Alright hey guys and welcome back to the next chapter. Okay so before we move on, I actually went ahead and changed the name of the story to Amour Vs. Shinra because I wanted it to be the name of the shipping battling the enemy. I thought it would be more easier. Anyway now that is said and done. Lets continue the story shall we?
Ash was staring at his hands that were surrounded with blue vapor around them. "What is that blue stuff?" Serena asked. "It looks as if you are able to manipulate some sort of energy within you." Ash continued to stare at his hands. After calming down, the energy faded. "I knew it." Ash whispered. "It's aura. I can manipulate the aura from around me." He turned around and faced the others. "It's aura." He said to them. The three of them gasped at this news. "Ash, does that mean what I think it means?" Serena asked. "I'm becoming a guardian of aura?" Ash wondered. "It sure seems like it." Oak said with a interested look. "I heard that the new region called Spira has quite a lot of aura guardians there. I bet if you go there, they might teach you the ways of using your aura."
Ash and Serena gotten ready for the big trip to the Spira so Ash can continue on his quest of becoming the worlds greatest Pokemon master with Serena by his side. "If you are going to Spira, I recommend you head for the peaceful town called Nibelheim." Oak suggested. "There you will find a place called the Shinra Mansion. It should have a history of Guardians of Aura that might be useful." "What does the city look like upon arriving?" Serena asked. "Its a small village by a mountain called Mt. Nibel." Oak answered. "Good enough for me." Ash said. "So what do you say Serena, shall we get going?" "You bet." She said with a smile. They climbed on Noivern and they begun to take off. "After yelling their good byes to the the two professors, Ash and Serena were now flying at high speed above Kanto. "I guess the little tour of the region is gonna have to wait." Ash said with a down look. "We got plenty of time Ash." Serena said.
After several hours of flying, the two of them saw a archipelago with a big mountain on the western island. "That must be it there." Ash called out. "Head for those mountains Noivern." Noivern roared and flew towards the mountain. Upon arrival to the mountains, they eyed a small town close by a canyon. "There it is." Serena yelled. "That must be Nibelheim." "Let's land close to the canyon, I don't want to cause any unwanted attention." Ash suggested. Noivern flew about a mile south of the entrance to Nibelheim. When they touched down, Ash returned his Noivern to get some rest for a job well done. "Ash, I think we have company." Serena said pointing at a group of people coming towards them. One of them had a gigantic sword on his back with long blonde spiky hair. He pulled the sword from behind him and held it out for combat. Feeling unsafe at that point, Ash and Serena took out their twin swords for combat. "Who are you?" The blonde man said. "I'm Ash from Kanto." Ash said with a mad look in his eyes. "And I'm Serena from Kalos." Serena said.
Before anyone else spoke, the blonde man rushed towards them and attempted to strike at them. Ash and Serena dodged and waited for another attack. He charged at Ash with a powerful grunt. Their swords collided multiple times and after a few minutes, Ash's aura from his body was erupting from his body. The man backed up with surprise from this. He stood their staring at him for a moment until putting his sword away. "My apologies for my rude intrusions." He said. "I had to make sure you weren't one of them. The names Cloud Strife." Ash and Serena put their swords away as well. "One of who if I may ask?" Serena asked. Cloud looked around and said, "Come with us to our headquarters and we will explain there." The three of them arrived at the town and made their way to a house near a giant mansion behind it. They entered the house and Ash and Serena were surprised that the place was full of weapons, medicine and numerous of other things.
Cloud led them to a room with a long table for ten people, and he told them to wait here until we return. Ash and Serena sat there in complete silence waiting for something to happen. "What do you think is gonna happen?" Serena asked. "I don't know." Ash said with a mad look as he took out his twin swords. "All I really want to know is who these people are, and what that guy meant by 'one of them.'" He was inspecting his swords after that fight the two of them had. After another minute of waiting, Cloud returned with other people behind him. They eyed them with a serious look and uncertainty. "So you must be the ones Cloud was talking about." A female with long black hair and leather clothes said. "I suppose you're right." Ash said. "Who are you guys." "I'm Tifa." The girl said. "The names Cid." A man a little older than Cloud said with a long spear in his hand. "I'm Squal, call me Leon." A slightly taller man with a scar on his face said with a giant sword with a gun built in. "I'm Vincent Valentine" A pale man with a long red cloak spoke in a dark low voice. "And I'm Yuffie." A young girl with a giant surriken hanging on her back.
After they gotten acquainted, Cloud spoke, "Now that introductions are out of the way, I need to ask. How long have you been able to control aura?" "I didn't really knew I had that power at all until earlier today." Ash said. "I witnessed my mothers death and after we buried her, my fists began to glow blue and it gotten stronger as I gotten mad." The room fell silent for a moment. "I'm so sorry for your lost." Tifa said. "How did she die if you don't mind my asking." "I don't really know, all I know is that there were blackish blue markings all over her arms, face and possibly on other parts of her." Ash said as a tear fell out of his eye. "Hey, no crying here boy." Cid insisted. "We don't work with goddamn cry babies here. You got that" Ash wiped the tear with slight anger. "Relax, did those marks look like this?" Leon asked as he showed them a picture of the same markings of Delia's skin. "Yeah those are exactly the same as the ones we saw." Serena spoke up.
Everyone there except for Ash and Serena gasped a bit of what they heard. "What is that stuff anyway?" Ash asked. "It's called Geostigma." Vincent said. "It's a symptom of alien matter that infests the body. The body tries to destroy it. The body has a current, like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off any malevolent intruders." Ash and Serena looked at him with confusion. "Excuse me but what the hell are you talking about?" Ash asked almost yelling at the end. "Malevolent intruders? And what do you mean by a Lifestream?" "The Lifestream is also known as the River of Life that cycles around the planet within it and giving life on it." A little girls voice answered. Everyone eyed the door and a girl was peeking her head through. "Marlene?" Tifa wondered. "What are you doing here?" "I was told to give these to the newcomers." She answered. She held out two Pokedexs from her pocket and handed them to Ash and Serena. "They were sent here by someone named Oak or something like that." She said. "I know him personally." Ash said to her. "He's the professor from here I'm from."
As Ash and Serena put away their Pokedexes away, Vincent continued on. "Geostigma causes a deadly plague that can destroy a person within it. The Sephiroth Gene, the Memetic Legacy take your pick." "How the hell did it even began?" Serena asked. "We don't know for sure, but we do know that the Lifestream was infected by a deadly extraterrestrial life form named Jenova." Yuffie said. "Her cells have infected parts of the Lifestream and anyone who comes within contact, the Geostigma infects the body." "And with her cells, an organization called Shinra used it as well as a raw energy from the planet called Mako to create a clan of super warriors called SOLDIER." Cloud said. "And that is when I must ask, can you help us?" Ash and Serena looked at each other. "My friend and I need to speak of this first." Ash insisted. "This is a once in a lifetime opportunity." Leon said. "Don't keep us waiting." Ash and Serena stepped out of the house and faced each other. "I don't know about this Ash." Serena said with a nervous look. "We came here for our own reasons. Why should we help these guys out?" Ash felt quite unsure himself of what to do. "It's true we are here for a reason." Ash replied. "But I don't think a little help to these guys isn't gonna hurt."
The two of them spoken for a couple more minutes discussing what to do. Until they finally made a decision. They walked back inside and returned to the room with the others. "We've decided to help out as much as we can." Ash said. "Wonderful, but first we need to make you like us first." Leon said. "What do you mean by that?" Ash wondered. "It means that if you are going to help us against the Shinra Organization, we need you fit for actual combat." Cloud said. "That being said, you must be infused with Mako and cells of a different being. We've created our own Jenova cells, but with no dangerous side effects like hers. We call it, Areith Cells. Cid, take them to the basement. They'll see what we mean."
Ash and Serena gave off a very sickening look of uncertainty. "Don't you two worry your heads off." Cid said with a smile. "You two will be just the same but with a few minor changes." "Like what, dare I even ask?" Ash practically demanded. "You'll see soon enough." Cid answered. "It's best to see for yourself." They went into the basement and when they entered, there were machinery, tubes, scientific experiments everywhere. "Alright you two." Cid turned to face them. "Step in those tubes." He pointed to two empty containers that were more than tall enough for them. There was a glass that allowed viewing as well. The two of them walked towards them. "Ash." Serena said. "What is it?" Ash wondered. "If something happens I just wanted to say," Serena began. "I...I..I-" But she was cut off by Ash's hand on her shoulder. "I love you too Serena." Ash said. Serena heart stopped from the shock that she just witnessed. Ash leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead before stepping into his container. Serena, feeling warmth within her heart, decided to step into hers with more relaxation. Upon entering, Cid closed them up and shot gas into them. It was sleeping gas, causing Ash and Serena to sleep while Cid began the procedures.
Meanwhile just outside the capital city of Midgar, three guys were on their bikes staring out towards the city. They all had jet white hair, each was a different length than the other, and almost the same design of garments. "Hey Kadaj, is that where big brother was banished from?" One of them spoke to the short haired one. "Yeah it is Yazoo." He replied to it. "I wonder if he would be happy to see us." Yazoo wondered. "I wouldn't bet on it brother." The other one said. "Hey, no crying Yazoo." "I'm not crying Loz." Yazoo said trying to hold back a tear. "Besides you're the one to talk. You get more emotional yourself." Loz began to sniff a bit of that comment. "Don't cry Loz." Kadaj said as he took out his souba and began eyeing it. "We are just here to find and reunite with big brother. After all, it has been so long since I've felt his presence." They continued to stare at Midgar until Kadaj spoken, "He isn't here. Let's try elsewhere." The three of them started their bikes and headed towards the city to head towards the next town.
And that is it for the second chapter. It looks like things are getting a little strange for our heroes isn't it? As for Arieths cells, I wanted to go with something more...less evil than the procedures the SOLDIERS before went through. But either way, Ash and Serena's journey has just begun in Spira. Stay tuned for more of the story. See you guys then.