Woo hoo! my first ever fanfic! I have seriously wanted to write a pokemon story for a long time, and now is my time. For everyone out there, I do not own pokemon, that franchise belongs to none other than Satoshi Tajiri, the creator of pokemon. I do own the characters that do not appear any where in the pokemon world-ex.: Aniu, Maria, Mr. Naker. Send any reviews, I like constructive criticism. Enjoy!

1. The Prodigy

"All right students, its time for the final exam."

This was said by a stern looking teacher in front of a group of nervous looking almost ten-year olds in front of a large door. This was the Unova Pokemon Trainers School in Opelucid City, the most technological city in the Unova Region. This school, like other trainer schools around the world, prepared kids for the life as pokemon trainers, which was most everybody's dream. Here they learned the basics of battling, and of course about the most mysterious and wondrous of creatures in this world, pokemon. The students had come from all over the Unova region, each studying hard for the last year for when the time came that they could become pokemon trainers and start their journeys that would lead them through their lives.

The teacher continued. "For your final test, each of you will select a pokemon from our storage unit. You may choose any pokemon you like. We even have pokemon from the other regions of Sinnoh, Kanto, Johto, and Hoenn, which are not native to Unova. With your selected pokemon, you will battle the principal of the school, Mr. Naker, and his Swanna, on a water type battlefield. Your final grade will be based on your performance of how well you battled. I will tell you now, no one has ever beaten Mr. Naker in the history of the school; so don't be depressed if you don't win. You may begin picking your pokemon."

Each of the students rushed past the door and into the room. Hundreds of poke balls lined the shelves. Each of the students scrambled to get the ones that contained the pokemon that were fully evolved and extremely powerful.

All except one. There was one boy who calmly walked among the shelves of pokeballs, taking his time. This boy had raven black hair, which complimented his soft brown eyes. His skin was lightly tanned. His body had a medium build, neither wire thin or heavily muscled, but physically he was stronger, faster, and more agile than any one in his class. His face had serious look on it, but you could tell by his eyes that he had a kind soul. He wore a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, which matched his black pants, boots, and cape. He wore a hat that looked similar to a witch's hat, but was more masculine and was the same color blue as his shirt. It bore a strange symbol on the top. He wore black gloves with blue circles on the back. He looked like a miniature figure of one of the legendary Aura Guardians of old, protectors of Aura who helped both people and pokemon.

Every few steps he stopped, faced the shelf, and closed his eyes, as if he could see something beyond what his physical senses showed him. Eventually, after closing his eyes and seeing without seeing, he picked up a pokeball and took it with him, heading after the already departed students.

The students were lead to a battlefield that was filled with water, with tiny islands floating around. There were stands running along the sides of the field. At one end of the battlefield stood Mr. Naker. The principal of the school wore a gray business suit with matching shoes. He had white hair and beard, which covered his entire mouth. His Swanna was sitting in the water in front of him, ready for battle.

He called out to the students saying, "Your final exam has begun! Step up, first challenger." The teacher stood as the referee. And so it went, every student facing Mr. Naker and Swanna, but no one could land a single hit. His Swanna was too fast and too strong. Even those with fully evolved pokemon and pokemon with type advantages couldn't beat Swanna. Mr. Naker wasn't the principal for nothing.

Finally, it was the strange boy's turn. He stepped out onto the trainer platform, fully confident. "And what is your name, young challenger?" the principal asked. "My . . . name . . . is . . . Aniu, the Aura Guardian!" "An Aura Guardian!" exclaimed Mr. Naker."Yes." "Well then, Aura Guardian or not, we won't lose that easily, will we Swanna?" Swanna screeched in response. Aniu sent out his pokeball saying, "Aura is with . . . Magikarp!" A white light shot out of the pokeball, resolving in the water to become the Fish Pokemon.

Everyone stared for a second, and then laughed uproariously. "Aniu's going to lose! Aniu's going to lose!" The chant went among the students, all of them pointing at Aniu for choosing such a pathetic pokemon. Aniu didn't respond to their jeering, having eyes only for his opponent. Mr. Naker did respond though, yelling at the children, "Stop laughing! It is not nice to make fun of others. It seems you all have learned nothing this year, for you are blind to the truth that true power comes from the inside." The students stopped laughing abruptly, looking ashamed.

"Thank you, sir." was Aniu's only reply. "Your welcome, Aniu. Now, shall we begin?" Aniu nodded. The referee then waved his two flags, saying "All right, battle begin!" "Swanna, use Wing Attack!" "Magikarp, charge straight at Swanna!" Swanna beat its wings as it flew at its opponent, wings starting to glow with power. Magikarp fearlessly swam toward Swanna, gaining speed all the while. Just as they were about to collide, Aniu commanded, "Now Magikarp, jump and use Tackle!" Mr. Naker did a double take as Magikarp nimbly jumped and used one of its basic moves, ramming into Swanna and knocking it back.

It had dodged Swanna's Wing Attack and dealt Swanna some damage in the same move. "I'm impressed, Aniu," Mr. Naker said, "I've never seen someone use a Magikarp's Tackle technique like that." "Thank you" was Aniu's only reply. Two more hits and it will be checkmate, Aniu thought. Mr. Naker saw Aniu's slight smile and knew he had something up his sleeve. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, he thought. He is the best in his class. The teachers tell me that he's a pokemon prodigy.

"Magikarp, use Tackle again before Swanna can recover!" Magikarp slammed into the White Bird pokemon again, sending it even further back this time. One last hit should do it. "All right, you've caught me off guard up till now, but now I will win the battle. Swanna, use Drill Peck!" Swanna soared towards Magikarp, brandishing its sharp beak. "Magikarp, use Splash!" Magikarp just splashed around, not even trying to evade Swanna's attack. Magikarp was repeatedly pecked by Swanna's strong beak. With one final jab, Swanna hit Magikarp across the pool. "Look! That last jab was a critical hit!" one of the students shouted.

Naker was confused. Aniu is the smartest kid in the school. He knows every single attack, ability, and strong and weak points of every pokemon in the world. He even knows things about pokemon that the teachers didn't know! But calling out Splash seemed more like a beginner's blunder. He knows Splash does nothing, so why call it out? What is he planning? Naker had heard from the teachers that Aniu battled like a chess player, knowing his opponents moves before even they thought of them, and always having a thousand strategies up his sleeve. Could this be one of his so-called "Aniu Traps?" Well, the only to find out about one is to walk straight into it.

"I don't know what you're planning, Aniu, but one thing great pokemon trainers need is experience, one thing you are in low supply of. Swanna, use Brave Bird!" Swanna rocketed toward Magikarp, glowing blue. Some of the watchers turned away, knowing it was over. Aniu's mouth turned into a knowing smile. He didn't say anything, except, . . . "Magikarp, dive under the water!" Naker cursed inwardly as he saw Magikarp dive and Swanna had to break its attack in order not to crash into the pool. "Now Magikarp, use Flail!" Magikarp jumped straight out of the water and fiercely slapped Swanna in the face several times with its tail.

Of course, Naker thought. Flail gets stronger the less health the user has. He let that Drill Peck hit, so Magikarp's Flail would do more damage. I was actually helping him instead of defeating him. Mmmmmm. He will one day be a Pokemon Master, I know it. Pokemon Masters were the greatest of the great. It was every trainer's dream to become one. But the greatest master was the one who defeated the Champion League and became Champion Master. They would be known around the world as the 'World's Greatest Pokemon Master'.

Naker came back to himself. "You are indeed a very good battler, Aniu. No one has ever pushed me this hard before. Even if you were to lose this battle, you would get a perfect score for the exam." "It's nice to hear you say that sir. I am greatly moved by your kind words. But I'm sorry to say that I'm not going to lose. In fact, the battle for me is now check and mate. Look."

Naker suddenly noticed that Magikarp was nowhere to be seen. Where Magikarp used to be was replaced instead with a great white glow that was emanating from the bottom of the pool.

Is that what I think it is? Naker thought, an awestruck expression on his face.

The glow faded. The water churned as if a great beast raged underneath it. Suddenly, a great blue, scary looking serpent pokemon arose from the water. It had the body of a sea dragon, with a yellow underbelly and a blue back. It had a dark, blue, three-pointed crest on the top of its head. Its mouth was a gaping hole with four large teeth. Two blue barbels stuck out of the sides of its face. Its eyes glowed with rage. Some of the kids screamed at the sight of it, while others just fainted.

Pokedexes would call it the Atrocious Pokemon, but it had one universal name, which was . . . "Gyarados, use Dragon Rage!" Naker and his Swanna stood there, awestruck, at the giant, which had started to form a blue energy in its mouth. They came out of their daze too late, and Naker could only watch as the blue beam of Gyarado's strongest attack flew towards a panicking Swanna. The Dragon Rage hit Swanna head on, causing a massive explosion. When the smoke settled it revealed Swanna lying on an island, knocked out by the big blast.

The referee's call came out loud and clear. "Swanna is unable to battle. Gyarados wins, and the battle goes to the challenger, Aniu from Nuvema Town!" Aniu recalled Gyarados and left the battlefield, receiving the congratulations of his peers and replying with words of thanks. Naker recalled Swanna and thanked it for trying so hard. He walked up to Aniu and said, "You've beaten me, a feat no one else has done before. You are truly an exceptional trainer." "Thank you sir." Aniu bowed. Naker walked away, saying, "Come with me to my office, I want to talk with you for awhile." The other students were awed at the offer presented by the principal. Aniu said nothing but followed.

Eventually Mr. Naker came to his office, a simple room with many pieces of furniture inside, including a desk, chair, and two couches with a table between them for when company came. "Please sit. Would you like some Coke? I know what kids like to drink these days. I'm actually quite of fond of the drink myself." "Yes please." Aniu sat on one of the two couches while Mr. Naker opened his fridge a pulled out two Cokes. He gave one to Aniu and sat down across from him on the other couch. Both were silent for a while, sipping their beverages.

Then Mr. Naker started. "I was just wondering, when did you discover that you were blessed with the power of Aura? That's how you knew Magikarp was close to evolving. Why you spent a longer time in the storage room than the others. You were reading the pokemons' auras, seeing which one was the best choice, despite any possible type disadvantages. You seem to have trained yourself in the power of Aura. How? I thought that the Aura Guardians were a thing of the past."

Aniu was silent for a moment, and then started his tale. "It all happened a long time ago. You see, I am actually an orphan. My parents died in a fire when I was four. I was taken to the orphanage in Nuvema Town, to live there as the other orphans did, until we could leave on our pokemon journeys. I didn't really talk to anybody at first; I was in shock after my parents' death.

"Then one day, when I was six years old, I found I had been blessed with the power of Aura. You see, the orphanage sits right next to the forest. I often went there to observe the wild pokemon who lived there. On that day, I was walking through the forest when I accidentally stepped on a Sandile's tail. The Sandile became very angry with me, despite my attempts to apologize to it. It retaliated with a Sand Attack, which hit me in the eyes and made me go blind.

"I stumbled through the forest, unable to find my way back. It made me scared. I began to cry. Suddenly, strange blue lights appeared before me. They looked like the lights the move Will o' Wisp makes. But they seemed to resolve themselves into the shapes of the trees, plants, and pokemon of the forest I was in. When I walked up to one light that looked like a tree, I found myself touching an actually tree, just like the blue imitation I could see. I touched the other imitations of the trees and plants, and found the same result. Even the lights that looked like pokemon were not just an illusion. They were real.

"I was delighted. I could see without seeing. Using this strange sight I traveled through the forest and finally found my way back to the orphanage. The caretaker, Mrs. Missoul, helped me wash the sand out of my eyes. I then began to wonder what happened that let me see where everything was when I was blinded. Did I have some sort of strange power?

"I then began to look for answers. I looked through all sorts of nonfiction books at the town's library. I couldn't find anything on the lights I had seen. I then began switch from the nonfiction books in the library to books on ancient legends. I then came across a book that talked about the ancient Aura Guardians. Beings who used the power of Aura to help others. It described aura as a blue pulsing energy. Aura Guardians were said to have the power to see and use Aura. Could this be what had helped me see that day? Was I blessed with Aura? The more I thought about it, the more sure I became.

"I then knew that with this power, I could help others, become an Aura Guardian. But how would I become one? I wondered. There were only a possible couple of people in the entire world that walked the path of Aura, and I didn't know who they were. Then I thought back to the legends of the books I had read. One spoke of the greatest Aura Guardian of all time, the one known as Sir Aaron, who had once saved the kingdom of Rota, where Cameran Palace stood. I knew I had to go there if I wanted to learn more about Aura.

"One night, I secretly stole out of the orphanage and stowed away on a plane to Kanto, where Cameran Palace was located. I left a note telling them where I had gone. I traveled north to Rota, which was just north of Mt. Moon. Once there, I talked to the queen, Lady Ilene.

"She was excited to learn that I expressed an interest in the castle's hero. She showed me everything that had to do with him, even his precious staff, which was at the time sitting in a glass case, since it was a long time till the castle festival. When I saw the staff, I felt something strange. It was like something, no, someone was trapped inside. I dismissed it as nothing.

"As we walked through the castle, she told me that Sir Aaron's old room was hidden somewhere in the castle, because after Sir Aaron died, his room mysteriously disappeared. Lady Ilene eventually led me to the castle's library. She showed me the shelves that contained the history of the castle during the time Sir Aaron was alive. She left me alone to peruse the books. I went from book through book, never finding anything on Sir Aaron's training, or his training of his Lucario. I became frustrated and left the library.

"I thought about what Lady Ilene told me about Sir Aaron's room never being found. I eventually thought to myself, What if the room can only be found by those with Aura abilities? Maybe I can use my Aura sight to find it! I then closed my eyes and concentrated, trying to see the blue lights I had seen before. After a half-hour, I eventually could see them again.

"I then walked through the halls, using my new sight to find any hidden rooms. I kept walking through the castle, looking for something out of place, until finally, I found something. It was a little circular stone in the wall that had to be pushed. When I opened my eyes, I found that the stone was set right into a painting of Sir Aaron, with the stone painted over as his right eye. I had to admit that Sir Aaron was clever indeed. No one would ever look there, much less touch it, less the painting be ruined. I put my finger to the stone, finding that the painting had a hole where the stone was placed, indiscernible from any angle. I pushed it, waiting for something to happen. I was not disappointed.

"On the wall opposite the painting, a big piece of masonry swiveled on a hinge, revealing a hidden door. I walked through the door, climbed the spiral staircase, and found myself in a simple bedroom. To one wall was a dusty old bed, the sheets made as if ready to welcome its user when he came back. Along another wall was a table, with four chairs surrounding it. And the last piece of furniture was a small desk in the corner.

"I walked towards the desk opening its drawers, looking for something. Most of the drawers had quills and old parchment, but the bottom drawer had a dusty old book. I opened it and found that I had discovered Sir Aaron's old diary. It was amazing! Here in my hands was an account of Sir Aaron's life, starting with the day he began his Aura training and ending the day before he saved the kingdom! It was a priceless treasure. I knew that the book belonged to the castle, being a historic relic. I quickly took the parchment and quills in the desk, and copied down everything Sir Aaron mentioned about the training for an Aura Guardian, from both when he was training himself or teaching his Lucario years later.

"After I finished, I left the room with the book in my hands, closed the secret door, and headed to Lady Ilene. She was amazed that I had found Sir Aaron's room and diary. I took her to the room at her request, and let her look around. She gave me her deepest thanks, saying that this discovery would greatly help piece together the mysterious life of Sir Aaron.

"I promptly left Cameran Palace, knowing I had gotten what I had come for. With the notes, I headed back to Unova. I arrived back at Nuvema Town two weeks later. I had been gone a whole month. Mrs. Missoul was really angry when I returned. She had read the note I had left, but she had still been worried the whole time I'd been gone. She grounded me and gave me the worst chores for a month. I felt really bad that I had made her worry so much.

"Once the punishment was over, I secretly started my training using the notes I had made. I trained at night, not wanting anyone to see my abilities, yet. It was hard, bitter work. I would spend months learning new techniques, honing them to perfection. I would make sure I could do a technique without a single flaw in the execution of it. It took me three whole years to complete my training. I could do a number of things with Aura, even talk to pokemon with telepathy!

"It was by that time that I had been accepted to come to this school. I studied hard so I could become strong. I had to push myself. I flew through the classes. You know the rest."

Mr. Naker was amazed by the story. He thought for a few minutes, trying to decide his next action. He eventually came to a decision. "Aniu, I am amazed by your story, and I dearly wish you well on your quest to become Aura Guardian as well as a pokemon master. Most trainers who enter the Unova League, as I'm sure you will, often challenge the Opelucid gym leader, Drayden, last because he is the best. For when you do return to challenge Drayden, I ask that you let me watch so I can cheer you on."

Aniu was stunned. "Bu-but why?" he stammered. "I want to see how well you do against my brother." "Drayden's your brother!" Aniu exclaimed. Naker smiled.

"Yes, he's my older brother. Drayden was always the battler, whereas I was more of a teacher. Anyways, I sense great potential in you, Aniu. I believe that one day you might enter the Champion League and become Champion Master. That's why I want to see your battle with my brother. You defeated Swanna and me with no problem, despite not having even started your journey. I want to see how much stronger you become when you return to Opelucid City. Who knows, one day you might even face Ash Ketchum and defeat him."

"Ash Ketchum!" Aniu exclaimed. "He's one of the greatest trainers in the world, even only being fourteen years old! He just placed in the top four of the Sinnoh League last month! No matter how hard the battle is, he never gives up. He proved that when he became the only trainer in the Sinnoh League to beat Tobias's Darkrai and Latios! Maybe he might come here to challenge the Unova League. What I wouldn't give to have battle with him."

"Who knows," Naker said, "he just might come here to Unova. I'll admit that he's a remarkable trainer. Maybe one day you'll get your wish to have a battle with him." Naker got up and walked out of the room saying, "Wait here, I've got something for you." Aniu waited patiently, sipping his Coke.

Naker returned with a pokemon egg in his hands. "Here," he said, handing the egg to Aniu, much to his amazement, "this is for you. I got this from a friend in Icirrus City. He said it came from a pokemon who is often seen there. I tried asking him exactly what that pokemon was, but he smiled and said he can't tell me. "It's a surprise." he said. I don't have the time to look after it, so I'm giving it to you. I know that you can raise this pokemon better than I. Don't worry, you can still get a starter from Professor Juniper because an egg is not officially a pokemon. Call it a prize for passing your final exam with flying colors."

Aniu stared open-mouthed at the yellow egg with maroon stripes. With a trembling voice he said, "I cannot thank you enough, Mr. Naker. I promise I will take care of this egg with my life. I will treat this pokemon inside with nothing but the utmost love a parent can give. And I promise that you will see this pokemon, whatever it hatches into, in my gym battle with your brother."

"I believe you Aniu." Naker whispered. He then became more professional sounding. "So Aniu, how will you get back to Nuvema Town? It's all the way across Unova. And another thing, when is your tenth birthday?"

"Don't worry," was the answer, "I'm taking a bus to Anville Town tonight. Then I'll take a train to Nimbasa City, followed by another bus straight to Nuvema Town. I should be there by midmorning tomorrow. A week later will be my tenth birthday, and that's when I'll start my pokemon journey."

Aniu and Naker both finished their Cokes. "Well Aniu," Naker said while shaking the hand Aniu wasn't holding the egg with, "I look forward to when you return for your gym battle. But for now it's time to say goodbye. Goodbye Aniu, and good luck with your journey." "Goodbye to you too sir, and I also look forward to returning here for that battle." And with that, Aniu walked out of the room, the egg cradled in his arms.

There it is! Chapter 1! Send me plenty of reviews, readers, and I'll get back with Chapter 2 as soon as I can!