Good afternoon everyone! Welcome to the next chapter of my newest fanfic! So far it looks like people seem to like it. I deliberated on making this one for quite a while as it was a tie between the BW2 series and XY series. My other fic will continue, I just want to shell a few chapters of this new one out to get it rolling along. In any case, how was the last chapter for you guys? Now that we've got our trio set up, well...sort of a trio, Hugh sorta does what he wants. Just so you all are aware, I'm basing the gym challenges off of the Challenge Mode. The grunts will be a bit stronger for Team Plasma as well. Now that we've got that little side note out of the way, it's time to continue this story! Everyone strapped in? Good. Let's go!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon! All of its characters and content are owned by Gamefreak and Nintendo.

Chapter 3: A Test of Skill

Katsu and Alice had decided to take a breather in their travelling. After parting with Hugh for a while, the two had decided to turn back and heed Hugh's advice on catching another Pokemon. They could certainly use it after all, right? The two found themselves in a rather small, and secluded forest not too far from Alder's house. The small little forest was called Pledge Grove.

"This place is so peaceful...don't you think? This place has a little legend behind it you know?" Alice said as the two rested under a tree.

"No, I wasn't aware of it...what's the legend?" Katsu inquired, tilting his head curiously.

"Well, see that rock over there?"

"You mean that giant one with the slash marks carved into it?"

"Yep...it was said that a Pokemon made those marks. But if you'll notice...there are three marks, meaning three different Pokemon. They are the Legends of this region. Their names, as you may know are Cobalian, Virizion and Terrakion. And see that larger mark there? That was made by Keldeo..." Alice said with a soft smile, looking over at Katsu who was now standing in front of the rock.

"I see...so those four Legendaries made those marks in this stone. Heh...that must have been quite a sight," Katsu said with a soft smile.

"Indeed, I wish I could have seen it. Sadly, they don't appear before humans all that much. If anyone ever thinks they saw them, they move too quickly to even be noticed. It's a mystery really..." Alice shrugged.

Katsu couldn't help but gaze up at the marks. He traced his hands along the surface of the solid structure, noting that it would take a considerable amount of force to carve that deep into it. Visions of a sword slicing straight through the rock raced through his mind as he touched the stone. Mere shadowy images of four different Pokemon flashed in his mind as he saw the cut marks being made. He pulled his hand away from the rock, shaking his head slightly as he stared up at it.

'What was that just now?' Katsu thought as he looked back over at Alice.

"You okay?"

"Yeah...I just...felt something strange is all," Katsu murmured.

A faint rustling caught his attention, followed by the feeling of fast moving air behind them. Katsu instinctively pushed Alice out of the way as a blast of air carved itself into the ground, leaving an indentation in the dirt after blasting up a few stones that were imbedded into the ground.

"What's your deal Katsu?!" Alice asked furiously, getting up to dust her dress off.

"Shhh...there's something out there..." Katsu said as he stood still, closing his eyes to listen.

Alice's eyes glanced down at the small crater that was left in the ground near them, her mind coming to the conclusion that a Pokemon had launched an attack on them unsuspectingly.

'Where are you?' Katsu thought as he cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts.

Katsu had learned to feel out his surroundings without the use of sight. He could go into a state of meditation and in this state, everything became more vivid to him. He could hear the wind howling more clearly as it kissed every blade of grass and whispered to the trees before whisking itself away towards the sky.

'There!' Katsu thought as he withdrew his bokken swiftly, bringing it up just as an attack was coming directly his way.

His bokken made contact with what appeared to be a Pokemon's paw. Katsu barely sensed him as he came close and was able to repel his attacker, although with great difficulty. He skidded back from the impact and looked up at the Pokemon. It had black legs, and its torso was also black in color. It had rounded bumps on the back of its forepaws and it had what appeared to be a black mask across his face. The canine looking Pokemon was blue in color and had crimson eyes. It looked up at Katsu with a determined gaze.

"That's a Riolu! Those are so cute!" Alice said as she looked over the adorable little canine.

"Well, this cute little Pokemon attacked us...and I wanna find out why..." Katsu mumbled.

Katsu reached for Rufflet's Pokeball, only to feel a blast of wind brush by his hand, creating another mark in the grass behind him. He glanced back at Riolu with a quizzical look. Was it challenging just him? Katsu didn't exactly have the advantage at this point considering Riolu was born knowing how to fight. Katsu merely trained in the art of Kendo and various other Martial Arts. He was strong, but Pokemon had superhuman strength and abilities, so why was Riolu challenging Katsu?

"Uh...Katsu, I think it wants just you...not your Pokemon..." Alice deduced.

"Looks to be that way...but I wonder why?" Katsu thought.

His answer came to him in the form of another Vacuum Wave, making Katsu dive out of the way, Alice following so she wouldn't get hit.

"I don't understand, the Riolu we have back at the theatre isn't this aggressive!" Alice said as she looked back over at Katsu.

"Well...this one is. But I don't think it's aggressive for no reason..."

Riolu was still silent which was puzzling to Katsu. Without a moments hesitation, Riolu lanched itself at Katsu, aiming a Force Palm towards him. Katsu barely managed to evade it and brought his bokken down swiftly onto the back of the Riolu, causing it to fall onto the ground. Without wasting time, Riolu broke his fall and swept Katsu's feet from beneath him. Katsu fell on his back and rolled to the side to avoid the oncoming Force Palm which shattered the ground where he once was.

Katsu rolled back up and stood still, his bokken at the ready. Riolu stood there, staring Katsu down adamantly. Without a word he whirled his arms about, twisting into the air before firing off a Vacuum Wave in his direction. Katsu, feeling the air pressure around him, leapt aside as the blast of air gashed the ground where he stood.

Alice simply stood there, her mouth gaping open as she watched. If only she had her camera! This would be an excellent thing to show her father and give him a new idea for a movie. She still couldn't figure out how Katsu was keeping up with Riolu. If only she knew that his stamina was starting to run a bit low. Riolu had more than he did which didn't work in Katsu's favor.

A drop of sweat trickled down Katsu's visage as he kept an eye on Riolu. So far, he'd deduced that his attacks were; Vacuum Wave, Force Palm, and apparently Quick Attack. Katsu was breathing rather heavily at this point, and Riolu only looked slightly tired. What was the deal with this Riolu? He couldn't figure it out but he was certain he would find out soon enough.

Katsu had made one offensive strike after a decisive counter blow, however Riolu was a step ahead of him each time. Katsu couldn't help but shake the feeling that Riolu was testing him somehow. He'd heard of Pokemon randomly attacking to see how the trainer would react. Those that got irritated quickly would lose their cool and end up falling victim to their own carless mistakes. Katsu, however, was different. Riolu could see this, which was why he wanted to test Katsu. Riolu wasn't called the Emanation Pokemon for nothing. He could feel out the auras of every living creature, if only slightly. He didn't have full access to the endless pool of power that was aura, but when he evolved, that would become more clear to him.

Somehow, Katsu could read his movements, something that Riolu had never heard of in a human. This intrigued him, which was why he continued the fight to this point. Right now, they were seemingly at a stalemate, skill-wise anyway. Then again, Riolu wasn't going completely all out. If you call firing off Vacuum Waves and Force Palms, holding back that is.

"Alright Riolu, what do you want? You've got my attention...so what's with the sudden attack? Care to explain?" Katsu said sternly.

Riolu replied by firing a Vacuum Wave in Katsu's direction, using the distraction to get in close with a Quick Attack. Katsu sidestepped the Vacuum Wave and quickly put up his bokken to block the oncoming assault. The bokken connected with the paw of Riolu and the two stood opposing one another, pressing their weight against one another in the process.

'I...wanted to see...how strong you were...'

Katsu blinked as he heard a voice echo in his mind. He glanced down at Riolu who was looking back at him, still pushing against Katsu's bokken with his palms before forcing Katsu back, causing him to slide across the ground. He looked up to see Riolu racing towards him, leaping up to bring a Force Palm his way. Katsu rolled aside and stood up, only to be swept off his feet and flattened on the ground. He looked up to see a glowing palm in his face.

'Do you yield?'

Katsu looked up at Riolu and simply nodded. Riolu's palm ceased glowing and he stepped back, watching as Katsu stood up.

"Ouch...that hurt," Katsu moaned, looking down at Riolu who looked away from him.

"Coulda warned me before doing that..." Katsu mumbled.

'Sorry...I guess I was just excited. I saw your bokken and wanted to see how good you were with it and how strong you were...it seems you exceeded my expectations.'

Katsu still couldn't make sense of it. Was a Pokemon talking to him? This had to be the strangest thing he'd seen in a while. Never before had he heard of any Pokemon talking, save for Legendaries. So...why did this Riolu? He was completely puzzled by this.

'I'm guessing you're wondering why I can talk to you. You see...I'm not all that experienced with it, but I am able to manage the basics of what is called Aura. Tapping into this allows me to speak to someone who also has a similar ability. Normally this would be other Pokemon...but, you seem to have a lot of Aura. Is it due to your training with the bokken? Oh...you probably don't know how to speak to me like this...sorry, I can't do much about that except tell you what I was told. In order to access your Aura pool, you need to clear your mind and focus only on that. When that feeling of tranquility comes over you...you should be able to use your will to grab hold of it...or something like that, sorry...'

Katsu quirked a brow as he listened to what Riolu said. He still couldn't grasp the concept but he figured he would give it a try anyway and close his eyes.

"Uh...earth to Katsu, are you there?" Alice inquired, waving her hand in front of Katsu.

"Hellooooooo!"

Katsu had tuned her out by this time. He felt as though there was a slight tug on his mind, he figured that must have been what Riolu said to feel for. After several minutes of trying, he finally felt something different. He opened his sapphire hues with a smirk, looking back at Riolu, chuckling a little.

'I...I think I got it! Neat...but, this is strange...how does this even work?'

Riolu looked taken aback by this, sweat-dropping as he heard Katsu's voice in his mind.

'I wasn't expecting you to get it so quickly...you seem to be able to tap into your Aura reserves quite easily, though it must have taken some doing.'

'Yeah...it was confusing at first...but I think I got it...' Katsu replied.

"Katsu, I'm not going to ask you again. What are you doing?!" Alice asked, flailing her arms as she yelled at him.

Katsu blinked as he looked back at Alice.

"Sorry, I was just trying to figure out why Riolu attacked me, apparently he wanted to test my skill...heh...I guess that kind of stuff happens."

Alice seemed confused. Why would a Pokemon go out of their way like this? She looked around at the evidence of their battle, sweat-dropping at the holes she saw in the ground due to the repeated Vacuum Waves. If this was a test, she'd hate to see the real thing.

"Well, it seems to like you. The only question is, does he want to go with you?" Alice inquired, glancing over at the Riolu who looked back up at Katsu.

'Who's this?'

'Her name's Alice...don't mind her, she's a bit of an ego trip...and a self proclaimed 'Great.'

'I see...is she strong?'

'Very...she's a talented trainer...defeated me rather easily in a battle.'

'After seeing your skills, that's hard to believe...' Riolu replied.

'You think so? Heh...I've only just started my journey, wait...have you been tailing us?'

'Yep...' Riolu stated simply.

"Katsu...you've gone silent again. What's the matter with you? Do you space out a lot or something? You're beginning to annoy me..." Alice grumbled.

'Is she always this testy?'

'I haven't known her for that long, so I couldn't tell you...'

'I see...well...let's cut to the chase, may I join you?'

Katsu blinked in astonishment as the little blue canine had asked him if he could join him. Katsu was speechless. First, the Purrloin wanted to come along and now it was a Riolu. He had to admit, this would solve his need for a third teammate. Katsu couldn't help it. He picked up one of his Pokeballs and hit the mechanism to enlarge the ball.

'I take it that's a yes?'

'Yep...' Katsu replied before tapping Riolu on the head with the ball, the laser engulfing him into the ball.

The Pokeball twitched a few times before the light dimmed and the ball went still. A grin crossed Katsu's features as he picked up the ball with his new friend.

Alice's eyes went wide as she saw this. Had that entire battle just been so that Riolu could decide whether or not to join him? The world of Pokemon was a vast and mysterious one indeed.

"Well, that takes care of a third one for your party, I just need to find me one and we'll have three to challenge the Gym Leader with, though I'm curious...there was a lot of head movement there...and Riolu looked at me a few times...what was going on?"

"Don't worry about it, it's nothing..." Katsu lied, a smirk crossing his features as he let his party out.

Purrloin yawned and stretched a little as she appeared. Rufflet took to Katsu's right shoulder as usual and Riolu stood before him, looking up at his new partners.

"Everyone, I'd like you to meet our new friend, Riolu. He's going to be joining us on our journey. We have a Gym Battle coming up and I'd like everyone to help out. This is going to be a big challenge for you all so we're going to need to train hard for it."

All three Pokemon nodded their heads in unison. Purrloin hopped up on Katsu's shoulder and nuzzled into his face. Rufflet gave Purrloin a quizzical look before deciding that she wasn't worth the fuss. Riolu glanced up at his new companions and smiled softly. This was going to be quite a journey for the little canine, that much was certain.

"Well, we have a little time before the sun sets. We should probably get out of here and head for Asperita City. It will take us a while to get back there but I figure we might as well get on it. I still need to catch a new partner so we'll be able to match the Gym Leader. I just need to figure out what I want exactly..." Alice said as she scratched her head. At that point, the answer came bouncing out of the bushes in the form of a small canine-like Pokemon that looked like it had a flower shaped face.

"Well...that didn't take long..." Alice said as she turned towards the Lillipup with a smirk.

X-X-X

"Well, looks like I've got what I came for. Man this was one heck of a day huh Oshawott?" Hugh said as he relaxed under a tree with his companions.

"We got a new partner, so this will be good for us."

Hugh's Pidove cooed in concurrence, looking over at Hugh's newly captured Patrat. He had a bit of a time with the little critter but managed to capture it after Pidove managed to wear it down.

"I suppose we ought to get going...the sun is setting and by now, Katsu and Alice are probably at the gym, or at least in Asperita City. Ugh...I forgot to say goodbye to mom...well, at least I can take care of that before I leave again. Glad I got this map chip...I'd be a little lost if I didn't have it."

Hugh stood up and stretched, scratching the feathers on Pidove's back afterwards before setting out. Oshawott and Patrat walked alongside Hugh as they all exited the Ranch.

X-X-X

"You seem quite happy..." Katsu laughed as he and Alice walked through Route 19 after a long day.

"Oh, quite happy indeed," Alice beamed.

"I think if you hug him any tighter you might choke him..." Katsu joked.

Alice simply rolled her eyes and hugged Lillipup close to her. Their battle was relatively short, mainly due to her sending out Snivy to take care of it. Lillipup seemed rather content in her arms and was wagging his tail as she cradled him. Katsu chuckled softly to himself and looked down at Riolu tho was tugging his pant leg.

'What's up?'

'She's interesting...one moment she's a little tempermental, the next she's cradling that Lillipup like a child...' Riolu pointed out.

'Yeah...I know, she's odd isn't she?'

'Yep...and I get the strange feeling it's going to get even more odd. By the way...she's pretty, good choice of companionship...'

'Uh...what's that supposed to mean?'

'Huh? She's not your mate?'

'NO. She's a friend, I think...'

'Ah, my mistake. Anyway, she seems nice...at times. Keep her.'

Katsu rolled his eyes and shook his head, glancing back over at Alice who seemed to be scratching Lillipup's tummy. The puppy was simply loving it.

'I have one more question...you do more than sword play right? I could tell that you studied martial arts to a degree. Why?'

Katsu thought about it for a moment as he looked down at Riolu. A soft smile crossed his features as he formulated his answer.

'Well...most do it for the sake of power. Some say that Martial Arts was developed only for the strong. But that's not really it at all. Anyone can do Martial Arts given the proper training. The weak can fight against the strong with it. The entire experience is breathtaking the say the least. But...I didn't learn it just to look good. I learned it because I found fulfillment in it. The concept was appealing to me and I loved learning.' Katsu replied.

'Also...it puts me at ease when I train. It opens my mind to new avenues I never knew were there before. I guess that's why I could sense you...I don't know. My goal...is to not only become a great Martial Artists...but to be a strong trainer as well. Becoming Champion would be nice, but for now...I'm going to develop myself more before taking that step...'

'I see...so in essence, you don't want to selfishly use your talents...you study it not simply because it makes you stronger but because you find a greater purpose in it. In other words...it's your way of life?'

'That's one way to put it. I guess you could say I was searching for myself and I found that in Martial Arts. It sounds cheesy I know...but that's really how I felt about it. I feel alive when I do this. I was having the time of my life sparing against you back there, even though you kinda kicked my butt...' Katsu chuckled.

'Heh...you're not all that bad for a human. I was surprised you were able to react so quickly. If you were a Pokemon, I probably would have had a more difficult time...your reactions aren't natural...' Riolu sweat-dropped.

"Katsu? I've been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes, have you gone deaf?" Alice asked impatiently.

"Eh? Sorry, I wasn't listening. I guess I sorta...spaced out again?" Katsu lied, or tried to anyway.

"Uh, huh...right...look just try to pay attention. I have been trying to tell you that we are almost to Asperita City and I wanted to know if you had any plans for staying in the rooms at the Pokemon Center? The gym is probably closed down right now so we won't get to battle until the next morning,"

Katsu exchanged a glance with Riolu, both of them raising a brow before looking back at Alice.

"Sure, I mean...I could always stay at my house, since I kinda...you know...live there?" Katsu laughed.

"Wait...you're from Asperita? Well isn't that convenient. Then I insist you introduce me to your mother," Alice stated firmly.

"Say what now?" Katsu inquired.

'Yeah, say what now?' Riolu parroted.

"You heard me, shouldn't you introduce your companions to your parents? They ought to know who their son is hanging out with right?"

Katsu sweat-dropped at this remark. This was going to be interesting to explain to his mother. A sigh escaped his lips as he nodded.

"I suppose, I know you're going to insist on it once we get there. Though I'm not sure if she'll be there...she's super busy. She's probably in Virbank right now..." Katsu thought, tapping his chin.

"Wait...your last name is Aiko...would your mother happen to be...Jennifer Aiko?!"

Katsu blinked and turned his head towards her, nodding.

"Yeah, why?"

"She's the hair stylist and costume designer for the entire movie industry! She even co-writes sometimes. She's amazing! What a small world we live in."

"Err...right, well it seems you already know her, so there isn't any need to introduce you."

"Oh no you don't, I may have seen her around but I never really got to talk to her. She is busy like you say."

Katsu sighed and looked over at Riolu.

'I'm never gonna win am I?'

'Sadly...I was never trained to handle women...you're on your own here...'

'Thanks Riolu...' Katsu grumbled.

"Well, here we are," Alice said as she pointed to the sign that said Asperita City.

"Heh...I wasn't anticipating having to stop here so soon. I almost forgot there was a gym opening up here. Or rather...it already did."

"We'll challenge that tomorrow. Right now, let's get things sorted out at the Pokemon Center and then we'll go check in with your mother," Alice grinned.

X-X-X

"Hugh? Care to explain why you left in such a hurry? I was afraid you weren't going to come back and at least say goodbye," Hugh's mother stated, tapping her foot impatiently as she spoke.

"Yeah, big brother, you should know better than that."

Hugh sighed and rubbed the back of his head, not exactly expecting the temporary 'welcome back' to be like this.

"I thought I said I'd be back after I caught some Pokemon for the new gym..." Hugh mumbled.

"You did say that...but you still could have at least said goodbye. Your sister tried to catch up to you to give you the map chip but you were so far gone you didn't hear her. We had to give it to Katsu to give to you."

"Well, I got it didn't I?" Hugh muttered.

"Yes, you did...but please son, I'm your mother, not some stranger. At least say goodbye to me before you go. Okay?"

"Alright, I'm sorry mom..."

"Good boy, now...you mentioned challenging the gym tomorrow? Cheren usually gets there around nine in the morning so get up early if you plan to train."

"I will mom...thanks," Hugh said with a soft smile.

"I love you son, now go get some rest."

"Ni ni big brother."

"Night sis."

X-X-X

"So your name is Alice? And you said your father's name was Alistar Eleanora? Ah...yes, he helps with the scripts and assists Mr. Stu Deeoh quite often. He's a hard worker," Jennifer said with a soft smile as she raised a cup of hot cocoa to her lips.

"I must say, it's an honor meeting you. The designs you make are simply stunning. I even bought a few clothes you'd created for myself," Alice chirped.

"So I see. I'm glad you like them, I wasn't sure how they turned out or if the public would like them at all. I'm glad to see someone does," Jennifer laughed.

"So...Katsu, you didn't mention that you'd be back so soon. And you brought this lovely young lady home...is there something you're not telling me son?" Jennifer grinned.

"Not you too Mom..." Katsu grimaced.

"What do you mean 'not you too?' Who else said that?" Jennifer wondered.

"Nevermind, it's nothing," Katsu said nervously.

"In any case, she's a very polite young lady. You two seem to get along rather well."

"Oh please, you flatter me," Alice cooed.

'Help...me...' Katsu called to Riolu.

'I told you already, you're on your own...'

"Anyway, Katsu, looks like you've got some wonderful teammates. That Purrloin is simply beautiful. Her fur shines brilliantly. And I see you're taking care of your Rufflet. He and Purrloin seem to favor your shoulder. That's cute," Jennifer giggled.

"And what have we here? Riolu huh? It looks like he's taken a liking to you as well. I'll have to inform Aria about this. Riolu are also very unique Pokemon and there is so much to study about them," Jennifer smirked.

'You should have seen how I got him...' Katsu snickered mentally.

"So, the gym tomorrow is it?"

"Yep, Katsu and I and possibly Hugh, if he's here, will be challenging Cheren."

"Excellent, I'll come watch! I don't have to do much until later in the day anyway so I'll definitely come and cheer you all on," Jennifer smiled.

"I'd love that Mom..." Katsu yawned.

"Well, I think it's time I turned in. They had me running to and fro at the studio. Tomorrow they're starting the filming for the new movie Riolu Man. Though...I'm a little worried about the actor. I'll get into that later though...good night you two," Jennifer stated, standing up to hug Katsu before kissing his cheek.

"Good night Mrs. Aiko," Alice said with a curtsey.

"Good night to you too Alice, keep my boy out of trouble."

"Mom!"

"Oh shush, you get into as much trouble as your father does so don't even start," Jennifer giggled.

With that, Alice and Katsu left his house and the two walked into the Pokemon Center to get their rooms. Katsu walked into his and Alice hers. He sighed softly as he fell back onto the soft mattress, releasing his team so they could get some rest with him. Purrloin claimed a spot near Katsu's tummy since he slept on his side, and Rufflet fluttered down onto one of the pillows and nesteled himself into it. Riolu jumped up there as well and leaned back near Purrloin who crawled across his lap and sprawled out. With that, Kastu was out like a light.

Alice had gone to bed after taking a shower, something she almost never did without before going to bed. She folded up her clothes and put them in a hamper before taking a new set out of her air tight bag. She laid out her clothes for the morning and dropped her bath robe, slipping her underwear and bra on before pulling a T-shirt over her head. She then climbed into bed and went straight to sleep.

And that's a wrap! Katsu now has a Riolu! I know some of you are thinking, 'you must like that evolutionary line.' You would be correct, I like Lucario, he's one of my favorites and not because you get an insta-mega in X and Y. I liked him long before that was announced. In most of the games Riolu was always on my team. You might say I have a bit of an attachment to the little guy, but I mean...who wouldn't? He's Riolu. Anyway, that about does it for this chapter. They each have their third Pokemon and next up is the battle. As you may have noticed, I'm taking it a bit slower with the gym matches mainly because this game had a ton of content in it and I cannot pass it up. I hope you enjoyed it! Next episode is coming up soon!