Aoi Hyoudou: As I mentioned it before, this chapter will focus greatly on Ash's relationship with the pink Riolu, who will eventually warm up to him and revealed her name to him. Well, I think that's about it. Enjoy!

Partners

{…}

"SHE'S MY WHAT?!" The next day, Ozpin dropped a major bombshell to his nephew when they returned to the training dome, to resume his aura training.

The headmaster simply chuckled at the teen's priceless reaction. "You heard me, Ash, starting today, you and-" He fixes his gaze to the pink Riolu, who stood next to the younger male with her arms crossed and a deep frown plastered on her face. "-Your little friend here will be training partners."

Ash stood speechless while the shiny Pokémon looked unamused, for many reasons.

"What makes you think I'm going to follow your orders, human?" the pink Riolu questioned with narrowed eyes. "Just because you're forcing me to pair up with this boy here, doesn't mean I'm obliged to do what you say."

Ozpin smiled in amusement. "Oh, trust me when I say this-" This immediately gained the Pokémon Trainer and the Pokémon's interest. "-By the end of your training, you two will be inseparable."

"I highly doubt that," snorted the pink Pokémon, unamused.

"Give it time,"

"Tch."

The headmaster hid a smirk as he glances to his nephew with a smile. "And I'm very confident that you'll be able to make it happen, Ash."

"Me?!" Ash was clearly baffled.

"Of course," his uncle chuckled. "Knowing you, Ash-You will find a way to work your way through this rocky relationship between you and…your Riolu." He ignored the glare he received from the Pokémon.

"I hope so," said uncertainly the black haired teen.

"Good-" Ozpin smiled, somewhat satisfied. "-Well, I shouldn't keep you away from your training. Good luck, Ash." He walked off casually, leaving his nephew alone with the pink Riolu.

When his uncle exited the training dome, Ash glances back to his 'training partner'. "So…should we get star-HEY!" But he immediately notices that the shiny Pokémon was already walking off towards the forest. "Where are you going?!"

The Fighting-type slowly stepped into a halt with her back still turned against her 'trainer'. "That's none of your concern, human."

Ash's face twisted into a deep frown. "But we're supposed to train together." Then he added, "And my name is Ash!"

"I don't care what your name is," snorted thePokémon. "Plus, why would I waste my time training with a weak fool like you."

"But-"

Then she spared the teen a quick side-glance with narrowed eyes. "I see no reason to be around you when you haven't yet proven yourself to me that you're worthy."

"Worthy?" Ash blinked.

"Worthy to be my master," The pink Riolu heaved a frustrated sigh and shook her head, annoyed. "Never mind-" She turns away and glances forward. "-I shouldn't waste my time explaining myself to you." She quickly leaps onto a tree branch.

Ash quickly rushes forward and glances up at her location. "Then what about our training?"

"You can do whatever-" The latter made a face. "-As for me…" She sat on the tree branch and relaxed without glancing down at him. "I'm staying put right here, to watch you fail miserably in your training." The Pokémon Trainer sighed, but smiled.

"Fine,"

"Huh?!" The pink Riolu finally glances down at the black haired teen and stares at him incredulously. "What did you just say?"

"I said fine," He flashed a grin. "If you're not going to train with me, then I can't force you. It wouldn't be right, after all." The Fighting-type narrowed her red eyes at him suspiciously, believing that he was up to something. "Anyway, I should get started on my training for the day. I still have a deadline to meet, less than two months left to complete my training. Hopefully, you'll join me by then."

"As if I'm going to help you with anything," snorted the shiny Pokémon.

Ash chuckled in amusement. "I had a feeling you would say something like that." Then he walked off casually to the training ground, leaving his 'Pokémon' to her thoughts as she stared at his back.

"That boy," she said quietly.

She didn't know why, but he drew her interest a little.

{…}

Ash spent the whole day channeling his aura into the metal sphere only to come up a bit short, using up most of his energy to produce a dim light. He fell back on his back, completely exhausted and drenched in sweat. Observing from the distance, the pink Riolu had a smirk on her face while snacking on a red juicy apple. "Amateur," said the Pokémon as she took another bite from her snack.

Suddenly, she detected movement in the bushes below her, rustling frantically. "Hmm…" She narrowed her eyes at the bushes suspiciously, but it immediately stopped. "So…we're not alone, after all."

{…}

The next three days, Ash constantly trains his heart out while his 'Pokémon' continues to refuse to take part in his training regimen.

All she did was look on, with no care in the world.

{…}

The following four days, Ash continues to train hard, but struggles to show any improvement since his birthday.

The pink Riolu did nothing to help.

{…}

Over a week had passed by since she hatched from her egg and nothing had changed much. The Fighting-type continues to be a sour grape towards her 'trainer', although he did impress her a little by not giving up after failing several times in the week and spending late nights, to get in extra hours of training into his routine. However, he was still miles away from earning her trust.

{…}

The next day, however, her perspectives about the teen changed a little when she notices that he was emitting a strong blue glow, along with his messy black hair displaying a blue tint after exhausting his body to its limit, collapsing to the ground on his back in sweat. The strange event occurred momentarily until everything quickly returned back to normal. "What was that just now?" The perplexed Riolu stared at the Pokémon Trainer very closely, looking for answers, but didn't get any as the latter stood up to his feet and resumed his training. "Was that really his aura or-" She just couldn't shake off what she witnessed moments ago, sensing a great deal of potential within the young male. "-Was it something more…?"

She lowered her gaze to her lap and fell into deep thought momentarily until she finally fixes her gaze back to her 'unique' trainer. "Whatever the case, I'll get my answer one way or another, even if that means…I must train…with him." she spat in disgust at the last words.

Ash has finally gained her interest!

{…}

The following day, Ash collapsed again on his back after completing several hours of training, drenched in sweat. He had a frown on his face while he was resting on his back, clearly dissatisfied with something. It's been over a week now and he's heading nowhere fast with his aura lesson, barely producing any results as of late. He wondered what he was doing wrong.

Suddenly, a shadow hovered over his fatigued frame, which drew his attention as he glances up and notices a pair of crimson eyes glancing back at him. It was 'his' shiny Riolu. She was hovering over him with her arms folded together and a deep frown plastered on her face, unamused. He smiled weakly. "Oh, hey there!" He slowly shifts into a sitting position and greets the Pokémon casually. "Finally got bored watching me?"

"Hardly," the Fighting-type scoffed at the teen's words. "Although I would love to point out, at the rate you're going, you'll never complete your training," stated the Pokémon in a matter-of-factly tone of voice.

"I can't argue with you there," Ash rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "But I don't understand what I'm doing wrong." The pink Riolu rolled her eyes.

"Obviously, it's your technique."

"My…technique?" Ash blinked.

She palmed her face and shook her head in disbelief.

"Are you that dense?" The latter made a face. "You continued to use the same technique over and over again in the past week and a half."

"Oh,"

"It's time for you to change your tactic," said the Fighting-type with an exasperated sigh. "Otherwise, you won't get too far in your training."

"You do make a good point-" Ash crosses his arms together and ponders over the thought. "-But will it really make a difference?"

"You're an idiot,"

"Hey!"

She ignored her 'trainer' and walked past him, approaching the metal sphere that was on the ground as she stood behind it, which didn't go unnoticed by the latter. "Of course it makes a difference!" The Pokémon stared dully at the object without glancing back to the young teen. "Anything is possible. You just needto get rid all the pointless obstacles in your way first. Like-" She slowly reeled her right foot back, which immediately gained the Pokémon Trainer's attention.

'What's she doing?' he thought curiously, staring at the pink Riolu very closely.

He couldn't help, but feel a bit anxious.

And he should be!

What she did next was beyond incredible!

"-This one!" The Fighting-type kicked the sphere with ease launching it past the black haired teen as it plows through several trees and slams into a large boulder within the forest.

Ash's mouth gaped out in surprise. 'W-Whoa…! It weighed twenty-five pounds, but she kicked it like it was an ordinary soccer ball.' He was clearly astonished by the Pokémon's display of power.

"Stop gawking like a fool!" Ash quickly glances back and notices that his pink Riolu was frowning greatly at him with both arms folded together once again. "You can do it too, with proper training of course."

"Proper…training?" he said slowly, unsure what to make of it when she said that he needed 'proper training'. It could mean anything, but he believed that she was practically telling him that she was willing to train with him. "Wait…does that mean you're finally-" His lips slowly curled into a small smile, which didn't go unnoticed.

"Don't get the wrong idea, human." She glared sharply at the naïve teen, who immediately frowned. "You're still unworthy in my eyes, to be my master and trainer."

"I had a feeling you still felt that way." Ash sighed.

"However-"The Pokémon brought his attention back to her."-since you're in desperate need of someone showing you how aura works, then I suppose I can humor you by assisting you with your training."

"Wait…you know something about aura?" The pink Riolu rolled her eyes at the teen's stupidity.

Rather than wasting her breath and time answering the question, she casually held a palm out and aimed it directly at a tree. She concentrated on her aura as a small pink sphere began forming within her palm, growing rapidly in size. Then she quickly launches it as her attack easily knocked the tree down.

"Does that answer your question?" she asked with a bored tone of voice as she glances back to the Pokémon Trainer.

"Whoa! Was that an Aura Sphere?" He gawked at the Pokémon, but frowned, believing that something was quite off about this surprising outcome. "But…wait-You're just a newborn."

He did bring up a good point.

"And?"

However, his 'Riolu' didn't see what the problem was.

"That's, um, kinda unusual,"

"As in?"

"Well, normally you can't learn that move unless you had special training or you evolved into a Lucario." the black haired teen explained lamely.

"It's called talent," said the Pokémon with a blank stare. "It's something that you humans lack of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Anyway-" She dodged the question and walked back a little, putting some distance between her and her soon-to-be sparring partner. "–Before I can teach you how to master your aura, you will have to earn it first."

He had a feeling there was a catch why she suddenly decided to help him out with his training.

"What's the catch?" he asked, despite already knowing the answer.

"Huh. It seems you're not as dumb as you look, after all," said the Fighting-type, amused.

"Hey!"

The Pokémon's lips twisted into a small smirk. "I'll enlighten you-" She paused briefly, slowly shifting into a battle stance. "-In order to win me over, simply make me submit in a match,"

"Huh?" Ash was clearly lost.

"Prove to me that you're not a waste of my time," said the Pokémon. "Until you can beat me, I won't be teaching you anything. Got it?" She issued the challenge.

Ash gladly accepted her terms.

"I accept," He clumsily shifted into a stance of his own. "But why do I get the feeling you're not going to make this easy for me?"

The shiny Pokémon smirked again. "You're right-" She quickly rushes forward and grabs him by his collar as she easily lifts him off his feet and tosses him over her shoulders into a large boulder. He crashes into the massive rock and falls upside down with swirls as his eyes. "-I have no intention going easy on a weak fool like you." She walks up to the unconscious teen and stares at his pathetic form. "Starting today, I'm your master and you're my student. Get used to it."

{…}

Later that evening, Ash returned to Team RWBY's dorm room, battered, bruised, and exhausted. His first day of training sessions with his pink Riolu didn't go as well as planned. The Pokémon practically treated him as her personal punching bag, sparing him no mercy as she went all-out on him. He looked like he got mauled by a pack of Beowolves.

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow!" the poor teen cried as Ruby started cleaning his wounds and disinfecting them with alcohol, which didn't feel quite nice.

"Sorry," said the dark red haired girl, offering her friend an apologetic smile.

Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head in annoyance. "You really are an idiot." Ash made a face as he glances in her direction. "Why are you letting her push you around like this?"

"It's part of my training, Weiss," He winced as Ruby started wrapping his wounds with bandages. "No pain, no gain, right?" He flashed a weak grin.

"But still…" She frowned with both arms crossed together and pressed against her chest.

"No need to worry, Weiss." He reassured her with a smile. "I'm going to be fine."

"W-W-Who said that I was worried about you?!" said the Ice Queen as she fidgeted nervously with a faint tint of pinkness plastered on her face. She quickly turned away and mumbled quietly under her breath. "Idiot…"

Ash blinked.

Was it something he said?

"Who does she think she is?" snarled Yang as she punches a fist into her open palm in anger. "How dare she hurt my man?!"

"Your man?" Blake raised an eyebrow as she stood next to her partner with her arms folded together.

Yang grinned as she glances at her teammate. "Of course! Ashy and I have a strong connection. Isn't that right-" The blonde Huntress stares at the black haired teen, hoping he would agree with her. "-Ash?"

"Um…"

"All done!" Ruby's cheerful voice brought everyone's attention in her direction as she finished patching up the latter, randomly placing a band aid with red roses on his right cheek for good luck for tomorrow's training.

"Thanks, Ruby,"

"It's no trouble at all, Ash," Ruby smiled.

"It's getting late. We should all get some sleep."

"Good idea,"

"You know, Ash-" Yang intervened with a look he didn't like one bit. "-My offer still stands."

"I-I think…I'll pass, Yang." He blushed.

"Aww!"

{…}

Day two of his intense training with the pink Riolu didn't start off with a bang, either! Just like the first day, he was still the Pokémon's personal punching bag, although he did show some improvement when he dodged a few quick punches and kicks. However, it still wasn't enough.

"Gyaaahhh!" He groaned as he skidded across the training ground after receiving a swift kick to the gut from his sparring partner. He weakly glances forward and notices that the Fighting-type was charging at him, but suddenly vanished and reappeared in front of him. She nails him with a series of swift punches in his gut, followed by an uppercut and a roundhouse kick, sending him crashing into a boulder. He rested in the pile of debris with swirls for his eyes, unconscious.

"So weak," said the shiny Pokémon as she approaches his pathetic form, dissatisfied with the results he was producing. "I hope I didn't make a mistake agreeing to this…"

{…}

Day three didn't meet her expectations, either! The poor Pokémon Trainer was on the ground, groaning and tapping out when she applied the single leg Boston crab on him.

{…}

Day four, she tosses him into the bushes with thorns, slicing up his flesh.

{…}

Day five, they spent fourteen hours improving on his evasion and speed, skipping breakfast, lunch, and dinner altogether. When she heard him whine that he was starving, she threw into the spring where he was randomly mauled by a new patch of red salmons.

A sweat drop formed in the back of her head and it slid down when she witnessed the scene.

{…}

Day six was another fourteen hour training session.

Ash did show some improvement, reading her strikes and dodging her kicks when it was necessary. However, he has yet landed a single hit against her since they started his new training regimen. Whenever he tries to, his sparring partner easily reads his clumsy attacks and retaliates, knocking him flat on his back.

{…}

Into day seven, something caught the pink Pokémon's attention during the training session, which was notable for her to still have high hopes for Ash.

"Gyaaahhh!" He skidded across the training field after receiving another end of a swift kick from the Fighting-type.

He was a wreck.

His clothes were partially torn apart. His body was covered in cuts and bruises. Beads of sweat were streaming down his face as he tries to catch his breath while keeping his eyes forward on his sparring partner.

She stares at him across the field with both arms folded together and an amused look plastered on her face. She had to admit, he doesn't know when to quit, despite the huge gap between them. But she wonders how well he will handle her next attack, only one way to find out.

She slowly places her palm out and unexpectedly fires an Aura Sphere at him.

His eyes widened in surprise as he gritted his teeth and stood his ground, placing both hands out and braced himself for a collision. The Aura Sphere made contact and pushed him back effortlessly as he felt both feet digging into the ground, skidding backwards toward the spring lake.

The pink Riolu observed the scene very closely as her attack continues to overpower the teen, pushing him towards the edge of the spring until a familiar blue glow caught her attention. 'Finally, it shows itself.' She had a smirk on her face.

Suddenly, Ash found his second wind as he held his position when he was about to fall into the spring. His auburn eyes unexpectedly changed light blue, which didn't go unnoticed. 'Those eyes…' The Fighting-type narrowed her eyes, unsure what to make of it.

It was very peculiar.

Ash took a step forward and then another one as he was slowly pushing the Aura Sphere back, gaining momentum. 'Maybe he's not as weak as I thought, after all.' His sparring partner looks on with interest.

Unfortunately, the momentum quickly shifted when the blue light vanished and his eyes returned to their original color. The Aura Sphere immediately overwhelms the teen and pushes him into the spring where he was viciously mauled by the red salmons.

'On second thought, never mind…' The Pokémon sighed dejectedly.

Moments later, she pulled the teen out of the water as he was on all four, coughing frantically. He was completely soaked from head to toe. "Alright, that's enough training for one day-" She stares down at the Pokémon Trainer. "-Take a few days to rest up and we'll resume with your training, afterwards." She turns away and starts walking off towards the forest.

"W-Wait…!" The shiny Pokémon quickly walks into a halt as she slowly glances over her shoulder and notices that the weary teen was gradually standing up to his feet and fixing his gaze in her direction. "Not just yet," said the exhausted teen between heavy pants. "Just a little more, please! We're just getting started, after all." He grinned weakly.

"Oh?" This gains her full attention as she studies him very closely, very amused. "So…you're saying you would rather train than accepting my kind offer to rest your body?"

"You know me," said the Pokémon Trainer with a smile. "I train until I can't train anymore."

The Fighting-type's lips slowly twisted into a small smirk. "You humans are sure stubborn, you know that."

He didn't know if he should take it as a compliment or an insult.

"Very well," She didn't waste any time making her decision. "But let's hope you didn't make a bad decision that you're going to regret."She shifted into her stance.

"Trust me, I won't." He did the same as he told her

She smirks and rushes forward at the teen.

The training resumes.

A/N: Sorry if I cut this chapter a bit short. Originally, I was going to debut Ash's new training outfit, but I decided to save it for the next chapter. Also, if you haven't notice it yet, I decided to work on PokéHearts: The Chosen One's Fate & Destiny in the summer rather than spring break because I want to focus on Aura Guardian of Beacon and a new crossover story coming up called Aura Resurrection. It's a crossover between Pokémon and Princess Resurrection. I hope you don't mind and I really hope you don't mind if I work on Aura Guardian during my spring break, which starts on March 11th so I can take a small break on it and start working on Aura Resurrection.