MCSM Oneshots [DISCONTINUED]

Lukesse Pokémon AU

(Requested by @FlareTheGryphon)

"Petra, Lukas, Jesse. You're each eleven years old now, and it is time for you to take on your island challenges, if you so wish."

That was how it started, five years ago. We probably could never have imagined us as we are now, older, smarter, but happier at the same time.

"Yo, Jesse! Lukas! You ready? Hau and Moon are waiting for us!" Petra calls, distracting me with a splash of ocean water. Some of it must have hit Lukas, too, because he yelps and cries, "Petra! You can't do that!"

"I can do whatever the heck I want, Lukas," she replies, both she and her Incineroar laughing their guts out. I look over at Primarina, who rolls his eyes and wades into the water. Waddles? Waffles? Well, whatever. I stand, attempting to brush wet sand off my legs, and follow him into the shallows.

"C'mon, guys, just one surf trip?" Petra asks. "You won't drown, I promise."

"If I do drown, I'm going to kill you," Lukas mutters as he reluctantly follows us into the water.

"You've all been Mantine Surfing before, right?" the woman running the surf shop asks as we wade up to the floating Mantines.

"Yep, except for blondie," Petra cheerfully replies, half-leaping onto the blue-backed Pokémon. "We'll be fine, no worries."

"If you say so," the woman says dubiously.

"You can ride with me, Lukas," I say from on top of one Mantine's back, reaching down a hand. He takes it, and I pull him up behind me. "Just hold on, and we'll be safe."

I tentatively stand as we begin ailing forward, trying to catch up to Petra, who's already a distance away. Arms latch around my waist, and I hear him whisper, "I'm nervous, Jesse." His head is almost resting on my shoulder.

"I hear you, Lukas," I respond as we near the long wave Petra's coasting the top of. "But it'll be fun. You'll be fine, I promise."

Using shifts in pressure, I guide the Mantine up to nearly the top of the wave and back down, repeating until we two riders are kneeling in order to stay on its back. Once more to the top of the wave, and we leap into the air, spinning above the wave and gliding. I allow myself to lean back a bit and enjoy the view of the setting sun behind Melemele, gripping the handles of the seat tightly. From the corner of my eye, I can see Lukas risking a look back to where we came from, and his grip loosens a bit.

I'm almost certain I see him mouth wow as we dive back down onto the wave.

"Enjoying yourself, Lukas?" Petra shouts as we near her. She gives me a sly grin as she seems to notice how close I am to him, and I roll my eyes at her, sparking a laugh.

"Yeah!"

"I'll race you guys to Akala!" Before we get a chance to respond, she's already surfing up to the crest.

"Guess that doesn't leave us much choice, then," I say, looking back at my partner.

"We can beat her, no problem. Let's do this!" he cries, letting go of my waist and standing on his own. Small tingles of warmth remain where we were linked, causing a minor distraction.

Almost perfectly synchronized, we gain momentum and head up for a jump. We start spinning in the air, and I realize that Lukas isn't kneeling behind me. Casting my gaze out, I see the remains of a splash a short distance behind me. "Turn around!" I yell to the Mantine, trying to guide it back to the splash site. When it's unresponsive to my command, I mutter a curse and leap off the Pokémon's back into the water.

The ocean stings my eyes as I pry them open, squinting, searching for any sign of Lukas. A Carracosta is swimming toward the rough silhouette of a human shape, so I reach out and grasp its back fins for a speed boost. It flees toward the shape and, after a few moments, reaches back to try and attack me. Air. Breathe, I think as I dodge its attack and swim upwards. Luckily, it seems to decide I'm not worth the effort, and swims away.

My head breaks the surface, and I gasp a breath before diving back down and searching for the shape. Dangit, Lukas, why do you need to do this to me? I narrowly dodge a small school of Wishiwashi and dive deeper until the body solidifies. Yep, Lukas.

I reach out a hand and grasp his, noting his closed eyes and nonexistent attempts to swim, and start trying to pull him up. I'm not strong enough. Primarina!

With a tap of a button, Primarina appears next to me. I grab onto his tail, and he swims toward the surface far faster than I could. Pain is squeezing my lungs, but I can make it, we can-

we can-

we-

The blue-tinted sunlight is growing brighter, closer, but it's vanishing, too. A dark tunnel grows around my vision, and we're only feet from the surface.

Just... a little... further

Almost...

there...