*Burst in through door* I'M BACK!

Ash: Congratulations, it took you several months to post something and you haven't even updated your other story.

Hey! I'm having a bit of writers block with that. Not to mention that story is probably going to be long.

Ash: So you're making a Kalos remake?

Yep! I love Kalos and I haven't seen many fanstories that involve things like Aura and other characters, so I made this.

Ash: I bet this is also because you read a Kalos story that had an ending you didn't like.

*Sits in corner, mumbling* It was such a cop out.

Molly: What story doesn't Triple G like?

Tomo: From what I heard, it was one where Ash is in the Kalos League and all his friends come to cheer him on. She doesn't like the ending because Ash is presumed dead and stuck in a region without any Pokemon.

*Flips table* WHY!?

Molly: *Taking control of Author's Note while Ash and Tomo try to calm down the writer* Golden Girl is going to continue Rise of Legends sooner or later, she just needs to find some inspiration. She also plans on doing some more stories, which seems to contain a lot of Pokemon stories, if I saw right.

You did.

Ash: Are you done complaining?

For now. As for this chapter, it's going to be basically a bunch of snapshots of what happened before Ash goes to Kalos. It isn't covering everything, just some important details. In any case, LET'S GO!

P.S.- I don't own Pokemon or the song Everything Stays.


The alarmed calls of Pokemon.

The black creature that raced over to him.

The feeling of being on fire.

The world slowly shifting to darkness.

The crinkle of paper placed in his hand.

The sound of human speech.

The realization.

It had been a normal day for Ash Ketchum, the aspiring Pokemon Master. After Unova, he was staying home for likely only a few days to catch up with his mother and his Pokemon as well as trying to figure out which region he would travel to next. He was calmly sitting in the ranch, watching his Pokemon play and conversing with them to the best of his abilities.

Then, out of nowhere, came a strange, completely black Pokemon. Ash's Pokemon had called to him in alarm as the Pokemon raced for him, ignoring all other things. When it got closer, Ash realized it was a Lucario, but the coloring was very unusual, as not even shinies were completely black.

However, Ash didn't have much time to think about the color before it reached him and instantly knocked him over. Before any Pokemon could do anything, the shadowy Lucario placed a paw over Ash's heart and did something that caused the Pokemon to glow blue for a second.

In the next second, Ash felt something inside of him; whether it had awaken from within him or was placed inside of him, he did not know. All he did know was that it soon caused his body pain, as if he was jumping through a volcano with a thousand, full power flamethrowers being shot at him.

As the pain engulfed him, he slowly fell into the world of darkness, with the Lucario being the last thing he saw.

The pain and darkness did not last long, though he was still sore after waking. The Lucario only remained a few seconds after he had awoken, when he was still too groggy to try anything, before placing a piece of paper in his hands and running off into the distance.

While some of his Pokemon would have loved to go after the one who clearly caused their greatest friend pain, they ignored it in favor of checking said trainer's condition. When they asked how he felt, Ash, still slightly out of it, answered them perfectly, as if he could understand what they were saying.

That's when Ash realized that he could perfectly understand Poke-speech.

And then he fainted again.

At the moment, Ash was once again coming to inside a room in the lab. It looked close to a guest room, likely if there was any injuries to those on the ranch or if someone had to remain there for a night. On his lap sat Pikachu while his other Pokemon were either inside the room or watching from outside the nearby window.

"Ugh… My head…" Ash said as he started to wake up.

"Careful, Ash," Pikachu said, "You've passed out twice already."

"Pikachu?" Ash asked, trying to control his confusion over the fact he could now understand Pokemon.

"Yep," Pikachu calmly said, "Are you going to pass out on us again?"

"No, I think I'm handling this a little better," Ash replied, "I really only passed out because the shock mixed with the fact that I was already kinda out of it. And, really, at this point I've done so much junk that I'm kinda not surprised that something strange like this would happen."

"Really?" Oshawott said as he climbed over to the side of Ash's bed.

"Understanding Pokemon, something you've never dealt with before, isn't that surprising to you?" Snivy asked.

"You guys really haven't been with Ash that long," Charizard said, "It's Ash, he gets into all sorts of crazy things."

"Who brought me in here anyways?" Ash said.

"Oak saw that Pokemon attack you from the lab," Leavanny explained, "When you went down the second time, he brought you in here to rest and I think he went to go get your mother. We've all just been keeping an eye on you so no one would try to attack you again."

"Speaking of those two, I think they're coming!" Krookodile said.

Sure enough, not even a minute later, Ash's mom, Delia, came bursting in through the doors. All the Pokemon in the room sidestepped out of the way so she could be by her son.

"Ash! Are you okay?" She asked worriedly, "Professor Oak told me about how you fainted and I came running as fast as I could."

"I'm alright," Ash replied, "But Mo-"

"Delia!" Oak said as he came into the room panting, "Did you *huff* need to run?"

"Of course!" Delia replied, "I needed to make sure my son was alright!"

"Well, I'm fine, but-"

"I know. You bolted out of your house the second I finished explaining. He was just unconscious."

"Hey, can I-"

"Still. A strange Pokemon attacks my son. Who knows what could have happened?"

"Well, the Pokemon w-"

"The thing ran off by the time I was able to reach Ash so I don't think it would come back."

"LISTEN!" Ash suddenly screamed at the top of his lungs.

Everyone turned to look at him. Ash took a deep breath, having become slightly irritated at being both ignored and interrupted, before speaking again.

"As I was trying to say, I'm fine," he began, "The Pokemon was a completely black Lucario, if I saw right."

"Completely black?" Oak repeated, "But a Lucario is supposed to be several colors even if it is a shiny."

"That's not the only thing," Ash said, drawing the two adults' attention back to him, "Whatever he did to me, the thing that caused me to pass out the first time, somehow gave me the ability to understand Pokemon as if they were speaking like humans do."

"WHAT!?" Both humans yelled in surprise.

"How is that possible?" Oak questioned, "You never showed any signs of being able to understand Pokemon before, so why would you suddenly be able to now?"

"Is that the only change?" Delia asked, being very worried for her son's sake.

"As far as I can tell," Ash said, "When it grabbed me, it felt like it either put something in me or awakened something that was already there. Then there was a lot of pain before I passed out. When I woke up, the Lucario looked at me, gave me some sort of paper, and ran off. Speaking of which, where is the paper it gave me?"

"I got it!" Pikachu said.

The mouse Pokemon quickly went over to a nearby table and hopped on top, grabbing the paper, which Ash realised was an envelope, by the corner with his mouth, and hopping back to Ash. The boy gently grabbed it and looked over it. His name was written on the envelope, so clearly the shadowy Lucario meant to do… Whatever he did to Ash.

Ash carefully tore open the envelope, everyone watching in suspense to see what it was. Upon opening, it became clear it was a normal letter addressed to the trainer. Deciding to see if he could figure out the sender, Ash looked at the very bottom, only to have his breath hitch as his eyes went wide.

"Don't keep us in suspense!" Pikachu said, "Read it out loud!"

Ash thought for a second before his did as the Pokemon asked.

Dear Ash,

I know you probably haven't seen me for a few years when you finally get this letter, as I will be long dead. Someone will come and kill me around the time you are three or so, thankfully when you are not around so you will not be exposed to such horrors at such a young age.

You may wonder why I would try giving you a message now rather than earlier, but I have my reasons. I know parts of your future thanks to a psychic "friend" of mine who told me several important details for your future. There is one thing I need to tell you, one that is rather crucial.

Ash, you are an Aura Guardian and a descendant of the famous Aura Guardian, Sir Aaron.

I knew of this fact ever since I saw your Aura when you were born. However, at the time, your Aura was not stable due to how young you were. To protect you from many things, from those who would use you to your own powers hurting you and the world, I locked a great amount of them up so you could live like a most normal person.

I was planning on unlocking it before you went on your Pokemon Journey, but my psychic "friend" told me a few things that changed my mind.

I know of how you competed in several regions before this reached you, from Kanto to Unova, as well as winning in the Orange Islands and the Battle Frontier. However, you keep making the same mistake: you are not using your full strength.

While it is good to train your new Pokemon, leaving your old ones behind is not something you should do. Not only does it place you in positions you could have easily avoided had you brought them with you, it also is unfair to those you caught.

Did you ever ask them if they wanted to remain on a ranch and never see any new sights or fight in real battles again?

The only way you can fulfill your dream is to use the strength you already have rather than try to be "fair", as it makes you seem like a weaker trainer in comparison.

Here is my advice to you:

Before you even think about a new region, train yourself and your Pokemon.

For yourself, you will soon be given a way to learn more about how to use Aura and how to be an Aura Guardian, something which you will soon find instructions on how to do. It is a good idea to also learn how to fight in hand to hand combat, as being an Aura Guardian is never easy. You should look at your strategies and figure out how to be a better battler. You should also try and learn some more practical skills, such as caring for Pokemon and cooking food. Go to your mother for a few of these things.

For your Pokemon, try and increase their stats and movesets. If they wish to evolve, train them to do so. You might want to also see if you can reclaim any of those you had released, as I'm sure some of them would like to rejoin you.

Above all else, I ask you to be careful and to not put off my words. By now, my Lucario, Shadow, should have unlocked your Aura again. You need to train yourself as soon as possible.

I did not and it is the reason I will die, because I did not train myself enough to protect myself and those I love.

I know you will do great things, for you have the strength and power to.

Love, you father,

Alex Ketchum

Everyone gasped at the last part. The message had been from Ash's father, who Ash had not seen in roughly eleven years! He never even spoke about it to his Pokemon.

Ash looked down at the letter. The words he had read struck him close to the heart. He didn't know his father very well, mainly due to him dying when he was three, a time he can barely remember, but he still had a few blurry memories of him and his mom was always speaking about the good things he did. The things that were written down opened Ash's eyes.

Looking up, Ash saw all his Pokemon who were whispering to each other about what the letter said. When they realized Ash was looking at them, they all turned to see what he had to say.

"Is it true?" Ash said, "You guys really wanted to be with me again when I travel?"

They were hesitant at first, but soon all the Pokemon were nodding. Ash's head slumped down in depression.

"I'm such a horrible trainer," Ash said, "I ended up forgetting all about you guys and left you here to rot just because I wanted a new set, never thinking about what you guys wanted."

"Don't act like that!" Pikachu yelled out, causing Ash to look at him in surprise, "Ash, you are a great trainer. Sure, you may have left some of us here and you may have made mistake and gotten cocky, but that isn't all you should consider! You still have been there for us when we were in trouble and being on the ranch is better than being stuck with a horrible trainer or in the same position we were in before we met you. The important thing isn't that you've made mistakes or accidently done some bad things, it's what you can do to fix it!"

Suddenly, all his Pokemon shouted agreements and started adding in their own points.

"You've saved my life!"

"You showed me that not all humans are bad."

"You let me have the chance to battle."

"I've seen legendaries because of you!"

As the points were thrown around, Ash felt his mood rising. His Pokemon were still by his side and knew he could correct his mistake.

"Thanks guys!" Ash said, now cheerful again, "I'm still sorry I've done this to you, but I'm going to make up for it!"

All his Pokemon cheered, especially since they knew that meant they would all be used again. Ash was going to take them with him in whatever new region that they were going to face, and they were going to win!

"Well then, Ash Ketchum, I'm sure you want to get started as soon as you can?" Delia said.

"You bet!" Ash said with a smile, "Though I think I might want to take some lessons from you. Dad did say I should learn skills like cooking."

"And I'm more than happy to teach you," Delia replied.


The rest of the afternoon saw Ash speaking with his Pokemon, asking them if they wanted to go and how much they wanted to if they did. Basically all his Pokemon wished to travel again, with some of his more patient Pokemon being okay with staying behind when necessary. Ash also said that they would likely being training hard these next few months which all the Pokemon were hyped for.

Just as the sun was starting to go down, Ash and his mom left the lab, with Oak allowing Ash to hop the fence if he was going to train his Pokemon for the next few months.

"I think what I'll do is train from the morning into the afternoon," Ash explained to his mother, "After that, I'll probably come home to see what I can learn from you. I might even be able to get some notes from Brock on how he cares for Pokemon or prepares food for both humans and Pokemon."

"Just make sure to give yourself a break, young man," Delia said, "It won't be very easy and overworking yourself will make it even harder. And I don't need you passing out."

Ash was about to respond when he heard someone behind them. Both of them stopped and Pikachu was already in a fighting stance in case it was someone trying to hurt the two. Turning around, they were met with a strange sight.

It was Shadow, the Lucario from before, and beside him was a Gardevoir. However, like Shadow, this Gardevoir was a different color from both the normal coloring and shiny coloring. She was a soft violet where there was normally green, honey yellow where there was normally pink, and a very light pink where there was normally white.

There was another odd thing about them. In Shadow's hands was a book that looked rather old, likely from dozens of years back. Meanwhile, the Gardevoir was holding two eggs. One was red with a few bits of black covering it while the other was a light pink similar to Gardevoir with a deep purple part and a small part that hung off the egg that was hot pink.

"I see that you read the letter," Shadow said, though he used his Aura to allow Delia to understand what he said.

"So you are my father's Lucario?" Ash said, "What you did was just unlock my Aura?"

"Yes," Shadow explained, "Your father told me about his upcoming death and knew that you were still too young to use Aura. Thus, he decided to let me take care of the unlocking part as well as delivering the letter."

"Why did you attack me rather than saying that you were my father's Pokemon?"

"It was better that I did what I did. The world can always attack you if given the chance. My mate and I always keep moving as much as possible, as we are both rare shinies with colors that no one has ever seen. Even though we are officially caught, that won't stop criminals and other greedy men from trying to capture us."

"She's your mate?" Pikachu asked, pointing to the Gardevoir.

"Yes," the Gardevoir spoke using telepathy, "My name is Lily. I was found by Alex as a Kirlia and formed a relationship with Shadow when he was a Riolu. When Alex died, he hid our Pokeballs so we could be free without fear of being caught for our rare colors. We have been traveling around to live with each other in peace."

"I understand why you used such rough means to unlock Ash's Aura," Delia said, "but may I ask what that book and those eggs you are holding are for?"

"It was written in the letter that Ash would receive a way to learn about how to Aura and how to be an Aura Guardian," Shadow explained, "This book is the way. It contains all the information you need. It also can only be read by those who have Aura, which is directly connected to the soul, so you can read it no matter what."

"And the eggs?" Ash questioned.

Lily gave a soft smile at the question.

"It is custom that a Aura Guardian have a Lucario or at least a Riolu," she explained, "Shadow is Alex's Pokemon as well as what most humans would call retired. Our children are also known for having strange colors like us, so they are more likely to be targeted by trainers who we don't know if we can trust. Seeing as you need a Riolu and we need someone to look after our special children, we are giving you their eggs so you can raise them."

Ash was speechless. He was getting to special shinies, one of which was a Riolu and the other was likely a Ralts. Both were already great Pokemon in their own rights and they were like nothing he had ever trained. Before Ash could speak, he found himself with the book in his hands and his mother being handed the two eggs.

"The red egg is a Riolu," Lily said, "It will be a boy. The other egg is a Ralts that will be a girl. They should bond with you extremely well as you have a good heart and they will both be drawn to that."

"And don't think we'll be gone forever," Shadow said, "We'll check in when we need to or if you are in trouble. Lily can use her psychic powers to see what may come in the future, so we probably will be able to come when need be. Until then, farewell."

After that, Lily activated Teleport and they both vanished. The group of three was surprised by all they had received in the span of a minute, but decided that it was for the best, especially if it was gifts from Alex's Pokemon.

When they got home, Ash instantly found a place to keep the eggs and started eagerly looking through the book.


"Okay," Ash said as he looked at the book while sitting cross legged, "I should first get used to using Aura in general by trying to control it within my body and manifest it outside of it. After that, I'll try to use electric attacks."

"Why electric?" Pikachu asked.

"Because a) you're my starter, the one I've been with the longest, and that's your type, b) I take you everywhere so you can help me learn how to control it if need be, and c) it's rather useful in a lot of different places."

"Okay, what about after that?"

"It says here that the easiest to learn are the same types as the starter Pokemon: fire, grass, and water. I'll try to use water first, as it is a very useful element when push comes to shove. Then I'll do grass as it will probably be the easiest one to control and then fire because I might have trouble with controlling it, hence why I'm learning water before it."

"You've got this all figured out," Pikachu said.

"Well, I'm taking what Dad said seriously," Ash told his starter, "Putting it off is just going to make things a lot harder for me while my powers are returning as well as growing. Speaking of growing, how is everyone doing on their training that I assigned?"

"It's going really good!" Pikachu happily said, "Everyone seems to be doing decently, though you might want to check up on them later before they start doing it wrong or exhaust themselves."

"Yeah, don't need them having the wrong exercise become a habit. Either way, I'm going to work on Aura Sight a little. I think you should get back to your own exercises as well."

"Yes, sir!" Pikachu jokingly said with a weak salute before running off to continue his training.

It had only been a few days since receiving his Aura powers, the letter, the eggs, and the book. Ash had already gotten down to business. He started waking up earlier to practice meditation while most of the world was still asleep. It was one of the most basic things an Aura Guardian needed to learn and Ash already seemed to be getting the hang of it.

After his morning meditations, Ash would go to the ranch to start training his Pokemon. The exercises shifted a lot, ranging from increasing movesets to resisting type effectiveness to increasing other stats. Ash himself was also learning how to be more physical. He first was working out to increase his own capabilities before learning how to fight, both from some more than willing fighting types on the ranch and via some instructions the book gave him.

As for his domestic skills, he was slowly working on it. For Pokemon food, he did it rather well, seeing as he had already picked up the knowledge from traveling with people like Brock and Cilan. Human food was a different story. He would either almost burn down the kitchen or the food would be too raw to eat. However, Ash was determined to try actual cooking, knowing that he likely wouldn't have someone cooking for him this time around unless he was incredibly lucky.

As Ash returned to the meditation he was using to try Aura Sight, he began thinking of what he would do when he finally had the trick down.


"C'mon, Mom!" Ash said as he waited outside his house with Charizard at his side.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Delia said as she came out of the house in comfortable traveling clothes.

It was now a few weeks later and Ash had finally gotten the hang of Aura Sight, along with some other basic abilities of Aura.

"Sorry if I'm rushing you," Ash said, "I just want to get my friends back as soon as possible. Doesn't help that they're probably going to be behind in training if they do come back."

"Then let's head out," Delia said, "The day isn't getting younger."

Ash nodded as the two of them hopped on Charizard. Pikachu was already on Ash's shoulder, bracing himself for the flight. On Ash's command, Charizard took to the skies, racing to the first destination.

First was the nearby woods along Route 1. Charizard slowed as Ash put his Aura sight to good use, searching for a certain Aura. When he sensed what he was looking for, Ash instantly directed Charizard in that direction.

Upon landing, everyone but Ash was shocked by the large amounts of Pidgeys and its evolved forms that were around the area. Ash paid little mind as he started racing through the flock with several of the birds staring at him, questioning what the boy was doing there. When he reached the spot he was looking for, he looked up to some of the nearby trees.

"Hey, Pidgeot!" He called out.

There was a pause for a few seconds before a loud call pierced the silence. From the trees fell a massive Pidgeot, who had a slightly cold glare in her eyes. Yet, when her eyes fell on Ash, they instantly softened. Ash ran up to his second capture and wrapped his arms around her neck. Pidgeot returned the gesture by wrapping her wings around her old trainer.

"It's so good to see you again!" Ash happily said.

"I know," Pidgeot said, "I was wondering if you were going to come back."

"Yeah, I know I was a little late," Ash said, "but I'm making up for it now."

Ash lead the bird Pokemon back to his group where they quickly informed her Ash's current plans. She was honestly surprised that Ash could now fully understand her, something she could only dream of with other trainers.

"So, I wanted to know," Ash said, "do you want to come back with me?"

"Of course!" Pidgeot instantly said, "We managed to stop the Spearow flock a while back. Not only that, but everyone has been training so they will be fine without me. It actually has been rather boring around here as I have no one to fight."

"Well, then," Ash said as he took out her Pokeball, "Welcome back!"

Ash recaptured Pidgeot and the Pokeball instantly dinged when she fully dematerialized. Ash instantly let her back out, deciding to ride her for old times sakes and to reform their old bond.

Next, they headed out to the coast. Delia was rather confused, seeing as there was little Pokemon around, but didn't speak as she could tell Ash was trying to focus. Once again, he commanded the Pokemon to fly down. Delia saw no Pokemon.

"We have to be quiet here," Ash said, "We're looking for Butterfree. This is a mating spot so we shouldn't disturb the Pokemon here."

Delia nodded as she followed her son through some nearby trees. Soon they came to a clearing where there was dozens upon dozens of Butterfree happily living. A few of them took notice of the humans, but they ultimately ignored them seeing as they weren't causing any problems and the Pokemon were just there temporarily.

"Butterfree!" Ash suddenly said while next to the nearby tree.

Quickly, Ash was tackled by one of the bug Pokemon, this one wearing a somewhat tattered, yellow ribbon around its neck. It was slowly followed by another Butterfree, but this one was almost completely pink rather than blue.

"It's so good to see you again, Ash!" Butterfree said.

"You too, Butterfree," Ash said, "I wanted to see you again, but I only recently found a way to track you down."

"Really? What is it?" Butterfree asked, "Also, can you understand me now?"

Ash quickly told him about how he now had his Aura unlocked and what his new mission was. Butterfree watched with interest along with his mate.

"Amazing…" Butterfree said, "I never would have guessed you were an Aura Guardian. I do want to come back, see all my old friends, meet the new guys, and battle with you again, but I'm worried about Pinky. We already have had a few kids and I don't want to leave her alone."

"Actually, dear," Pinky said as she moved forward, "While I don't like battling, maybe I could come with you. If anything, I could help support you if necessary. Plus, even if I won't directly battle, I might want to at least become a little stronger so I can defend myself."

"Well, as long as Ash is okay with it," Butterfree said before turning to his trainer.

"Of course I'm fine with it," Ash replied, "I would feel horrible separating you two and it would be fun to train you. If you're alright with it, I can catch you right now."

Both Pokemon nodded before Ash threw two Pokeballs, catching the two bug types. With that done, everyone hopped back onto Charizard and Pidgeot.

Next, Ash headed near the Orange Islands. After taking out a map of certain water type migration patterns Oak had given him, Ash pointed them out to sea. It was there that they came upon a pod of Lapras, one of which was Ash's.

The conversation was rather similar to the other two, Ash explaining his new powers and desires to his released Pokemon. Lapras was happy to rejoin and said a quick goodbye to its pod before Ash recaptured it and set off.

The next two were rather simple. Ash reclaimed his Squirtle from Officer Jenny, though he was rather surprised to find that the turtle had evolved into Wartortle in Ash's absence. He explained that there had been a rather bad fire and evolved to save the lives of those that were still in the building. Luckily, there was now a much better fire department due to some better funding, so Wartortle was free to go.

Ash's Primeape was also easy, as Ash just had to go back to Anthony where Primarape was trainer to remain P1 champion. Primeape was eager to go back with Ash knowing that it would see more action. It turns out that there had been a lack of competition which left Primeape rather bored. He returned to the group as Ash made his last two stops.

First, they went up to Mt. Silver. Ash's mom was instantly worried for her and her son's safety, as it was rather dangerous upon the mountain. It didn't help neither one of them were wearing any proper clothes for cooler climates.

Ash instantly moved over to a certain spot and stood there for a few seconds. Before long, two large shadows appeared off in the distance. When they came closer to the point where they could be properly made out, it was shown to be two Tyranitar, one slightly smaller that the other.

The larger one looked slightly uncertain about the humans that was now in their way, having a cold glare in her eyes, but the shorter one seemed to recognize Ash, instantly rushing over to hug the human.

"I guess you evolved, huh Larvitar?" Ash said.

"It's so good to see you after all these years!" The Larvitar turned Tyranitar said, "Mom, this is the guy who took care of me after I hatched!"

"I see," Mother Tyranitar said as she lost the cold look, "Who is the human behind you?"

"That's my own mom," Ash explained, "I wanted to collect my old Pokemon for a new journey and, even though I didn't officially catch you, I wanted to see if you wanted to come with me."

"Really?" Tyranitar said in excitement, "Can I Mom? Please?"

"I don't know…" Mother Tyranitar answered, "I don't want to lose you again."

"Why don't I catch you as well and let you live at Oak's ranch?" Ash suggested, "When I reclaimed my old Butterfree, I caught his mate as well so they could live together. That way you could stay together. You don't even have to battle if you don't want to."

"I think that would be fine, it is getting rather hard to live upon this mountain," M. Tyranitar responded, "Though I have one question: how are you able to understand us?"

"Yeah, how can you do that Ash?" Tyranitar asked, "You weren't able to do it before."

"Long story short, I am an Aura Guardian but my powers were locked up when I was a kid," Ash said, "I only got them back because Dad's Lucario decided to remove whatever sort of seal was stopping them."

Both Pokemon nodded before allowing themselves to be caught.

Now was the final stop. Ash headed for Saffron City, but his mother was a little concerned.

"Ash, what Pokemon are you getting from this city?" Delia asked, trying to keep the nervousness out of her voice.

"Don't worry, this is our last stop. I want to get back Haunter, even though he was never officially my Pokemon," Ash said, "I already called up Sabrina before we left, and she wanted me to take him with me."

"R-really?" Delia said, growing in nervousness.

"Yeah, it was kinda strange. Like she REALLY wanted me to take him with me," Ash said before seeing his mother's fear, "Don't worry, Sabrina is nice now after the whole issue with her psychic powers eating away at her emotions and controlling her or whatever the heck her problem was. I've actually visited her a few times, though it was usually her who asked for some reason."

That didn't do anything to calm Delia down. In fact, she seemed to get worse. Ash didn't notice though, to focused on getting to the gym. When they landed, Charizard and Pidgeot had to return to their Pokeballs as they were too large for the doors.

Upon entering, they walked through the halls, Ash leading the way while using Aura Sight to locate the leader. Eventually, they found themselves in a backroom of sorts that was rather cozy, a table with tea and a few pastries on it along with some couches along the walls. Standing in front of them was Sabrina with Haunter by her side.

"Hello Ash, Pikachu, Delia," Sabrina said.

Haunter instantly ran up to his unofficial, original trainer and gave him a hug.

"Sabrina told me everything about what you can do and what you were planning!" Haunter said, "Luckily, the other two from the tower came here and they are going to keep her happy so she doesn't lose control again."

"That's great Haunter," Ash said, "It's also good to see you again, Sabrina."

"I agree," Sabrina said, "How about we have some tea and talk a little?"

"Sure," Ash said.

The group instantly went over to the table, though Delia moved a bit slower. Sabrina poured out the tea, Ash instantly grabbed a few pastries, and Pikachu was speaking with Haunter about what they had done since they last met. Ash's mom just sat quietly, making no movements and clearly looked as if she wanted to leave as soon as possible.

"This tea is really good," Ash said as he sipped the drink.

"Thank you," Sabrina responded, "It's green tea, meant to help clear the head. Perfect for psychics."

"Of course," Delia said as she sipped her tea.

"So, Ash, you are now an Aura Guardian?" Sabrina said.

"Yep!" Ash happily said, "It was apparently locked up because it would cause me harm or something. I was a little upset at first, because I was never told, but I know now that it isn't something to joke around with. Training is kinda hard and I really need to focus."

"Do you know why it would cause you harm?" Sabrina asked, causing Delia to give her a glare, clearly knowing where the psychic was going.

"What?"

"Your Aura. Do you know why it would would have harmed you?"

Ash put a hand to his chin in thought.

"No, actually," Ash said, "Dad didn't say it in the letter I got and Shadow didn't say anything other than the fact that I had a lot or something along those lines."

"Ash," Sabrina started, "have you ever wondered that maybe something was wrong with your Aura? Something that you wouldn't be able to control when you were younger?"

"What do you mean?" Ash said, starting to get very confused, unaware of his mother motioning for Sabrina to stop talking.

"You know, the reason Aura Guardians were created was because of psychics," Sabrina said, looking up as if lost in thought, "Psychics ended up like I was, losing emotions to become more powerful. Aura Guardians were created to help put a stop to this, as their powers came from emotions while psychics were better off without them."

"What do y-" Ash said before being cut off by the green haired woman.

"Of course, after everything was sorted out, there was those who wanted to see if they could create the ultimate weapon by cross breeding psychics and Aura Guardians. It hardly ever worked. Most of the time, it would just be one of the two. However, there were cases of successful hybrids being born, but they would have deficiencies in one of their powers or even both in some cases."

"Why would I need to know tha-" Ash said before everything suddenly clicked.

Deciding to test his theory, Ash's mind fell back to what he had heard about Sabrina and what he saw when he was using his Aura Sight to see the classrooms in the gym. His eyes fell upon the spoon that was by his plate, one that would often be used to stir the tea or coffee depending on what was given out. He focused on the spoon, thinking about it bending.

To his surprise (as well as Pikachu and Haunter) the spoon lifted into the air. It bent once, before it suddenly went around several times more. Eventually, the spoon was almost a perfect cylinder from being bent so many times around.

"I'm… I'm a psychic?" Ash whispered out before turning to Sabrina, the spoon falling to the table, "How did you know?"

"I would obviously know whether my little cousin was a psychic or not," Sabrina flatly said.

Ash's eyes widened before he turned to his mom. The woman looked like she was about to cry and hung her head in shame.

"It's true Ash," she said, "Sabrina is your cousin. Her father is my brother. I myself am also a psychic."

"WHAT!?" Ash said, "You never told me this?"

"I'm sorry, Ash," Delia said, "It was like Sabrina said, your powers were not agreeing with one another. They ended up taxing a lot of your energy when you were young, causing you to come out very small and weak. I didn't want you to think there was anything wrong with you so you could grow up having the most normal life you could. I'm so sorry."

"Mom, it's okay," Ash said as he moved to her side, "I understand that you wanted to protect me. I'd just wish you would have told me you were a psychic."

"Sorry," Delia said once more, "I didn't want you getting any ideas or thinking you were below me. I also don't use my powers very often as I can only do a few basic tricks with them."

"I am also sorry for not telling you sooner," Sabrina said, "I didn't want you or anyone else knowing that you were related to a freak like me who lost control of her powers."

"Sabrina, you were never a freak," Ash said, "You just lost yourself after being consumed by power. It has happened to many people and what's important is that you broke out. Plus, you were at least treating me like family when I stopped by."

"Thank you, Ash," Sabrina responded, "Please understand that the only reason I told you this was so that you would understand the full capabilities of your powers. If you didn't properly train them, with the seal now gone, you could have easily misused them unintentionally."

"How do I train?" Ash asked.

"I'm sure you mother can teach you," Sabrina said, "I can also stop by a few time if need be. I could even help you if I wasn't busy while you are in your next region."

"How can you do that?"

"Teleportation. It isn't very hard to travel from region to region with my powers," Sabrina said, before a grin appeared on her face, "Sometimes, I even use them to scare people I know by randomly teleporting to where they are, scaring them, and then teleporting away. I always bring a camera to keep myself laughing for a few days."

"Wouldn't it be illegal to teleport to different regions?"

"I got a special pass for being a strong psychic. It's in case anything bad happens in another region, though I was only allowed to get it after I cleared up my mental issue."

The group talked a little more to clear up the tension. Delia promised that she would help Ash with his psychic training, as well as continuing the other skills she was teaching him. Sabrina also said she would try annual check ups on him to make sure he was still in control.

With all his Pokemon now collected, Ash and his mother returned to Pallet. Ash checked in on his Pokemon, making sure they were still doing their training, introduced all the returning Pokemon, and informed them of what he really was. Luckily, none of the Pokemon thought of him any different.


"You need to focus," Delia said, "Try to imagine the hand of your mind wrapping around each marble individually."

"I'm... trying…" Ash said in a strained tone.

The two were sitting cross legged in the fields, the Pokemon training nearby. In between them was a box of marbles. Ash was closing his eyes tightly, trying to focus on the box with his mind like his mom said. After a few minutes of straining, the marbles had a light blue glow around them, causing them to start floating.

"Good," Delia said when she saw this, "Now, try to move them around. It's best if you keep them in a straight line or certain pattern that you can keep your focus on."

Ash didn't reply as he was using his strength and focus to keep the marbles raised. Following the instructions, the marbles quickly started to form a simple line, much like a snake. They started to move, primarily in said line without any curves except to make certain turns. Suddenly, there was a faint trembling around the marbles.

"Careful! Try to focus on getting the marbles in the box. If you can't get them in, try to get them over. If they start breaking, let go so nothing breaks."

The marbles did as such and moved over the box. They looked like they were about to go gently into the box before there was a gasp of relief from Ash. The glow faded from the marbles, causing them to drop like rocks back into the box.

"Man, I lost focus again," Ash said, wiping some sweat off his forehead.

"It's okay sweetie," Delia said, "You are already doing really well. Your grasp on your power is good, you just have trouble being gentle with it because you have so much power from your hybrid nature."

"Still."

"Ash, it's only been two weeks since we started and it hasn't even been very intense nor has it taken a large chunk of time out of your day. Most psychics take years to learn this while training almost nonstop."

"Ash is just being a tryhard Mary-Sue," Pikachu suddenly came in.

The mouse ran over to where the two were to see how the training over there was going as well as reporting anything to his trainer.

"He thinks that just because he is a rare combination that is more powerful than the others he should be able to master this stuff like second nature," Pikachu continued as he hopped onto Delia.

"Shut up, Pikachu," Ash said with a faint blush from embarrassment.

"He is right, Ash," Delia said, "While it is, in a way, easier, you still need to learn it properly. That's the only way to master it. In fact, your hybrid nature might only be a part of your control, as your age might also affect it."

"Anyways, how is the training going over there?" Ash asked, trying to change the subject.

"Pretty good," Pikachu replied, "Good progress from everyone, though some of your battle ready partners are going a bit overboard. Charizard melted a boulder for practice, to name one of them."

"Try to make sure they don't go too far," Ash said, "If they strain themselves too much they'll end up in the Pokemon Center rather than a battle in whatever region were going to."

"Where are you planning on going anyways?" Delia cut in.

"Not sure," Ash said, "I don't think I want to go to one of the old regions as I want something new, not to mention the fact that I will have a lesser chance of having someone traveling with me, seeing as all my friends are off doing their own things. I know I should try to go it alone, but it isn't so much so about having someone to help me with everything. It's more because I could use some human company."

"I understand," Delia said, "How is everything else going?"

"Well. I got Brock to send me some notes on how to care for Pokemon. He was surprised I was preparing but still sent them over. I tried them out and everything's going good in that way. I've got a good grasp on water and I'm now moving onto grass with my Aura. As for cooking, well, you already know."

"Heh, yes I do. I must say you've really improved. It took you a few weeks but you finally made something edible that was cooked. I guess your training gave you the patience you needed to cook."

"I guess. How about we try the marble thing again?"

"Alright. And remember, gentle."


'Where am I?' Ash thought.

Ash looked around the room he was sitting in. It was rather childish, covered with several different Pokemon toys and other objects. The boy himself was sitting in a bed with Pokeball sheets.

'Am I… Three?' Ash thought as he looked down at his body.

Deciding to figure out what sort of craziness was causing all this, Ash moved off the bed. His legs felt weak compared to his fourteen year old legs, but he managed. Upon opening the door, he was suddenly greeted by the sight of stairs. Not expecting the flight, he lost his balance, grabbing onto the railing and sliding down.

Reaching the bottom, Ash was greeted with a horrible sight. There was the body of a dead man, lying face first in a pool of blood.

Ash recognized it. The raven black hair with tanned skin, though he could not see the face. It was clear the man had been murdered, his body was in a way that no man could have done to himself willingly or unwillingly. Ash could even see that some of his fingers were cut off.

"Looks like the brat is here," a voice said from behind Ash, too blurry to make out a gender.

"Let's kill him too," another voice said.

Ash turned around to be met by two shadowy figures. Both of them had knives in their hands, dripping with blood. Ash backed up, trying to run away from them. It wasn't long before he felt his back against the wall.

"NO!" Ash screamed.

His powers activated, despite him being a different age, lifting the nearby objects and throwing them at the attackers. Suddenly, the scene changed. Ash was back to normal, but in front of him was all his Pokemon, friends, and even his Mother and Sabrina. All of them looked horrible, beaten, bruised, and bloody.

"Mom! What happened?" Ash yelled out.

"W...Why? W...W...Why did you do this?" Delia weakly said.

"What?" Ash said in shock.

"Y...You did… This."

"No…" Ash said, still in shock.

"You killed us all," a voice said.

"No!" Ash started yelling.

"You're a monster."

"NO!" Ash started going full blown hysterical.

"NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! NO!"

"We should just kill you now," one of the blurry voices from before said.

"We'll be heroes, getting rid of this freak," the other said.

"STAY AWAY FROM ME!" Ash shouted in fear, once again using his powers.

Things were flying everywhere. It was a full blown tornado of objects and people being thrown around, Ash right in the center.

"How could you do this?"

"The world will be forced to suffer!"

"People like you should be dead!"

"Stop…" Ash weakly said, falling onto his knees while clutching his head in pain, wishing for everything to go away.

"ASH!" Pikachu's voice rang clear and was followed by a flow of electricity through his body, though it was only a small shock to him.

Ash opened his eyes to be greeted by a sight that made him wish he never opened them. He was in a deeper part of the ranch, but there was uprooted trees thrown all about, rocks in random places, and, above all else, all his Pokemon who looked to be a mixture of scared, confused, and surprised.

'What happened?' Ash thought, 'It looked like a tornado blew through here. And why is everyone looking at m-'

That's when it clicked inside of his head. A thousand different emotions built up inside of him, his mind losing focus as emotions overtook him.

"Ash?" Pikachu said, quieter.

Ash didn't pay attention. He turned around and bolted for the trees that were behind him. He didn't care about the several calls for him as a few stray tears fell from his eyes. He ran for several minutes straight, going in random patterns so it would be harder to find him. Eventually, the fire in his legs caused him to stop, panting heavily as he did so.

Unable to hold his emotions any longer, Ash moved over to one of the nearby trees, the trunk large enough to keep him hidden plus some. He sat on the dirt floor before pulling his knees up to his chest, burying his face in them. Waterfalls of tears fell from his face, a few sniffles and even whimpers following it as Ash didn't even try to hold anything in. Anger, disgust, sorrow, dread, fear, pain, guilt, all of them came out.

As he cried, he was unable to hear the sound of something approaching. It wasn't until he felt a faint presence sitting beside him that he noticed, but he didn't stop crying or even looked up. He only did so when he felt the person carefully grab him, wrapping him in a hug, though he could not see their face. A sweet song soon filled the air from the person holding him.

Let's go in the garden

You'll find something waiting

Right there where you left it

Lying upside down

When you finally find it

You'll see how it's faded

The underside is lighter

When you turn it around

Ash knew this song. He had heard it many times when he was a child, whenever he was scared or upset.

Finally being able to look up at the person, Ash was greeted with the sight of his mother, looking at him with a somewhat worried expression.

"Are you okay Ash?" Delia said, "I felt a huge power surge around here."

"My Pokemon probably hate me now," Ash said as he buried his face in her chest.

"Why do you think that?"

"I lost control of my powers. I caused a bunch of destruction without even trying while I was asleep. Why would they want a freak like me to train them?"

"Ash, I'm sure that they still care about you. Sure, they may have been surprised by what you did, but I'm sure they understand that you are not a freak."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Finally, Delia broke it.

"What were you dreaming about?"

Ash held his breath, remembering the horrible scenes.

"I saw Dad's dead body and the people who murdered him came after me. I used my powers to try to stop them, but then it change to a scene where everyone I ever knew and cared about was hurt. I asked what happened and you said that it was my fault. Then everyone kept saying it was my fault and that I should be dead."

"Sweetie, no one thinks of you like that. It was just something you fear probably being brought to the surface by stress."

The silence once again hung in the air, Ash trying to calm his raging emotions and Delia doing her best to support him. When the silence broke again, it was Ash would did it.

"Mom, do you remember how Dad said I didn't see his murder in the letter?"

"Yes…" Delia replied, a little uneasy as to where she thought this was going.

"I… I did see it," Ash told her.

"What!?" Delia said in both shock and horror.

"I woke up when I heard him walking downstairs. I thought he was leaving for something and I wanted to say goodbye. A car pulled in and he pushed me into the closet, telling me not to come out or make a sound until the people were gone. I watched them attack him from the keyhole until they stabbed him and then messed with his corpse, eventually leaving. When you ran out, I got out of the closet and ran back to my room, hoping it was just a nightmare. I never told you because I thought I would get in trouble."

"Oh, Ash," Delia said as she hugged him tighter, "If I would have known I would have tried to help you. I didn't know you had too see something so horrifying at such a young age."

"Yeah," Ash replied as he gripped her shirt a little.

"Ash, know that you are not a monster or a freak. You'll need a little practice to make sure you can control yourself in your sleep and you may need to learn to control yourself in other cases, but you are no freak. You're just special, and I'm so glad to have you as my son."

"Thanks, Mom."

Delia started rocking the boy back and forth. When she started singing again, Ash joined in, letting the pleasant tune calm his nerves.

Let's go in the garden

You'll find something waiting

Right there where you left it

Lying upside down

When you finally find it

You'll see how it's faded

The underside is lighter

When you turn it around

Everything stays

Right where you left it

Everything stays

But it still changes

Ever so slightly

Daily and nightly

In little ways

When everything stays

"Thanks, Mom," Ash said.

"No problem, Sweetie," Delia replied, "And remember, I'm here for you. No matter how far away we may be."

"And we're here for you, too," another voice added.

Looking over, Ash saw Pikachu standing nearby. All the other Pokemon were also there, some of them hiding by the trees to avoid being seen. Ash blushed a little, know that they all probably heard everything. Pikachu didn't bother teasing Ash about this, instead running up to his trainer and into his arms.

"Ash, you are no freak," Pikachu said with a stern tone, "Sure, we were all scared when you freaked out like that, but that doesn't change our views on you. It's what you have done willingly for us that shapes our views of you."

All the other Pokemon nodded, knowing nothing else needed to be said. With his emotions now in check, Ash got off the ground and headed back for the lab with everyone else.


Ash was sitting at his desk in his room, Pikachu lying on the bed nearby. The teen was looking over a few papers on some care, occasionally flipping back to strategies. That's when a beeping noise caught his attention. Looking over, Ash saw that both eggs were flashing, their incubators letting out a noise to tell him that they were hatching.

"It's time!" Ash said excitedly as he rushed over.

Ash removed both eggs from the incubators. He grabbed a blanket from nearby, wrapping the two eggs inside of it before sitting cross legged on the ground, the blanket on his lap.

The flashing kept getting longer and longer until the light remained for several seconds, filling the entire room while temporarily blinding its two occupants. When the light faded, Ash was greeted with two Pokemon in his lap: a Riolu and a Ralts.

The Riolu had red fur instead of blue and his eyes were blue rather than red. The yellow collar of fur was also blue instead of yellow.

The Ralts had a similar skin tone to her mother, being a light pink rather than pure white. It's "hair" was a deep purple rather than green and her feeler was hot pink rather than red.

Both newborns slowly began to focus on the world around them. As their eyes wandered, they soon fell upon the teen holding. For one second, there was a pause as the three exchanged looks.

The next, Ash was on the floor as the two tackled their caretaker, cuddling against his chest. Ash was laughing as he pulled the two in for a hug. It had been five months, but now he had his new Riolu and Ralts.


"So, you wish to do a report about some of the Pokemon around my ranch?" Professor Oak asked the woman in front of him.

"Yes," the woman said, "I wish to at the very least see some Kanto Pokemon and observe some behaviors of those caught by trainers."

"Very well, Alexa," Oak said, "How about we go outside now?"

"That would be great," Alexa said as the two started heading for the doors.

Alexa observed all the Pokemon running around, making notes about certain behaviors of some of the Pokemon. As she was exploring, Oak by her side so she didn't get lost or into any trouble, she suddenly heard the sounds of a fight. Heading in that direction, she was greeted by the sight of several Pokemon fighting one another in battles without a trainer.

"Oh my goodness!" Alexa yelled, though none of the Pokemon heard her, "We have to stop them before somewhat gets hurt!"

"Calm down," Oak said, "This is not some type of crazy behavior. It is just their training."

"Training?"

"Yes. One of my most promising trainers is going to travel to another region soon, though I don't think he has picked one out yet. A letter from his father came encouraging him to train his Pokemon so he could do well in the leagues."

"Who is this trainer?"

"I think I actually see him now. He's over there training with the Sceptile."

Alexa looked over and, sure enough, there was a boy training with a Sceptile. The training was rather physical, as the boy was clearly directly fighting the grass type as if he himself was a Pokemon. As she looked closer at the boy, her memory clicked, causing her to remember the boy.

"Good work, Sceptile," Ash said as he and his Pokemon stopped their battle, "You really have improved over these last few months."

"Well, well, if it isn't Ash Ketchum," Alexa says as she approaches him from behind.

"Huh?" Ash says as he turns around, "Oh! Hey, Alexa! Haven't seen you since you left on the train with Iris and Cilan."

"Yeah, the two of them are both back in Unova. Wow, you sure are taking your training seriously."

"Yep! I want to do my best in the next region and I'm taking all my old Pokemon with me."

"Papa!" Two voices shouted out from behind Ash before he was tackled by Riolu and Ralts.

"Oh my!" Alexa said in surprise, "What kind of Pokemon are these?"

"This is Riolu and Ralts," Ash said, "They're both really rare shinies that don't follow any of the normal color pallets. I hatched them from eggs about a week ago."

"Amazing," Alexa said, "You know, perhaps you could come with me on my return trip to Kalos."

"Kalos?" Ash asked as he picked himself up with the two newborns.

"That's the region I come from. It has a lot of Pokemon you can't find anywhere else and is said to be very hard. My sister is even a gym leader there."

"Sounds interesting. When are you leaving?"

"About a month from now. I'm here to due some reports on Kanto Pokemon and maybe a few about Professor Oak, seeing as he is one of the highest Pokemon professors out there."

"I think that would be perfect. It gives me enough time to round off training and puts me at an even half year since we began."

"If you think so, I'll make a reservation for you."

"Thanks, Alexa!"

At that point, Pikachu came up to his friend, wondering what all the chatter was. When he hopped onto Ash's shoulder, the boy gave him a grin.

"Get ready Pikachu," Ash told him, "Next month, we're taking on Kalos."


"Do you have everything?" Delia asked.

"Sure do!" Ash said, "Got all my supplies, Pokedex, extra Pokeballs…"

"Do you have your book?"

"Yep!"

"What about the marble bag for you to practice with?"

"Front pocket of my bag."

"Clean underw-"

"MOM!" Ash shouted, his face red with embarrassment, "Must you ask about that every time?"

"Of course I have to. Anyways, do you have your Aura Guardian badge?"

"Yes," Ash said, trying to get over his embarrassment, "I hope the others are going to be alright here when they're not with me."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that, I have that covered."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember how I'm a psychic? With the help of a friend of mine, I made a special machine that is basically a cross between a crystal ball and a TV. It will allow them to watch you on a level far better than any camera can."

"Have you used it before on my other journeys?"

"That's a mother's secret."

*BEEP* *BEEP*

"C'mon! We're going to be late for the airport if you don't hurry up!" Alexa called from outside.

Pikachu hopped onto his master's shoulder along with Riolu. Ralts was picked up by Ash, who held her like a child. The mother and son left their house and got into a car driven by Oak. They soon arrived in Viridian City where the airport was. Oak and Delia gave their finally goodbyes to the group.

"Ash, when you get to Lumiose City, go to Professor Sycamore," Oak told the teen, "He has a Kalos region Pokedex for you."

"Thanks, Professor!" Ash said.

"Don't try to do anything too reckless now just because of your training," Delia said.

"I'll see what I can do," Ash told her, though she could already tell that Ash was going to do something like that, probably within his first day of entering the region.

"Remember, I love you and if you have any problems just call me or Sabrina if you need to," Delia added.

"I love you too, Mom," Ash said as he brought her in for a hug.

"C'mon Ash," Alexa said, "We need to get on our flight."

"Bye Mom! Bye Professor!"

Ash and his Pokemon waved to the two adults as he followed Alexa deeper into the airport. When they got on the plane and it took off, Ash used his Aura Sight to follow where his Mom and Oak were until they were too far away to follow.

'My journey is starting again…" Ash thought as he looked out the window, his three Pokemon staring out with him.


Ash: Bit of a long chapter...

Eh.

Tomo: Is giving Ash both Aura and psychic powers a little too much?

I thought it would be fun, not to mention a better way of describing why Ash had so much powers and why said powers had to be locked up. Think about it, what makes more sense? Our son has more power than everyone else to the point of being uncontrollable for no real reason or our son has more power because he is a something that doesn't normally happen, but was still possible and not unheard of.

Molly: She has a point. I want to know if Ash is going to be dating Serena in this story.

I haven't really decided on that entirely. It is highly possible, but it isn't going to be extreme if it does happen.

Ash: Basically, if it happens, that isn't going to be the main part of the story.

Pretty much. And, like I said, I will probably be posting some other things here as well.

Molly: I said that.

Whatever. To all my readers, watchers, and reviewers out there, stay golden!