Prologue

In the sleepy town of Pallet, a young boy of five stared in awe at the small television set in the living room, watching as the challenger's pikachu raced along the fringes of the arena, seemingly toying with the champion's pigeot with the occasional electric shock as it made its pursuit. A command was issued on the champion's part, some distorted shout that he couldn't quite make out that had the pigeot fold its wings to plunge down in a sudden dive. A bright coat of energy covered its sharp beak, an attack that surely would've done a bit of damage had it actually landed a hit.

At the last second the pikachu jumped into the air, landing on the bird pokémon's back as it pulled back up in the air. Pigeot didn't stand a chance as it was hit by an encapsulating thundershock attack.

Listening to her son's whoops from the kitchen, Delia smiled as she continued washing the dishes from their recently finished meal. It didn't matter how many times he had seen that particular match, he always acted as if it was his first time watching it. It had gotten to the point where she knew just where he was in the video by the way he cheered. Right now must be the part with Pikachu.

A sudden knock at their door caught her by surprise. She paused and waited to see if wasn't her imagination. When it came again a few seconds later, Delia set the plate back down in the sink to soak and quickly dried her hands before hustling over to the front door.

Fretting over the minor delay, she wasted no time in opening the door to greet whomever it was that had called upon them at such an hour.

"Hello," she greeted brightly. "How may I help you?"

Before her stood a man in his early twenties, dressed in dark clothing and wearing a hat that hid most of his face. Thanks to the darkness and the fact that her front porch light was out, it was difficult to make out just exactly what he looked like. However, the uncertainty didn't linger for long.

The young man removed his wide brimmed hat and favored her with a shy smile. "Hey, Delly. It's been a while."

Delia's own smile faltered and her eyes grew a fraction wider as recognition began to dawn on her. "Riley? Is that . . . is that you?" she asked, not quite believing what she was seeing.

He chuckled softly at her evident surprise while his hands tightened around his hat. Already his hands were clammy with sweat. He hoped she couldn't see them shake.

To his delight Delia swept him up into a warm embrace, one that he had not felt in quite some time. It reminded him of his childhood, days that had long since passed. He hadn't known how his presence would be received after so long, but he was relieved to find that any bad blood between them had since faded and that she seemed genuinely happy to see him.

"It's so good to see you again, Sis." Riley said as he glanced down at his partner, who favored him with an encouraging smile.

"And you as well, Riley. It's been a long time since we've last seen each other. Too long." Her arms tightened around him at the onslaught of guilt that washed over her. Things shouldn't have gotten as carried away as they had. And even though he hadn't gone out of his way until now to reach out to her, nor she him, the fault was all her own.

With a slight cough and nervous grin he asked, "May I come in?"

As if reminded of her ever abundant sense of hospitality, Delia pulled away and ushered him inside. Right at his heels followed a pokémon that seemed vaguely familiar and entirely new all at once. That proud tilt of its head, the certainty in which it stood, it couldn't be the same pokémon of her youth.

"That can't be who I think it is," said Delia with a half knowing look directed at the pokémon in question.

Riley and his partner looked to one another before turning back to her with identical looks of pride. He rested a hand on the pokémon's shoulder as he spoke. "Riolu worked really hard to become the lucario he is today. A part of me thinks one of the reasons why he worked so hard was to show you how far he's come from the day we found him when we were children."

She looked to Lucario with renewed fondness and was reminded of times she had not thought of in years. Bending down so that she was eye level with him, Delia ran a hand along his furry cheek and murmured, "I'm sorry it's been so long since we last saw each other. But it's so nice to meet you again, Lucario. I hope you've been keeping my brother out of trouble."

Lucario gave a swift nod of assurance, having taken the unspoken task as seriously as possible to Riley's bemusement.

"Mommy?"

The three of them turned their gazes over to the child half hidden by the cabinet table on the left peering out at them, having been drawn away from the television by the sound of their voices. He stared uncertainly at his mother and the strange man, but any hesitancy he may have had disappeared as soon as his eyes landed on Lucario.

With an unabashed grin overtaking his features he ran up to the pokémon, beaming with bright eyed wonder as he circled it repeatedly in complete awe. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "What kind of pokémon is this? I've never seen one before! What's its name? Is it yours?"

Delia glanced to her brother, noticing his evident surprise over the discovery that she had a child. But there was an underlying understanding in his eyes as his expression became a bit more ambiguous that left her feeling uneasy.

Riley's genuine shock showed through on his face for only a couple seconds before he quickly schooled his expression into something a bit more placid and approachable as he knelt down to address the boy. "Hey there," he greeted with a patient smile. "My name is Riley and this is my partner, Lucario. What's your name?"

"My name's Ash!" he gushed, still fawning over Lucario. "Lucario looks really cool! I bet he's super strong too!"

Lucario took the praise in stride, his chest puffing out in pride. He even had a new found appreciation for Ash's rough prodding and heavy pats. So long as this boy thought highly of him, he'd tolerate the slightly uncomfortable nature of this interaction.

When Ash began to tug on one of Lucario's ears, Delia swooped in to intervene. She pried her son's hand away and began to run it along the tuft of fur on the pokémon's head in slow, short strokes. "Gently, Ash, gently," she told him.

The boy nodded and proceeded to pet Lucario in the manner in which his mother had just showed him, unable to smother his excitement at being around a real pokémon. It was like a dream come true after having spent his life only able to look at them from a far at Professor Oak's lab.

While Ash was busy paying attention to Lucario, Riley stood back up and placed his hat back on his head. Just as he did, it was gone again, pulled away by Delia with a disapproving tut.

"Now, now, no need to go hiding your face with this thing. So long as you are here in my home, the hat stays off."

Riley shook his head and smiled ruefully. He should've known he'd be chastised by his sister for such a thing. She'd always done her best to make him much more open than he was naturally inclined to be, and though it had hit a nerve on more than one occasion in the past, he appreciated the sentiment now.

"Sorry," he apologized with a ghost of a grin still on his lips. "Force of habit."

"I'm sure," she agreed as she placed the hat on the nearby coat rack. "Are you guys hungry? I don't mind whipping up something for you and Lucario."

"Its fine," Riley assured her. "We ate before we came here. And truthfully, I didn't expect to be here as long as I have. I wasn't even sure you'd want to see me."

Delia made to deny such a claim but stopped herself short when she remembered how they had left things. They had said things that they both had come to regret, none more so than Delia. She had to wonder why he would choose now of all times to seek her out.

"Let's move this conversation into the kitchen," suggested Delia. "I'll make you a snack."

Sensing that she wished for any sort of discussion to be held in private, Riley readily complied. His eyes lingered on Ash as he followed Delia down the hall before moving to Lucario. The pokémon stared back at him as he waited for some kind of command.

"You keep Ash company while I'm with Delly, my friend," instructed Riley.

Having heard his words, Ash became even more excited as he took Lucario's paw in his hand and said, "We can watch my video of the Pokémon League Champion match between Red and Blue!" He tugged Lucario along into the living room without a second thought, eager to show off the amazing battle that he had seen over a half a dozen times to a pair of fresh eyes.

The two adults watched them make their way over to the living room before continuing into the kitchen. There, Delia moved to the fridge and began pulling out things for a simple sandwich while Riley took a seat at the table. He watched his sister go through the motions with relative rapidity, likely from years spent preparing lunch for her son.

She set the plate in front of him and took a seat herself.

The siblings stared at one another, and took the time to truly look the other over. So many questions swarmed Delia then as they lapsed into silence with the sounds of Ash's commentary ringing in the background.

"You look well," remarked Delia tentatively, resting her chin on the palm of her propped up hand.

Riley glanced down at his garb. Compared to her simple blouse and shirt, his suit seemed out of place in such a humble setting. Feeling a bit self-conscious of his apparent wealth next to his sister's much homelier attire he hastily responded in kind. "So do you. Life in a small town suits you well."

Delia kept her eyes on his untouched sandwich as she quietly asked, "How did you find me?"

He smiled at her softly, leaning forward to capture her distant gaze. "It wasn't that hard to figure out, Delly. Sure, it may have taken me a bit of time, but I knew that you'd at least be here in Kanto. I can't imagine you going anywhere else. Though I'm not sure why you chose here of all places. You never were one for a quiet life."

"Yeah, well," her voice trailed off into a low murmur. "Things change. People change."

Riley sat back with a slight frown. "I hope I haven't offended you. I didn't mean—"

"Its fine," she waved casually with a forced smile. "I actually really like it here, truly. It's . . . nice. And predictable. I know what each day is going to be like, and if I need some excitement, I've got Ash to keep me on my toes."

"He seems like he'd be quite a handful," remarked Riley as the two adults turned to watch the boy in question.

"Sometimes," Delia admitted as she regarded her son with a fond look that spoke more than words could convey the depths of her love for him. "But he's a good kid and he always means well. I couldn't ask for a sweeter boy."

Watching Ash interact with Lucario was quite the sight. Even though the pokémon sat poised in meditation, Ash chattered away at him like it was nothing, pointing furiously at the television whenever he especially needed to get his point across.

Maybe it hadn't been his sister he had felt all those months ago when a strange aura had briefly overtaken him whilst on his travels. Even now he could sense Delia's latent potential, but it wasn't any different from back when they were children and he was first discovering his abilities.

Had it been Ash that had drawn him here instead?

"What is it?" asked Delia, her voice cutting through his thoughts.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing," he dismissed. He paused for a moment to gather up the nerve to ask something that had been lingering in the back of his mind ever since he'd set out to Pallet Town. "How's J—"

"Don't."

The intensity in which Delia stared him down startled Riley. Her auburn eyes were hard like steel and her entire frame was rigid with tension. Waves of anxiety and anger were rolling off of her and onto him, almost masking the hints of regret, sorrow, pain, and smallest bit of yearning. Her turmoil hit him hard, leaving feeling breathless.

"Delly . . ."

"Don't."

Fire was in her eyes now, along with a particular crease on her brow that let him know that she was really upset and any further attempt of broaching the topic would be shut down.

She abruptly stood and seized his plate, bringing it over to the counter to wrap up his sandwich. When she was done with the task she stood in place and kept her back to him. Slowly, as if weighed down by exhaustion she finally questioned him. "What are you doing here Riley? As much as I'd like to think this is just a little reunion I know you too well to know that you'd only contact me if you didn't have a specific reason. You could've found me a long time ago only you chose now to do so. Why?"

"Delia, I'm sorry that I've upset you." Riley rose and approached, beseeching her to trust in his honesty. "I didn't come here to stir up the past or to open up old wounds. I don't know what happened but I know it hurt you, and I'm sorry for reminding you of such pain."

Delia braced herself against the counter and sighed. "Please just answer the question."

He fell silent, mulling over how he should go about wording it. Should he just be frank with her? After all, it seemed as though she already understood the true nature of his intentions, if only partially. Or should he make up some story about why he had found himself in this area of Kanto? He had a feeling that if he went that route she'd know immediately that it was a lie. He had never been very good at lying and he didn't suppose he'd be any good now in front of his sister.

In the end, he decided to do both and tell a half truth.

"I thought I felt something, but I guess I was wrong."

"Of course you felt something," she muttered scornfully. "What other reason could there be?"

He fidgeted in place, flustered by her slight ridicule of his practice. "I know you think it's some fairytale, but it's real and it's something I can sense. So very few can see the world like I can, and I thought . . ."

"You thought what?" snapped Delia.

"I thought that maybe you had finally developed the ability."

His words left her stricken, face draining of color and fear lighting up her eyes. It was enough to answer his growing suspicions.

Unable to help himself he began to ask her several questions at once. "What happened? What did you see? Did he—"

"Get out."

Riley faltered and took a step back. Warily he held up his hands in hopes of placating her, but her ferocity would not abate.

"I will not let you try to take him away from me as well," she all but growled. "Ash isn't going to have any part in our heritage, nor will he learn anything about aura unless that's his choice. I refuse to have the same thing happen to him that happened to you. Until he's old enough to make his own decisions and understand what they will mean, the answer is no."

While he continued to stand there and gap at her, she thrust his saran wrap at his chest and shrilly cried, "If that's all you came here for then leave, please. Please just go, Riley."

He stared down at her solemnly, his heart breaking at the sight of her slight frame starting to shutter. As much as he wanted to hold her close and apologize earnestly for his selfishness, he chose to close himself off until he was completely numb to it all.

Mechanically, he took the sandwich from her, keeping his eyes averted as he turned away. His gaze fell to Ash and Lucario, the former oblivious of their argument while the latter had his head slightly tilted in their direction.

"Let's go, Lucario," Riley called as he crossed down the hall towards the front door.

The pokémon was at his side in seconds with Ash trailing after him in dismay.

"You're leaving already?" he asked, disappointment heavy in his tone.

"I'm afraid so," Riley remarked as he let a small smile peek through his stoic mask. "It was nice meeting you, Ash. Perhaps we'll see one another again."

He didn't linger long enough to hear the boy's reply, simply grabbing his hat before departing into the black void of night.

Ash watched the pair disappear, disheartened that he hadn't gotten to show Lucario that part with Charizard battling Blastoise. It was only when he could no longer make them out in the darkness did he finally shut the door, left standing alone at the foyer with a slight frown. The house felt suddenly so very empty without Lucario and his trainer. The usual warmth was gone, leaving him to feel uncomfortable in the relative silence.

Slowly he made his way into the kitchen in search of his mother, only to find her huddled on the floor. Her body shook with her muffled sobs, her tears hidden behind her hands as she cradled her face.

Ash stared dumbfounded, not understanding why his mother was feeling so sad. He had never seen her cry before, not once. It was starting make his own eyes water just watching her.

He didn't know what to do to make her feel better, so decided to do what made him feel better whenever he was sad.

Delia jumped at Ash's touch, startled by his mere presence as he began stroking her hair slowly and murmured hushed words of comfort into her ear. She stared with watery eyes as he tried to sooth her, her chest growing tight at his honest attempt.

Her arms came around him and drew him close, holding him so tight that he could feel her body tremble against his. Wordlessly she rested her face against his shoulder and continued to sob while her little boy held her, muttering about how good of a mother she was.

When he told her she was best, she could only cry harder.

Down the dirt path leading out of Pallet Town, Riley took a tentative bite of the sandwich Delia had made him. His eyes grew wet as he swallowed.

It was his favorite.

Author's Note: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed the prologue of my first Pokémon fic! There's so much I want to do with this that it honestly has me feeling a bit overwhelmed. This is going to be a massive undertaking and I hope you all enjoy it along the way. Let me know what you thought by leaving me a review and if you have any questions, shoot me a PM and I'll try to answer them as best as I can.

I don't have a schedule yet, but I'll try to have the next chapter posted by the end of the month.