I'm back again with yet another chapter for everyone to read (and hopefully love). I know there has been a huge wait for this chapter, but let me tell you that this chapter took so much time to make, and it's the longest chapter I've made to date. I hope you like it.
WARNING: Reader discretion is advised, this chapter contains some graphic and gruesome content not suitable for some readers.
Chapter 11: The Strength of Aura
The truck veered around the corner, its tires screeching against the winding, dirt road. The massive backend tilted, nearly toppling the vehicle over, but the truck righted itself again and kept its hasteful pace. Little did the driver and his passenger know, they road ahead hid a deadly trap, one that they were heading right into. Along the road in front of the truck was a set of explosive charges, meant to stop the truck without destroying any of its cargo. The man who set the charges kneeled in the underbrush, smiling to himself as he watched the truck come ever closer. He pulled out a device and twirled it around his finger using the keychain it was connected to. "Heh, Draven you've done it again. Let's hope they're ready for the fireworks," he muttered under his breath.
Draven thumbed the button and pressed it down firmly as the truck rolled over his trap. The explosives detonated, creating a massive shockwave that lifted the bed of the truck up into the air and over the cab. The entire vehicle flipped over and rolled for a couple hundred feet before stopping against a tree. Draven jumped up and slid down the hill he was perched on, unholstering the suppressed handgun against his hip. As he approached, he watched as two men crawled out of the flipped vehicle. Both men were wearing matching outfits, all black with a small red "R" on the left breast of their bulletproof vests. Draven chuckled, it wasn't like Team Rocket to armor their grunts, even on the most dangerous missions, so this cargo must have been very important to them, enough to warrant the best equipment they could manage. No wonder the people who hired him were paying him a premium sum to retrieve it. Not that he really needed the extra money to accept the job anyway, he just really enjoyed messing up all of Team Rocket's plans. Their leader, the shadowy figure known as Giovanni, didn't care about furthering anything but his own ambitions. Team Rocket would betray without hesitation, they would blatantly lie, and they would slaughter innocent lives to advance their own stupid goals of "world domination" or something of the like. If it wasn't for Team Rocket his mother would still be alive, and he wouldn't have spent most his childhood committing crime just to support his younger brother, his only family that he had left. Draven knew he had to make some tough choices in the past, but he wouldn't have been in the position to make those choices if it wasn't for the actions of a dumb teenager, a Rocket recruit, with a gun. His mother had taught him virtue and valor, two traits that were not found in the institutions of Team Rocket. He would wipe them from existence, any way he could. Then he could finally live his life in peace, with the aid of his stashed millions of course. Being a professional criminal did have its benefits after all.
He approached the driver at a brisk walking pace, puffing up his chest as he walked. The injured man's eyes widened as he saw Draven approaching, and he tried to crawl away, dragging a trail of crimson blood behind him. The Team Rocket grunt obviously had a broken leg, or two, which saved Draven the hassle of chasing the man down. Draven stepped on the man's back and readied his gun, firing a single shot into the back of the man's head without remorse. The man twitched once and stopped moving, streams of blood oozing out of the hole in his head. Draven ambled over to the other side of the cab, to witness the other man sitting on the ground, leaning against the wreckage of the truck. He was in worse shape than the driver, as he had pieces of glass from the windshield wedged in his body. He was choking up his own blood, most likely a punctured lung, and he struggled to say, "Please help." Draven shook his head and readied his gun once more, pointing the barrel directly between the man's eyes. The grunt shouted, "No! STOP!" before Draven silenced him. The man slumped over, and Draven grabbed the keys to the cargo bay off of his belt. He flashed a grin and chuckled again, over time he had grown accustomed to the act of ending human life, seeing the light leave a man's eyes as he took his dying breath. To be honest, he rather enjoyed it now. It was thrilling, a pure adrenaline rush. The face of death brought out a man's true nature. This man was the one type he hated more than anything, the man who would beg for his life, and pray to his personal favorite deity. That was no dignified way to die, he was just doing himself a disservice.
It took a little effort to get the key into the smashed up lock of the cargo bed, and the doors squealed as Draven forced them open. The bay was very dark, and nearly empty, except for a single cage strapped to what would have been the floor of the bed. The only problem was that the cage was open...and empty? Why the hell was he sent for an empty cage? In Draven's peripheral, he saw a blue shape dash at him. He tried to dodge, but the object rammed into him at full force, launching him back against the side of the cargo bed, before heading out of the open door. Draven grunted and lifted himself back up, his ears ringing from the collision. He ran outside to see his contract, a pokémon, running away as fast as it could. Draven reached to his belt and pulled out two Poké balls. "Mightyena, Houndoom, come out."
The two canine pokémon appeared out of the ball and turned back to their trainer, waiting for his command. These pokémon were his oldest friends, going back to right after his mother died, while he was living in Saffron City. He had snuck into an alley after stealing a woman's wallet only to find a young Poochyena and Houndour cowering behind a trash can. They were extremely thin, it looked like they hadn't ate a proper meal in weeks, and they tried to hide from young Draven as he approached. Once he finally earned their trust, Draven used the money he stole to buy them enough food for them to gorge themselves, leaving himself to go without food for the day. From that day forward, both pokémon were fiercely loyal, and they would do anything for the man who saved their lives.
Draven shook his head, now was not the time to get sentimental, he needed to finish what he started. He barked out to Houndoom and Mightyena, "Both of you, go and retrieve that pokémon and bring it back to me. I need it alive, so don't hurt it... too badly."
The pokémon nodded in affirmation and ran off into the trees after their target. Draven watched them head off before continuing to clean up the mess he made. The police would no doubt want everything from the crime scene during their investigation, so he picked up the shell casings and picked the bullets clean from the two bodies. After he had finished his clean up, he found a log to sit on, some distance away from the wreck and pulled out a cigar and a lighter from his breast pocket. He lit the cigar and took a long drag, exhaling slowly to watch the wisps of smoke dissipate into the wind. This job was getting a lot more complicated, now that he had to retrieve living cargo, and a pokémon nonetheless. He shrugged, it was no matter, this job was a cake walk, and he always got the job done...always. He took another puff of the cigar and sat himself down on the log, waiting for the eventual return of his pokémon.
"How much farther do we have to go, Clemont? How do you know this place even exists?"
"C'mon, Bonnie, it's a very scientifically intriguing landmark, I just have to see what all the fuss is about."
Serena giggled, Clemont and Bonnie were always bickering about something, whether it be where to go next or just what to eat for dinner, but Bonnie always had a trick up her sleeve that she would pull out to "win an argument" as she called it. As to what she was winning here, Serena didn't know, but it was gonna be very interesting to watch. She turned to Ash, who stifled a laugh and mouthed, "Here it comes." to her.
Bonnie puffed her cheeks out and mumbled, "You're ready to go out of your way to see this stuff, but you won't go out of your way to find a pretty girl to go on a date with you."
Clemont's face flushed and he shouted out, "Bonnie we weren't even talking about that! Why do you have to bring this up every time?!"
Ash couldn't take it and he roared with laughter, causing the siblings to jump. "You two never fail to crack me up. Bonnie, why do you have to always torment your brother?" he tried to ask while laughing.
"It's because he wouldn't be able to do anything without me. I'd be a lot easier on him if he actually tried. It's not like he's found the perfect person for him and he's just hasn't been able to say anything to them yet, right, Serena?" Bonnie flashed Serena an impish grin. Serena shook her head, why was Bonnie pulling her into this as well?
"I told you before, I don't need you to find a girl for me. I can find a girlfriend all on my own!" Clemont shouted, completely ignoring Bonnie's comment to Serena.
Ash laughed again, "Don't worry, Clemont, I'm sure it's just what little sisters are for. Where did you say this place was again?"
Clemont grinned and pushed his glasses up on his face, causing them to gleam in the sunlight, "According to my expert calculations, it should be just up ahead."
"Expert calculations, you just read it in a book last night," Bonnie joked.
"Hey, you wouldn't have thought of it."
As the group continued walking, the treeline cut abruptly, leading them into a wide, circular clearing. At the center of the clearing was a massive stone monument rising twenty feet into the air. The stone pillar seemed normal enough, but once they came closer, everyone felt weirdly unsettled by its presence. Ash felt a strange feeling in his body, as if all of his energy in his legs was draining, and a sense of dread loomed in his thoughts. He felt compelled to approach the obelisk, and he slowly walked forward. The others watched him shuffle towards the obelisk in silence, until Serena asked, "Ash, what are you doing?"
Ash shook his head, "I don't know," he said. He felt as though he was sprinting with every step, and the feeling just got stronger as he walked forward. As he came closer to the pillar, his throat began to dry and he heard a soft whimper echo through his ears. He looked back up at Pikachu and asked, "Did you hear that, buddy?"
Pikachu nodded, he had heard the sound too, but it hadn't come from anywhere around him. It was almost as if the sound came from within his mind. Ash and Pikachu continued forward, and they both felt a sharp pain in their side, as if some unseen force was biting into them. Pikachu cried out in pain, and he tried to ward off the attacker by firing a bolt of electricity that arced in all directions. One bolt struck Ash, causing him to double over in pain. Pikachu shouted out, he felt as if he was the one struck by the bolt instead of Ash, and he fell off of his trainer's shoulder, writhing in pain.
Serena watched the entire scene unfold and shouted, "Ash, Pikachu! Are you two okay?"
Ash grunted, "Yeah, we're good." He managed to lift himself off the ground, and he picked up Pikachu in his arms, holding the Mouse Pokémon tightly against his chest. The weird energy of this strange place had hurt both of them somehow, but Pikachu's retaliation shouldn't have hurt the pokémon. It was like he and Pikachu were experiencing the same emotions and reactions, and they were only getting stronger. They weren't in danger, Ash knew that, but he felt as if there was something chasing him. As he came closer to the pillar, the feeling intensified dramatically, until Ash's heart began to beat rapidly in his chest. A bead of sweat dripped down from his forehead, and he brushed it away before reaching out to touch the pillar. Ash placed a hand on the smooth stone of the obelisk and felt a sudden gust of energy rush through him. It was almost as if the flow of energy conveyed a cryptic messages, and a bunch of images drifted through his mind. He saw three stones of great power sitting on illuminated pedestals in an otherwise pitch black cave. The image shifted, and he saw as the spire in front of him seemed to open up, revealing that it was actually more of a hollow tube connecting the surface with a large cave complex under Ash's feet. Ash fell backwards, and the message stopped abruptly. He shook his head and whispered to himself, "What happened? What is this place?"
"Okay, this is getting real strange, Clemont. We should probably leave," Bonnie suggested.
"No, this could be my only chance to study this place and figure out its true purpose."
"Yeah, but it's doing something to Ash! Something is real wrong here!" Serena shouted.
"You're right, but why isn't it affecting us? Why does this only affect Ash?"
"I don't know what you're trying to say, and I'm not staying around to figure it out. I'm gonna go get Ash and leave." Serena said.
As Serena reached out to grab Ash, both he and Pikachu began to panic and fall to the ground, as if they were being attacked by some unseen force. As Ash and Pikachu stopped squirming, she kneeled down next to them and asked, "Ash, what's going on?"
"I don't know, I just felt like I was being bit by something and I had to get out of its clutches. I had to find help.." Ash turned to Serena to give her a reassuring smile, but behind her he saw a single pokémon jump out of the trees and stumble to the ground. This pokémon was light blue in color with black markings on its face, chest, and arms, with a yellow collar around its neck. Its body was shaped like that of a small dog, and its fur was matted with fresh blood. Ash took a closer look to see that its torso and arms were covered with scratches and bite marks.
The pokémon, a Riolu, struggled to open its eyelids, and it stared at Ash with blood red eyes. Ash stared back at the pokémon, feeling a strange connection to the Riolu, almost as if he could feel its pain, until the Emanation Pokémon "spoke". "Help me," it said.
Ash was startled by the voice and asked, "What happened? How can you talk to me?"
"There's no time to explain right now. There are two pokémon chasing me. Please. I can't run anymore."
Ash tried to lift himself up off of the ground, but his proximity to the weakened pokémon seemed to sap away all of his strength. He was too sore to get up, he was too sore to even move. Ash looked to Pikachu for help, but his partner was just as worn out. They were absolutely unable to help, no matter how hard they tried.
"I...I can't move. I'm too tired."
"It's too late, they're here."
The trees behind the mysterious Riolu began to rustle violently, and two pokémon jumped out, barking wildly at their prey. The left one, a Houndoom, stepped forward and launched a hot stream of fire at the injured pokémon. Ash used all of the energy he had left to jump in front of the pokémon, bracing himself for the impact of the powerful fire attack.
"Go, Lucario!"
Another pokémon, one that looked like a larger, more developed version of the injured Riolu behind Ash, jumped right in front of the intensely hot Flamethrower, twirling a staff of energy shaped like a bone. The pokémon dissipated the licking flames and readied itself for another attack, its makeshift staff vanishing into thin air. Its trainer, a blonde woman in a white dress with red trim and matching helmet, stepped up next to Ash and shouted, "Lucario, Bone Rush again."
The canine pokémon dashed forward at blinding speed, creating another bone staff in its hand. It whacked the the Houndoom hard with the staff, sending the Dark Pokémon reeling back. The other assailant, a Mightyena, jumped forward and attempted to bite Lucario, but the pokémon was just too fast, and it easily dodged out of the way.
"Now use Power-Up Punch!"
Lucario lunged forward and smashed its fist into the Bite Pokémon, striking it against the snout. The Mightyena rolled backward and sprinted forward, slamming its body into Lucario. The attack definitely hurt Lucario, but the Aura Pokémon used Mightyena's weight against it and spun the other pokémon around, throwing it back towards its partner. The two pokémon collided with a crack. Both canine pokémon howled out as loud as they could, visually enraged by the pokémon they were currently facing. They both lunged at the Lucario, colliding with the pokémon at the same time, launching it back towards its trainer.
The Lucario's unknown trainer shouted out, "We need your help, Grandpa."
Ash watched as yet another Lucario, this one larger and older than the other, jumped into action, followed by an aging, bald man. The man shouted out, "Lucario, use Extreme Speed."
The second Lucario seemed to teleport around the field, striking a multitude of punches against the two opposing pokémon before jumping back in front of its trainer. The veteran pokémon readied itself for a counter-attack. Both Mightyena and Houndoom rushed forward, attempting to hit the Lucario at the same time. As they reared in preparation for the attack, Lucario vanished again, appearing again behind the two pokémon.
"We've got them now, use Aura Sphere," the older man commanded.
The Lucario charged a sphere of blue energy, launching it at its opponents. The ball collided with the Houndoom and exploded, knocking it on its back. The Mightyena jumped forward again, brandishing its massive fangs. Before it could hit, the other Lucario slammed into the Dark Pokémon. Houndoom and Mightyena knew they were completely outmatched by the two Lucario, and they lifted themselves off of the ground and dashed off back into the trees. Ash smiled and attempted to lift himself on his feet, but he stumbled over again and passed out from his sheer exhaustion.
"Ash, are you alright?"
Ash opened his eyelids to see Serena standing over him. He met her sky blue eyes and felt a strange feeling, a fluttering, in his stomach. He smiled and said, "Nice to see you."
Serena sighed, "You sure like to sleep a lot, do you think you have narcolepsy?"
Ash laughed and sat up. The phantom pain from earlier had completely melted away, and he felt great. He looked around to see that they had made camp back in the treeline, outside the radius of that strange pillar they saw earlier. Pikachu jumped into his arms and hugged his trainer tightly.
"You and Pikachu acted quite strange earlier, are you both alright?" Serena asked.
The old man from before interjected, "He should be completely fine now, we're out of the place of power." He reached to Ash and pulled him back up onto his feet. "You should consider yourself a very lucky young man," he said.
"Why do you say that? Was something going to happen if I stayed there?" Ash asked.
The old man didn't say anything, but instead pointed at the Riolu from before. This time, the pokémon was peacefully resting on a cot, its cuts and bites all bandaged up. Bonnie and Clemont were both sitting next the the pokémon, tending to its wounds.
"No it's not because of that. It's amazing that you are bonded to such a strong and loyal pokémon. You really do have a special gift."
"Bonded? Gift? Are you talking about Pikachu?" Ash was confused as to this man's enigmatic speech.
"No, not Pikachu. It's the Riolu."
"What? What do you mean?"
The blonde woman was the next to speak, "I'm sorry about this, my Grandpa Gurkinn can be really confusing sometimes. I'm Korrina by the way, nice to meet you." She extended a hand out to Ash.
"I'm Ash Ketchum." Ash responded as he shook her hand. "Thank you for what you did back there."
"Don't thank me, thank my Lucario. Lucario sensed your Aura, he knew you were in trouble."
"Well, I'm glad you guys came to help. I don't know if we could have saved Riolu on our own.."
Serena took the time to ask, "Aura? What do you mean that Lucario sensed our Aura?"
Gurkinn interrupted again, "I can answer that question much better than my granddaughter can. You see, Serena, every living being has a mysterious energy that emanates from their body. Each pokémon and human being has their own unique Aura, completely different from every other creature on the planet, much like a fingerprint. While a living organism's Aura is individualized, there are patterns that emerge, especially between different types of pokémon. Take Ash's partner, Pikachu, for example. Pikachu is an electric type, so he has an Aura similar to that of other electric types, but he also shares elements with his trainer. It is obvious that they share an incredible bond, one that has only cemented in their Auras."
"So is that why they were acting so strange earlier."
Gurkinn shook his head, "It enabled their actions, but it wasn't a direct cause of it. That was a result of the ambient power present around that clearing, and of the situation that the Riolu had been in as it came within the boundary of that obelisk. You see, I have been studying that place with my Lucario since I was a young man. The area distorts ambient Aura around it and transfers emotions and feelings between Aura-bonded entities. I knew right away that Ash was special, because he, Riolu, and Pikachu are completely bonded in Aura, to point that very few humans have or will ever reach. Not even Lucario and I are bonded like this, even though we have unlocked the secrets of Mega Evolution together."
"Lucario can Mega Evolve?"
"Of course. It is the first pokémon that discovered the ability to do such. A sufficiently strong and bonded Lucario can draw great power from its mega stone, Lucarionite."
Ash scratched his head, there were still some things that he didn't quite understand, and he asked, "Well going back to what you said earlier, how is it that Riolu and I can be bound by Aura if we've never met until now?"
Gurkinn smiled, "That's the most intriguing part. A bonded Riolu is the strongest of its species, and they possess the power to speak through their Aura. The bond opens on the birth of the Riolu, whether or not it knows its bondmate. The kicker is, the bond only activates if the trainer that it bonds to holds the potential to control their own Aura, a special power only held by pokémon and certain humans. This means that you, Ash, have the ability to manipulate your Aura, much like a Lucario can."
Everyone expected Ash to be incredibly surprised by Gurkinn's statement, but Ash simply shrugged and said, "Yeah, I know I can do that. I've been able to use it before."
Serena stared at him, mouth agape, and said, "What? How did you know this already?"
Ash chuckled, "Let's just say I was about to sacrifice myself to save a very important pokémon ecosystem some time ago."
"The Tree of Beginning?" Gurkinn asked.
"Yes, actually. How did you know?" Ash responded.
"Lucario and I have been together for a very long time, Ash. He could feel the disturbance, that the Tree created when it was in trouble. He has found a way to communicate what he was sensing to me, though not to the point of being able to speak through his Aura like your Riolu. You must tell me the story about the crisis at the Tree of Beginning."
"It's a long story, are you sure you want to hear all of it?"
"We have time don't we? Riolu is resting for the time being. He was very injured when we came." Gurkinn asked.
"Yeah, Ash, please tell the story all the way through!" Serena added.
"Well it started some time ago, when me and my friends were traveling back in Kanto after my unsuccessful try at winning the Ever Grande Conference in Hoenn. We decided to visit the Cameran Palace in Rota for a festival and pokémon tournament in honor of Sir Aaron, who boldly sacrificed himself for the city during a massive war. After I won the tournament, the townsfolk invited us all to an extravagant ball, where I accidentally released the Lucario owned by Sir Aaron, trapped for centuries in Sir Aaron's staff. The Lucario thought I was Sir Aaron at first, since my Aura was so much like his, and it threatened me before fleeing. It seemed to believe that Sir Aaron had betrayed the castle during a great battle, trapping Lucario in the staff before flying away on his Pidgeot. While we were with Lucario, I learned that the wild Mew who lived in the Tree kidnapped Pikachu. I knew I needed to go and rescue Pikachu, and, with the help of Sir Aaron's Lucario, my group made our way to the Tree of Beginning."
"Wow, so you actually went into the Tree of Beginning. That's amazing. Please go on." Gurkinn urged.
"Well we didn't willingly go into the Tree. It turned out to be a very dangerous place for humans, and we were immediately attacked by the Tree's defense system, Regirock, Regice, and Registeel. While escaping from the Regis, the tree began to send what I can only describe as white blood cells in an attempt to get rid of the human presence in its system. The cells engulfed my friends, dragging them within the tree itself while Lucario and I ran to save Pikachu. Shortly after I reunited with Pikachu, I too was taken by the white blood cells, but I was saved thanks to the efforts of Mew. However, this made the Mew and the Tree very ill, and the entire structure began to collapse. We raced to the Tree's heart, where we found the remains of Sir Aaron, embedded within the crystal. We learned that Sir Aaron had sacrificed himself to stop the opposing armies from clashing, and died in the process."
"So he did make the ultimate sacrifice after all. Lucario was wrong." Bonnie said.
"Ssh, I want to hear the rest of the story, Bonnie." Clemont interjected.
"We were running out of time, we had to think of something to save Mew and the Tree. Lucario began to drain its Aura and give it to Mew. If Sir Aaron could save the Tree centuries ago, so could his Lucario, or so we thought. Lucario wasn't strong enough to finish the job though, and it quickly tired out. But it wasn't alone, I still had the ability to manipulate my Aura, so I grabbed Sir Aaron's gloves and began to siphon my Aura into Mew alongside Lucario. Together we fed our collective Aura into Mew, preparing to sacrifice ourselves for the Tree just like Sir Aaron had. At the last second, Lucario pushed me away and expended all of its life energy to save the Tree. I watched as the Lucario fell back, hitting a time flower, granting us a vision of the last few seconds of Sir Aaron's life. There we learned that Sir Aaron had protected the Tree during the battle centuries ago, and he wished that he could have told the truth to Lucario, but he didn't want his friend to sacrifice itself for him so he sealed it in the staff, to protect it. I sat there with Lucario, consoling it as the remainder of its Aura drained from its body. It died there, in my arms, but it had saved the Tree of Beginning and all of my friends."
"Wow, that's so sad," Serena said.
Gurkinn nodded, "Quite a story, Ash. It's amazing that your Aura is so much like Sir Aaron's own, and no doubt that you and Riolu will be great partners."
"Partners? I just met Riolu."
"Yes, you two are bonded in your Auras, it would be a bad idea not to travel together. You could both learn so much together. You two will become stronger than ever before, and you just might learn how to manipulate your Aura further."
Ash looked over to the sleeping Riolu, "It just depends on if Riolu wants to join me. I won't force him."
"We'll just have to see when he wakes up."
Draven opened his eyes as he heard the bushes in front of him rustle. He smiled to himself, "There they are, right on time."
Out of the bushes, Houndoom and Mightyena stumbled forward licking the wounds on their bodies. They both walked up to Draven and fell over, too exhausted to stand up. Draven's cigar nearly fell out of his mouth as he rushed forward to check on his pokémon.
"What happened to you two?" Draven asked the two wounded pokémon. He pulled out his two Poké balls and recalled the injured pokémon. "Those wounds can't have been from the Riolu. Shit, something is wrong." Draven reached into his pocket and pulled out a small satellite phone and dialed in a number, holding the phone up to his ear.
The device ringed a couple times before a male voice answered, "Yes, Draven, what is it?"
"It's about that special package you wanted."
"Yes, what about it?"
"First of all, you never told me it was a pokémon. It would have been much easier if you had told me the truth about what I was looking for."
"That detail was inconsequential. I didn't think you needed to know about it."
"It would have helped to know they were carrying live cargo, the target managed to escape once I stopped the truck."
The voice responded aggressively, "What? You lost the Riolu?"
"No, not from it trying to escape, I sent my two strongest pokémon after it. However, on their return, they were seriously injured. Somebody helped the Riolu, to be sure."
"You better get that Riolu for us, no matter what. We're making a huge risk attacking Team Rocket. If they knew who contracted you, there could be some serious ramifications, one that would cost a lot of lives and money."
"Why is this Riolu so important to you? Why feel the need to steal from Team Rocket?" Draven asked.
"Hmm...I thought you would appreciate messing up Team Rocket's plans, especially with their history."
Draven grit his teeth. He never liked dealing with "clients", especially ones that did their research before hiring him. He found that the only bad thing about being a good hitman was the notoriety, as ne'er do wells always wanted to work with the "famous Draven". Unfortunately this meant that his past was wide open to many, and they would try to use that to gain leverage. Some of them had even tried to dock his pay by bringing his family into the mix, for some odd reason. This client was promising a lot more money, to be sure, but he was getting rather annoyed with how smart this man thought he was because he knew something about Draven's past, something that was well known amongst men with illegal professions. He heard the man chuckle to himself as he asked,"You didn't answer my first question. Why do you need the Riolu?"
The man stopped laughing and cleared his throat, "All I can say is that that Riolu is important to our plans. Get it to us and you'll get the second half of your payment. Got it?"
Draven sighed, "Loud and clear."
"Good. Xerosic out."
Draven pocketed the satellite phone and pulled the cigar out of his mouth. The once long cylinder was now just a smoldering stub. He threw the butt to the ground and stomped the embers out before burying it against a tree. "It's time to put matters into my own hands, better go find that Riolu." he said as he began to slowly walk in the direction his Houndoom and Mightyena came from.
The sun was beginning to set on the western horizon, bathing the forest in a vibrant red that reflected off of the trees. Ash sat next to the Riolu, watching the Emanation Pokémon as it slept. He had just recently changed some of the bandages around Riolu's body, and the bites he sustained were healing incredibly quick. Ash and Gurkinn had been talking for hours about Gurkinn's history with his Lucario. Though Gurkinn himself could not manipulate his Aura, he had become a guru in the ways of Mega Evolution. Apparently his ancestors were the first people to unlock the secret to Mega Evolution, one that was only shared to those who were deemed worthy enough to know. The reason that he and Korrina were currently here was for that exact reason. Korrina had completed her training and was now ready to find a piece of Lucarionite so that she may mega evolve her own Lucario. The only place where Gurkinn knew to find the stone was in the cave under the stone pillar they found earlier, as that was where he and his father before him had found theirs.
"So that's what I saw before." Ash muttered to himself.
"Hmm?"
"When I touched that obelisk before, it gave me a vision of the tunnels underneath the ground, and showed me three stones lying somewhere inside."
"Three stones, huh? Were they all the same?"
"No, they were all different. One of them was like the Key Stone that Professor Sycamore showed me back in Lumiose. The second one was like the one in your Lucario's armband. The last one was different, where the helix in the stone was red and yellow, like a raging fire."
"Intriguing, we'll just have to see when you make your descent."
"Descent? Am I going down into the caves with Korrina."
"Of course, these stones have called to you, and you must answer. But that's a matter for tomorrow, it is getting dark, and I heard your friend Clemont is quite a cook."
"You heard right, my big brother is the best cook, he'd make a great husband, don't you think Korrina?" Bonnie asked, with a sly smirk.
"Bonnie! Stop doing what it is you're trying to do!" Clemont yelled as he grabbed bonnie by the collar and pulled her off, his face a deep red. "It's so embarrassing every time you do this."
Korrina scratched her head and asked, "What just happened between those two?"
Serena giggled, "I just wouldn't worry about it, Korrina, honestly."
Draven tiptoed his way through the forest, each step barely making a sound as he moved. The sky was darkening, and he would be a lot harder to spot once the sun completely set. The people who had helped his contract wouldn't even know he was there, if he remained quiet enough. But, that which helped him would make his target that much easier to track. He smiled as he found what he was looking for: a lively, orange glow coming from the distance. No doubt the protectors wanted a warm meal in their stomach before they were off to sleep. Little did they know they were being hunted.
He came ever closer, taking care to not make too much noise, lest he made his prey aware of his presence. He stood on the outskirts of the camp, just beyond the veil of light made by the central fire. There were a good number of them, too many for him to easily take what he needed and leave without being caught. Around the fire he saw four bodies, an old man and what looked to be his granddaughter, a woman of about twenty, both with light blonde hair. The other two looked to be siblings, a small girl and her teenaged, bespectacled brother. both blonde as well. Draven searched around the camp some more, looking around for the Riolu he desired, until he found it. What he saw next troubled him the most.
Sitting next to the Riolu away from the fire were the two young people he met some time ago, Ash and Serena. It was back some time ago, on his journey to the sunken ship to complete yet another contract. The job he did on the Cussler was supposed to give him some great treasure to keep, but all he found was a single large, amber-colored gem encasing a red and blue helix, one that his contractor paid well for, enough to make him accept a second offer. When he came to the surface, he dealt with his "crew", a group of Team Rocket thugs sent to kill him and take the gem for their gang. For some reason, Team Rocket was attempting to start an operation within Kalos, one that his contractor was all too eager to stop. Ash and Serena were unknowingly falling further into a war between two fierce factions, and they already had their first taste of the blood that was yet to spill when they interrupted Draven as he was searching for the gem. He was surprised to see that the boy survived, and was in good was no doubt that his Sharpedo had inflicted some grievous wounds, before getting a sharpened pipe shoved into its mouth. His pokémon was still healing from the battle, but this boy looked completely fine, as if he was never attacked at all. Draven sighed, he deeply regretted attacking Ash and his little girlfriend, but he could not let them interfere in his duty. Yet here they were, interfering once more, preventing him from completing his mission. Obviously violence was not the answer to his problem, Draven didn't want to harm the innocent any more than he was forced to, but he had to find a way to take that Riolu from them.
From his pocket, Draven pulled out a small device, the size of a coin. This was a GPS tracker, it would allow him to follow the group without keeping them in eyesight. He would have to take a risk and place it somewhere on the group, somewhere they wouldn't see it. He crouched behind a bush and waited for them to fall asleep, the roaring fire merely more than warm embers. Draven snuck up into the camp, strategically placing each step so that the most sound made was that of the muffled crunching of dead grass. As he approached he saw his prize sprawled out on a tree stump. It would be so easy to take it, but he didn't have the tools to escape should everyone be alerted to his next to it, acting as a lone guardian, was the boy, Ash. Draven skirted around, searching for anything he could place the tracker on, until he heard a rustling from one of the tents.
Draven rushed behind a nearby tree, moving as silently as a ghost. He turned his head to look at the girl, Serena, walking out of the tent in her pajamas. She carried a dark pink backpack with her, and pulled out a blanket and draped it around Ash.
The soft touch of the blanket rose Ash from his slumber, and he looked up to see Serena standing over him. "Thanks for the blanket, Serena," he said.
"No problem, Ash. Still, why don't you go into your tent, where it's warm?"
"I'm fine, Serena, I'm just here to make sure Riolu is alright."
"Look at you. Well if you stay out here, I'll stay out here too."
"Why? Why wouldn't you want to sleep in your tent?"
"You need company, don't you? You don't want to be all alone out here."
"Fine, here, take some of the blanket at least."
Ash held out an end of the sheet, and Serena took it in her hand, wrapping herself in it as she sat down on the grass next to Ash. They both sat together in silence, watching the sleeping Riolu until the weight of their eyelids pulled their eyes closed, and they nodded off into the clutches of a deep slumber.
Draven sat and waited for them to fall asleep, now was his window of opportunity. He pulled out the tracker and crept forward, until he was an arms length away from the sleeping teens. He reached down and carefully opened the lowest zipper on Serena's backpack, sliding the tracker deep into the pocket. He stopped dead in his tracks as the girl stirred and scooted closer to Ash, wrapping the blanket tighter around her before falling asleep again. Draven wiped a bead of sweat off of his forehead and quietly dashed away back into the treeline. Once he was safely out of eyesight, he pulled out a small device from his pocket and turned it on. The bright blue screen flickering to life, showing only a green triangle, his position on the map. Draven pressed a series of buttons, and a small, blinking, red dot appeared on the screen a small distance away from the green triangle.
"Looks like the tracker is working. At least something has gone right today," Draven whispered to himself.
He climbed up a nearby tree and strapped himself to one of the sturdier branches, before leaning back against the thick trunk. He had no plan to capture that Riolu at the moment, so he would follow the group for the moment waiting for the perfect opportunity. If there was something he was good at, it was being patient, and he would wait for the right time to strike. Sure his contractor wouldn't be too happy, but no doubt they had too much on their plate to worry about a single pokémon and the highly paid contractor sent to retrieve it. Draven chuckled, he might just be saving his employer money after all, they probably wouldn't miss him too bad, especially with how much his services cost. He closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the forest, letting the ambient sound lull him to sleep.
"C'mon, wake up sleepyheads!"
Ash opened his eyes to see Bonnie standing over him. He felt a weight on his shoulder and looked down to see golden locks of honey hair dangling over his arm. He brushed them back to see Serena's eyes slowly open, her sapphire eyes lying upon his own. As Ash and Serena realized what position they were currently sitting in, they both recoiled, and scooted away from each other, faces red as a rose..
"Ahem. Ash was just waiting with Riolu throughout the night, and I decided to keep him company." Serena stammered.
"Yeah, and we just lost track of time I guess. You can never tell what you're doing when you're sleeping," Ash added
"Hehe! Sure, I believe you," Bonnie said with a smirk.
Ash looked at the stump, only to find that it was empty, and asked, "Where is Riolu, Bonnie?"
"He's over by Clemont, Korrina, and Gurkinn. Get dressed, both of you, Clemont's making breakfast." Bonnie began to walk away, but turned around and smirked once more, "But don't get dressed together, okay?"
Serena's eyes widened, Was Bonnie really insinuating what I think she was? She ran off into her tent and zipped the flap closed, her blush only increasing in intensity.
Ash tilted his head, he was confused as to what Bonnie meant by saying that. He decided not to think about it, only with what today meant. First he needed to talk to Riolu, to see if he was okay. Ash quickly threw on his traveling clothes, and made his way to the smoldering campfire, where Clemont was busy preparing food. Ash looked around to see Gurkinn, Korrina, and Pikachu sitting on a log, talking to the now conscious Riolu. Ash was excited to say the least, and he quickly walked over to them.
The Riolu watched as he approached, his red eyes following Ash as he sat down. Ash cleared his throat and said, "I see that you're feeling better."
Riolu nodded, "Yes, I am. Thank you very much for what you have done for me."
"I didn't do much though. It was all Gurkinn and Korrina."
"While it is true that they fought off those fiends, they weren't the ones willing to risk their lives for someone they had just met. You were willing to die so that I may go unharmed, and you waited all night with me as I healed. I find that something to be thankful for."
"Well you're welcome then, I guess."
"Tell me, Ash, Gurkinn has been talking to you about our special… predicament... right?
"Yes, he told me all about it. What else do you know about it?"
"None more than you do. Gurkinn had caught me up while you were still sleeping alongside your 'friend' Serena."
"I guess I did sleep in a little."
"You and her seem rather close, if I may add, but that conversation is for a later time. Now we must talk about the vision you had back at that clearing. I hear that you and Korrina are planning to go into the caves under that obelisk."
"Yes, we are going, there were some things that I wanted to find in those caves, stones buried beneath the rock."
"Mega Stones nonetheless, I do wish to join you on this adventure, to help you find that which you seek."
"You seem to be pretty educated on this matter, how much do you know about Mega Evolution?"
"Only a bit. I only know the information I read from books. I have learned a lot within my past seventeen years."
"Seventeen years? You seem pretty old for a Riolu."
"Don't take my stature for granted, most of my kind stays as a Riolu for their entire life because of our peculiar way of evolution. We only can evolve with the aid of a trainer. Once we have been together with them for long enough, our Aura links together, allowing a Riolu to draw great power from their trainer, giving them the ability to evolve into a Lucario. When I was a young pup, I always dreamt of becoming a powerful Lucario, but my captors were never ones for bonding with their prisoners, and most of my life I had never had a good ally to rely on, except for myself. So, I dove into training my mind on top of the rigorous physical training I had to endure., finding more books to enhance my knowledge."
"You said that you were in captivity, when did that happen?"
"I was taken by Team Rocket at a very early age and used as an experiment for their nefarious deeds. Long has their leader, Giovanni, been searching for a tool to be used in conquering the world, and I was just another one of his toys. Due to my bond with you, I was stronger, faster, and smarter than most Riolu, and he tried to train me to become the ultimate weapon."
"What happened with that?"
"My project was scrapped no more than seven years ago, when Giovanni made a new toy, a clone of the legendary pokémon Mew. All the technology they had been developing for me was used for this clone instead, but it all blew up in their faces in the end. I managed to escape due to the destruction the clone caused, and I fled to the Kalos region. I've lived here for years, hiding from the prying eyes of Team Rocket, until they finally found me less than a month ago. I was no match for the twenty grunts they send after me all at once, and I was soon captured again. While I was being transported to a nearby dock for travel back into Giovanni's clutches, the truck carrying me was flipped, ambushed by an unknown predator. I managed to escape from the truck, but the hunter, a single man, sent out the two dogs after me. That was when you came and saved me. Without you… well I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't come along."
"Well I'm here now, you don't have anything to worry about now."
"You couldn't be farther from the truth, now is when it gets fun. Team Rocket will now want the power I possess more than ever. With you present, my strength only multiplies. We both know that the hunter I met will be back once more, and we must get stronger if we are to fight him. I say we move on those caves, find the treasures that you seek."
"I agree with you fully. What do you say, Korrina?"
Korrina nodded, "Let's go."
Ash, Korrina, and the two pokémon jumped up off of the log and grabbed their packs, proceeding to run off towards the clearing from the day before.
Clemont tried to yell after them, "But wait, don't you guys want breakfast first?" It was already too late though, they were all completely out of view.
Being at the clearing again felt very strange to Ash. Before, he had a feeling of dread when approaching the obelisk, but now he felt confident and relaxed. It must have been due to the bond that he shared with Riolu and Pikachu. Before, Riolu was running for his life from two pokémon,, but now they were together, safe and sound. He turned to Korrina and asked, "So how do you think we get into the caves?"
Korrina shook her head, "I dunno. Grandpa never told me how to get in, he said it was a secret and that Lucario and I had to solve it on our own."
"You said before that you saw a vision when you touched the obelisk, right?" Riolu commented.
"Yeah. Why?"
"Well, maybe the obelisk relays a message through Aura. It would make sense that anything that can manipulate its own Aura, like you and me, would be able to decipher that message."
Ash nodded, "Sounds like a good idea, let's try it." He walked up and placed his hand on the smooth stone of the obelisk. Instantly, he felt a surge of great power flow through his body, starting from the tips of his fingers and ending at his soles of his feet. He shivered from the influx of raw energy coursing through his veins. He looked down at his arms to see blue wisp of energy floating gently around them, like individual licks of fire dancing above the hairs on his arm.
"So, what did you see?" Korrina asked, as Ash lowered his arm.
"It's the top, the top is the entrance. We have to climb up the pillar." Ash responded.
Korrina kneeled down and pulled her backpack around, unzipping the top before reaching in and pulling out a long strand of rope, tied to a hook on one end."We just have to get this hooked on the entrance to get up there," she said.
"How do you suppose we do that?" Ash asked.
"Hand it to me, I'll get us up there." Riolu said as he beckoned for the rope. Korrina placed the hook in his hands, and they all watched as Riolu made a single massive leap up to the top of the pillar.
"What do you see up there, Riolu?" Ash asked.
"It's as you said, this pillar is hollow. There's an opening up here large enough for a human to fit through. Let me fasten this hook so that you can climb up too."
Riolu jammed the hook against the opening and tugged against the rope to make sure it was secure. He threw the other end down to Ash, Korrina, and Pikachu before saying "Come on up."
Ash was the first to climb up, grabbing the rope firmly in his hands and placing his feet against the stone of the obelisk. He began to pull himself up the face, his feet walking up the wall to give him balance and control. Pikachu jumped off of his shoulders and scaled the rope faster above Ash, making short work of the twenty foot climb. As Ash reached the top, his arms were burning from the effort required to make the climb, and he shook them out as he waited for Korrina to join him.
Riolu was right, the hole in the center of the obelisk was large enough to fit a person, but the fit would be rather snug. Korrina dropped one end of the rope down into the black pit, listening for the sound of it crashing against solid ground. The sound was faint, merely more than a quiet crack that echoed through the obelisk. Korrina was the first to go down, sliding down the rope at a quick pace before disappearing into the dark void. Ash looked down through the opening and asked, "Did you hit the bottom, Korrina?"
"Yeah, I did. It's about thirty feet down."
"Really? I can't see you."
"Oh, let me fix that." Ash watched as an orange glow appeared from the bottom of the hole, shaking wildly for a few seconds, Korrina had cracked open a glowstick.
"Alright, I'm coming down, watch yourself," Ash said. He beckoned Pikachu to jump on his shoulder, and he quickly rappelled down to the floor of the cave. The only light around them was the glow of Korrina's glowstick, besides the small column of daylight coming down from their entrance. However, the glowstick was rather strong, illuminating a ten foot radius around them, revealing a large oblong room around them. Korrina cracked another glowstick and handed it to Ash, who held it high like a torch. From here, he could see that there were two different routes on either end of the room that he could take, both leading off into the deep darkness.
Ash sighed, "Well, what are we gonna do about this? There's no way we'll be able to map this out effectively."
Korrina nodded, "I say we split up, I'll go right and you guys can go left."
"Sounds like a plan, let's meet here in about an hour, that should give us thirty minutes of time to explore."
"Alright, don't get lost out there."
Ash watched as Korrina walked down the right pathway, her light quickly fading as she passed around a corner. He turned to Pikachu and Riolu and said, "Alright guys, let's go find those mega stones."
They began to walk down the left corridor, sneaking around stalagmites and through cracks between the rock. Ash squeezed his way through a tight tunnel in the cave, stopping only to jump down into a cold puddle of water. Ash looked around, holding his glowstick forward so that he could see the walls of the cave. Through the orange glow, he saw a single passageway, outlined by beams of blue light emanating from cracks in the ceiling. The entrance to the tunnel was massive, almost like the open gates of a castle. Ash walked through the entrance, feeling the sleek stone archway around him. Unlike the rest of the cave before, this tunnel looked like it was created, most likely by the resident ground and rock pokémon of the cave. He had seen a few Diglett moving about in the darkness of the tunnel. Ash continued down the tunnel, followed closely by Pikachu and Riolu.
At the end of the passage was a round, stone altar enveloped in light. In the center of the altar were three granite pedestals, engraved with a large helix on the front of each of them. On top of the pedestals were the three vibrant gems of varying sizes. Ash instantly recognized the gems to be those from his vision. These were mega stones... his mega stones. Ash walked up to the pedestals, and grabbed the multi-colored stone, the key stone, in his palm. It was small, only the size of a large pebble, but he felt a strange energy emanating from it. He felt drawn to it, almost as if it were glued to his hand. He shook the feeling away and placed the stone in his pocket. It was hardly a good place to put it, but his pocket would have to work for now. He turned to the other two, both much larger than the key stone. Ash lifted both of them off of their respective pedestals, safely placing them in his backpack. "Well, we got what we came for, what do you say we get back now?" Ash asked as he zipped up the large pocket.
Pikachu nodded, "Pika pi."
"Wait, let me see one of those mega stones, the smaller of the two." Riolu said.
Ash pulled out the stone and handed it to Riolu. The Emanation Pokémon stared at the stone in its hands with unblinking eyes. Suddenly, the stone began to glow brightly, to the surprise of everyone watching.
"Pull out your key stone now."
Ash reached into his pocket and pulled out the multicolored stone. As he touched it, the stone began to vibrate and glow as well. "What's happening, Riolu?" Ash asked.
"The stones are reacting with our energy. This is it, this is Lucarionite."
"This is the mega evolution stone for Lucario?"
"Yes. It feels so weird holding this in my hands. Knowing that eventually I will be able to unlock its secrets is unbearable. The wait will weigh heavily on me."
"It'll be worth it in the end though. Don't worry, Riolu, we'll get you there, together."
"Hmm...yes. Together."
"C'mon, let's get out of here, we have to find a way back to the entrance." Ash said as he pulled the straps of the backpack around his shoulders.
However, before they could move away, the altar began to glow a deep purple color. The light gripped them, holding their legs down as it encased them in purple light. Ash felt a strange sensation, as if he was being rocked by a gust of wind. His vision began to blur, and when he tried to move his head to look at Pikachu and Riolu, he couldn't move his neck, as if some unseen force was holding his head in one place. Ash watched in silence as his surroundings began to change, the cave melting away in front of his eyes. Once he was finally able to turn his head, Ash looked around to see where he was. Surprisingly, Ash was no longer in the cave, he had been teleported back up to the surface, right next to the obelisk. Pikachu and Riolu were there as well, and they looked just as bewildered as he was. Leaning against the obelisk was Korrina, holding a sphere of Lucarionite in her hand.
"Korrina? What happened? How did you get to the surface?"
"Well I grabbed this Lucarionite from a pedestal, and then there was this purple light...I don't know."
"It seems that we've been teleported to the surface by something in the cave. It gave us what we wanted and expelled us."
"Weird, what do you think it was?" Ash asked.
"We may never know. Best not to dwell on it though, we got what we came for, we should get back to the others."
Korrina nodded, "I guess Riolu is right. Do you want to get going, Ash?"
"Might as well, we'll have to see what the others say about this."
"Wait, you're saying that you guys were teleported out of the caves? Did you get your mega stones at least?" Clemont asked.
"Of course, here let me show you."
Ash pulled out the three stones and placed them in Clemont's hands. Clemont eyed the stones, moving them around in his hands. Clemont nodded to himself and handed the stones back to Ash, "Those are pretty cool, if I do say so myself. Do you know what pokémon they are for?"
Ash shook his head, "I know that one of them is Lucarionite, but I have no idea what pokémon species the other one is for."
"Hmmm, you think Professor Sycamore would know?" Serena asked, taking the larger stone in her hands.
Ash scratched his head, "Maybe. What do you think Gurkinn."
Gurkinn shook his head, "I don't know, but I know someone who might."
"Do you?"
"Of course, there's an old craftsman I know in Geosenge town who makes arm bands, necklaces, and other jewelry designed to hold mega stones. If there's anyone who knows, it'd be him. Tell you what, Ash, if you loan me the stones you found, I'll get them socketed into jewelry for you and your pokémon. Then, next time I see you, I'll give them back to you in something a bit easier for you and your pokémon to carry."
Ash nodded, "That sounds like a great idea, but when will I see you next?"
"You're going to challenge the Shalour City gym right?"
"Yeah, of course. I need the badge from the leader on my way to the Kalos league."
"Well Korrina just happens to be the leader there, I'll give them to you then."
Ash's mouth opened wide, "Korrina, you never told me that!"
Korrina giggled, "It must've just slipped my mind. Grandpa's right, I'm the gym leader there, and I'm one hardest gym leaders to beat, especially now that I have Lucarionite. With Mega Lucario, I'll be unbeatable."
"Don't think I'll be an easy challenger. I have competed in five Pokémon League tournaments after all."
Gurkinn smiled, "Now, now. Let's not get off topic."
Ash nodded, "Right. Here, Gurkinn, take the stones."
Ash put the other two stones in Gurkinn's hands, and the older man placed them into his rucksack. Gurkinn hefted the bag onto his shoulders and said, "You take good care of Riolu, Ash. It's not very often that someone catches such a pokémon."
"Don't worry, I will."
"Good. Now, Korrina and I must say goodbye to all of you. We'll meet again in Shalour City, and I'll make sure to have your stones as well."
Ash nodded, "I'll see both of you then. Goodbye, and thank you for everything."
The group stood there, waving at Gurkinn and Korrina as they walked off into the distance, vanishing from view over the horizon.
"So what now?" Serena asked.
"We go to Sycamore's summer camp of course." Bonnie said.
Ash nodded, "I guess you're right. What do you say, Riolu? Do you want to travel with us?"
"Definitely. We can learn so much from traveling together that it would be dumb of me not to."
Ash reached down and pulled a ball from his belt, he held the deep red Poké ball in front of Riolu and said, "Here, Riolu, this is my most special Poké ball, my Cherish ball, there is no other pokémon who I'd rather have in this ball. All you have to do is press the red button in the center."
"No, not like this." Riolu said as it pushed the ball back towards Ash.
"What do you mean, Riolu? I thought you said you wanted to travel with me."
"I do, but I want to battle for it, as a formality of course. Show me the hard training that you and Pikachu have gone through. Only then will I allow myself to be caught."
Ash chuckled and flipped the bill of his hat backward, "I would expect no less. What do you say Pikachu?"
"Pika, Pika pi!" Pikachu shouted. Electricity began to surge from his red cheeks as he jumped down in front of Ash.
Riolu jumped away, preparing himself for battle. He took a wide battle stance and stared directly into Pikachu's eyes before saying, "It's your move."
Ash pumped his fist and commanded, "Pikachu, use Quick Attack."
Pikachu rushed forward, gaining momentum before he jumped at Riolu, attempting to hit him with a strong headbutt. Riolu was quick to react, however, and dodged the attack at blinding speed. Pikachu was caught off balance by the sudden movements of the Emanation Pokémon and he stumbled. This gave Riolu the opportunity he needed, and he rushed forward and slammed into Pikachu's crashed against the ground, quickly flipping himself back onto his feet.
"Try a Thunderbolt, Pikachu!" Ash yelled.
Pikachu charged up the electricity in his cheeks, firing a bolt of lightning directly at Riolu. However, Riolu was prepared, and he dashed out of the way once again, charging forward at blinding speed. Once he came close to Pikachu, he held out his palm and fired a blast of blue energy from the heel. The blast struck the Mouse Pokémon in the chest, throwing him onto his back.
"So you know Force Palm, Riolu. That's a great move, but it takes more than that to beat Pikachu. Use Agility."
Pikachu jumped back onto his feet and sprinted forward. He moved so fast that it looked like he teleported. Pikachu smiled, Riolu had speed on his side before, but now Pikachu just evened the playing field. He jumped forward again, attempting to hit Riolu with another Quick Attack. Riolu barely had time to react, and he took Pikachu's attack directly. The attack hurt, but Riolu managed to position himself to use the momentum from the attack against Pikachu, and he threw the electric type pokémon high up into the air. Pikachu tried to yell out, but Riolu jumped up and slammed Pikachu back towards the ground.
Pikachu landed with a sharp crack, sending a cloud of dust up into the air around his impact spot. Pikachu recovered quickly and retaliated with another Thunderbolt while his opponent was in the air. Riolu was surprised at the speed of Pikachu, and he tried himself in mid air. The bolt of lightning struck Riolu, creating a wisp of smoke as it smacked him back down to the ground. Pikachu grunted, the last attack really hurt, he didn't know if he could take another attack as strong as that. For Riolu's size, he packed a serious punch.
Ash grit his teeth, he knew he had to think of something. He couldn't let Pikachu take all of these attacks, he had to figure out something. That's it! "Pikachu, use Agility and then Quick Attack once more."
Pikachu nodded, there was no doubt that Riolu was ready for the attack again, but Ash must have some secret plan up his sleeve. Pikachu zig-zagged his way towards Riolu and pounced once more. Riolu countered once more, the same way he did before. He took the attack and threw Pikachu up in the air. As Pikachu dangled helplessly, Riolu jumped up once more, preparing himself for another attack.
This was Ash's chance. "Pikachu, begin to spin and use Iron Tail!"
Pikachu obliged, and curled into a ball, beginning to spin head over heels. His tail began to glow white, spinning wildly around as Pikachu spun. Riolu tried to change his trajectory, but he slammed directly into Pikachu's iron hard tail. The attack knocked Pikachu up further and sent Riolu back down to the ground. Riolu crashed into the ground on his back, dazed and confused from the collision.
"That's it Pikachu, keep spinning and use Thunderbolt."
Pikachu continued spinning faster as he launched a continuous stream of electric energy down through his tail. The fast speed at which he was spinning made the bolt spin as well, and it acted as a large saw, digging into the ground and Riolu. The attack sent up huge clouds of dust and rock. As the dust settled, Ash could see Riolu standing there, visually exhausted.
"He must have endured the attack. That's one strong pokémon." Ash muttered to himself. "Now's my chance though." He pulled out his Cherish ball and threw it like a baseball at Riolu. The ball struck Riolu on the head, sucking the pokémon into the ball in a flash of light. The ball sat on the grass, wiggling wildly until it finally stopped. The ball dinged to confirm capture, and Ash ran over to pick up the ball.
He opened the ball and released Riolu, who stood in front of Ash, his fur still rugged and dirty from the battle. "What did you think?" Ash asked.
"That was a great battle, Master. Thank you."
"Master? Why did you call me 'Master'"?
"That is what you are now, no? You have caught me, and I will do everything in my power to help you on your journey...on our journey."
"But, Riolu, we're friends. You don't have to call me your master."
"It is what I choose to call you."
"Well in that case, I guess we should get going. Do you want to stay out of your ball, Riolu?"
"No, there's no doubt that Team Rocket and the hunter will try to find me. It's best if I stay pretty inconspicuous in public. It would be a little strange to see a Riolu walking around out of its Poké ball."
"I guess you're right. In that case, return, Riolu."
Ash recalled Riolu back into the shimmering, red ball and held it in his hand, his eyes fixed on it.
Serena walked over and placed her hand on Ash's shoulder, "Great job, Ash! You caught a Riolu."
Ash smiled, "I guess I did, didn't I?" Ash's grin widened immensely and he jumped into the air shouting out, "Yeah! I caught a Riolu!"
Pikachu smiled and jumped up as well, mimicking his trainer's actions while shouting, "Pi Pikachu!"
"Haha, you're so excited, aren't you, Ash?" Serena asked.
"Yeah I am! C'mon, we have a Summer Camp to go to. Let's go Pikachu!" Ash said as he and Pikachu began to run off down the path.
Bonnie yelled, "You don't have to ask me twice. Clemont, Serena, keep up!"
Clemont sighed, "Wait up, don't leave me behind."
So, how did you like it? Now before you read what's below, let me say some things:
I've been meaning for some time to actually introduce Draven into the story. I want him to be more than just a generic villain that comes and fights Ash with no real interesting motivation. I tried in this chapter to really introduce Draven as a fallen character, who has a sense of morality that has been skewed by the terrible events in his life. I want him to be interesting to read about, and I hope that came across. As of now he is always there, tracking and hunting the group without them ever knowing. He's waiting, planning for his next move, and when he finally comes again...well let's just say I don't want to spoil it for everyone.
This chapter most definitely set up a lot of things that are going to happen in future chapters, so I hope you're all ready. A ton of stuff happens here, and I put a couple little hints into future chapters. But, there's more than just a little hint, because I have yet another sneak peek for all of you of a later chapter that I have begun writing (because I can). Enjoy.
The elevator doors opened, sending a rush of cool, night air at Serena. As she took a single step out of the elevator cabin, into the quiet night, she softly ran her hand on her arm, feeling the small bumps that were forming on her skin. The sky was dark and empty except for the full moon that hung high in the sky, the stars obscured by the radiant light of the Lumiose cityscape. Serena smiled to herself, she couldn't have found a better night for this. She had been under constant pressure from everyone else to do this for so long. To be honest, Serena never thought that she would make it this far in the first place. She had spent so long gaining the confidence necessary to do this, and it was now finally happening. All the pieces had seemed to come together. However, now what she saw ahead of her humbled her to no belief, and she began to shake from nervousness. There, bathed in the moonlight, was Ash Ketchum.
He leaned against the railing, looking down on the sprawling city. His usual wardrobe had been replaced by a different, more formal outfit. Instead of his blue jacket, he wore a dark blue button-up shirt over a pair of khaki slacks. Draped around his neck was an unknotted black tie, wrinkled from a long night of wear. He wasn't wearing his trademark red cap like he normally would, and his usually unkempt hair had been trimmed and combed. Serena's eyes widened, there was just something so alluring about the way he was dressed. If it wasn't for his mother, he would still have worn his traveling clothes to his eighteenth birthday celebration, and that would have been quite a shame, for Serena at least. Ash definitely didn't look comfortable in the outfit, and there was no doubt that he would go back to his jacket and jeans after all of this was done. Serena walked up to the railing next to Ash, her confidence completely drained from her. She stared down at her hands, clutching the rail hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Ash turned to look at Serena, his warm, brown eyes meeting hers. Serena felt as if her stomach jumped out of her body, free-falling to the ground at the bottom of the Prism Tower.
"Hey, Serena, what's up?" Ash asked.
Serena gulped and took a deep breath, here it goes, "Ash, there's something I have to tell you."
Thank you for reading, you guys really are the best. I know it's a slow grind, because you have to wait so long, but I hope each and every chapter is worth it for all of you. I'll be back with the next chapter sometime (hopefully sooner rather than later). I have something special planned for it, or should I say someone. Someone you haven't seen in quite a while, someone who will most definitely butt heads with Serena. Who could it be? Find out next time.