Weeks had passed on the rocky Iron Island, and training had gone just as planned, so far. With Rosa acclimating to the group's exercises quickly, it was time to bring her training to the next level. "Alright, Rosa! We're gonna try something new, alright? You've gotten a whole lot stronger, so I'm sure you can handle it!" Ash addressed the tiny fighting type, standing in one of the island's rocky clearings.

~Y-yeah! I'm ready!~ The Riolu chimed, chipper as she was nervous. Hopping up and down, she eagerly awaited instructions.

"You're gonna have your first battle! I'll let you know what you have to do, and you just have to follow along, for now. It can be kinda tough, but we'll start off easy!" Ash instructed.

~Battle?~ She echoed, shuddering a little. Wasn't that dangerous?

"Uh-huh! I know what your moves are, so I'll help you through it! It'll be fine."

Meekly, the pokemon nodded.

More or less on cue, a repetitive chant of "dude" caught the group's attention, belonging to none other than a Geodude that was floating their way. Spotting the one pokemon that seemed to be on guard, it began to bounce along the ground, shaking the nearby rocks and rubble with every hop before stopping in front of the Riolu. "Geo! Dude! Geo!" It challenged, raising its two rocky fists.

"Alright. Let's get started! Why don't you try a-"

A frightened howl interrupted Ash, followed by a loud telepathic wail. ~I-I can't..!~

Rosa scurried behind Ash, clinging to his pant leg. The way the pokemon hovered over… The mean-looking leer it was giving her. And, Geodude were so heavy! Just pushing one was quite the task for a while… But, now she'd have one flying at her? The thought made her shiver. ~It's gonna hurt me!~ Rosa whined, her eyes shut tight.

None too surprised, Riley looked to the rock type. "You're free to go. My apologies."

The Geodude grunted before hopping off, puzzled, but none too bothered.

"It seems she expects to be in serious danger in battles. She's legitimately threatened," he explained, having followed the small pokemon's aura through the failed endeavor.

"You're scared to battle, huh?" Ash knelt to the pokemon's level, a small, sympathetic smile on his features. "Hey, it's alright. Do you wanna tell me what's wrong?"

~What if we get hurt~? She asked simply, her transmitted thoughts marked with dread.

"Hey, I'm not gonna let ya get hurt."

~N-no! Someone always gets hurt in battles! I don't wanna get hurt!~

She really did take this seriously… Maybe she thought the results were serious? "You really think something's gonna happen?" Ash raised a hand to his chin, momentarily thoughtful before a light bulb went off in his head. "I'm gonna show you something, alright?" Pulling back the white sleeve of his jacket, he exposed several notable marks. Three discolored indents lay parallel to one another on his bicep. A particularly visible byproduct of saving his own hide from a rather nasty slash, back up in the mountains. He remembered Delia throwing quite the fit.

Likewise, little Rosemary felt her stomach turn. ~W-what happened there!?~ Was he hurt?

"That was from something really dangerous. When I was away training somewhere really tough. When I'm really in danger, you know? That's not the kind of thing that comes outta friendly battles.

Still somewhat shell shocked, the Riolu stayed silent.

"Well, y'know how you feel a little sore after doing a lot of exercise?"

Needless to say, their training regimen, while merciful on the youth, had been taxing, especially as it progressed. A little pain came with the game, but she was adjusting. She nodded.

"Well, that's kinda like this," he gestured to his face, where a small bruise had formed, thanks to his rough housing with Lucario. "You get hurt a lil', but it goes away quick! You don't get hurt hurt." He articulated as best as his vocabulary allowed, appearing calm and content as ever.

Incredulous, the Riolu nodded along. Sure, he had a point, but...

"Here, I'll show you that battling's supposed to be fun!" Ash cheered. "Lucario! Could you help me out for a minute?" He turned to the Aura pokemon, a fist raised. "I want to show Rosa what a real battle's like! You and Pikachu, how about it?"

Momentarily silent, Lucario nodded. He and Riley had seen the mouse battle. He would be a formidable opponent, and surely he'd have enough restraint to avoid scaring the pup with too much intensity. Looking to Riley, he waited for his trainer to give consent as well.

"I didn't plan this as part of your training, but I'll allow it. Perhaps it'll give Rosemary some perspective. I'd like to see how Pikachu's benefited from all the exercise, as well. I hope he's learned a thing or two from our lessons?" He smiled. Regardless of aura powers, perception was a very worthy skill, for any trainer or pokemon.

In just a moment, the group had taken their positions. Ash and Pikachu on one side, and Riley and Lucario on the other. Little Rosa sat between the two sides, resting at a healthy distance, so she could observe the battle from a more neutral standard. As instructed, she'd take care to read the aura of both pokemon involved, as well as both of their trainers.

"Rosa! Try and stay calm, alright? I promise, everything'll be alright."

~A-Alright.~ The pokemon nodded, eyes occasionally darting from one side to the other.

"Well then, Ash. We're ready. Show us the results of your training!"

"We will, Riley! Pikachu, use Quick Attack!"

Pikachu wasted no time, sprinting off across the battlefield, leaving a silver trail behind.

Rosa gawked, barely able to follow her honorary brother. Just how fast was he!?

Barely more than a blur, he left Lucario wide-eyed, who only managed to dodge through the virtue of being able to read Pikachu's intentions. Sidestepping the mouse, he avoided punishment.

"Now, Bone Rush!"

Drawing a blunt object formed from pure aura, Lucario wielded the weapon with finesse. Intent on punishing Pikachu's moment of weakness, he swung the club down towards the pokemon.

But, Ash grinned. "Catch it with Iron Tail!"

Like trainer, like pokemon. Small canines bared, Pikachu quickly covered his tail in iron, swinging it upward to meet Bone Club. The jagged extremity hooked Bone Club into its structure, avoiding any damage that Pikachu could have suffered.

"Now, Thunderbolt!"

The spectating Riolu let out a terrified gasp, watching Lucario roar in pain as blinding electricity ran through its body, highlighted with golden flashes of light. That looked pretty painful…

"Bone Rush, Lucario! Knock Pikachu upward!"

Gritting his sharp fangs, Lucario persevered, swinging his club around to slam Pikachu brutally, knocking him high above, and consequentially, freeing himself from the mouse's wrath.

~Pikachu!~ The smallest pokemon of the three shouted, watching him soar sky high.

"Follow it up with Aura Sphere!" Riley commanded loudly.

Both of the Aura pokemon's paws were drawn back, conjuring a brilliant orb before launching it.

"Thunderbolt, Pikachu!"

"Chu!" Pikachu shrieked, launching a golden arc of electricity that collided with Aura Sphere, forming a crackling collision that ended in a loud explosion.

"Use Quick Attack!"

The black veil of smoke made a nice cover for the speedy yellow bullet; or at least it would have, if not for Lucario's talents, but his speed proved superior nonetheless, allowing Pikachu to pummel the fighting type with a dive bomb into its stomach.

"Now, take advantage of that Quick Attack. Use Close Combat!"

Letting out a growl, Lucario bore the pain before throwing a dizzying punch to the jaw that put an end to Pikachu's momentum. Before the mouse could react, he was on the receiving end of a series of punishing punches and kicks. Unable to truly fight back, Pikachu was sent reeling.

"Pikachu! Are you alright?" Ash called, giving a voice to Rosemary's anxiety.

Pikachu pushed himself to his feet, riding out the pain with an extended syllable of his name. Soon raring to go again, though, Pikachu found himself to be in the better condition of the two.

Sparks danced along Lucario, giving an outward manifestation of his hindered limbs.

Riley frowned. "Pikachu's Static ability worked against us… That's a worthy lesson. Even with the eye of an aura guardian, there are some things you cannot predict." Riley looked to Rosemary, hoping that said anecdote would be absorbed.

Relieved for Pikachu's sake, but now worried for Lucario, the pokemon nodded. ~O-okay!~

"We've got an advantage, now! Pikachu, use Iron Tail!" Ash swung his fist as he made his command, taking the initiative. Even if it was a practice battle, he was as passionate as ever.

"Chua…!" Pikachu started, sprinting towards Lucario as his tail took on a sheen once more.

"Don't give in. Bone Rush!" Riley called, mentally instilling confidence in his partner.

Despite his hindrance, Lucario let out a fierce cry, startling his counterpart. He sounded awfully angry. All the same, though, he continued, swinging his club towards Pikachu.

The two met in quite the fierce clash, superior weight pushing against superior momentum.

Suffering under the numbness of paralysis, though, Lucario relented, allowing the two to split and bounce back from their collision. Brought down to one knee, he let out an irritated growl.

"Let's finish this! Pikachu, use Volt Tackle!" Ash pointed forward, grinning.

There wasn't a great distance between the two competitors, though, for a practice battle, it was likely just about as much as Pikachu needed. Just as excited as his trainer, he sprinted forward, rapidly repeating his name as he closed the tiny distance between the two. Surrounded by a golden aura, he crashed into Lucario, pile driving the Aura pokemon into a nearby rock wall.

~P-Pikachu! Big bro!?~ Rosa shouted out, horrified.

Smoke and rubble soon cleared, showing off the results of the battle. Pikachu bore the crackling recoil of Volt Tackle, just about used to its painful cost by now. Standing on all fours, he found Lucario slumped up against the rock. Conscious, but very well defeated, by this battle's standards.

"That's enough," Riley intervened. "Pikachu's come out the victor. Both of you were impressive." Satisfied, he began to rummage for healing supplies, but not before being greeted to the sight of Rosa running over to assist Lucario. Gently shaking the larger pokemon, she cried.

~Are you alright? That looked like it really hurt…! Please be okay!~

"Now, now. You have nothing to worry about." The aura guardian soothed, handing Lucario a Cheri berry. The latter lifted the berry to his mouth, chewing on the restorative morsel. In mere moments, his paralysis was voided, allowing him to push himself to his feet.

That was when the Riolu was greeted with quite the shocking sight.

"You guys were great! You're both even faster and stronger than I remember!" Ash beamed, praising the group.

Pikachu made his way over to Lucario, smiling widely. "That was fun!" He asserted, raising a paw. "I guess I got lucky with that paralysis, huh? Your Close Combat really packs a punch!"

"You were excellent as well," Lucario added. A hint of unusual smile showed on his lips as he adjusted. "In a short time, I found your power to be quite overwhelming." As much as it pained him to admit it, if things had gone on, they may have only gotten worse on his end.

~Hey, hold on!~ Rosa chimed in, growing meek after both pairs of eyes turned on her. ~You're… Not hurt? Or mad? You really gave each other a whooping! That's not bad?~

"See, Rosa? It was all just in good fun! It's a heck of a challenge, but no one's really looking to hurt each other." Ash knelt down beside the pokemon with a smile, reaching to pet the back of Pikachu's head. "We believe in our pokemon and know their limits. Plus, the stronger you get, the better you can protect yourself!"

They allowed the young pokemon to absorb the scene. Both of her close friends - no, her family - had gotten up with little complaints after fighting so hard. And, they all seemed to get along… ~I… I guess it doesn't look so bad.~ She swallowed, nerves getting the better of her. ~B-but I'm not that strong! How can I battle like that?~

"Well, you'd have to work your way up! Pikachu and Lucario have both been battling for a really long time. But we can start you off easy! You'll just learn one thing at a time." Looking between his companions, he continued. "Hey, I know. Why don't you battle Pikachu?" After all, she seemed to behave most comfortably with those she knew best. Better a friend than not.

~B-but, he's so strong!~ She shuddered, as if she'd been the one subjected to an electric attack.

"We'll go easy on you. It won't be so bad, alright? Promise!"

The small pokemon's ears perked up, the smallest of smiles forming under its muzzle. ~...Okay! I'll try! I'll get tough like all of you, too!~ She voiced aloud, letting out an indecipherable bark of excitement as she took something close to a battle stance.

Likewise, Pikachu got down on all fours once more, ready to begin the battling anew.

Ash chuckled before fiddling with his cap, eyes flicking between his two pokemon. "Rosa, you can start us off! Pikachu, I just want you to try and dodge for a bit, okay? Let's try Quick Attack, Rosa!"

Letting out a yip of excitement, the Riolu darted forward, not as quick as Pikachu would be but still impressively fast. Her blow came to land on empty air, her electric opponent hopping out of the way with perfect timing. Rosa pouted.

The trainer nodded. "Good! Now, let's try a move that will make it easier for you to hit! Foresight and then Quick Attack!"

Sight enhanced, Rosa quickly rushed forward, managing to tap Pikachu and earn a squeal of surprise out of him for doing so. Wagging her tail a bit, she felt more at ease. It was almost like a game right now.

"Okay… now it's Pikachu's turn. Rosa, you get ready to use Counter. Pikachu, give her a little tap with Quick Attack yourself!"

"Pika!" the older of the two battlers assured before running forward and skidding to an almost stop just before the smaller. He swept, using his momentum to get Rosa off her feet. Scraped but mostly embarrassed, she quickly got back on her feet and used Counter, paw digging into Pikachu's shoulder. The electric type darted back, putting distance between them.

"Alright! Now, this time… Rosa, you're going to use Endure, okay? It's gonna seem a little scary when you get toss from this, but I want you to learn how to recover."

Sensing her slight panic, he walked until he was a yard from her right side and then knelt down. "I'll catch you if I have to, but Pikachu's going to use Iron Tail real quick. Focus on keeping your body loose so you don't hurt yourself."

~A-Alright…~

Soon enough, Pikachu did as he was told, Iron Tail hitting with enough power to send her stumbling like Ash had told her it would.

Landing heavily, but not injured besides the bruise that would likely be formed - and just as easily dealt with thanks to a potion or two - Rosa's previously tightly shut eyes opened. That had hurt… but she was okay! Getting excited, she stood up, balling her paws up.

Ash's Pokédex went off and he whipped it out, quickly gathering the new information. "...Alright! Rosa, you got a new move! Try Force Palm!"

~You got it!~ she cheered, lunging towards Pikachu. Unfortunately, the contact seemed to backfire. Both pokemon were paralyzed, though for different reasons.

Lucario snickered under his breath in the background.

Unfortunately, that seemed to draw an end to this particular battle.

~Noooo! I can't move, help me! I can't moooove!~ the puppy screamed mentally. Ash quickly ran to her rescue, producing the appropriate berry with much haste. She devoured it ravenously, not very shaken but judging by the fluff in her tail and hackles, clearly displeased. So, they'd have to work on how she reacted to status ailments, then.

Pikachu, meanwhile, unused to any type of paralysis, noted that even though he knew he felt some numbness in his limbs, that he was capable of moving them just fine… it was probably something to do with his typing. Most likely, if the move had been electric, he would not have been paralyzed. But, since it was fighting, it worked through a different method rather than simply shorting out his nerves.

"Hey! You did good! Tell you what, let's find that Geodude. They can't paralyze or poison you! That'll be simpler. You wanna do that?"

Sniffling, Rosa all the same took Ash's offered hand as she nodded. She was still very new to battling… But, she at least trusted Ash to take care of her when she did so, now.


More days had come and gone, with rigorous training lining the group's routine. With core strength built and battling making Rosa stronger, Riley had moved on to the next important lesson.

"Today, you're going to learn to use aura as a weapon, much like Lucario and the other rare pokemon who can master Aura Sphere." He addressed Ash and little Rosemary alike, with Lucario beside him. "Now that you, Ash, have learned to harness that energy, you'll be shown how to manage and fire it properly. There are a number of stances that are best used to manage your core strength and maintain balance. Rosemary, most of your kind must evolve before learning this. You'll receive special training to allow you to draw on your inner energy quite early. I trust you'll be able to keep up."

Pokemon and trainer alike nodded, ready and eager to receive their next lesson.

"Now, this is the one you'll see most often." Riley began, bending his knees just a bit to lower his center of gravity. His hind foot moved backward, at a right angle to the foremost one. As a result, his body was twisted to the side, with both hands held past his waist in tow. There was just a bit of space left between his palms.

"Hey, yeah! That's the way most Lucario fire their Aura Spheres!"

"Correct." Riley affirmed. "Now, much like before, you channel your aura through your hands, allowing it to form at one single point. Will it into an orb and let it loose once you have." As he spoke, Riley carried through with his motion, thrusting both of his palms forward in a very fluid motion.

"Now," he continued, reassuming the former position. "I'll give you an example myself." Willing a bright light between his palms, Riley quickly shaped into an orb with relative ease. "Ready your Aura Sphere… And fire!" With that, his arms were thrown forward, unleashing the mass of life energy upon a nearby rock. Hitting with the utmost precision, the attack exploded, blowing the small formation into rubble.

"Awesome…!" Ash marveled, a goofy grin spreading across his face. This was way too cool! "I can't wait to pull that off!" He'd be like… A superhero! Like a pokemon himself, even!

"Another method is simply firing straight forward. While it lacks the previous stance's momentum, it allows you to fire just a bit faster." Riley extended each of his arms outward, palms adjacent to one another. An orb of light quickly appeared, shooting from their starting point before colliding soon enough with one of the island's sturdy rock walls.

"Now, then, Ash, Rosemary. You give it a try."

"You got it!" Ash grinned, all too eager before attempting to mimic Riley's stance. His feet rested at something of a right angle, though a bit more sloppily than his mentor had done. Gloved hands retreated to his side, fingers curled. "Alright… Just like last time, right? Here goes nothing!" Tensing his body, focusing on once more pushing his aura to the surface, Ash grit his teeth. What was once senseless vigor resulted in a shining mass between his palms.

"Your posture is sloppy… But that's a good start. Now, concentrate. Allow it to grow and keep a spherical shape. If you can't will your aura the way you wish, it won't be effective."

"Right…!" Ash acknowledged through grit teeth, keeping the attack's proper shape in mind. With just a bit more effort from both hands, he forged a sphere just large enough to live up to its name.

"Got it!" Ash grinned, winding up before tossing the blast forward, much like he would a pokeball. The Aura Sphere flew through the air, turning on quite a notable spin before hitting its target. Augmented by Ash's experience of tossing pokeballs, the attack left quite a mark on the rock it'd hit - or what rock used to be there, rather.

"Yes! Awesome!" Ash's feet left the ground, his fist punching the air. Needless to say, he was thoroughly proud of himself. "Did ya see that, guys? I made my own Aura Sphere! Ahaha!"

"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu marveled, tiny coal eyes glimmering in amazement.

~That was super cool!~ The latter pokemon observing cheered, equally proud.

"Ahem," Riley coughed, notably loud, at that. Slight irritation showed in his features toward Ash's nonchalant attitude. "The sphere came out fine, and your aim was notable. But, not quite good enough. With that kind of curve, your aura might be liable to miss. And… You could have followed the motion better. Keep working to follow the instructions, and you'll improve."

"Hah… Right!" Ash reached to rub the back of his head. Throwing pokeballs was such a habit, that it might have carried over… But, Ash's juvenile ways hadn't faded completely. Leaning over to little Rosemary, he whispered. "Hey, don't worry! I'll show ya the fun way to do it, later!"

Whether Riley had missed the remark or chose to ignore it was uncertain. "Now, Rosemary? I want you to try this, as well. Be sure to follow the stances that I just showed you. Lucario will help you along."

Suspecting that the instruction was a jab at his performance, Ash pouted.

~O-okay!~ The Riolu chirped, standing beside her evolved counterpart.

Lucario took the same stance as Riley, accustomed to his different structure. Once the charging pose was completed and sturdy, he waited patiently for Rosemary to imitate it.

~Like… This?~ She crouched a bit, each of her feet at a right angle to the other. Her paws were pulled back across her frame, moving just a bit too far past her center. She looked to Lucario.

Grunting in what was probably pokemon speak, he gestured to his paws, reminding her of the proper position to gather aura. With the stance's proper position was illustrated, he waited again.

The Riolu corrected herself, holding her paws toward her center, just inches apart.

Finding the stance satisfactory, Lucario continued, forging a brilliant point of light between his paws. Slowing down the process, he gradually formed a sphere, then waiting for Rosa to follow.

She swallowed. This part might be a bit more difficult… Focusing what she knew to be her aura, she did her best to push that power to the surface. A small light began to form with the utmost effort, creating the starting point of an Aura Sphere. Try as she may, though, she just couldn't seem to keep it stable. Instead, the attack shattered, sending bits of aura spraying every which way. Rosa yelped, falling onto her backside out of surprise.

"That's alright. You're quite young, so being able to channel aura at all is impressive. Now, just continue to follow the motions, and you'll be sure to form a proper Aura Sphere soon."

Lucario grunted, wiping ashes from his face after the explosion. This was going to be a long day.

The two fighting types continued to practice, recreating the same phenomenon over and over. Ash, meanwhile, continued his efforts. Each time, though, Ash was corrected by Riley for his stance, much to his dismay. Riley resisted the urge to rub his temple, repeating himself. "I know you're accustomed to your own ways, Ash. But if you're going to be an Aura Guardian, you must learn some measure of discipline. The sooner you learn the proper form, the better."

The boy let out an irritated groan, fiddling with his cap. "Man…" He really wasn't enjoying this formal, super-strict stance play. Compared to his usual penchant for throwing things, Riley's method of firing aura felt so… Unnatural.

"Let's forget firing Aura Spheres, since you seem accustomed enough to that. Just focus on your stance, along with the launching methods. Repeat them, and you'll grow used to them soon.

Ash hung his head, none too happy with the change in plans. "What a bummer…" But, Riley was the teacher after all, and he was giving Ash a valuable gift. Plus, he was tired of being scolded. Moving his right leg backward, he assumed the 'proper' position once more, carrying through with the thrusting of both of his palms, each mere inches from the other. Holding them at a constant distance was a pain, but he tried, tried, and tried again.

The duo's practice continued, carrying along with the shifting shadows set by the sun trudging through the sky and closer to the horizon. Ash had soon grown tired of this exercise, his arms feeling notably numb. Tired and frustrated, he stopped to slump against a nearby rock.

Rosa, meanwhile, had continued to practice the same technique, growing only marginally better in maintaining her aura externally. By now, Lucario's face had been notably covered in soot, much to his annoyance.

"I think that's enough for today," Riley intervened. "We can continue this tomorrow."


Hands in his pockets, Ash leisurely trailed beside Riley as they enjoyed the singular task on their "off" day. The new shipment of supplies would be coming in, and they'd brought along a cart to help with the task. For now, Rosa and Pikachu sat in it contently as Lucario pulled it along. The morning was chilly but pleasant.

As they approached the pier, Ash could already see the boat docked. Riley weaved in and out among the resort staffs. Their supply lots were much larger, pushed and pulled by Machokes and the occasional Machamp. The party quickly arrived at the grocery barge. Ash released Bulbasaur and Charizard. He'd been able to talk Wartortle into staying behind with Misdreavus to start making room in their pantry section for more food.

As Riley spoke with the supplier, Ash picked up Rosa. Pikachu also exited the cart. Lucario helped Charizard bring the three main boxes into the cart whilst Bulbasaur carefully organized their new batch of medical supplies. Riley returned from the providers with a fresh gas tank.

"...Hey! That's only three boxes! We normally get like… five!" Ash realized aloud.

Riley nodded. "You don't need it from me. I got you more rice and supplements because I'm not sure if all that garbage you've been eating is the best for you." Continuing as if Ash and his own party were not floored, Riley grabbed one side of the handle to the cart, waiting for Ash to take the other.

Riley… knew?! Ash was baffled. "H-How long have you…?"

"I was wondering about two days before Rosemary was born," the aura guardian pointed out before gesturing to the other side of the cart handle. Ash scrambled to get to it, quickly pulling his weight. Then, Riley continued. "I was certain you were getting extra food somehow since you didn't seem overly stressed once she was hatched. However, I didn't get proof until Charizard came back home early one day. It was the day Lucario cut his paw, remember? Lucario saw Charizard get some chips."

Ash resisted the urge to throw Charizard a dirty look. While the big fire type should have taken better care to hide his snacks, it wasn't really the dragon's fault.

"While Charizard did try to threaten Lucario into keeping quiet, Lucario is ever loyal," Riley finished.

At this time, Charizard looked over to Lucario, snorting indignantly that he had been squealed upon. Lucario, however, only had one eye open, glaring back at Charizard from the corner of his eye. After a moment, his little pink tongue poked out and Charizard growled. That was as far as it escalated, though.

"I'm not mad, though," Riley clarified. "You did what you had to in order to survive." He looked at the little Riolu on Ash's shoulder and smiled. "To protect those important to you, measures of deceit become acceptable." He dared to even laugh. "You were very strategic! I'm a little surprised."

"Hey! I'm good with planning for battles! I just had to think spa… spacial… spa…"

"Spatially?"

"Yeah, that! Think like that to organize the food!"

"Well, it all worked out, I suppose. That extra food helped you build up muscle from your punishment."

"...The Gravelers! I knew you didn't switch me up to pushing around Golems for no good reason!" Embarrassed, but pleased that he would be allowed to keep the extra portions his mother was sending him, Ash decided not to push the issue with the larger weights. He supposed it would help him out in the end.


The mentor's arms were crossed as usual as he leaned, deplorably lazily he admitted to himself, against the rocky walls of the cavern they trained in. By then, of course, it was meant Ash and Lucario. The blue decked Aura Guardian watched keenly as the two exchanged blows. Ash was keeping up. More impressively than that, he was keeping up while blindfolded. Relying primarily upon aura to replace his temporarily lost sight and his hearing; as well as his sense of smell a bit; sweaty jackal didn't smell grand - to keep up, it was clear that the apprentice had learned plenty.

However, the sparring match was probably drawing to a close. Riley could already see a tie was most appropriate. Both pokemon and person trembled, mouths agape as they dragged in heavy breaths. If they kept up much longer, Lucario might go to using aura in his punches and Ash was always quick to follow up. While Riley didn't mind patching them up after they got particularly vigorous in their matches, letting them get that rough again wouldn't prove anything.

"That's the match!" he barked. "It's a tie."

Lucario let out a low rumble to acknowledge Riley as Ash yanked the blindfold off, rubbing at his salt drenched eyes. All the sweat he'd been pouring out collected in the stupid thing. While Ash wasn't particularly fond of laundry duty, even he knew that wretched thing needed a good wring out after this.

"So, is that a good tie or a bad tie?" the trainer inquired, walking over to where Rosa stood waiting with his canteen. Pikachu had taken chattered praises for his trainer.

"A good tie," the mentor assured. Riley quickly went through a mental checklist. Ash could form aura, clearly knew how to fight with it, and even before he arrived for Riley's personal training knew to defend others. The boy even knew where to return if he wanted some more practice. The basics, and a bit more, were covered. Riley was satisfied with this, and realized it would be better if Ash did some growing on his own with just himself and Rosa in regards to aura training. It would deepen their bond, and likely force Ash to get more resourceful with how he used aura. "Well, let's head up to lunch then, shall we?"

"Alright!" Ash cheered, legs feeling like jelly but willing himself to run after Riley, who had a head start thanks to not being in the match area, but standing instead near the entrance to the cavern. Food was an excellent motivator for the boy.

As they exited the cave and walked into the chilly February morning, Riley realized it had been around two months that Ash had been with him. But now... "Ash."

"Huh?" the trainer responded.

"Your training is complete. I'll help you make arrangements to go… You said something about visiting the rest of Sinnoh, didn't you? Or, did you want to go home?"

There was a pause. Ash nodded his head, realizing how long it had been and how much he'd learned. This had been a much shorter ordeal than Mount Silver's training season. Then again, he had someone guiding him this time. "Right. Thank you. And, yeah, Sinnoh… I've got some people I wanna see." He looked to the sky, thinking of Twinleaf. But, maybe he shouldn't head there right off the bat.

"If you decide you've gotten rusty, you're welcome to return. From here on out you can take it easy until the boat comes for you." Riley felt a weight lifted off him. He'd been worried, honestly. What if he hadn't trained Ash? Would the boy have ever learned on his own? What if the day came when the world needed a champion? Not from the Leagues, but from somewhere more ancient and mystic, a hero whose powers could rival those of any pokemon…? Well, now, Riley knew there were at least two chances of it being attended to.

And, somehow, he got the feeling that Ash was more likely to be that champion. He was surprised by the lack of jealousy he felt within his heart. Then again, he'd always found himself to be more of a hermit. Ash… Now, Ash could fit that heroic archetype. Riley was content to merely have trained him.

It took the trainer asking Riley to unlock the house for him to realize how long he'd spent inside his own thoughts. Quickly brought back into reality, Riley opened the door as Ash chattered about this being perfect for his timing, concerning the League in Kanto and the other things he wanted all while the boy pulled out food.

"Don't make a mess!" Riley quipped, momentary tenderness swiftly replaced by his command for order in his own house.


Soon enough, the ferry to Canalave had docked, its loud horn blaring for the entire island to hear. The docks were crowded and filled as usual, much to a certain small Riolu's dismay.

Clinging to Ash's shoulder opposite of Pikachu, Rosa simply hitched a ride, doing her best to ignore the abundance of people that passed by as Ash approached the boat, with Riley and Lucario in tow. She had plenty of space, though, with Ash's roster surrounding him.

"Well, I guess this is farewell, for now. I trust you'll use the knowledge you've picked up here well, Ash. You've got a very special gift under your belt, now." Looking to the Emanation pokemon, he continued. "And, you, Rosemary. An Aura Guardian's partner is a very important role to fill. As for the rest of you… Ash is quite lucky to have you among his roster. You've done a good job seeing your trainer through thick and thin. We'll miss your company, as well."

Though Riley had set a somber mood, it seemed one party member in particular was having none of that. ~Big Brother!~ When Rosa jumped down from Ash's shoulder, it was only by Lucario's skill that he could catch her so suddenly. ~I'm gonna miss you!~ she wailed, hugging the other fighting type tightly.

As if on cue, Misdreavus began the waterworks, letting out a ghostly wail along with it.

Pikachu flinched but waved at Riley and Lucario all the same. After hugging the little Riolu tightly, Lucario returned her to Ash, pausing to send Charizard a playful sneer. Competitive as usual, Charizard returned with what could only be described as a grimace. After a moment the two both chuckled about it.

Bulbasaur's vines slowly weaved out, giving both Riley and Lucario a friendly handshake. Wartortle merely nodded and saluted.

The boat sounded its fog horn, a warning that minutes stood between them and departure.

So, Riley wasted no time, giving a final nod before turning away, hand up one final time for a wave goodbye. "I meant what I said! You'll make a fine Aura Guardian… even if you've got an odd taste in hats."

Ash huffed. "Hey! Who's talking?! You're sportin' a fedora! What is this?! The 20's?!" As Riley grew distant, the trainer grew calmer. "...Thanks. I'll miss ya'." It had been rather nice having a mentor, but Riley's specialty was not in the same area as Ash's dream. Their paths would diverge here. Still, he was quick to cheer up again. "Okay, gang! Sorry, but everyone who isn't shorter than two feet and has volume control has to go back in their pokeball!" Misdreavus let out a huff, clearly targeted by the volume control comment, but she, like the rest of the larger team, returned willingly to their pokeballs.

In short order, Ash was boarded and walking around the deck of the ship, biding time as his portion of the journey would be short enough to not need a cabin to stay in. Making his way to the front of the boat, he rested his arms on the railing. Smiling wide, he peered over the horizon, chocolate orbs glittering with excitement. He adjusted his cap, accounting for the gentle breeze that crossed over his features. "I wonder what we're gonna do now… We've still got plenty of time before the league comes around." It'd only been two months, after all… They weren't in a rush.

"Hey, I know! Why don't we go see Paul? I bet he's gotten a whole lot stronger, too!"

"Pikachu~!" Pikachu chimed, equally excited with the idea. Maybe they could have their promised rematch… Oh, who was he kidding? That was bound to happen. What a way to test their progress!

~Paul?~ Rosa echoed, cocking her head. She hadn't heard of him before. ~Is he nice, too?~

"Uh… Well, he's an old rival of mine!" Ash stammered, hopping over the question. Maybe it was best he didn't frighten the young fighter. "I told him we'd battle again sometime. Now's as good a time as any!" Adjusting his cap again, he turned back toward the sea. "Alright. Veilstone City! Here we come!"