Well here I am again! InfiniteImmunity is back again with another story for all you awesome readers out there! Welcome to the epic tale of Aura's Legacy! This fic will be a new challenge for me as a writer since it will be my first attempt at a story with more than one chapter. Actually, there's a good chance that this will be a very, VERY long fic. Oh what have I gotten myself into now...? I especially hate the fact that the idea for this story came to me at 4:00 in the morning, causing me to get no sleep as I quickly wrote an outline for chapter one, so I didn't forget it when I woke up. Oh well... my complaining isn't the reason why you're here.

Anyway, let's get on with the show!

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon in any form whatsoever. I only own the plot of this fic and Pikachu... wait what? I don't own Pikachu? Well... this is awkward...

Prologue: The Tower That Was Burnt

Ecruteak City (Past)

Flames blazed everywhere, leaving no room for escape. This tower was coming down, whether Barthold wanted it to or not. He may be an Aura Guardian, but there were just some things that he couldn't do.

"Well... this might be bad..."

"Bad? BAD? This isn't a situation where we can get out with our lives so easily!"

"Oh, shut it Lucario... I can listen to your nagging later, when we get out of here alive." Barthold said to his partner.

Lucario crossed his arms across his chest. His anger at Barthold was quickly escalating; so much so that he had no qualms hitting him with an Aura Sphere right now. He was also pretty sure that he knew through their telepathic link. He just didn't seem to care.

Lucario let out a sigh. He knew that this wasn't the time or place for such an act. He'd have to deliver his beat down later.

"My question to you is how, in Arceus's name, did we wind up in this situation in the first place?"

Barthold scratched his head after just narrowly dodging falling debris. "Well, it all started when that girl began to give me drinks in the Pokémon Center..."

"NO! Not that! I want to know why the tower is burning down!"

"Well how the hell should I know! I felt an imbalance in aura over here, but I never expected something like this!"

"I know! I felt it too... but that feeling shouldn't have caused a disaster. At least not something like this..."

Barthold began racking his brain for an answer, while trying to find a way out. Finally a thought occurred to him.

"Lucario... what if this wasn't caused by aura going out of control but by... humans? I think that would explain why this flash fire just started up all of a sudden."

"It's a possibility. I was under the impression though that the Pokémon who lived here was revered by the townsfolk. That and the one on the neighboring tower. It just doesn't make any sense..."

A large snap resounded through the air. Lucario looked in the direction of the painful sound to see Barthold about to be crushed by a collapsing support beam that had finally broken above them.

"Master!"

"Oh crap!"

Barthold braced for an impact that never came. After opening his eyes he was surprised by what he saw.

"Entei! You... why are you here?" The Volcano Pokémon just stared at him until howling could be heard from nearby.

"Raikou... and Suicune too! Why are you three here? You have to escape before it's too late! Even powerful Pokémon like yourselves will be killed in this fire!"

The three Legendary Beasts proceeded to ignore the Aura Guardian's concern and began helping Barthold and Lucario to safety. Suicune and Entei began clearing the fires that blocked the way while Raikou destroyed all the debris that stood before them with his lightning attacks. For a while, it seemed that they would all escape.

All of sudden the tower began to shake violently and the screams of an outraged Pokémon could be heard from above.

"The tower's deity is upset! He's fleeing from here!" Lucario managed to spit out.

"Wait, what? Why isn't he helping put out the fire!"

"That would be because of me... Aura Guardian Barthold."

Barthold paled at the sound of the cold voice from in front of him and turned just in time to see, and feel, a sharp sword pierce the center of his body. Barthold's vision began swimming before him.

Lucario could only watch helplessly as his master fell before him in a growing puddle of his own blood. He couldn't react in time due to the strange masked man's sudden appearence.

"MASTER!"

As Lucario and the three Legendary Beasts began to rush forward, the masked man chuckled slightly as he raised his right arm, posing almost as if telling them to stop. All of a sudden a blast of blue energy shot from the man's palm and the floor below the charging Pokémon gave way.

"Impossible...! Another... user of aura!" And just like that the beasts and Lucario fell to their death in the tower's basement.

"Stay out of my way silly creatures... my task here is done. With the deity of this tower, Lugia, gone, I can finally begin the next stage of my plan!"

"I won't... ugh... let you... do that... you... bastard!"

"What?"

Barthold, using all the strength he had left, grabbed the masked man's leg, preventing him from running.

"I'm taking you with me... to the next life!"

"Hahaha... it is futile to try. No matter what may come to me, I will live on. As is my curse to bear."

Barthold then began to chuckle to himself. "Then let me... tell you something... you masked freak. No matter... what becomes of me... if you happen to somehow survive this... my descendants will track you down themselves... and kill you!"

"Urgh! You foolish man! You know not of what you are meddling in."

"Maybe not... maybe I am just... a big idiot... like Lucario says... but I'm a big idiot who never gives in! HAAAH!"

At that moment Barthold released the remainder of his life force into a final, all or nothing auric burst. Either this would take the masked man to the next world with him, or his life would end either way if it didn't. He had nothing left to lose.

"Aghh! You... bastard...!"

As Barthold drifted away into the never ending darkness he saw a final glimmer of hope. The mystical Rainbow Bird Pokémon Ho-Oh descended from the sky over the torn off roof from when Lugia fled. His last thoughts were sent out to this bird and his valuable partner.

"Please... keep this world safe for me... find a descendant of mine worthy enough to wield the power of aura and guide him... my one and only partner..."

"...Lucario..."

And all went dark.

Pallet Town (Present)

Ash Ketchum woke with a start, sweat dripping from his head. 'Man... what was with that strange dream...? It just felt so... vivid and real...'

Ash slowly got out of bed and looked out his bedroom window. He saw the rolling fields surrounding his humble little town teaming with farmers and Pokémon alike, all doing their part to provide for their families and friends.

"Ah well... a dream's a dream, nothing important there. Still, it's great to be home after traveling for so long."

Ash looked back at his bed and saw his best friend and partner Pikachu still sound asleep at the foot of the bed.

"Hey Pikachu, time to wake up buddy. We've got a lot of things we need to do today!" Ash said with a grin as he tried waking the sleeping rodent.

Pikachu opened his eyes and let out a big yawn, not too pleased at having been woken up from a fairly good dream. He just glared at his trainer, before shaking his head and jumping onto his shoulder. Pikachu just couldn't hold a grudge or be too angry at his trainer for something as little as this.

"Pika pi! Pikachu Pika!" The mouse eagerly said.

"Yep that's right buddy, we're off to Professor Oak's today after some breakfast. Still, I can't believe that we're actually going on a vacation to the Unova region today! It's just a shame that Brock, Dawn, and any of our other friends can't come with us..."

Ash frowned as he said that. His best human friend Brock, as his "true" best friend was Pikachu of course, finally decided to become a Pokémon Doctor and had split up with him just after arriving back in Kanto after Ash took top 4 in the Sinnoh league. All in al, Brock was the closest thing to a brother he had, and Ash wouldn't change that for the world.

His other most recent travelling companion, Dawn, saw Ash and Brock off at the shipyard back in Sinnoh, deciding that she was going back home before figuring out what it was she wanted to do next. Dawn had said that she'll probably go compete in another Grand Festival somewhere. Where that somewhere was, though, she didn't know yet... or she hadn't told Ash yet was more like it.

'Heh... she's probably already left on some wild journey already without telling anybody but her mom.' Ash thought with a grin.

Ash then remembered his other friends who had travelled with him over the years.

His other best friend Misty, who was like a sister to him at this point, was currently serving as the Cerulean City gym leader and was far too busy to go on a vacation, as much as she might have wanted to.

Then his mind turned to his Hoenn friends May and Max.

At this point in time, Max was now finally old enough to begin his own Pokémon journey as he had just turned ten a few months ago. So now he was most likely traveling somewhere in the Hoenn region with his new Pokémon friends. The thought of that caused Ash to smile as he knew how much Max loved Pokémon.

May, however, was a top notch coordinater who was still traveling in the Johto region as far as Ash knew. He really hadn't heard much from her since she visited him, Dawn, and Brock during the Wallace Cup in the Sinnoh region.

Ash's previous smile quickly turned into a small frown as he thought of May.

'Why hasn't she contacted anybody in so long? Last I heard from Max was that even HE didn't know where she was or what she's up to. I hope she's alright...'

He was quickly brought out of his trance when he heard the words of his mother from below.

"Ash! Come downstairs now! I made your favorite pancakes for breakfast!"

Ash began to chuckle to himself. "Well, no use worrying about that now. Come on Pikachu, let's get something to eat!"

"Pika!

The two began to make their way down the stairs and into the kitchen, anxious for the trip to Unova, and what new Pokémon they would find.

Burned Tower, Ecruteak City

A stone statue in the ruined tower's basement began to glow before shattering completely, revealing a dazed and weak Pokémon as it collapsed onto the cold ground beneath him.

"What... what happened...?" Lucario spoke aloud. "Master? Master Barthold, where are you?"

Lucario sat up and paused to think. After all, he needed to figure out what had happened and just how long he had been out.

"Hmm..."

Suddenly, a horrid memory came rushing back to him. The memory of where the masked man had killed his master. A memory of pain and sadness.

"NO!" Lucario began to frantically search the ruins, but to no avail. He couldn't find a trace of his master anywhere.

"Master... I'm sorry... I failed you..." A tear dripped from Lucario's eye. But before he could think of grieving for his master a shiver ran down his spine, causing him to snap out of his thoughts.

"W-what? What was that feeling just now...?"

Using his abilities, Lucario scanned the aura around him, but found nothing extraordinary. Still feeling a bit unnerved he began to extend the range of his auric sensors until he felt a very disturbing, yet familiar presence in the distance.

"This presence... it can't be! IT'S HIM!"

Lucario was livid with anger and hate for the aura he picked up... the aura of the masked man.

"I will find you fiend... and when I do, I will avenge my master's death!"

Lucario hopped up and out of the tower, surprising the townsfolk in the area as he began to dash off towards the signature of the masked man's aura, somewhere in the east.

"So... this is where the next piece of the Instrument of Judgement is? Such a quaint little town..."

The cold voiced individual looked down at his two Pokémon comrades. Both Mightyena and Houndoom were ready to begin the mission at any moment. The sight made the man chuckle.

"Well... let's make this quick."

As he adjusted the mask covering his face he began to walk down the hill he was on and into the heart of Pallet Town, towards Oak's Pokémon Lab...

TO BE CONTINUED

Whew! That was a work out for sure! It took me a while to decide on how I wanted to present this prologue (as it needs to be exciting yet show room for growth so people keep coming back to read). I still think that in some parts I maybe could have done better, but I figured that after proofreading it, why not just upload it and see what everyone else thinks. So there you go guys, let me know! Write a review, it won't take too long, and let me know what you liked, hated, think I can improve on, or thought I did really well. I will gladly take criticism as long as it is constructive and not hurtful in any way.

So I hope you liked chapter one of Aura's Legacy and I can't wait to see you all in chapter two!

InfiniteImmunity out!