in the form of a stronger Flying Type.

"I'd ask how you've been doing since we last saw you, but I don't think this is the best time for that." He said lightly, holding out the little Cubone in his arms. He didn't want to doubt the bird, but Cobalt weighed more than Chara, and he would've presented a severe challenge to Braviary who already had to support its own weight to fly. "I doubt you're capable of steadily carrying me and the tyke together. Take the fella and get him down safely; I can take a gamble by falling into the river!" The Lucario then thrust the baby Pokémon into Braviary's talons without further input, before preparing himself to brace against the inevitably painful landing. By then he only had about ten seconds before he met the water, which was filled with craggy stones that chopped its raging currents.

If the landing didn't kill him, Chara would.

 

[Charaphenelia]

Relief swamped Chara at the sight of Braviary. It had been a one in a million chance that the Pokemon would be within earshot, but somehow she had been lucky and it came to their aid. Slowing her run to a brisk jog, her eyes didn't leave the scene in the sky; Cobalt still falling, Gligar and Noibat trying their hardest to pull on him and slow his descent, and Braviary soaring towards the group in midair. When Cobalt thrust the Cubone into the Flying Pokemon's talons, Chara began running anew, knowing her partner well enough to know what he was doing. He wasn't going to take the chance Braviary wouldn't be able to carry them both, and was going with the safer option for everyone else.
With Cubone safely in Braviary's grasp, the Flying Type changed direction and headed straight to Chara, who was still running, while Noibat and Gligar did everything they possibly could to turn Cobalt in the direction of the river, trying their best to ensure he would at least land in the water. At this point, it would be his only hope for making it with the least amount of injuries as possible.
Just as Braviary released the baby Cubone into Chara's waiting hands, she heard the loud splash of something breaking the surface of water in the river.
"Cobalt!" She shouted, taking off yet again. She was sure, at the very least, that her legs would be sore in the morning.

From above, Gligar and Noibat kept an eye on the Lucario's whereabouts in the river, both waiting and looking for any opportunity to swoop in and help in whatever way they could. Unfortunately, with how strong the rapids were at the moment, it didn't appear as though they were going to get the chance anytime soon.
Bursting through the trees and to the riverbank, the determined Trainer watched her two Pokemon in the sky, assuming they were tracking Cobalt in the water.
Looking ahead, a lightbulb went off in her head again at the sight of an overhanging tree. It would be risky and dangerous, but if she could get to that tree and onto the branch perched over the river, there was a chance she could hoist Cobalt out of the river before it either took him further downstream, or drowned him.
"Gligar!" She called, setting the baby Cubone down on a boulder, "Watch the baby!" She didn't wait to see if he obeyed-she knew he would-her objective now was just to get to that overhanging branch before her Lucario was swept away in the current. With one last burst of energy, she pumped her legs as hard they could go as she literally raced against the river to get to that tree. The trunk was easy enough to climb, with little nooks and crannies carved into the trunk she could slip her hands and feet into. However, once on the branch, she was forced to crawl on hands and knees until she was almost to the end, the wood slightly bowing under her weight as she wrapped her legs around its girth. Glancing up to Noibat's position, he noticed her attention and flew just above the water, indicating Cobalt's location. Adjusting her position accordingly, she took a deep breath before loosening her legs enough to let her swing up-side-down under the branch, tightening her legs and clenching her thighs firmly around the bark so as not to fall into the river.
Her eyes tracked Cobalt, she could see him now, twisting and tumbling through the water as he tried to get ahold of something, but the current was too strong, abnormally so this time of year.
Stretching out her hand as far as she could, she called, "Cobalt! Grab on!"

 

[Aron the Aron]

Swimming in a raging river wasn't fun; swimming in a raging river while it was dark out was especially un-fun for Cobalt.

The Lucario's bones rattled with the sharp impact of him landing in the river, and his normally cold-resistant fur served little to stave off the shock of cold water. Everything was a rush of muted cold all around him; his waterlogged fur chilling him as his sense of direction was destroyed. Now tossed and turned by the rapids, he blindly reached and grabbed at anything with his paws to spare himself from his unwilling trip. He clawed at rocks, dug into dirt, and clung onto debris in vain attempts to halt his wild ride, yet they all gave way once he had any sort of foothold, only giving him the briefest respite before he was back to suffering.

"Cobalt! Grab on!"

Against the odds, Cobalt picked out his Trainer's voice amidst the cacophony of water flooding his ears. With his eyes tightly shut from the stinging of water, he desperately threw an arm out into the dark, towards Chara's muffled voice.

Lady Luck always did love a little drama, and so sought to grant Cobalt and Chara that one favor. Chara felt the wet paw of her partner grip her wrist tightly, and not wanting to let the miracle go to waste, Cobalt held on with a vice grip. The tree branch groaned ominously as Trainer and Pokémon held each other by the arm, bending to a concerning degree as it struggled against the river current. And yet it held, not fraying as Chara tightened her hold on her partner. The only thing keeping her from joining him in his impromptu swim was the branch, and the hold her legs had on it.

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara felt relief at the feel of Cobalt's paw in her hand. She grabbed onto him desperately, holding tight to his paw with one hand, she reached with her other to get a grip on his forearm. Clenching her thighs around the branch, Chara's muscles strained and burned as she tried hoisting Cobalt out of the river. However, being as the average Lucario weighed approximately 119lbs-not taking into consideration how much muscle Cobalt had-it wasn't exactly an easy feat for the Trainer.
She let out a small cry as she-beyond all odds and logic-curled her arms enough so Cobalt could wrap his own arms around her ribcage.
Her chest heaved with the effort, but her will to save her beloved partner was stronger than anything in that moment-later, she would likely chalk it up to all of the adrenaline running through her system-as she soldiered on, grabbing his hips and pushing him up with a firm command, "Climb!"
Her grip went from his hips to his legs, until she had the pads of his feet his her palms and with the last sliver of strength she had, she pushed him up and onto the branch.
Her body quivered with exhaustion, her legs threatening to release their hold any second, "Cobalt," She panted, reaching a hand towards him, "I think I might-" The muscles in her thighs gave, and the rough bark of the branch scraped the inside skin of her legs as her own weight started pulling her down towards the river. At the last second, she managed to catch her ankle into a small crevice in the wood, the sharp splinters puncturing the skin causing thin trails of blood to start flowing.

 

[Aron the Aron]

(Sorry about the delay! I wanted to prioritize spending Christmas with my family, but don't let that mean I haven't forgotten about this. Merry belated Christmas!)

However, being as the average Lucario weighed approximately 119lbs-not taking into consideration how much muscle Cobalt had-it wasn't exactly an easy feat for the Trainer.

(That's not even taking into account that Chara weighs less than Cobalt by 10 lbs; girl's got strength)

Cobalt swiftly pulled himself up from the water, accepting Chara's help despite being perfectly capable without. With one paw latching onto the much stronger tree branch, he could finally tell himself he was within the realms of safety. He was soaked to the bone, cold to the touch, and probably suffering a concussion, but alive and in one piece-

"Cobalt, I think I might-"

He didn't need further than a split-second to fling his arm out. Fresh adrenaline washed away his earlier disorientation, and his laser focus was now dedicated to rescuing his rescuer. He'd complain to Arceus about the absurdity of his day and the lack of breaks after he and Chara were both out of danger.

With the roles reversed, Cobalt found much more success than before as he grabbed Chara by her free leg. Quick judgement told him that grabbing her by the leg stuck on the branch was a good way of aggravating whatever splinters she had in her ankle, and by holding on to her other would ease the pain of hanging by a limb. He very capably began pulling her up, and although Chara had no strength left below the waist to do anything, Cobalt still had plenty left in him to pull himself up and hold on to his Trainer. No way was he letting her fall into the river he had been just liberated from...

... Unrelated, but thank Arceus Cobalt was the only sentient being around; Chara might've gotten away by wearing shorts, but her shirt...

 

[Charaphenelia]

((Lol I know that's why I warned you I tried making it as realistic as I could, that's why she struggled so much and didn't come out unscathed. Also, I am sorry it's been so long since I replied, tbh I rarely even turn on my laptop anymore but I'll try to get back into the habit of getting online again))

Chara heaved a sigh of relief when she felt Cobalt paws around her, letting her know they were both safe once again. Taking a moment to catch her breath, she allowed her eyes to look over as much of Cobalt as she could see, assessing him for injuries. Overall he didn't seem to be banged up too bad, a few scrapes looked a bit deep-likely from being thrown against a few rocks in the current-but even so, she guessed he had a lot of bruising underneath his fur and knew he would probably be a bit sore come morning if not by the end of the day.
"Well," She said once her heart had calmed its frantic racing, "I believe today could have gone a lot better. I'll have to come up with some safety measure should anything like this happens again, that cliff is also a hazard, apparently, I should have someone fly this area at least once a day to see if there's any trouble or anything." She waved a hand, "I'll come up with all that later." She knew she was rambling, but the adrenaline was wearing off and she was exhausted, like the rest of her party.
Lifting her head to look at the riverbank, she was relieved to see Gligar and Noibat with the baby Cubone, everyone safe. Her ankle throbbed and a quick glance told her she didn't want to see more until they got back home to clean it.
She fixed her shirt best she could, the tree bark had ripped it at some point so she tied it so that it would at least cover her chest until she could replace it.
"Alright, let's get going, be careful." She more mumbled than said, ready to be more than done with today's events and get everyone back home.
Taking care and watching where she stepped, Chara ignored the pain in her ankle and carefully made her way back to the riverbank and off of the tree, keeping an eye on her beloved Lucario to ensure he, too, was being careful and safe. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to fall into the river and go through all of that a second time in the same day.
Feet firmly planted on the ground, she crouched to look the two smaller Pokemon in the eyes, placing a hand on each of their heads as she praised them for their efforts, "You two did an amazing job, you tried so hard to save Cubone and Cobalt, you both deserve a nice meal and rest when we get home. Well done today," She held up their Pokeballs, "Gligar, Noibat, return."
The two went into their Pokeballs before she put them back in their place on her belt. She cooed softly to the little Cubone, gently stroking its head to comfort the Pokemon before picking him up in her arms and standing again.
"Job complete!" She announced, "The baby Cubone is safe." She gave a smile, "Let's get home, Cobalt."

 

[Aron the Aron]

Cobalt was just glad to be finally done with the rescue-gone wrong; the otherwise boring day of defending their Championship has ended with drama that he personally could've gone without. Rescuing the Cubone was non-negotiable, but the bruises he was now sporting told him that the amount of effort and drama he went through may have been disproportionately unfair.

Looking back at the river he had just been pulled out of, he could see the shattered chunks of the tree that had taken the plunge with him all the way down that cliff. It was a tragedy to see what had once been such a vibrant tree now be reduced to withered remnants; he would have to investigate what happened since the last time he had been up that cliff...

That could be left for later though; the adrenaline was already starting to wear off from Cobalt's system, and it wasn't going to be terribly long before his bruises and exhaustion cumulated into a crash. It was time to head on in for the night, except for one teeeeeeny problem:

There was absolutely no way he was letting Chara walk with splinters still in her ankle. Now the Lucario wasn't going to pretend he wasn't guilty of attempting to walk off his injuries, but it was of the general opinion that Pokémon generally had a better resilience to wounding than their human masters. The worst injuries Chara would suffer on a normal day would maybe be a paper cut or some little bump from tripping and falling, not sharp cuts to the insides of her legs and splinters from dry bark.

Without letting Chara voice any protest, Cobalt swiftly hooked one arm under her knees and picked her up to carry in his arms. At least like that it was faster than letting her attempt to walk/hobble while bleeding in the legs, and Cobalt was sure he still had some leftover strength to support her. Now it was just a matter of where to go. Flying all the way back to Nuvema Town was not an option, not when it was already so late out (not to mention her lacking a Flying Type big enough to carry her across the region home). They'd have to stick it out back in the Pokémon League or make the journey down the remainder of Victory Road to Humilau City...

 

[Charaphenelia]

Chara let out a squeak of surprise as Cobalt suddenly-literally-swept her off her feet to carry her bridal style with the baby Cubone still in her arms, now resting on her chest. She pursed her lips to stop a protest from escaping, she knew it would do no good and would fall on deaf ears. His reason was obvious; Chara could feel her leg throb with the beat of her heart.
Her first reaction was to pull the splinters out, but she knew doing that now would just make things worse. They needed to wait until they got somewhere they could bandage the appendage after removing the pieces of wood.
However, the problem at the moment was their current location, "We have some medical supplies at the Pokemon League." She said, "We can head back there and fix my leg up as best we can until I can get to a doctor." She forced a smile, "I think it looks worse than it actually is." Or at least, she hoped that was the case, "With all of the blood it's hard to tell, so it could easily not be as bad once we get the bleeding under control."
Thinking back to their trip from the League to where they were now, she tried to remember how long it had taken but with everything that had happened, she couldn't recall. Her brows furrowed, hoping it wouldn't take too long for Cobalt's sake. After all he'd done and been through today, he had to be exhausted by now. She wouldn't be surprised if he ended up falling asleep next time he sat down.

 

[Aron the Aron]

Cobalt sighed unenthusiastically at the news. The inevitable hike back up Victory Road was not going to be kind to the Lucario's battered body, but Humilau City was several hours in the other direction. The sooner they got help, the sooner both of them could patch themselves up from the long day's events.

With little reason to stick around, Cobalt reaffirmed his grip around Chara's shoulder and under her legs before beginning the long march back up they way they came. For the whole trek he would make sure Chara and the Cubone in her arms were safe and comfortable (or at least as comfortable as he could compromise). His injuries were concerning, but minor enough that he could literally walk them off as he was aptly demonstrating; Chara on the other hand he would not let on the ground while her leg was still serving as a pincushion and the remnants of her shirt barely clung to her. Victory Road very well tested the Lucario's endurance again, but at least this time around no wild Pokémon dared to get close, let alone entertain the idea of attacking them...

- - Skipping ahead another hour or so... - -

(Taken from Pokémon Generations)

Carved out of the ruins of an ancient palace, the Unovan Pokémon League was a sight Chara and Cobalt had known over the last few years. The proud green dome of main keep that was their "throne room" stood against the Starry night sky, but it was the Pokémon Center next to the entrance that was the more welcome sight.

As Chara feared, Cobalt was grasping at embers of strength as he trudged his way up the last few steps toward safety. Time and Victory Road both took their toll aggravating his bruises and stretching his exhaustion; even he wasn't fooling himself by looking strong. The silver lining to it all was that Chara had long since stopped bleeding in the leg(s), and likely wasn't feeling sharp pain whenever she tried to move her ankles...