Aura Warrior: Ace
Chapter 9: The Pack's Departure
The pack leader howled as loud as the thunder while alerting everyone of his signal.
"Everyone, let's return!" Bowen yelled. All the three platoons ran towards the sound in a hurry while Bowen turned to the new members. "Are you coming?"
Ace nodded as he and Jack joined them. The leader's howl was heard all around the area and all the other nine platoons, led by their commanders, struggled to get there on time. The commanders were the strongest in their groups and very well known.
They were quite famous like the one eyed commander of the fifth platoon: Fleet the Hawlucha; there was also the psychic commander of the eighth platoon, Tenzin the Alakazam; and finally, the commander of the eleventh platoon, Jasper the Stoutland.
All nine platoons arrived on time as they patiently waited for the others to arrive.
"Great! We're late!" Thomas groaned as he saw everyone gathered by the leader's meeting place.
"Let's not keep them waiting. Come on!" Bowen ordered as they ran to join them.
"Bowen is strong, isn't he?" Ace asked Jack.
"He's nothing but a commander. He's not worth it." Jack scoffed.
"What do you mean?" Ace wondered.
"I'm gonna challenge the leader and then take control of the pack myself."
"What!?" Ace gasped. "But, Jack…"
"Just wait and see." Jack ran ahead with Ace behind him.
Bowen, Thomas, Star, and their platoons finally arrived just in time for the leader's general to snap at them.
"First, second, and third, you're late!" He yelled. The general was a big strong Krookodile with spike cuffs on his wrists named Vermillion. "Have you no shame in your actions? ANSWER ME!"
Thomas and Star lowered their heads shamefully until Bowen walked forward to speak.
"It's my fault, General. We have to fight against Bruton in order to save two Pokémon. I was the reason that we were late."
"I don't want your lame excuses! I want a reasonable explanation!" Vermillion hollered. Ace then came forward to defend Bowen.
"Bowen is telling the truth, sir!"
"Ace!" Bowen growled, trying to not cause any trouble.
"Who are you and why are you here?!" the general asked.
"I brought him here!" Bowen answered. "These two fought against Bruton themselves."
Jack and Ace came forward. Jack then mockingly grinned at the General, which angered him.
"Absurd! It's one thing to bring this jokester here…but what gave you the right mind to bring a kid to this pack?"
Ace then glared at the General's response while hearing Bowen speak. "General, they may be young, but they fought like true warriors!"
"How dare you talk back to me! You're nothing but a commander!" Vermillion yelled.
"Those two are at it again." Thomas whispered to Grace who watched with awe at Bowen.
"Bowen's strength increases every day. I bet Vermillion is afraid that he'll get replaced by him."
The others listened to the scene in silence. The wind was blowing away the dark clouds away from the full moon.
Ace then gasped as he caught a clear glimpse of the leader thanks to the full moon. The leader was a shiny Lucario with an x shaped scar on his chest and scars on his back. His red eyes were strong and keen as he watched from above his rock.
Ace happily jumped on the huge rock, surprising both Bowen and Vermillion, as he landed in front of the leader. He watched as the Leader's yellow pelt shone in the moonlight and smiled with delight. It was no other than Ace's father, Kin who was presumed dead. What he said later had left everyone in shock.
"Father! MY FATHER!"
Everyone gasped at the news, even Bowen and Jack who were left speechless.
Vermillion growled and attacked Ace as they both fell off the rock and faced each other.
"What was that for?!" Ace shouted.
"You insubordinate child! What did you say to our leader?! I'll eradicate you!"
Vermillion proceeded to use Crunch at Ace, but he jumped high, dodging his bite. Ace then tried to counterattack with Force Palm, but the general dodged it too.
"Ace dodged the general's deadly attack." Bowen whispered to Grace.
"Amazing!" she added.
The two fighting Pokémon bared fangs as they prepared to strike again. But suddenly Kin spoke with a loud deep voice.
"STOP! Vermilion, that's enough!"
"But, sir…" Vermillion stuttered as the leader continued.
"It's true what Bowen said about the child. He's strong and brave like a warrior. Plus, he says interesting things. He called me father…kid, I thank you and I accept your loyalty to me."
Ace then became quiet. He wondered why did the leader didn't believe that he was his son.
"All Pokémon among us are like my own sons to me!" Kin proclaimed. Everyone else sighed in relief as they thought that what Ace meant to say was a speech of acceptance and loyalty to the leader, not a reunion between father and son.
Ace wanted to get close to Kin, but was halted by Jack. "Stop, Ace. You shouldn't be a suck up to others like him."
Ace stared at his supposed to be father. He knew he was right for he sensed his aura and it matched with Kin.
'But I wasn't sucking up. He's my father! I'm sure! I thought he was dead, but if he's alive, why doesn't he remember me?' Ace thoughts burned in his mind.
"Everyone, listen up! You all know what's happening in the Densetsu Mountains! Right now, we can't even enter in Tyrano's territory anymore!" The leader explained to his warriors.
'Tyrano's territory?' Ace thought of his hated enemy.
"He's adding up more defenses by forcing other rock Pokémon in his command. We already have gathered strong warriors from this area too… but it's not enough to finish the job! The world is an immense place and there are many warriors in other places! So, this is my command: Gather those warriors from all over this land and beyond and return here in three months!"
Ace gasped as he listened to his orders.
"Platoons 1-3, head towards south!"
Bowen, Star, and Thomas roared in agreement.
"Platoons 4-6, you're going to the north!"
Fleet and the other two commanders agreed as well.
"Platoons 7-9 are going west, and the rest will go to the east! Understand?" Everyone roared in agreement. Kin nodded his head. "We'll see each other again in three months! Your journey begins tomorrow at dawn, so rest up! No delays! When you return, the war against Tyrano will soon begin!"
In the middle of the night, everyone was asleep. They were resting up for the long journey at dawn.
Jack, however, was awake as he came towards the sleeping Ace next to him.
"Ace, wake up." Ace woke up to his voice, "I'm leaving now." Ace gasped as he listened. "I don't want to take over this pack. They're crazy to believe that they could defeat Tyrano by themselves."
"Jack…" Ace tried to reason but then they heard someone coming this way.
"Someone's coming." Jack shushed Ace as they both pretended to sleep as the figure came close to them. It was the leader Kin as he came closer to Ace's sleeping body and glanced over him.
'Why did he call me 'father'? I can't even remember what happened before. What was I doing before these last months?'
The leader was deep in thought as he then left those two to sleep and returned to his sleeping spot.
Meanwhile two menacing figures watched from afar and managed to watch the whole scene. It was Vermillion and his trusted lackey, Tabaqui the Weavile.
"As you can see, Vermillion, it seems that Riolu may not have been lying after all." Tabaqui nervously said. "The leader looked like he was…"
"To think that Bowen could bring someone like him!" Vermillion growled.
"Sir, if we don't something quick, that kid might be the next chosen heir someday. Then all our loyalty towards the boss would all been for nothing!"
"No! I will be the leader! This will not happen on my watch!"
Jack and Ace then came to Bowen who slept peacefully.
"Bowen?" Ace whispered. "I need to talk to you? Wake up!" But Bowen slept without moving a budge.
"Ace, it'll be dawn soon. Let's go." Jack said as he went ahead.
"Bowen, I'm sorry. I have to leave, but I promise to return!"
Ace then followed Jack, but they didn't notice Bowen and the others waking up just in time to see them leave. Bowen got up but Grace stopped him.
"Forget about it, Bowen. They proved themselves to you already. They'll be back. It's against the pack law to leave once you join in."
"Grace." Bowen managed to say.
Grace continued. "But then again, why do you care? He's just going to say farewell to his master and I know you have faith in him. You know, despite being so young, there's something special in him."
"Does he remind you of your kids, Grace?" Bowen asked kindly which surprised Grace. "They're probably grown by now."
"Bowen, you swore not to bring that up again!" Grace yelled angrily.
"Forgive me, Grace, I wasn't thinking." Bowen apologized quickly.
"Mention it again, and you'll regret it!" Grace growled, scaring Bowen.
"Okay, okay, I understand." Bowen answered.
Thomas laughed as their little disagreement. "Bowen, my friend, you lost this fight! Grace would one day make you into sushi if you upset her again!"
"I agree. Nobody would match her ice attacks and freeze traps!" Star agreed as he joined the others as they laughed.
Every Pokémon here were trained as hunting, combat, or even rescue Pokémon before they joined the pack. Each one of them had their own reason to leave their masters and loved ones.
Grace was special. She was the only female accepted in the pack. But unlike the others, she didn't leave her master. No, it was the other way around.
-Flashback—
Back then, she wasn't just a warrior, she was a mother too. She had two sons, little snorunts whom she loved dearly.
One day, she went on a hunt with her master and a few of her friends which were a Glaceon, a Jolteon, a Houndoom, and a Scyther.
But then suddenly, they came face to face with Tyrano. Even with the combined force of her friends, they were not strong enough to subdue Tyrano.
Her master shuddered in fear as he called for help.
"Grace… Help me!"
Just as Tyrano attacked, Grace defended her master with an ice beam at Tyrano's face. She fought heard to save her human while her friends joined as well.
But Tyrano used shadow claw on her, scratching her back. She fell down as she struggled to get up, but the pain was too much. She could only watch in horror as her friends were killed by Tyrano, one after another.
Grace waited patiently for her master's assistance, but she gasped in horror as her human abandoned her and her friends for dead and ran away.
It was that moment that she lost all trust in humankind. She wept besides her friend's dead bodies, leaving her as the only survivor.
This was the reason she joined the pack, thus beginning her war with Tyrano.
-End Flashback-
Grace remembered that awful memory as she stood at a cliff looking at the horizon.
"Kid, I'll be waiting for your return."
Jack and Ace ran at full speed towards their hometown. Jack then spoke to Ace next to him.
"Kid, listen to me. No matter how many Pokémon are in the pack, they are nowhere near as strong as a gun. Don't go back to them!"
"But I don't agree with you, Jack." Ace surely answered.
"And you're just gonna believe that leader was your father? How can you even trust what he said?" Jack asked.
"There's no mistake in that!"
"Then let me tell you this: your leader is nothing but a coward because he puts his faith and trust in a group."
Ace immediately stopped running as he didn't want to hear another word from Jack. "Fine, then I'm just going to leave without you! I'm going and you can't stop me!"
Jack stopped and turned to him. Both of them were in complete silence as they stared. Seeing the fierce stare from Ace made Jack chuckle.
"Your eyes…even if you're young, there's…"
"There's what, Jack?" Ace wondered.
"Your eyes have the unique ability to change others. It can inspire anyone, including me sometimes."
"Jack." Ace was amazed by his compliment.
"Live a long life, Ace." Jack smiled.
"You too. Please watch over Alex for me while I'm gone. And I just want you to know that our rivalry has been terminated because I consider you my close friend."
Jack was surprised by this. "A friend, huh? I never had one, but I can't think of anyone better than you to be one. I'll watch over Alex, but Ace…while you're away, my master and I will probably end up defeating Tyrano."
Jack bid farewell to Ace as he left. Ace then returned home, but then he saw a light coming from the shed.
He went inside to find Alexander sleeping in a futon besides his siblings and Nights. He then came over and pulled the blanket over Alex.
"Ace…" Alex said in his sleep. Seeing his friend again knowing that he'll be leaving him forever had made Ace's heart hurt on the inside.
"Alex…" Ace whispered as he struggled to keep his tears from falling. Then he turned and found his mother awake and staring at him in surprise.
"Ace!" she gasped.
"Mother…Mother, I'm… I'm leaving!" Ace sadly replied to her. Nights gasped as there was a complete silence between the two.
It wasn't long that Nights smiled softly to Ace. "You're so much like him." Ace gasped as what she said. "Your eyes… You're the exact image of your father."
"Mother, I…" Ace wanted to tell her about his father being alive, but decided at the last minute not to tell her. "Never mind. It's nothing, Mother."
Ace then went to the door as he shut his eyes and turned to Nights.
"Please, Mother, promise me you'll watch over Alexander…"
Nights nodded as she silently shed tears. "Go on, my son."
Ace then left the house and ran through the dark streets as he cried while his tears fell like a waterfall. Leaving his family for the last time is the hardest thing he's ever done.
His mother watched him leave and hope for his safe path in life as she whispered to him.
"I love you, Ace. Be a strong warrior you're meant to be."
At dawn, the pack platoons waited for their leaders signal as they were prepared to leave soon. Everyone was there, except for Ace and Jack.
Suddenly everyone heard Ace calling to them as they all watch him coming towards them.
"Guys! I'm here!" Ace reached Bowen's group while they were pleased by his arrival, especially Grace who smiled.
"I knew you come, kid." She said.
At that moment, the leader howled loudly, alerting everyone of the signal. All twelve platoons of Pokémon left one by one towards their destination.
Ace turned to the leader who nodded in approval for him. "Good luck, young one."
"Yes, sir!" Ace said in agreement as he joined Bowen's platoon.
The twelve platoons were finally on their way as they spread out across the land. But in their hearts, their intentions were the same: to gather strong warriors in their cause.
In that moment, Ace decided not to think of the leader as his father. Instead, his mind was set on the mission along with the memories of his friend Alexander, Cedric, and his mother. But as he ran towards the rising sun, they were drowned out by his determination burning in his soul.
"Run, Ace! Become like the wind and Run!"
The journey has begun. What awaits Ace in the future? Find out!
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