Welcome to The Journey of Aura. A few things I should mention before resuming, this was the first ever time I had ever written something even remotely close to an actual story, and because I had absolutely zero experience and was totally ignorant when I started, the first few chapters were godawful quality. However, overtime I taught myself more and more about proper writing and it helped me drastically improve overall.

I know many of you will skip over this, but I had come back to revise these early chapters and fix them to hopefully make it a little easier to draw in the readers. They will still be lower quality than the later chapters I will admit, but only because I just can't waste all my time trying to entirely rewrite them from scratch.

The Journey of Aura will be around five or six sagas with each possibly being it's own seperate story on the website.

Although this story does contain lemons, they will not be an overly common thing, due to my main focus being the actual development of the story's plot and characters, while fluff on the other hand, will be quite frequent.

Chapter 1: The Journey Begins

The morning sun shined brightly as the beautiful sounds of bird Pokemon singing filled the air. Everything was peaceful, and it was the perfect day for a new trainer's dream to finally begin.

In the small town of Vaniville, a seventeen year old boy snoozed away in bed; however, that peaceful slumber was about to be interrupted. The boy's bedroom door opened wide as a tall woman walked in, her hair was an even brown and her eyes were a calm light blue. She stepped towards the bed and sighed, putting her hands on her hips and clearing her throat.

"Aura, time to get up!" She said, slightly raising her voice.

Still half asleep, Aura just let out a groan and rolled over with his back to her. "Not now, Mom."

His mother crossed her arms and huffed. "I told you to go to bed earlier last night, didn't I?" No response. Glancing around the room, she took notice of the blanket partially hanging off the edge. With a sly smirk, she took the sheet in her hands and ripped it from the bed to reveal the slightly pale teen lying underneath in his shorts. Although, other than causing Aura to let out a tired groan, removing the blanket didn't seem to do anything. The woman sighed again, pinching the bridge of her nose in annoyance, "Y'know, Aura. If you don't hurry up then you'll miss the bus to Lumiose City." She groaned.

Finally she got a reaction from the soon-to-be trainer as he let out another tired groan and slowly sat up. "Alright, alright. I'm getting up." Aura rubbed his tired, royal blue eyes and yawned as he stretched to relieve the tension in his muscles.

"Good. Now hurry and get ready. You're breakfast is downstairs on the table." With her hands on her hips, she walked out of the room and into the hall, leaving Aura to get ready.

Aura let out a sigh and reached over to pick up his glasses. The boy swung his feet over the edge of the bed and slowly stood up, tiredly dragging his feet to his dresser where a set of clean clothes waited on top, taking it all and walking to the small bathroom down the hall. Setting his clothes on the counter and making sure the door was locked, Aura stripped down and stepped into the standing shower. As soon as he turned on the water, he stepped back as it started off a bit chilly but quickly warmed up, making Aura let out a content sigh as he began washing himself.

After a few minutes he finally shut off the water and stepped out, grabbing his towel and drying off his thick brown hair as he walked to the sink. He wiped the steam from the mirror and smirked at his reflection, thinking of the time he spent toning up for his journey. If he was going to be spending probably a good year traveling, he may as well be ready for it. Finally getting dressed in his usual white t-shirt and blue jeans, he went back to his room and grabbed his backpack, which had already been packed with the essentials, and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Reaching the base of the stairs, Aura turned the corner into the kitchen. He cheerfully smiled as he saw the orange and black striped dog sitting on the floor happily eating from a bowl of Pokemon Food. Aura kneeled down and pat the Puppy Pokemon's head, "Morning, Kibbs. Sleep well?" He asked, standing back up and walking around her to the table

The Growlithe paused and lifted her head, "Somebody sure seems excited." She smirked at the human, receiving a similar smirk in return.

"Well why wouldn't I be excited? I finally get to start my journey today. And a year earlier than I would've back in Johto." Aura sat down at the table with a plate of neatly stacked pancakes set in front of him.

Kibbs nodded, "It is a bit unfair if you ask me."

"What do you expect?" Aura's mother sat down across from her son, "Kanto and Johto have been having issues with Team Rocket for as long as I can remember. But here in Kalos they're isn't any huge issues like that, so it's a bit safer to travel." She took a sip of her coffee and looked at her son, "By the way, have you decided on what Pokemon you're going to start with?"

Aura bit into a piece of toast, "Honestly, I don't really know. I spent some time looking into different Kalos Pokemon but I'll probably just decide when I get to the lab. It is an hour long bus ride from Aquacorde Town to Lumiose City, so I've got plenty of time to think about it."

Finished with her food, Kibbs came to the table and used one of the chairs to boost herself up, "Well I'm sure you'll make the right decision, right, Darlene?" Kibbs looked to Aura's mother, who set down her cup and smiled.

"I have no doubt about that, after all," Darlene paused to look at her son, "Aura has always been great with Pokemon."

Smirking to herself, Kibbs puffed up her chest. "Maybe because I helped you raise him. Since that day you brought me home from Ilex Forest," the Growlithe's smirk shrunk as she looked down in sorrow, though still sounding thankful as she spoke, "I may have lost my family back then, but I was lucky to be given a new one." She looked back to Aura with her smile returning, "Aura's like a son to me now, and I'll always see him as one… Even if he is a human." She let out a short chuckle.

Aura smiled at her, "Very funny, Kibbs. But you do have a point, even if you're a Pokemon, I'll still see you as a second mother to me."

The puppy smiled, rubbing a tear away with her paw, "That means a lot to me... I hope you do well on your journey." He returned the smile, thanking her before finishing the last of his breakfast.

With a satisfied sigh, Aura stood up and brought his dishes to the sink then headed to the door. Slipping on his shoes and securing his backpack, Aura looked back at Darlene and Kibbs with a loving smile. "Looks like I'm off." He walked back to them and quickly pulled his mother into a hug while Kibbs rubbed her head against his leg.

Darlene pecked her lips against her son's forehead. "Good luck, Aura. Do your best out there." She let him go and they both looked down at the Growlithe who pawed at the boy's leg.

There were a few tears in her eyes as she smiled up at him, "Make sure you stay safe out there. And please call us every once in a while?" She hicced, holding back from getting over emotional.

Smiling back and nodding, Aura kneeled down and rubbed the fire-type's head. "I'll make sure of it. Love you guys." Darlene bent down and embraced the two, her and Kibbs repeating Aura's words in response and wishing him luck on his travels.

Stepping back to the door with his bag slung over his shoulder, Aura gave one last smile as he looked back at the two who raised him and opened the door. With a confident nod, Aura walked outside and down the path through the yard, Kibbs and Darlene standing at the door waving as their son, biological or not, turned the corner and headed down the road towards the main gates of Vaniville Town.

With the distance between Vaniville Town and Aquacorde Town only taking roughly twenty minutes on foot, it wasn't long before Aura arrived in the small town. He started walking down the large staircase to the town plaza and quickly headed off down one of the streets toward the bus station, knowing it's location thanks to the few times he had come to the town since it had the closest Pokemart to Vaniville Town.

After a few minutes of walking, Aura finally made it to the large blue building he was searching for. A ton of buses were lined up in the parking lot, but one that was parked just outside the entrance had the words "Lumiose City" in bright yellow scrolling across a screen above the windshield. Feeling a wave of excitement, Aura hurried aboard the large vehicle with his ticket in hand.

Once he had stepped up the stairs and slipped his ticket into a translucent box by the driver, Aura made his way down the narrow aisle in search for an open seat, finding one rather quickly near the middle and sliding over to the window.

Having noticed the large clock atop the station's roof earlier, Aura peered out the window to see there was still a good while before the bus would depart, so to pass the time he decided to go through his bag once more to make a mental list of everything he already had, and of everything he had either forgotten or still needed to purchase once in Lumiose City.

Not really paying attention to the time at this point, the sound of the bus' engine roaring to life startled him a bit as the vehicle soon started down the road; however, he hadn't realized someone else had boarded just a few moments before the bus had took off, and they were currently walking down the aisle in search for a seat of their own, stopping when they reached where Aura sat.

"Mind if I sit here?" Aura looked up from his bag with a Potion in his hand, seeing the slightly shorter boy standing in the aisle. His hair was a dull black that looked recently washed, and he had slightly tanned skin with light brown eyes.

Aura shrugged his shoulders with an awkward grin, "Nah, I don't mind. Go right ahead." Scooting over a bit to make room, Aura let the stranger sit down as he resumed to rummage through his bag.

There was a few minutes of silence between the two until the stranger decided to break the ice. "Sooo… You're starting a journey too, huh?"

Aura paused with a roll of bandages in his hand, looking over to the boy with a raised eyebrow. "Actually, yeah. How'd you know?" As the words left his mouth, Aura sighed as he set the bandages back in his bag, "Let me guess, it's all the stuff I have in my bag, right?"

He shrugged with a smirk, scratching his cheek awkwardly, "Well, yeah. But mostly because I've got more or less the same stuff in my bag too." The boy lifted his green backpack, which looked much bulkier than Aura's as he pat the front of it.

Aura leaned back in his seat and smirked, "Huh, well we've still got at least an hour or two before we reach Lumiose City… My name's Aura by the way."

The stranger nodded with a large grin, "I'm Daniel, but just Dan is fine."

With a friendly smile, Aura returned his attention to his bag, but decided to start some small talk about their similar interest. "So, Dan. What's the reason you're going on a journey? Not to pry or anything, just wondering."

Dan took a moment to think, quietly humming to himself with his hand on his chin. "I'd say the reason I wanted to go on a journey was to learn more about Pokemon so I can become a great Pokemon Doctor. I care a lot about Pokemon, and I want to do whatever I can to help them." He faced the floor with a sigh, "I will save her," he muttered.

Aura leaned forward a bit, "Uh, what was that?" He asked.

Dan flinched and rubbed his head, "Sorry, just thinking about something. Anyway, now I'm curious about your reason to go on a journey."

Aura crossed his arms and looked out the window with a smirk, starting his detailed explanation as if he had been practicing it.

"Just like you, I also care about Pokemon and want to do what I can to help, but in a much different way. I've always hated how so many people will treat Pokemon like they're nothing more than some kind of tool or slave only meant to compete in battles. There are so many Pokemon that are abused by their trainers, sometimes even killed, all over something stupid like losing a battle. Some even being abandoned like a piece of garbage." Aura tightened his fists as he thought of the selfish and careless acts humans have done to mistreat Pokemon.

Now thinking about it himself, Dan looked down in empathy as Aura continued.

"I know I'd be putting Pokemon through the same battles so I can earn badges and enter the League, but I'm not doing it for fame or fortune, I mean yeah those would be great, but winning isn't what I'm after. It's the chance to prove that real power comes from the bond a trainer shares with their Pokemon. So long as I make it far enough to prove this to the world, then I'll be happy." Aura suddenly flinched and began to awkwardly rub his head. "Sorry for ranting like that. I do it when I feel really passionate about something."

Dan shook his head, "Don't worry about it. I'm actually kinda glad you feel that strong about Pokemon, gives off a good vibe, y'know?"

Aura nodded, "Thanks for that. I've always felt more connected with Pokemon than I would with humans, usually spent more time with them too so I'm just excited to finally start my journey."

Dan leaned back and smirked, "You and me both." Dan paused for a second and looked at Aura. "Hey, why don't we travel together for a while?" Aura glanced over curiously. "Usually trainers will travel in groups to make things easier on everyone, not to mention it's not as lonely. Plus we could help each other reach our goals. So what do you say?" He asked, offering his hand with a friendly smile.

Aura tapped his chin and thought about it. It would be useful to have someone to travel with, considering he didn't have a clue about the region other than the few things he'd picked up over the past few months, so coming to a decision, Aura returned Dan's smile and took his hand, "Alright. Looks like we're companions now." He affirmed.

"Sweet, I'm glad I was able to catch the bus before it left, otherwise we probably wouldn't have met... and I would've had to travel to Lumiose alone on foot."

"Yeah, and I'm glad I just so happened to be organizing my bag when you arrived." They both gave a short chuckle, and started talking about a few other things as they waited to arrive in Lumiose City.

Shortly after passing through the gates to Lumiose City, Aura and Dan made haste to gather their things before stepping off at the nearest stop to the Professor's lab.

"It's finally time to get my first Pokemon." Aura started off in the direction of the lab, but he stopped once he noticed his new friend wasn't following. "Dan? Aren't you coming to the lab?"

Dan looked up from the yellow device in his hands, "Actually I have something important I need to do first," he started walking in another direction, "I'll meet you at the Pokemon Center afterwards, okay?" Receiving a quick "okay" from Aura, Dan continued off down the street while Aura stayed back. Shrugging it off, Aura continued towards his initial destination. He pulled a slip of paper from his pocket with an address written on it, paying close attention to the street signs until finally spotting the large building.

Passing through the open gate and approaching the front door, Aura took a quick breath before pushing his way inside. The lobby was quite large with a large red carpet spread across the floor. Further back in the middle of the room was a circular desk made of polished mahogany. A woman with dark blue hair and a white lab coat sat behind the desk typing away at her computer, she looked up as the sound of footsteps caught her attention. "Oh, good morning. Is there something I can help you with?" She asked.

"Uh, yeah. My name is Aura Borealis. I'm here to pick up my starter Pokemon?" He explained.

The woman tapped at her computer, letting out a quick "ah-ha" as she looked back to Aura. "You're the boy who recently moved to Vaniville Town from Johto, correct?" Aura nodded. "Looks like your Trainer ID is already registered in our database so that should make things go a bit quicker." After typing a little more, the woman nodded and stood from her chair. "Alright then. I'll go fetch the professor for you. If you could just wait here I should be back shortly." She gestured toward a nearby wall that was almost entirely made of glass similar to a greenhouse. "If you'd like, you can choose from any of the Pokemon in that habitat to be your starter. They were all selected to be given to new trainers so pick whichever one you'd like." With that, the woman walked off down a hall and left Aura to himself.

Taking the woman's advice, Aura quickly walked to the large window and peered inside. He could hardly believe his eyes as he gazed upon the expansive habitat in front of him, seeing many of the common starter Pokemon other regions along with other, less common Pokemon that weren't normally considered to be a 'starter'.

As Aura watched the many Pokemon going about their lives, he found his eyes wander towards a small yellow fox Pokemon sitting alone next to a nearby bush. For some reason, Aura found it impossible to look away from the fox as it seemed to be staring right back at him. He couldn't understand why, but as he gazed into the Pokemon's shimmering red eyes, he felt something very strange he had never felt before his whole life, almost like a spark, telling him that their paths were always destined to cross.

Still staring at the yellow and red fox, Aura was too entranced to realize someone walking up behind. Aura jumped as he felt a hand pat his shoulder, turning around to come face to face with Professor Sycamore.

The professor scratched the back of his head. "Sorry if I startled you there. Guess you were to busy watching the Pokemon to hear me coming." Sycamore stepped beside him and looked out upon the Pokemon. "So I assume you're the new trainer?" Aura nodded, too entranced with the fox Pokemon cautiously sitting in the grass before them. "Well then I hope you give the Pokemon you choose a good home. Some of the ones you see here had gone through a lot before we found them, but we wanted them to have the chance to live a happy life instead of being stuck in a lab forever." Sycamore shook his head, "Sorry, I got a bit carried away there. You probably want to pick your Pokemon and be on your way."

Aura smiled, "It's no problem. I actually already decided which one I want." He gestured to the fox and warmly gazed at it. "I'd like to have that Fennekin as my partner."

Sycamore leaned in a bit closer and noticed the Fennekin intently staring back at them. He could see the fear in it's eyes as if it were about to run, but to his surprise it remained still and continued to watch them. He straightened up and rubbed his chin. "Huh. This is a bit peculiar."

Aura looked up at him confused. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with it?" He asked, for some reason feeling panic suddenly rise in his chest.

"No, it's not that. You see, that Fennekin is actually quite timid and is afraid of humans. She doesn't let people get close to her without running away, so the only way we can actually feed her and check her health is with a select few Pokemon she seems to trust, and even then she's still very cautious." Sycamore put his hands in his pockets, "What I find strange is that she hasn't run away yet. She has let some of the new trainers get closer than others and will sometimes sit and watch as they pick their Pokemon, but she will normally run and hide from most of them. It's almost like she's waiting for someone in particular." He glanced down at Aura who was still staring at Fennekin.

"Do you know why she's like that?" He asked.

Sycamore sighed, "Like I said, some of the Pokemon here were found after going through some hard times, and that one is no exception. It was roughly ten years ago that one of our research teams came across the bodies of two Delphox deep in Santalune Forest. From what we could tell, they were both opposite genders so we assumed they must have been her parents since she refused to leave their side even with humans so close." He let out another heavy sigh. "She spent almost seven years in special care before we decided to move her here, hoping that one day a trainer would finally be able to give her a better life outside of the lab."

Aura looked at Fennekin with sympathy, knowing the trouble she's been through for so long only making his decision even more certain. "That settles it. I choose Fennekin as my starter!" He stared deeply into her eyes. "I don't know why, but I can feel something strong between us when I look at her. And even then I can't just leave her like this, I feel like I might be the only one who could actually help her… Like I'm the one she's been waiting for."

Sycamore decided not to question it since Aura seemed dead set on taking Fennekin. "Alright then, I'll go fetch her Pokeball and a few other things for you. Be right back." With another sigh and a small smile, Sycamore left the room and returned shortly after with Fennekin's Pokeball, five empty Pokeballs, and a Kalos Pokedex preregistered with Aura's information. Aura thanked him as the professor opened the glass door to the habitat and allowed him inside as Fennekin quietly watched.

Approaching her slowly, Aura knelt down in front of Fennekin and reached out his hand. For a moment Sycamore thought Fennekin would run off like normal, however he was surprised to see her let him actually touch her head and slowly pet between her ears.

Fennekin could feel her instincts telling her to run, however a much stronger force told her this was always meant to be, and in a strange way she knew it was true. The warmth she felt within herself as the boy came close and touched her head, she finally felt safe and free from her worries. Feeling much calmer with him, Fennekin allowed the trainer to lift her into his arms and carry her back out through the door.

Impressed that Aura had so easily managed to get so close, let alone pick up and carry the timid fire-type, the professor was truly amazed with the caring trainer and was confident that he would give all his Pokemon a good home. "Promise me that you'll take good care of her and let me know if any problems come up, okay?"

Aura nodded. "Thank you, Professor. I'll make sure nothing happens to her," he paused and looked at Fennekin, "even if it kills me." After setting Fennekin's Pokeball and the extras in his belt and stashing his Pokedex in his pocket, Aura exit the building and started off in the direction of the nearest Pokemon Center. As he walked down the street, he kindly looked down at the Pokemon in his arms. "Don't worry," he began in a soft voice, "I'll do whatever it takes to help you get through this. No matter how long it takes, I'll always be there for you."

All this left Aura with many questions. Though he had never seen this Fennekin in his entire life, he somehow knew that she felt the exact same thing he did the moment their eyes met.

Fennekin shifted her weight, resting her head in the crook of her new trainer's arm, "Thank you," she whispered.

This was no coincidence. This was destiny.

Thanks to all who stuck around to the end of the first chapter. I know this seemed like one big exposition dump but I wanted to make sure the main protagonist was properly introduced.

If you wanna see other stories written by me then check out my profile.

Until next time. ~Aura