Aura:

It's the life force dominating the planet. Every living being emits it; some are just more sensitive to it. With enough skill and practice, you can control your own aura. This gives you special gifts and abilities that set you apart from the rest. You can feel the presence of every creature around you. You can read the flow of thought from your enemies and decipher what they're thinking next. You can become untouchable in battle.

Some Pokemon are born sensitive to aura. Quite a few can sense it in some form or another, but a select few can control it from birth. Riolu and Lucario are two such Pokemon, but there are others.

Whether aura is used for good or evil depends on the user. It doesn't distinguish between right and wrong; because of this, those angry at the world can vent their wrath in terrible ways. But some who are noble can use it to counteract these actions and save the land from certain destruction.

Such a story is this. It is a story between the struggles of one Pokemon's burning ire at life and another Pokemon's desire to soothe the flames of war and save all living creatures from misery. Delve into the aura and all the mysteries it holds.

--

"You are ready?" Saiwing asked.

Seraph's answer was to settle into a fighting stance, which was light and loose to remain fast but still full of enough power to knock the wind out of a Steel-type. As a Lucario, he preferred to flow from one move to another, almost as if dancing; that was typical among his species.

The Pokemon he was preparing to challenge in a fight was Saiwing, a Scizor. While most Scizor had traded in their speed for power and defense, Saiwing was still fast enough to block and avoid almost every move thrown at him. Seraph himself had hit him only a few times in all his years of training, and he was considered one of the better fighters in their school.

Their "school," called the Steel Whole, consisted of four students and one master--Saiwing. It taught Pokemon how to engage smartly in combat rather than mindlessly abusing their individual attacks as so many other Pokemon did. Not many schools like this existed, as few Pokemon took the time to slow down and learn melee. Their school was no building, but rather a large and spacious cave set in a hill. A hole at the top of the hill allowed those who lived inside to climb out and practice out in the open air, as Seraph and Saiwing were doing now. The hill sat somewhere in western Kanto, although since Seraph had no knowledge of any human settlements and where they were, he couldn't pinpoint their exact location. It really didn't matter a whole lot to Pokemon, anyway.

While Saiwing was not actually a Fighting-type--most Pokemon fighting schools expected everyone involved to be one--he was unbelievably skilled. While he never specifically mentioned where he learned such battle prowess, nobody bothered to ask, and so it remained hidden. Their school wasn't called "Steel Whole" just because Saiwing was part Steel; he believed in turning your various attributes to steel. In fact, the school's unofficial motto was, "Steel in strength. Steel in courage. Steel in mind. Steel in spirit. Take every good quality you possess and make it hard as iron." He even had an "iron" personality. The last time anybody could describe him as actually happy was probably years ago. He may have been firm and serious, but he still slowed down enough to understand each one of his students and care for their individual needs and desires.

The three other students were Luna, Hammerfist (or Ham), and Gore. Luna was a Gallade and Seraph's closest friend. Just a few months after Seraph had started training at Steel Whole, Luna had shown up, already a Gallade despite being barely over a year old at the time. Seraph himself wasn't even a year old then, meaning Luna was a few months older than he was. That was four years ago. Luna was usually calm and polite, as most Gallade were, and, it seemed, barely had a sense of humor. If a joke was told that made everybody in the room laugh uproariously, Luna was likely to smile a little but leave it at that. After some training at Steel Whole, it was revealed that, once he learned how to use aura, he was quite good at it. His skill didn't reach Seraph's, seeing as he wasn't born a Lucario--or Riolu--as he was, but he was still the second-best, better even than Saiwing (who had mastered only some of his aura).

Hammerfist was a Machoke, and also a bit of a klutz. His father was a Machamp and his mother a Machoke, and both made fighting their lives. Naturally, Ham wanted to please them and participated in many battles from an early age. When he was about four and had just evolved into a Machoke, he joined Steel Whole. He was usually energetic and optimistic, but hopelessly dense. Nonetheless, he was a skilled fighter and a valuable asset to the team. He was also considered their mascot.

Gore was a Nidoking and the oldest of everyone there aside from Saiwing. Brutal and gruff, he was lacking in manners, even to their master (though he was never outright rude to any of them). He joined apparently when he was about fourteen or fifteen. While that wouldn't even reach maturity for humans, Pokemon matured much faster but could often live just as long, so by a Pokemon's reckoning, Gore was nowhere near young. Snippets of his past were occasionally caught in conversation. His family had faced quite a bit of hardship of some sort and he was separated from them at an early age, which forced him to grow up quicker even than most other Pokemon. So many years later, the result was a hardened and surly warrior. He lacked the speed that the other students possessed, but was still fast and skilled enough to prove more than a match for most who came his way.

Seraph didn't remember a lot about his parents. He was very young, not even a month old, when he was separated from them. He could remember vague blurs that he knew were details of his past, but he couldn't connect them all to make much sense. He remembered them naming him Seraph after the fact that his aura was strangely pure white, like an angel. After that, he remembered being in complete sadness and misery for awhile, but then a human woman--he couldn't remember what she looked or sounded like, but good cooking always reminded him of her--took care of him and made him joyous and grateful. Later, he was out in the wild, fending for himself, and Saiwing found him and added him as a member of the Steel Whole. He didn't concern himself much over events of the past. If he didn't remember most of it, then he couldn't miss what he didn't have.

Four years of training with both physical combat and aura had made Seraph a force to be reckoned with. Every so often, Saiwing would command one of his students to battle him atop the hill to see just how far they had progressed. Never had anyone beaten him, but it was Saiwing's wish for every one of his students to surpass him. Each time they fought, Seraph hoped this time would be that moment.

"Of course," the Scizor remarked at his student's response. "I want you to show me what you've learned."

As soon as the last word left his mouth, Seraph bounded forward with blinding speed and aimed a kick at Saiwing's head. The metallic bug blocked it with one pincer and jerked the other one around for a solid punch. Seraph had learned that old maneuver the hard way and rolled in midair around it to dodge it. Instinctively, he kicked backwards after landing in case Saiwing was planning a quick attack. When he felt his foot collide on metal, he followed it up with two punches and a kick--all of which were blocked--and then knocked Saiwing's hook out of the way. He followed the hook down, spun around next to him, grabbed his arm, and threw a kick at his chest. Before he could retract his leg, his master grabbed it and twisted it, forcing Seraph to fall belly-first to the ground. Improvising quickly, he made use of his position and performed a scissor kick, attempting to trip Saiwing up, but his master merely jumped nimbly over it and hurled Seraph at the tree resting at the edge of the hill. Before he could bash himself against the tree, he landed with his legs on it, then kicked off.

Halfway through the air, he summoned his aura, which glowed white like fire on his wrists, and launched a few quick "fireballs" at Saiwing, who knocked them aside by creating barriers using his own aura, which was a bluish-purple color. As the Scizor blocked the last one, Seraph tried two rapid midair kicks in succession, but both were blocked. Flipping backwards off of the steel hands, he allowed himself to sense Saiwing's aura, which might give away his opponent's next move. As Saiwing generally went on instinct rather than thinking about his next move, it was much harder to read than the life energies of others. He knew there were subtle changes; he just didn't quite know how to read them. He sensed his opponent preparing a series of quick strikes, for which Seraph prepared himself for.

Upon opening his eyes, he was greeted with the sight of a red blur dashing at him. This didn't surprise him, as he was expecting it all along, and blocked the first punch with his hand while still in midair. He knocked the second punch inwards, now on the ground, which got in the way of the third punch; however, Saiwing lost no momentum and followed it up with a flurry of kicks, and when his hands were no longer tangled up, punches. After a few seconds, instincts and aura failed the Lucario, and he was hit in the gut. A second punch got him in the side of the face, and finally a kick in the chest sent him hurtling off the edge of the hill. He latched onto the side, not wanting to fall. Saiwing stood over him, untouched as always. Seraph knew that steel didn't sweat, but there was no hint of exhaustion or fatigue on the crimson warrior.

"You need to use your aura more," Saiwing admonished. That was exactly what Seraph had been thinking, gripping onto the grassy hill, and he hated how knowing what he should have done always came right after he did it. "You've been born with a gift stronger than any of ours. You need to learn to use it."

Seraph spat out a small bit of blood. He remembered rule number one in his mental notebook: Getting hit by metal hurts. Seraph may have been part Steel himself, but it wasn't immediately obvious like with a Scizor's.

"That's enough for today. Let's go back down and cool off."

"I can still practice," Seraph protested, climbing back up.

"No, you've done enough. I hit you full power with those blows, which is something I usually don't do. You and the other students may be much more used to pain, but your body can still break. And besides, you need more training before we fight again. You still haven't learned to use your born talent yet."

Seraph slumped inwardly at the blow to his pride, but recognized that it was true and knew better than to deny or justify it. Nobody could improve with that mindset. Instead, he said, "Yes, Master," and followed him back down the hole to their cave.