Alright, so, I'm back for now I guess. Gunna delete the shit out of a bunch of trash stories I made. I still like romance fics, but Harems are gunna have to die a painful death. Well, shitty harems anyway, I'll probably follow the theme of my Bleach/Pokemon story and have just a bunch of flirtatious undertones and the occasional "whelp, I guess we had a one time thing." Hope none of you mind that I'm killing my bad habit of oversexualizing and overdramatizing my female characters, but that's a no no. I've rambled on enough, here's my new pet project.
Chapter 1
Ashura was… moderately confused. As moderately confused as a five year old Anima could be that is. He hadn't remembered meeting this man before. He pulled his baby brother Peter closer into his chest, the little bundle of white cloth having a tiny adorable face, with a patch of golden blond hair and two 6 inch ears, long and pointy, their base matching his locks of hair, with the tips of the ears looking like they had black soot on them… or his parents may have potentially dunked his ears in an inkwell, Ashura could only speculate the oddity.
"Master Ashura," the man leading them spoke, "our destination is not much farther, young master. Do you have any questions before we arrive?" The man questioned. Ashura perked his ears up, the man's voice was quite pleasant, if a little gruff, something of a mix between Kalosian, and Kantoan. His outfit was also intriguing… a black vest over a white dress shirt, sleeves rolled to just below his elbows, and a blood red tie snugly underneath said vest, black slacks and shiny black leather ballroom shoes. He had seen his dad wear similar when he was dancing with mom at a gala, right down to the suspenders over his shoulders. The man walked with an air of fluid grace and aloofness. Ashura respected the way he held himself, not uptight, but still proper, seemingly a gentleman.
"Young master?" The mans silver and black peppered mustache wiggled out his question. Ashura winced, he had lost track of what he had asked, lost in his own thoughts.
"S-Sorry. I uhh… Well, can I know where I'm going?" The man smiled at that, before nodding.
"Of course, there is nothing to hide, you may know any one thing I do, young master. And, to answer that question, yes, we are headed to a place called, Guardian's Keep." Ashura flopped one ear over and raised the corresponding eyebrow.
"Where is that, Mister…?" Ashura's eyes went wide. He completely forgot this kind stranger's name. Or maybe he was a kind kidnapper. Time would tell, his mom used to always say.
The man chuckled, "Guardian's Keep is in no particular place at any particular time. And you can call me Charles." Ashura frowned at the response.
"The heck does that mean?" The man had a hearty laugh over Ashura's confusion. Ashura let a small frown slip, his ears drooping slightly. The ma- erm, Charles, must have noticed his new expression, his laugh caught midway and he smiled, apologetically.
"This is all so new to you… you don't have any idea as to who I am, past my name that is, and I'm laughing at you. My apologies young mas-"
"Ashura." Ashura cut him off. Young master was a nice title to fan one's ego, but Ashura was never one for such petty pride. Or so his dad tried to instill in him.
"Ashura." Charles rolled the name off his tongue, he appeared to like the sound of it, if his pleased smile was anything to go off of.
"Right, I did catch your and your brother's names on the files I was given." He ran a hand through his slicked back, peppery hair. He let off a small sigh, legs never stopping on the street they were traveling once. That intrigued Ashura.
"Mister Charles, did you adopt us?" Charles looked at the smaller boy and grinned.
"I'm afraid I did not, but that's only due to one factor my boy. Now this can be answered many ways, you just have to know the right question." Ashura furrowed his brow, his ears perked up as he focused. He hadn't asked the man much, but even then there was something he needed to ask anyway, and Charles did offer any knowledge he could…
"Why are we headed to Guardian's Keep, Mister Charles?" Charles laughed, before patting the boy inbetween his ears, right on top of his head. He rubbed the young Anima's head affectionately.
"That's an excellent question, Ashura. One that'll lead to more, no doubt. We have roughly 15 more minutes until we arrive, so I'll answer what I can… Now, do you know what a Guardian is?" Charles raised a brow, he wasn't sure what the lad's answer would be, after all, this region was quite safe, so none of the Guardians had been deployed here for combat purposes. Ashura shook his head. A no then.
"Good, I love telling this story… Ahem." He cough into his fist, and put his hands into his vest pockets. He proceeded to tell a tale.
"Long ago, the regions of the world had thrived in peace and harmony. As, many, many, many, stories tend to start." He looked slight frustrated about that tidbit.
"Anywho, these lands experienced a great calamity. The sky cracked open upon the vibrant and beautiful region of Orre. For the sky fell-"
"One sec. My dad used to say, and pardon my Kalosian, that Orre was, 'the crappiest little hellhole this edge north of the reverse world.'" Charles frowned.
"That is entirely true. But, for now, it's not a hellhole. Wait, aren't you five? Did your father really curse like that in front of you?" Ashura smiled slyly and his honey brown eyes lit up in amusement.
"Basically all the time." He giggled afterward.
"Kids these days." Charles sighed. "So… Orre, had a sky splitting. I worded that wrong… Ahem… The sky split above Orre, the creatures that fell from the great black tear of reality, caused chaos and destruction no matter where they fell. The beautiful region of Orre was transformed into a deserted wasteland, where only the hardy and insane sought to be. The tear didn't stop there however. As humanity always seems to do, they bollocks'd the situation up even more somehow. Different groups of cultists and fanatics of the tear managed to get their hands of some of the monsters that fell. They studied them and learned of how to create new, smaller tears, from which creatures of a size similar to the tear could break free. They used this knowledge for evil, dark purposes. But, as fortune would have it, with the tear came a… sort of awakening, for this very planet we reside on. Energy burst forth from the planet, as if though it were a living thing. And, with that event came another, the discovery of manifestable Aura. I'm assuming you know what Aura is?" Ashura nodded.
"My mom and dad named me after it. Dad said my hair looked black and silky, like Ash, and my mother said she could feel my presence as if though my Aura was calling out to her like beacon. So they combined the two." Ashura finished a bit somberly. He couldn't stop thinking of them. Charles broke him out of his thoughts.
"That's quite sweet, Ashura. And, also excellent, seeing as I won't have to explain Aura. Well as you know, Aura is the manifestation of our spirits, but on the day of the rift opening, which is referred to as, The Shift, Aura burst forth from every living thing on our planet, and would continue to do so, even with the birth of the new generation. As such, we learnt how to weaponize and control our Aura. However, not all creatures are born equal. Sentient beings are typically the only ones with an inkling of control over their Aura, and even then, you have to be born with a knack for how to manifest it. There is also a difference in the amount of Aura an individual is born with. Now, with this power, the cultists unlocked a way to tear new rifts, but… in opposition to acts of malice, some brave warriors stepped forth. The first generation of Guardians, a group of men and women of great power, they manifested their souls in one way, and perfected the art they had chosen. With their great strength, they cast back the monsters and their summoners. They kept the evils of The Shift, and all it had spawned, out of peaceful towns. Then, these Guardians decided to let off of their warpath. They relaxed, and passed their knowledge on to a new generation. Because even the greatest of warriors can die, no matter how strong. Even though Aura, when manifested in a Guardian, or a Guardian level being, greatly reduces the rate at which they age, they grew sad, disheartened at the rate in which loved ones died, only able to find solace in the presence of one another. They grew weary of that too, however, and let their Aura slip back into a dormant state, so they may age, and finally… die. And, with their death, came another, younger apprentice, that replaced their master. Sometimes stronger, sometimes weaker, but typically powerful, nonetheless. And, so that tradition has carried on, millennia after millennia, so that the monsters of the rift in the sky cannot destroy humanity, and so that they may keep watch over humanity so it would not destroy itself." Charles sighed, story finally over. He was right, Ashura did have a lot of questions.
"So, the keep we're headed to-"
"Yep. Those Guardians."
"Where do the apprentices come from?" Charles smiled down at the boy, before rubbing his head again.
"Sometimes, parents ask if their child is strong enough to join the order. Other times, we scout out kids in need. Occasionally, I check Orphanages." Charles said with a knowing wink. Ashura's jaw dropped.
"Y-you want me? Me? To be a hero? A-a… A Guardian?" Ashura sputtered out. Charles grinned.
"Absolutely, you and your little brother. Peter, right?" Ashura nodded numbly, the shock still rolling over him. This was insane. His parents hadn't even died a month ago, and he was getting roped into being a powerful, monster slaying machine.
"What if that isn't what I wanted to do, what Peter wants to do?" Charles shrugged.
"Then you don't do it. We train you how to use and manifest your Aura, the basics of combat, we give you room and board, and some of the finest tutoring in the world, all free of charge. All we expect in return is, don't cause trouble, don't pick fights, and give one of the many jobs we have a fair swing. You wouldn't have to become an apprentice to a Guardian, you could become a Sage, or a teacher, or maybe even a janitor. That's entirely up to you. All I ask, is that you try. If not for your own sake, then for your brother's. They don't have the proper equipment and resources to take care of you two properly. We do. And, we have career options. What's there to lose Ashura?" Ashura didn't have an answer. There was, quite Frankly, nothing to lose. It was a dream come true. And Peter… Ashura winced, he didn't want his baby brother back in an orphanage. Anima's were rare, and naturally dangerous, which caused many people to of other species to fear and hate them. Racism wasn't something new to Ashura, and he doesn't want to bring his little brother up in anything other than the safest environment. Ashura sighed in resignation.
"Well, how can say no? I'll do anything for Peter." Charles grinned even wider. He tightened his tie and stopped next to a phonebooth. He gestured to the door of the booth with one hand.
"You first, I insist." Ashura flopped an ear at him in confusion.
"What?" Charles laughed, seemingly enjoying the boys confusion.
"Trust me, remember what I said about the keep earlier?" Ashura scratched behind one ear, tucking Peter closer with one hand.
"No, it was just really, really, uhh… there's a word for it, my dad used to say it all the time... I think it means, hard to understand?" Charles laughed wholeheartedly. He had entirely forgotten the age of the boy before him. He was bright and witty, it was easy to lose track.
"I believe the word you're looking for is, vague." Ashura snapped his finger and his eyes lit up.
"That's it, vague!"
"Ahh well, I guess I was vague, but… you'll have to trust me on this one." Ashura frowned.
"That was vague too." Charles grinned. He wagged a finger at Ashura.
"That going to be your word of the day?" Ashura snorted and looked away.
"... Probably." He said with a sheepish grin. He sighed and stepped into the phone booth. Charles joined him shortly after.
"I'm not going to lie, this will feel weird. Just uhh… don't puke on me." Ashura raised a brow and drooped the opposite ear. Ashura didn't have time to form a response as he was hit with immediate vertigo. He was suddenly very happy to not have eaten that morning. What felt like minutes later, but was clearly only a split second, Ashura felt his feet touch something. The vertigo was gone, and with it, his need to puke. He gripped his baby brother tighter to his chest, the child's warmth and steady breathing comforting him. A hand rubbed his head, he turned to see that Charles was still with him. That calmed him even further. The older man gestured to the room ahead of him. They stood on what appeared to be slightly elevated platform, softer than the metal of the phone booth, and the air was a little cooler. Alolan weather always being delightfully warm at all times, and this room a slight contrast to the climate of his home region. There was doorway at the end of the room, and it looked to lead farther into the facility.
"Welcome to the Guardian's Keep. I hope you don't dislike the style, only this room looks like this." Ashura smirked.
"You mean, like a dentist's office?" Charles frowned. The plain white walls and shiny metal technology all around the room did nothing to go against Ashura's statement. He huffed a sigh.
"Yes, none of the rest of the keep looks like a "Dentist's office". Now do you wanna go pick a room or not?" He used his fingers to hyphenate the term. He frowned at the witty little bugger, his new nickname for the lad, and gestured to the door at the end of the room once more. Ashura smiled with glee. A room! For him and his brother? This was fantastic.
"I get to stay with Peter, right?" Charles saw the excitement on his face, and nodded happily. He took a more serious tone a second later however.
"Yes, so long as you do your best to behave, and give it your best effort in lessons and training. And, one last thing…" Ashura perked his ears up, showing absolute attention to the man.
"If anyone, and I mean anyone, bullies you or Peter for being Anima, send them my way, and I'll straighten them out. I do not tolerate racism in the keep. If you are ever physically harassed, send your fist their way. Don't let anyone rough you up because of the way you were born. The Guardians are equal rights, and equal opportunity, so if you ever see any type of injustice, you have my express permission to sort it out. We clear?" Ashura nodded, and smiled. This man… this was a man he could truly respect. He saw that now. He had no reason to fear the friendly stranger, he felt like less of a stranger than most everyone else Ashura knew. He wore his heart on his sleeve.
"Let's go find a room, Charles. Preferably one close to yours?" Ashura asked hopefully. Charles grinned happily.
"Of course. I wouldn't want it any other way."
So, first chapter is pretty short, and there's zero action, but I figured that'd be cool, since the beef of the background story and other main protagonists are coming next chapter. Not going to lie, this idea has been in my noggin for like a year. This is going to be the groundwork for some other ideas and crossovers I have, so trust me, I'm going to finesse the shit out of this thing. It'll be a hundred chapter masterpiece by the time I'm done. Don't hold me to literally 100 chapters though, maybe 40 to 60. It will NOT be short. I'm not fucking about this time. Also, I'm sure you nerds will want ships… HAHAHAHAHA. No. Nothing will be locked down, or serious for any of our protagonists, there will be no dating, there might be love, crushes, sex, ect. Maybe even a little lewd, but I'll never go full citrus. I suck at smut. Hehe, I've been killing these puns today. Alright, A/N over, be prepared for my next chapter like literally whenever. You guys know I'm lazy af. And if you didn't know, well… I'm lazy as fuck. Call me Snorlax. Later nerds.