Hey Nuggies! Well I really shouldn't be doing this, but here I am writing another fanfiction since I have writers block on a few of my other ones, and because this won't leave me alone. Here is your warning this will be SLASH! Not to sure on if it'll be M!Preg or not, but at this current moment I have not thought about it.

Main Pairing: AshxPaul

Side pairing: AshxGary (One sided on Gary's part)

Rating: M (to be safe)

Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon it belongs to Game Freak, Nintendo, Creatures, The Pokemon Company, etc, nor do I write this for profit. This is for entertainment use only.

A/N: Another chapter?! So soon!? Gah! I've started re-reading 'Challenger' by darkfire1220 and I just got the strongest urge to write this. So here ya go!

NarupokeeAurorafan, thank you! I hope you're being safe as well during these trying times (as I do the rest of my readers, I do hope you are all well and safe!). I certainly am!

himeko63, I thank you as well for you review! I'm ecstatic that this story has become a personal favorite of yours! You don't have to wait long for the next chapter! It's here!

Tigergirl1723, I'm making you happy in this chapter.

Enjoy my little nuggies! And please don't forget to leave a review they give me motivation to keep writing!

Ash was already up and ready with his pokémon by the time the Captain of the guard knocked on his door. Opening it he saw a rather stern looking man with two others in what they would deem civilian clothes around here. One man, a red haired blue eyed man, wore a pair of dark cloth like pants and a white shirt while the other man, he had green eyes and black hair, wore light brown cloth pants and a grey shirt. Strapped on each of their hips were belts with pokéballs and swords attached to them.

"Mr. Ketchum," the stern looking man said and stepped aside so Ash could leave his room, "I'm Captain Herris. These two are Knights Arturo and Nicolet they will be accompanying you to the Aura Ruins. Arturo go to the kitchen before you leave and gather some food for you three. Do try to be back by nightfall."

Ash watched as Herris left the three of them standing in the hallway. The red haired man, Arturo, started walking the other way, "This way to the kitchens Mr. Ketchum," he said as Nicolet followed Ash from behind after he began to Arturo.

"Please, just Ash," Ash said as he looked at the paintings on the walls through the hall. There weren't many, but there was enough for him to get distracted. Pikachu, who had jumped on his shoulder before they left the room, chirped softly and nuzzled his cheek as if he had felt the nervousness his trainer felt.

"Then just call us Arturo and Nicolet," Nicolet said moving to walk beside the dark haired teen, "We aren't much older than you are. No need to call us Knight."

Ash nodded as he was led deeper into the castle to where he assumed the kitchen was. The further they went down the less decorated the castle was, but Ash could tell it was still kept in a nicely neat order and well cleaned. The hall that they had turned into only had one opening and there wasn't even a door to it, but Ash could see, hear, and smell the evidence of the kitchen.

He could smell freshly baked bread and spices as the chefs cooked the morning meals for the residents of the castle. His mouth watered as they entered the warm room thanks to the ovens. "We'll have breakfast before we leave to given them time to procure a bad of food," Arturo said as he led Ash to a square table near the corner of the room. It had four chairs to it and Ash decided to pick the chair closest to the wall since he didn't want to have his back to the rest of the room.

"What do you want to eat? Does your Pikachu want anything?" Nicolet asked Ash as the yellow mouse in question jumped off his shoulder and onto the table.

"Um what ever is available is fine," Ash hummed and looked down at Pikachu and saw pleading eyes and he knew that Pikachu didn't want pokéfood, "Eggs and some bacon for him if that's okay. Thank you." Ash sighed softly. His Pikachu was a glutton. He had already fed his pokémon in his room before he was retrieved and escorted to the kitchen.

He saw Nicolet let out a small laugh before the knight turned and asked one of the chefs for food. He spotted Arturo grabbing glasses of what looked to be water for them before heading back to the table. "Did Nicolet already ask you for what you wanted?" Arturo asked as he set the glasses down.

Ash nodded as Arturo sat down to the right of him and leaned back in his chair. "So, Ash what made you want to visit the Aura Ruins?" Arturo asked.

The teen looked over at the red head and licked his lips before speaking, "Do you know Professor Oak?" He continued after getting a nod, "I've been learning from him for a while now and he use to tell me of the ruins but he never told me the name. I guess the old age is getting to him. Anyway, he told me of the carvings on the walls and the history of the ruins and to be honest it intrigued me. I had made myself a goal for when I started my journey to visit the ruins and it so happened that Professor Oak needed something brought to Rota. Have you been to the ruins?"

Arturo shook his head, "No, the Knights use to go there for sparring lessons before Queen decreed the place to be closed off. It's a historical landmark for Rota. The Aura Guardians, when there were Aura Guardians alive, used to use the place as their headquarters, but after the war a thousand years ago it wiped out the Guardians and no one has been able to wield Aura since so the place turned back to nature."

"Aura?" Ash asked as Nicolet joined the table with their food. Pikachu cooed as he dug in not caring if there was ketchup or not.

"You don't know about Aura?" Nicolet asked as Arturo sipped his water before he began eating.

Ash shook his head as he took the bread on his plate and broke tiny pieces off of it for Pikachu.

"It's a spiritual energy," Nicolet said after Ash began eating, "it's the essence of all living beings. People who have the ability were able to use it both mentally and physically. My great Nana swore her grandfather had Aura."

Ash chewed his food before swallowing so he could ask another question, "How do you know if you have the ability?"

Arturo answered this time, "You're born with it. Back in the olden times before and during the war people were brought the the ruins to see if they had Aura. There was a test or something. If you had it you stayed. If you didn't have it you could go home."

Ash nodded and dropped the topic as he dug into his food. They finished quickly and after being given the bag of food and drink they left through the back door of the kitchen. Pikachu had jumped into his backpack to sleep off the food he had consumed. The servants entrance and exit he was told. By the time they left the kitchen the sun had already rose high into the sky, but he was told the ruins weren't that far from the castle.

The walk to the ruins were the calmest Ash had ever experience since there wasn't a hide or hair of pokémon around at all. When Ash asked why there wasn't any pokémon around he was told that it had been that way since the Guardians were wiped out. It was as if the life had been sucked out of the forest around the ruins.

The further they went into the ruins the stronger Ash felt as though he wasn't in control of his body. He could still feel his feet moving as they walked back bits of stone that would have tripped him up. It was when they walked into the entrance way of the ruins that Ash completely lost all physical feelings in his body.

There were broken stones and moss covered entrances leading deeper into the ruins from where they stopped by the center where laid a carving of a pokémon surrounded by carvings of other pokémon and people. Nature really had taken this place back. All Ash could feel at that moment was a deep seeded sadness that tugged his very core the further he walked into the broken ruins. He didn't even notice when Arturo and Nicolet stopped just before the center of the ruins as he had just kept walking letting the tugging feeling guide him.

"Ash?" Arturo called out to the teen

Ash couldn't hear him it was as if his head had been dunked into water with a roaring waterfall clashing against the surface. Arturo and Nicolet shared a look before Arturo walked over to where Ash stopped at the center carving and turned the teen around. "Nicolet!" he called out as he stared into Ashs' eyes. They weren't red tinted amber whiskey eyes that he was born with. They had turned into a bright blue in color that rivaled the sky on a beautiful day.

Ash turned away from the two Knights and stepped on the very center of the carving.

A moment passed.

Then two.

All of a sudden the carving glowed the same blue that Ashs' eyes turned and a deep groaning sound echoed through the ruins before the center of the carving slowly descended into dark depths taking Ash with it. Arturo and Nicolet looked at each other as a stone circle covered the hole where Ash had disappeared.

"Fuck," Nicolet cursed.

"Fuck," Arturo agreed.

Ash was taken deeper into the ruins further than anyone had been in over a thousand years. Down here the ruins were as good as new if not a bit dusty. Time and nature hadn't taken this place yet. As Ash stepped into a room a blue glow lit the room as if a light had been turned on letting him see into the room perfectly.

As he walked further leaving room after room in search of something Pikachu had decided to peek out of the backpack. Seeing his trainer like this scared him. He wasn't responding to anything, but Pikachu would keep an ear and eye out for any danger that would harm his trainer.

Not noticing the weight on his shoulder Ash turned into a room suddenly making Pikachu clutch at his shirt to keep on his shoulder. Once again the blue glow lit up the room and it showed an office of a sort. A dusty desk, completely clear except for dust, a bookcase filled with books, and a painting of a woman was the only things in the room.

Walking over to the book Ash reached up and pulled a yellowed book down but when he did that a soft click sounded through the silent room. Looking over Pikachu saw the painting of the woman, a brunet with green eyes, open revealing a staircase leaving down. Going down the stairs Ash felt the tugging getting worse.

Here.

The female voice had Ash stopping at the bottom of the stairs while all of a sudden feeling like he had his body back under control. Shaking his head and wince at the throb it gave back before peering around. The stone room the stairs led to was larger than the office at the top of the stairs.

Come here.

Looking around once again hearing a female voice he saw a see through woman standing in front of a dirty glass case with a large painting behind it. She was shorter than him by a few inches and wore a dark cloak that hid most of her body. The hood was down on the cloak exposing her face. She had large and kind brown doe like eyes and shoulder cropped brown hair. She gave Ash a smile and reached out to him in a beckoning gesture.

Ash took a deep breath before walking over to her. "Was that you?" he asked referring to the voice he heard. He saw her nod before she turned away from him to look at the dirty glass case.

My name is Marie Grace Redfern. I was an Aura guardian one thousand and six years ago. I died when I was seventeen during the war.

Ash gulped softly as he looked at her. She was a ghost? It did make sense since he could see through her.

I was also the last one alive in these halls. The others died before me thanks to the Corrupted.

"Corrupted?" Ash asked. Marie nodded giving him a glance.

Someone who was once an Aura Guardian. Someone who had vowed to protected everything. Someone who had gone against their Oaths. They are the Corrupted. They perverted the use of Aura to reach their own gains.

Ash shivered as he felt something cold brush by him. Looking around he didn't see anything, but he turned to Marie who had an amused look on her face. "Why am I here? Why did you bring me down here?" he asked as Pikachu leaned closer to him.

You're the first person who had come here in over a thousand years who had Aura. Now that you are here I may complete my goal and rest.

"Goal?" he asked hesitantly.

Marie nodded and sent him a smile. I was commanded to stay here until someone with Aura enters the ruins. Without you Aura would fade away only to be told as stories in history books. Aura is needed Ash. Its the balance of life. Without Aura the Corrupted will take over and the world as we know it ends.

Aura needs you Ash Ketchum.

Will you accept it as it has accepted you?

Marie stared into his eyes and Ash felt as if he were being judged by something that wasn't Marie. He took a deep breath and thought over his decision. If he really was the last one to wield Aura could he shoulder the responsibility of keeping the world in check as Marie said. Or would he fail and the world falls into the hands of the Corrupted.

Taking another deep breath Ash cleared his throat and said, "I accept." He saw Marie smile before he was engulfed in blue. Pikachu quickly leaped off his trainer and landed on the floor. He watched as Ash was swallowed up by the blue glow he had seen around the place before it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. "Woah," Ash mumbled as he let out a slow breath.

Congratulations Aura Trainee Ash Ketchum. Marie said catching Ashs' attention. Everything you need is over there on the book shelf along with gloves and boots in the chest by it. Collect them then come back. There is one more thing to do before I go to rest.

Ash nodded as he slowly made his way to the book shelf. The books on it were dusty, but in good shape. There were three books in total 'The History of Aura', 'A Complete Guide to Aura', and the last book was larger than the other two 'The Journal of Aura Masters'. He quickly put them in his back making sure to not fold the covers or pages. Walking over to the chest he opened it and retrieved the gloves and boots in it and placed them in his bag as well before heading back to Marie.

Before I depart Ash in this case behind me lays the only egg my beloved Lucario laid. Will you take it and care for it? That is my only wish.

"A-Are you sure?" Ash asked as his eyes widened. Marie nodded as she gave Ash a small smile.

Once I leave this place the ruins will collapse. I do not wish for the egg and the youngling inside to die. I do not wish for my Lucarios' line to die. Will you take it? Care for it?

"Yes," Ash said as he gave her a sharp nod.

Thank you Ash. Please take the egg. Once you have you will be teleported outside of the ruins where you left your companions. You'll have a few moments to moved before the ruins collapse.

"I understand," Ash replied before moving to the case. Looking over it he saw a hand like print and placed his hand on it making it glow blue. A hiss and a pop sound made his jump slightly before the glass sunk into the stone column the egg rested on. The egg itself was blue in the majority of its coloring with black bands running around it. Picking it up he felt a pulse of what he knew was Aura before it settled and Ash could feel the warmth of life on the egg.

He turned to Marie, who had a soft sad smile on her lips, "I still have a lot of questions, but I think I can find the answers myself," he said as he heard the first bit of cracking of the ruins falling around them, "Goodbye Marie. Rest well."

Thank you Ash. Good luck.

Before he was teleported out he saw Marie fade away leaving this world once and for all.

Stumbling on a rock after arriving outside he looked up and saw Arturo and Nicolet and yelled, "RUN!" He turned away from the ruins and ran towards the tree line and from the sounds of footfalls behind him Arturo and Nicolet were following him. He didn't stop until he was past the tree line and he turned around just in time to see the beautiful broken ruins fall into itself leaving a sunken hole behind.

Panting he turned to look at Arturo and Nicolet with a sheepish smile on his face. "Y-You have a lot of explaining to do," Arturo said panting as he stared at the sheepish looking teen.