Aura Masters
Chapter 2

Ash's day went rather smoothly: he was able to concentrate on his schoolwork, study for the test until he felt comfortable, and block out all thoughts of his dream from the night before. For the time being, he was relaxing in the Study Hall he had before Math. Ash had just finished studying for his Math test, when the girl sitting next to him decided to start up a conversation:
"The test today is gonna be brutal! She's asking us to remember too much, I can barely get the basics down. How do you feel about the test, Ash?" The girl exclaimed.
"I feel pretty good, actually. I just hope my brain doesn't lock shut when I get the test."
"Yeah, I know what you mean. On the last couple of tests, I've known everything beforehand, but when she passes them out my mind goes blank." The girl agreed with a smile.
"Well, Kate, do you want my help?" Ash asked.

Kate Downsley had known Ash practically since he was born. They were always friendly to each other. In fact, the first day of preschool, Kate was as frightened as could be. Not even thinking about it, Ash reached out his hand and offered to hold her hand as they went inside. She gladly accepted, and from then on Ash and Kate were best friends. Throughout their grade school careers together, they got to know each other even better than brother and sister. However, once Ash had got to the 9th grade, he noticed something odd, Kate Downsley looked hot. Maybe he was surprised that she had become somewhat popular, or in total mess because of his hormones, but one day he decided to ask her out to dinner.
"Sure thing, Ash. To be honest I hadn't seen you all day today until now, even though we have three classes together. Where were you?" She had asked. This caused Ash to blush heavily.
"Well…um…I was…I-" Kate cut him off:
"Oh, I think I get it. You're too nervous to talk to me because you think I'm beautiful right?" Ash nodded as fast as his neck muscles could take; after all, he had been assigned seating in the back of those old mini-auditorium sized rooms and had had to lean forward just to see the board.
"I've gotten that a lot today, but I didn't believe any of them until just now. How about Viridian Sushi at 8:30? If you get to my house at around 7:00, we could even walk there together." Kate offered.
"O-o-okay, I'll see you then?" Ash hesitantly stammered.
"Alright, I'll see you tonight." Kate said as she left for the bus ride home. Before she did though, she remembered to get something out of her locker. She fumbled through her locker while Ash was still standing there like an idiot.
"Sit with me on the bus?" Kate offered. Ash nodded. While sitting next to Kate on the bus, both of them knew their friendship probably wouldn't be the same.

"Yeah, can you help me with this question?" Kate asked. She showed Ash the problem she was stuck on in her review packet. As Ash was helping her, he realized he had gotten stuck on this question the night before last also. Ash flipped through his notes and showed and explained the page where he did the work out.
"Thanks." Kate said as they packed up for their last class together this year. They both felt prepared for the test and that nothing could shake them. As they walked up to the door of their last class for the day, Ash lay back to relax on the lockers until Mrs. Rockenet came by to open up the classroom.
"You ready for this test, Ash?" The teacher asked. Ash slowly nodded, he didn't want to trick himself into being overconfident, nor sell himself short. Mrs. Rockenet took his silence as a good thing and mumbled to herself as she opened the classroom, which for some odd reason was locked that day. Ash was about to go in the classroom, when he felt a cold hand stop him. He froze, almost literally too, and spun around.
"What is it, Kate?" He asked.
"Good luck, Ash." Kate cheered as she hugged onto his 5 foot 6 inch frame.
"Aw, thank you Kate, you too." Ash replied. Kate smiled and boosted her body up three inches to peck him on the cheek before they entered the classroom, still on time for class.

After the test, Kate and Ash were the last two to leave, purely by coincidence. As they got the stuff they needed from their lockers for homework, they passed by Ash's first because it was further from where the buses were, Kate and Ash boarded the bus and chose to sit together on the ride home. When the bus got to Ash's house, Kate quickly asked:
"Do you think your Mom would mind if I came home with you?"
"Nah, I don't think so, but phone your Dad first." Ash warned. Kate phoned her Dad after she got off the bus. A few moments later, she closed her phone.
"He said for me to just be home by 6:00, he wants me home for dinner." Kate announced.
"Cool, okay then. We could help each other with our homework if you want." Ash said as he walked up to the doorstep with Kate holding his hand. Ash knocked on the door, which he knew was locked. Mrs. Ketchum came to the door and saw her son and Kate standing there.
"Well, come on in you two." She remarked with a smile.
"It's been awhile since you were over here last hasn't it Kate?" She continued. Kate nodded.
"So, what's going on? Homework, Relaxing, Sex?"
"MOM, Please!" Ash interjected. Mrs. Ketchum grew an apologetic frown on her face.
"I'm sorry, it's just Kate hasn't been over here in so long."
"No, nothing like that Mrs. Ketchum, we're just going to do our homework." Kate said.
"Oh, okay. Well don't let my son's perverted Mom distract you!" Mrs. Ketchum said in a joking tone of voice. Ash and Kate joined her in laughing and then set up their homework on the dining room table.

Just before dinner, Ash helped Kate gather all of her stuff to go home and met her at the door.
"Do you want me to walk you home, Kate?" Ash asked.
"No, I think-" Kate cut herself off. She just now realized how dark it had gotten.
"Actually, yes, would you mind?" Kate restated.
"No, of course not. Mom, I'm going to walk Kate home, I'll be late for dinner." Ash called.
"Okay sweetie. Hey, are you gonna need a flashlight?" Mrs. Ketchum asked. Ash looked behind him to confirm his thought:
"Yeah, a flashlight wouldn't be a bad idea." Ash called up the stairs. Soon after, Ash saw a flashlight flying through the air…well not really flying, more like falling toward his face! Ash was able to catch the flashlight in either case.
"Thanks, Mom!" Ash called before he left the house with Kate's hand in his.

As they were walking, Kate was huddled up to Ash.
"You scared, Katie?" Ash asked.
"No! And you know I hate being called that!" Kate retorted. Ash had a smile on his face and he was rest assured that it was so dark Kate couldn't see his face. All of a sudden though, Ash felt a punch to the face.
"Good one Kate." Ash said, but heard no reply.
"Kate, so that's this broad's name is it? Well be sure to scream it to the heavens when I screw you. Heh heh heh." A masked thug said, shifting his attention from Ash to Kate.
"Let her go!" Ash screamed.
"Maybe if you can find me with that light of yours, I will. Or maybe I'll have my pants down over your girl, you never know!" The thug said, tauntingly.
"You better not!" Ash screamed as he frantically shone his flashlight to find the rapist. Minutes later, he was able to find the two of them by following the sound of Kate's scream. Sure enough, Ash found Kate on the ground, bloodied and beaten to the ground and the rapist standing over her in the latter position he mentioned earlier.
"Aw, dude that's so wrong!" Ash commented.
"Well then turn that stick of and listen to me fuck her." The thug taunted once more.
"NO!" Ash screamed.
"Fine, it's your choice. You can watch instead." The thug said.
"I choose neither!" Ash bellowed.
"Well then what are you gonna do, stop me? If you take another step I'll fuck her anyways!" The thug tormented.
"Don't you dare touch her!" Ash threatened.
"Or what? Forgive the pun, but you're screwed either way!" The thug cackled.
"ASH, HELP!" Kate managed to let out a blood curdling scream. The next thing Ash heard was near deafening silence and then something that sounded like a punch to the face.
"I SAID DON'T YOU DARE TOUCH HER!" Ash bellowed. He was so angry right now, he couldn't take anymore. Almost by instinct, he moved his hands to aim at what seemed like nowhere and bright blue energy began swirling into an orb of light. As the orb formed, Ash could feel heat on his hands and let the heat build up to the point where, much like the anger still flowing within him, he couldn't take anymore. He finally shot it in a straight line at what, again, appeared to be nothing. Ash grabbed for the flashlight after a short pause and aimed it at Kate and ran over to her."
"Kate are you okay?" Ash asked, tears starting to form in his eyes.
"I'm fine, Ash." Kate said as she hugged him tight.
"By the way, what was that?" Kate asked after they began walking home again.
"What was what, the orb of blue energy? I have no idea." Ash said. Then it came to him: That must have been what Arceus meant.
"What's wrong, Ash?" Kate said when she noticed he went silent.
"N-nothing, I'm just glad I could save you from that man." Ash said. He hadn't told Kate about his dream. Right when he started thinking he should, Ash and Kate arrived at her doorstep.
"I am, too." Kate said as she pecked him on the cheek again. Just after that, Kate's Dad came to the door.
"Ah, Ash my boy, how are you?" He asked.
"I'm fine sir." Ash said hesitantly.
"What's with that grim face, son?" Mr. Downsley asked. Ash proceeded to tell him what happened on the walk home.
"Well, I'm just glad you brought my girl home safe, Ash. And it's a good thing you decided to get that flashlight from your Mom, huh?" Mr. Downsley said. Ash chuckled nervously a bit:
"Yeah, it certainly was."
"Well, goodnight Ash and thank you." Mr. Downsley said.
"You're welcome and I'll hopefully see you tomorrow Kate." Ash said.
"Oh, you will, definitely." Kate said confidently with a smile. Ash waved as Mr. Downsley and his daughter waved back as he left waving for home.

He couldn't believe how strange it was, rescuing his best friend like that. What was that ball of energy and how did it come to be, in the Human World no less? He figured it was the power Arceus was talking about, but what did that have to do with…well anything, really? Ash continued home, his head feeling heavy from all the thoughts in his head.