Disclaimer: I still have nothing to do with Pokémon. I'm only borrowing it for entertainment.

A/N: Second chapter is up. This chapter will set the stage for the next couple of chapters, and give some plot points to the story later on.

A Shade of Blue

I've damned myself to a
path I see no way out of.
Please, show me a sign!
I fear I'm breaking...

-Ash Ketchum "Red"

"Tell me one more time," I said, trying to start a conversation. Again. "Where are we going?"

I followed the blasted man through the almost impenetrable fog and low-hanging twigs, shielding my face against thorns with my right arm. It was growing numb to the pain. I was slowly going mad in this never-ending forest and one-sided conversations. Riley, my first human company in months, wasn't the talkative sort; in fact, I've had better conversations with Pikachu.

My mouse was perched on my shoulder, and it nuzzled into my cheek in an attempt to calm my temper. It didn't really work, but I appreciated the gesture all the same. I gave it a little scratch behind the ear; it always liked that…

Riley stopped abruptly and uttered a sigh that suggested great suffering. "The Tree of Beginning," he said.

I'd noticed some things about Riley in the last couple of days. He knew his way around this forest way better than me, which was a little unsettling considering how much time I've spent in this godforsaken place. He didn't like talking – actually, he hated it with a silent passion – and the few times he did talk, he stopped doing whatever else he was doing.

In this case he stopped walking… directly in front of me.

"Whoa!" I exclaimed, flailing my arms as I used my considerable strength to make a quick pirouette around the man. I succeed in avoiding him, but unfortunately a root was sticking up from the ground and caught around my foot. I felt flat on my ass on the hard, unforgiving stony road, Pikachu jumping from my shoulder just in time.

Normal people would have laughed, Drew. Normal people would have given a helping hand with a smile, telling you to be more careful or sorry for being in the way, right? Not this guy – oh no, not this guy. The glare that met my eyes when I looked up could have frozen the fires of Hell.

"What the hell are you doing?" he all but spat at me – I thought for a minute I saw foams around his mouth, he reminded me of a Granbull. A very angry Granbull with very sharp fangs.

I sat there on my bruised ass, wondering if he was joking around. I mean, nobody could be that cold, right? Surely, he was just messing with me, pulling my chain, and whatever else saying you can come up with, buddy.

"I – you… what?" I must have looked like the confused fool that I felt.

His face was set in stone, looking at me like I had just told him his newborn child was an intersex. "Are you waiting for an invitation? Get up."

I got up; almost feeling compelled to say, yes sir. He looked me up and down, sighed one more time, and turned around and started walking again.

I hated the way he turned, like he knew I was gonna follow him, even after he basically just humiliated me. I hated that I had to follow him; I preferred to do things alone – is that the feeling you've gotten from me, too, doctor? A lone wolf, huh. Probably right, it has to be that way; too many people get hurt around me...

But I needed him, needed his expertise and knowledge. I needed him more than he needed me. Or so I thought at the time…

I rushed up to him, walking beside him this time, oh yeah, smart boy this one, and I felt Pikachu jump onto my shoulder again. It took me a second to remember what we had been talking about. "What is the Tree of Beginning again?"

I had asked this question a couple of times over the last three days, and judging by Riley's expression he remembered those times pretty well. He stopped walking again. Ha, missed me. "Nobody really knows – the Tree hasn't been seen in over a millennium – but it's believed to be the beginning of life," he said. "The place where it all began…"

"But that doesn't really explain anything," I said with a frown, recognizing the answer as the same he always gave, or almost… he had left the conversation open this time. "And if the Tree has been hidden for so long, then how can we be sure it even exist?" I was more than a little skeptical, Drew. I had read all the rumors and facts, and nothing had been substantial enough to make me believe in its existence.

"We can't, but..." he stopped midsentence, hesitation written clearly across his face, he looked almost... embarrassed. Then he apparently threw whatever caution he had to the wind. "But they know. They say that the Tree was a gift to mankind, a gift that was later taken back because mankind tainted its power."

"They say? Who are they?" I had a feeling I already knew the answer.

Riley's face had become truly unreadable. The irreplaceable frown more firmly in place than ever. But I thought I could detect a measure of – fear? "Have you ever heard about Arceus, Ash?"

I blinked, and then rolled my eyes. really? Did he really want to go there? "Yeah," I said slowly, taking care to hide to note of scorn in my voice. "The Pokémon God, right? It's a pretty big deal in Sinnoh from what I understand."

Riley snorted – he actually honest-to-fucking-Arceus snorted. "Pretty big deal, he says – only the creator of everything, nothing major. In Sinnoh they believe that the Tree is a gateway between worlds. A link Arceus created many years ago so it could keep watch of this world… and the next."

"A gateway to heaven, huh?" Ah okay, I was never really a great believer in the unknown and unexplained, which was weird when you thought about what I had devoted my life to. I didn't believe in Arceus and his creations of otherworldly strength. Dialga and Palkia, the rulers of Time and Space. The very notion of beings capable of controlling such powers was inconceivable to me. If those legends were true, then it would remove any shed of doubt about our own control of our lives. It would make me mad after everything I've done, Drew.

Madder, yes, madder, of course…

The Godly Ruins in Sinnoh was filled with scripts that contained tales of beings with so much power that the very fabric of our world changed every time they fought. And they fought, of course – we humans have to have gotten our lust for conflict somewhere, right?

The people of Sinnoh were very dedicated to Arceus and its deeds. Hell, some of them were downright fanatics, going to temples and pray to a Deity they had never seen, and probably never to glimpse at in their life. The power of believe, eh? It can change a man in ways nobody can predict…

"You don't really believe that, do you?" I asked.

"Of course not," Riley said. "It all bullshit, but that's beside the point."

"What's the point?" I asked warily, dryly. I didn't give a fuck for this.

"What if it's not just bullshit?" he replied, his words filled with promise and hidden truths. "What if all those legends about a heaven and hell, a creator of the very existence were true – a being so powerful that it could breathe life upon darkness? Think about what that would mean?"

I didn't want to, man. As I've said, it would change everything. "Every legend has a grant of truth in it…" I trailed off, still not sure I liked where this was going.

"Exactly, exactly," Riley said, his eyes shining with excitement. I was seeing a new side of Riley – there was a thirst for knowledge behind that cold exterior. "We live in a world filled with creatures that can breathe fire and create earthquakes with a thought. If Aura is real, then we can assume that the Tree in the legends is more than just an ordinary tree."

"But how would you find the Tree? I mean, isn't it supposed to be this giant thing that nobody would miss – wouldn't our space satellites or something have caught a tree that puts mountains to shame?"

The Tree was supposed to be so big that it was once considered the central point of our flat planet. It was fairytales and make-believe, but you should never underestimate the power of a good story, Drew.

"You would think so, right?" Riley shook his head. "But for some strange reason, the Tree escapes our eyes time and time again."

"Or it might not exist. Arceus, Dialga and Palkia, The Tree... maybe there all just legends. Yes?"

"No," Riley replied with such conviction that it almost made me believe him. "Arceus and its creations might not be real, but the Tree is very real.

"How do you know that?"

Riley sighed and looked at me, all delightfulness and excitement leaving his face. He looked haunted. "I've seen it."

I blinked. "You've seen it?"

"Yes, it's a magnificent and terrible sight to behold – so much power… it almost killed me."

"Killed you? How?"

"It used Aura," Riley said, rubbing his face tiredly. "No, it was Aura."

"I don't understand," I said, quite confused. "If the Tree almost killed you, then why are we on our way towards it?" I took a quick look at our surroundings, noting the fog slowly clearing. I could see the path we were walking on now, see the spot where I busted my ass some moments ago.

We had been standing too long in the same spot.

Riley looked around, too. "I don't believe it will kill you," he said, as he started walking again. I could hear drizzling water in the distance, and the air seemed to become moister with our every step. A waterfall, I thought. Hopefully, it would provide us with some caves, giving us shelter for the night.

"Why wouldn't it hurt me?" I asked.

You wield Aura, too," he replied, looking at me from the corner of his eye. He's body posture was rigid, like he could see all the monster hiding in the shadows. "It won't hurt its own kind."

"But I can't wield my Aura," I reminded him, walking beside him.

"You will," he promised. "When I'm done with you, you won't be able to recognize yourself."

Truer words have never been spoken, Drew.

And so it began, my training towards the fatal meeting with the Tree. The Tree was a sentient being said to give some of its power to those it saw worthy - I had to become worthy. Of course, this was all what my trainer told me, and I just had to trust him on his word. But he was right, Drew, we both know that.

I was in a moderately good shape before meeting my trainer, but he turned me into a… machine – no pun intended, of course. But it quickly became clear for both of us that something wasn't right, that something was holding me back.

I never realized what was wrong during the training, or maybe I did and was just to chickenshit to face the truth about myself. But in any case, I didn't improve fast enough. Oh, I got stronger, faster, smarter – well, maybe not smarter – but it was slow progress, and even though he seldom said anything, I could feel his ire growing for everyday I failed.

But I did change. Aura Spheres stopped having the effect of the plague on me every time I produced one, now they just made me want to crawl into a black hole and die.

Have you ever done something that you didn't want to, Drew? Have you ever pushed forward while your very soul screamed at you to back down, to give it up and go back to your normal life? Have you ever felt so compelled to do something that you gave up the thing you wanted the most just so you could make a goddamn difference? Have you ever felt like you truly mattered?

I didn't like doing this, not one bit. I hated everything about my life, my trainer, my training; my fucking Aura was a curse to me. But I did it all anyway because I knew that someday I'd be needed to step up and defend the world against the monsters lurking behind the corner. I wasn't smarter than everyone else; just brave enough to face the truth about our world.

It's overrated, you know. Being the hero, making a difference… heroes don't exist. I haven't found one, at least. I could have been happy. I could have sit and sipped on my tea in the moonlight with the woman I loved by my side, but then what would have happened to the world.

We make choices, and those choices stay with us for the rest of our lives. We can't take them back, at least not those that matters. I'll live with the choices I've made forever… but just know this, Drew, without me you'd all be annihilated.

And that's enough to keep me going. It has always been enough…

I jumped and rolled out of the way, feeling the pillars of flames licking at my skin like at poisonous snake. Gaining my feet far quicker than I had been able to a few months ago, I blocked the hit that threaten to take my head off. My hand trembled under the force of the blow, but I pushed on through the pain and went on the offense. My hand lashed out; going for my opponent's neck with everything I had left, wanting to end the fight before I collapsed.

It blocked my hit like it had read my mind.

It pushed me back with a strength I shouldn't be able to counter, but I gritted my teeth and pushed back. We were inches apart, identical snarls on our faces and hatred in our eyes. I shook all over with the effort but I finally managed to get it pushed off me, getting enough distance between us to give my Aura a workout.

I screamed in primal fury, firing two blazing blue energy Spheres from my palms. The fucking bastard took the blows directly to the chest, my Aura Spheres sending it flying off. It sailed through the air as if in slow motion and crumbled to the ground in a heap some thirty feet away.

"Yes!" I breathed in triumph, resting my hands on my knees. I finally defeated the little-

Something crunched on the ground, sounds of footsteps reaching my eyes, and I realized with growing dread that the fight wasn't over. I looked up, meeting two icy blue eyes narrowed to slits, animalistic fury swirling in its orbs. I almost gulped before realizing that was considered a sign of weakness.

Never show weakness, Riley had kept hammering into my brain the first two months of the… training camp. He had yelled those words into my ear, while I was getting my ass kicked by the creature standing in front of me now.

It took a deep breath and blurred out of vision, moving faster than my eyes could follow, but I sensed it – oh boy, did I feel it moving.

My Aura screamed at me to get my ass moving out of the way.

I moved, letting myself fall in a dived roll that had me dodging in the last second as the Pokémon came blurring into my former position. I had a moment to pride myself that I actually felt it coming without seeing it. But then my laugh died on my lips, as the fucker just stopped as if it had only been walking, kicking up dirt and mud in its turn around.

Then it moved again, zooming out of my vision. I closed my eyes panicky, searching for the motherfucker before it-

CRUNTCH!

Pain racked through my body, as I was sent spiraling away by the fist to my abdomen – I hadn't even felt the Pokémon move. I crashed in a heap, feeling like I just broke my spine. I groaned and turned on the ground, starring bleary-eyed up at the Pokémon that was walking towards me with lazy movements.

"Fucking Infernape…" I whispered, closing my eyes and breathing out slowly. "Ouch… that hurt."

The damned monkey stopped directly in front of me. I wanted to defend myself, rise up and fight back, but this was not the first time I had been forced to my knees in this fight. Every time, I felt like I was gaining some momentum, the little bastard used Quick Attack and disappeared from my vision.

I got on my hands and knees, as far as I could manage, and stared at the ground, feeling the monkey heat up as it prepared the deathblow. I raised my head through the pain and locked eyes with my executioner; I wanted to be face-to-face with my defeat.

"Enough," a low voice said to my side.

I breathed again, noting for the first time I had been holding it, and collapsed completely this time. My rips felt cracked, and my left eye was seeing red, blood running like a thin river from my forehead. The cold, unforgiving voice sounded like a choirs of angels singing down on me at that moment.

I heard his footsteps growing closer, my savior and tormentor were circling me. "Where did you go wrong?" he muttered.

Where did I go wrong? I was finding it somewhat difficult to see or think through the pain and blood. My lungs were burning. "I didn't… use my Aura… to guide me… enough."

He crouched beside me as I got on my knees again, flicking the blood out of my eyes with my hand. "You have to keep focusing on the energy within you at all times if you want to master it," Riley said, almost gently.

"Easier said than done." I trembled and hurt all over as I finally got on my feet again. I couldn't help but look down at my chest. It was heavily scared and burned, marks I had received in the last months while training with Riley. The burn marks had been in my last training session with Infernape, its Flamethrower had swallowed me whole. I had woken up three days later. I was still not sure how Riley had saved me.

"In time, it will become second nature for you to call upon your Aura, but for now it'll take hard work," he whispered. "Nobody said it was gonna be easy."

"Easy? Easy! I'm fighting against a flaming monkey who knows karate! That's not hard work, that's flat out insane."

"You have got to stop seeing the world in black and white. You're beyond human perception now, Ash, start acting like it."

I frowned, taking my time to answer, and get my breath under control. "What the hell are you talking about this time?"

Riley sighed. "You're getting better every day, and I'm sure it will only be a matter of time before you get it down, but…" he paused and looked at his Infernape. It was standing still and to attention. "…we don't have that much time. You fight like a human, with a human's limitations. You don't have those limits – they don't apply to you – it's your mind that keeps building these… these walls around yourself, protecting yourself from your true power."

"I'm not scared – and I am a human," I said, fast and sure. "My body has the same limits as yours – as every man has."

"Look around you, Ash." Riley pointed at a thick trunk at couple of meters away from me. The tree had been torn from its trunk, I distinctly remembered one of my Aura Spheres cutting through it. "Normal humans don't throw balls of energy around from their body, slicing through trees like they were paper. You're not just a man anymore, you're something more…"

"I am human," I said, almost growled.

"That's your problem right there," Riley replied, infuriatingly calm. How did he keep his composure so… perfectly? "You keep clinging to your humanity because you think it will save you. We humans are, in our nature, a flawed species."

"You sound like you've already given up on us," I accused. I could feel my damned temper rising within me again. "If we humans are so hopeless, then why are you out here helping me in the first place?"

"I've already told you that. I believe you can save us." He rubbed his eyes with his unnatural thin, white hand, looking more tired and worn than I'd ever seen him. "The human race is not lost; it just needs a push – a wakeup call."

I sighed, and sat down on the trunk I had carved through. "What if I can't give them that push?"

Riley sat down beside me. "Then Giovanni will slowly take over everything with a personal army of cloned Pokémon. An army of super Pokémon."

I blinked and narrowed my eyes, feeling old insecurities and suspicions about the man looming in the corners of my mind again. "How do you know about that?" I whispered

"The super-clones?" he asked. I nodded, gesturing for him to continue and keeping a neutral expression. "Giovanni approached me about his project. The cloning of Mew. Second attempt. Apparently, there was a teenager who had destroyed his first experiment."

I had destroyed his plans, but I didn't care for the not-so-subtle pat on my shoulder. "You knew about his experiments… and did nothing?"

"There was nothing I could have done."

"How about telling someone – how about destroying the lab like I did? How about fucking kill the guy while you talked to him?"

"If Giovanni was that easy to get rid of, don't you think he would be dead by now?" Riley asked. "And I saw what happened to you when you decided to take action."

"At least I did something!" I snarled, leaping to my feet and towering over the fucking coward. "The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in times of great moral crisis-"

"-Maintain their neutrality. I'm familiar with the saying. It doesn't change the fact that you were the only one reckless and stupid enough to think you could actually beat him. This isn't a war ordinary humans can win. We need more…"

"There is no war! The fight is already lost as long as people keep turning the other cheek to him."

"And you think you inspired people to stand up to him, hmm?" Riley asked, rising to his own feet. He looked just as angry as I felt. Angry but calm, a feat I could never hope to copy. "Everybody knows you defied him, Ash, and everybody knows that your mother got burned for it. Do you really think that will make people willing to take a stand? Lance took Giovanni's side over yours out of fear. Nothing more – nothing else. That kind of fear is… an immovable power… nobody will dare to fight him again. Until someone shows them the way."

I felt like killing him right there on the spot, tearing his body apart limp for fucking limp. I hated my mother – even in her death – but she was my mother. She, along with the rest of Pallet Town, had burned in my defiance. And for Riley to just so casually bring it up…

But he was right, it was my fault.

I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry.

"Lance might be the Champion of Kanto, but Giovanni is its King," Riley finally said, sitting down again with a wary expression. "If he didn't want Lance to be the Champion, then he wouldn't be. And it's only a matter of time before he has his army ready… and then the world will have nothing to answer him with."

I sat down beside him, feeling my own anger run dry. There was no point in anger right now. "That's why you came looking for me."

Riley nodded. "Five years ago, I felt something – a power beyond anything I've ever felt. I've been looking for that power ever since."

Five years ago… "I should've died that night," I said. "I did die that night. Giovanni had me surrounded, but…"

"Your Aura was not ready to give up," Riley guessed or knew. He probably knew – the bastard seemed to know everything.

I could hear my Pokémon training in the distance, resounding booms of their awesome powers reaching my ears. I searched for their energy sources – their Auras. I found them easily enough. Quickly focusing on the sparring match between Charizard and Garchomp, I became a silent spectator to their fight. How they never got more hurt than they did I couldn't fathom, but somehow they always made it out alive from their insane training.

I closed my eyes, seeing the world in a different perspective. Blue lights dance across my sight and coalesced into a living and breathing blue world. I could see Charizard belched its Flamethrower at Garchomp as if I was standing right next to it, I could see every muscles in Garchomp's hind legs bulged as it jumped out of the way.

This was the kind of creatures I was gonna have to go up against sometime in the future…

"So… I should let go of my humanity?" I asked after a minute or two spent in silence, almost chuckling at the idea. "Be the weapon against Giovanni?"

Riley blinked, looking lost to the world for a moment in his own thoughts. "The world's weapon against the war and corruption," he finally said. "You know there is a war on the horizon. Let go of the part of you that's holding you back."

War, I thought. I had already seen it.

I'm sorry; son, but we don't know who did it.

I know. It was Giovanni. He fucking burned her! And you just stood by and watched as he got away with it.

"What's holding me back?" I asked.

"Only you can know that."

And that actually made me laugh.

We trained day and night. I trained day and night.

The first couple of months before our talk had been some of the worse in my life. I was burned and fucked and almost killed several times. But it was the months after our talk that life really started getting rough. I felt like I had enlisted for the G-men, and was beginning Boot Camp – only way more inhuman. It was necessary; however, as he had said it, my enemies would be a lot more dangerous than well-trained humans. I needed to be more…

He tortured me, broke and rebuilt me muscles by fucking muscles. The sick thing was – and here you have to correct me if I'm wrong – I started to like it. The training started to become a… mantra for me. I couldn't go for a full day without having to feel the pain of a hard workout. Is that an obsession? I think it became an obsession to me – be the best, be more than I was.

I became powerful in those obsessive training exercises. Progress became all I could think about, and I progressed… transcended…

Afraid? Yes, I became afraid of myself. You've seen what I can do – no human being should have that kind of power at their disposal, but Aura wanted it differently. So I blocked that fear… as much as I could, and pushed on.

Aura fascinated me, still does. There seems to be no end for what you can achieve if you have the power and the control. We can see everything, without really seeing anything at all. We can feel even the smallest flutter of a breath miles and miles away, and we wonder… I wonder…

Am I human? Do I have any right to call myself human? Even after everything I've done – every immoral action I've taken? What do you think, Drew? Can I still be considered of mankind? No, I don't want your professional opinion. Give me a straight answer. Oh god, do you hear me sigh?

Yes I kept telling myself every day, I was still human. But, Drew, the lines have blurred. I was a man once upon a time, but that time is long gone. I'm not just human anymore, I am more…

Don't give me that look; I don't need your pity. I am more, more than your worthless mind could ever comprehend.

I am Red, born to two humans – born as a human. I'm also a being with powers even the most amazing Deity of this world – and take notice of the emphasis I placed on this world – can only imagine. I am human. Beneath this cold, grey layer of awesomeness, a human heart beats and bleeds.

Maybe one day I can actually believe it.

But still something troubles me… beyond the obvious.

What does it mean to be a Guardian of Aura? What is my role? Is one man supposed to hold the kind of power I can touch?

The answer is no. I don't think anyone is meant to hold this kind of power, and maybe that is what's holding me back, the fear of my own might, and the fear of what I can do if I'm unleashed upon this fucking world. Maybe he was right, after all. You've only seen a small part of what I can do, Drew, pray that the world doesn't force me to… unload.

But I have the power, the potential to set the world on fire, and the reason for it is clear to me.

The world is breaking, at least something he and I could agree to.

Nobody can see it, of course. Or want to see it for that matter. I gotta hand it to him, Giovanni is one smart fucker. Everyone sits at home and thinks that Lance protects the Region against all evil, when all he really does is aiding it. If he didn't, he wouldn't be sitting on the throne in the first place.

Fear… is one of the most powerful forces known to mankind.

Every Gym Leader and Elite Four member across the globe knows Giovanni's true colors. They know the man wouldn't hesitate to terminate them the moment there are not needed or if they defied him. I've always suspected this to be true, and my mentor all but confirmed it.

Why was I the only one who tried to stop him? Because I was the only one arrogant enough to think I could succeed? Maybe he was right about that, too.

Maybe he's right. Maybe I'm wrong, and all I've really achieved is just damning this sinking world further into the abyss. Maybe I should just stop while I still have some of my soul left. Go back to her, and spent the rest of this world's days in peace.

Or maybe I should just stop whining and get on with it.

My ill-conceived actions against Team Rocket showed me that Giovanni meant business. When people saw Team Rocket, they turned the other way, pretended that nothing was wrong and went on with their lives. When I saw Team Rocket, I fought, destroying whatever sick experiment they were running down in those laps in Hoenn because I believed it was the right thing to do.

Giovanni disagreed with me. He knew what I had done. What I had cost him. I was sixteen-close-to-seventeen, and had just done something that made me famous. He knew it was me who had attacked his laboratory with that Mew-clone. So he attacked my hometown, killed my mother and sent my father into exile.

Lance and Steven agreed to call it an accident, and therefore the world know it as an accident. It was a gas leak that caused an explosion, burning the whole town to the ground. I fucking hate cowards who play tough, and then hide when they have to take action.

My desperate – and reckless, I admit – one man attack against Giovanni showed me that even though my prowess as a Pokémon trainer should be the stuff of legends; they're also as insignificant as a Caterpie compared to the might of Team Rocket.

He destroyed me – his armies of normal Pokémon.

Why did I seek revenge? He killed my mother! It doesn't matter that I hated her. She was my mother; didn't they teach you anything in shrink school? Of course I wanted revenge.

But I didn't get it. If it wasn't because my Aura acted up and saved me, I would have been dead that night. And now he's creating Super-Pokémon again.

The world is breaking.

And I'm its only hope, Drew.

It's just you now, son, he told me.

He was right… it's all on me now, and I don't have a goddamn clue what the hell is going on.

What's my mentor's name? There is no harm done in telling you, I guess. The world will know my identity soon enough, I think. His name was Riley – just Riley.

I gritted my teeth, not out of pain or exhaustion, but in fierce concentration, my face twisted up in a heavy frown. The flimsy blue layer that surrounded me like a globe gradually became less and less transparent, tendrils running along the surface like blue lighting. My hands were raised against the shield, the hairs on them standing on end. My hands weren't really necessary, but they worked well as a way to focus my mind until I became more proficient.

"Good, great. Keep your mind clear, and focus only on the shield," Riley was saying to me from the other side. "I'm going to release Infernape now…"

"Go right ahead," I said, almost cheerily – nothing could stop me now.

I caught a flash of a brilliant white light, and heard Infernape rant its arrival. I felt a small flutter of doubt settle in my stomach like lead, the jump of my pulse reminding me of what I was about to attempt. I caught eyes with the flaming monkey, and hardened my gaze into two icy amber orbs, shoving my fear and doubts away in the deepest black hole of my being.

This time I was gonna win!

"Infernape," Riley said, dull and cold, devoid of all feelings and mercy. I was fucked – no, I can do this! – I clenched my hands, reading myself for the fight. "Use your Flamethrower at him."

Infernape grunted an affirmative, and turned to me. I tensed up, and gave my last strength to the shield. My shield throbbed and turned a dark blue, becoming completely opaque – for some reason I could see right through it.

The Infernape smirked and reared its head back, before unleashing a grand column of flames from its snout. The fire charged at me, and I had a millisecond to regret ever meeting Riley before the flames were upon me.

The heavy blue shield flicked and bent, the fires pushing at my creation, and I had to close my eyes and fight through the pressure and pain.

And then the pressure lessened, as fast as it had arrived, and I could open my eyes again. Glinting like twinkling stars, the bubble of Aura fought against the fire that threatened to consume me. My breath caught in my throat, and for a moment I just stared at the two energies clashing. Then cracks started appearing along the surface, my shield groaning as the fire ate at it.

I snapped back to focus, applying pressure against the Infernape's will.

It became a battle of wills and might, my will against Infernape's, my Aura against Infernape's fire. I called upon every fiber of my Aura and sent it all into the fray, pushing and fighting and raging against the white-hot flames.

The fires kept coming from Infernape like a fountain, surprise and anger in its eyes. I smirked back at it. This time I'm the one in charge! The pressure was completely gone now, and I pushed even more power into the shield, banishing the flames in a grand show of control and Aura.

The little fucker was getting stubborn, but I could see the undercurrent tone of fear in its stance. It was hunching, liquid fire pouring out of it mouth in waves. It didn't matter, I was too strong – I was better.

I fought the Flamethrower, the attack now losing contact with my shield, most of my Aura focused on the area between us. My bubble of blue energy was silent, but outside of it winds and fires raged against each other. Arcs of Aura ran along the beam of fire like tiny tendrils, locking the assault in its tracks.

A silent scream left my lips, and the fires extinguished as if they had never been, my Aura burning through the hot air and striking Infernape. I sent the monkey of flames flying, blue flames consuming most of its form.

That felt fucking amazing.

My hands fell to my sides of their own accord, the shield flickering like a plasma screen losing power before falling apart. Crystal-blue Aura flakes fell in gentle waves around me, leaving a flimsy imprint in the air.

I turned my eyes on where I'd seen Infernape go down, hoping I hadn't harmed it too much. Riley would be pissed if I accidently killed one of the only Pokémon he had left – his starter no less.

Infernape was alive and already struggling to get up again, blood running from a wound in its abdomen that it cradled with its hands. I actually felt a little bad about that. In all the excitement and sheer rush of success, I'd forgotten what my Aura could do if I wasn't careful.

"Ahem," Riley coughed, gaining my attention. "Well, except for almost killing my Pokémon, I would say that was a success beyond even what I imagined."

I scratched my neck, an impish smile breaking out on my face. "Heh, ah, I guess I got a little carried away…"

Riley arched a bushy eyebrow. "You don't say," he said, turning his eyes on his Pokémon. "You okay?"

Infernape grunted and nodded, the wound already healing. I felt a little jealous of its health regeneration rate; I certainly wouldn't be standing after getting hit by an attack like the one I'd just delivered.

I released Greninja and ordered it to put out the fire before it grew to uncontrollable levels. It handled the fire easily enough, even had time to taunt Infernape a little. The monkey didn't seem to want to get into a fight, even though I had a feeling it could hold its ground against my Water-Type, disadvantage or not. Greninja was still young and inexperienced, but it was stubborn and dead set on improving.

It reminded me a little of myself these days. Maybe I should train a little more with it the next few weeks. I put it on my to-do list.

I examined my body quickly, noting nothing wrong or disfigured, and then turned my focus back to Riley. He fished out his Poké Ball for Infernape and returned the Pokémon before a fight broke out between it and Greninja. The fire left behind by my little training exercise was gone now, and Greninja jumped over to my side, looking at me for my next order.

"The others are in the forest," I said, pointing in the direction I knew my Pokémon were in. "Thank you, Greninja."

My Pokémon nodded and croaked, nuzzling its head against my shoulder before taking off. I smiled at its back; my eyes probably glinted with a rare affection. The big, blue frog put on a hard shell, but underneath all that muscles and hard-ass attitude was one of the most loving souls among Pokémon I'd ever met.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine," I said, turning my eyes away from my frog. "Great actually, no tiredness or pain – just…"

"Just?" Riley tilted his face, studying me for any sign of weakness that I usually displayed. "What?"

"I dunno…" I had no words to describe how I felt, the power surged I'd gained suddenly during the fight had left me, but – somehow it was still there, just waiting to be called upon. I'd never been so… in sync with Aura before. It was a nice and scary feeling all at the same time. "I feel… empowered."

A heavy pause rested between us. "Good," Riley finally said. "That's good."

I must have imagined it, but I could have sworn he looked troubled – scared even.

It's beautiful. That shade of blue, that intoxicating color – the power! Power has a way of turning even the best humans into something ugly and all too terrifying. My intention might have been good. Hell, they still are – at least for a part of me…

But, man, it's just not letting up anymore. I've two sides inside of me, and there are at war with each other. All part of the gig I now command, I guess. Wouldn't be the first time a brave yet foolish soul tried to bite off more than he could chew.

Am I destined to have the abilities I have, or is something else at work here? Things are falling beyond my control. I need help, Drew. Lance! You need to step in here. Be a man! Take a stand! I know you're behind that window, I can see you… sense you.

I can't do this alone, not anymore. He's too strong – too powerful.

What do all men with power want, Lance? Huh? You know the answer just as well as I do. They want more. It's a vicious circle that you can never escape from. Next time it won't just be Silph Co. he attacks. He'll want more, too.

Power corrupts.

I am beset with the problems of this world, and I don't know if I will make it in time. Time for what? I don't know. Giovanni and his Super-Pokémon program perhaps. Maybe the final clash with him, the man who controls the free Pokémon, the man that makes them a united horde of mindless beasts dead set on destruction.

Whatever comes next, I have to be ready. We have to be ready. The world hangs in the balance of my evolution, Drew. Don't ask, I don't have an answer, but I'll find one.

A man's character is measured in how well he can handle gaining power. Power, in this world, is measured by how many you can kill – or get others to kill for you. I guess I wasn't better than the next guy – but, man, I am powerful… and that's just sad.

But I will change that.

A long time ago I sought out to change just that. It was dreams of grandeur. Nothing more than a boy's dream to save the world.

But then I stumbled upon it. The power to change the way our world works. I intend to use it, as I've done since I first discovered this… this weapon out there in the wastelands with Riley.

But am I right? Do I have the right to use a power so destructive that it can break the world at the seams, a power Arceus forbid in the Old Days?

YES!

Because who the fuck should stop me, Drew? Look at me, look at us! Lance, Giovanni, every Gym Leader and Elite Four member of Kanto – every man and woman that matters in this game of ours is behind that window, staring in at us with those delightfully frighten gazes. Not a single one of them had the balls to go in here and talk to me. They had to send the low-level and severely underpaid psychiatrist to do the job because they were afraid I was gonna snap them like a twig.

What does that tell you? You're the educated one here; I don't have to hold your hand through it all, do I?

They're smart – heh. That was actually funny, Drew. You cracked a joke! Sadly, it was a stupid joke. They're not smart; they're a bunch of fucking cowards. Cowards, who don't deserve any of the titles they've been given.

Well, expect the one I've given to Giovanni. It's spelled d-i-c-k-h-e-a-d. He deserves that one.

I can tell you exactly what he's thinking now from behind that mirror. He's trying to remember me from what little I've given away of my past. He knows he killed my mother, he knows that I tried to avenge her. But you see, the funny part – and the sad part, too, I guess – is he still has no clue who I am.

Imagine how many kills and threats on your life it takes to forget something like that. It's like us forgetting what socks we wore Thursday two weeks ago – I actually remember that, but I'm cheating…

But the saddest thing is that everyone he shares the room with knows that I speak the true, and nobody of them – not even Lance, Drew – dares to do anything about it. Hell, if it wasn't because I needed Lance and the considerable power he still wields, I would blast you all to pieces just to end him. I would fucking kill you all, Drew, if it meant killing Giovanni, too.

Do I have the right to use this power to see it all to the end, at whatever cost?

Maybe not, but I'm gonna do it.

I'm Red – Aura Guardian extraordinary.

Just watch me!

You're either with me or in my way, Lance. What will it be?

"C'mon Ash, we've to get to the top before sundown!" Riley shouted over his shoulder, his shadow barely visible through the harsh wind and biting snow.

I couldn't even answer him, I was freezing all over. My body ragged with pained breaths, the cold mountain air burning my lungs. I kept the rope that connected me to Riley locked tightly in my fist – or maybe my hand was just frozen stuck. In the blizzard, losing sight of Riley would mean my death.

I missed Pikachu on my shoulder. The little mouse hid inside its Poké Ball. It had been a hard battle getting it to go inside the Ball, but when it saw what we had to journey through it almost recalled itself.

Right now I wished I had a Poké Ball to hide in.

Riley pulled at the rope. "Get your ass in gear, Ash," he yelled again. "If the sun goes down before we reach shelter, we'll die!"

But no pressure, Ash, I thought. God, I missed some protection against the cold. Riley's huge jacket ignited some envy in me. Where he had gotten it from I had no idea, maybe he'd stashed it somewhere in the forest. I was trekking in the knee high snow in my armor and normal clothes, a large fur from an Ursaring – our dinner last night – slung over my shoulders.

I killed that beast myself, Drew – a sphere of energy surging through the heart in a second. Just thought you should know.

I heaved my foot free of the snow and took another long step, my bones and teeth shaking and rattling, and fuck, I hated snow. Riley was cutting through the landscape easily, his thin and seemingly weak body working better than it had any right to.

Fuck that, too.

I hugged myself further into the brown fur, protecting me from the cold somewhat. It was funny how one step could become so hard to perform, like those simple task in life suddenly turned into a living nightmare. Nightmares you don't want to face, but you have to face them, man – otherwise they will eat you up inside.

I drew my hand out from the fur, a blue sun appearing in my hand as if out of thin air. I hoped it would give my hand some warmth, hoped that it would make my hand stop shaking so much. That it would take away the pain – it didn't, but that didn't matter anyway. The pain was fleeting now, and that wasn't a good thing. It meant frostbites, which meant I was slowly losing my fingers – and that could kinda ruin my day.

Riley stopped and waited for me to catch up, as he had done most of the day. He held his hand out. "Can I see that?" he asked.

It wasn't a question.

I held my hand out without a word, letting him inspect it. I didn't need to be a doctor to know what was wrong; the dark blue fingertips were enough indication for me.

"Frostbite…" he mumbled to himself, before releasing my hand. "We've to seek shelter now, or you'll end up losing that hand."

I nodded mutely, not trusting myself to speak clearly.

A terrifying howl split the scorched evening sky.

I had a moment to take in the howl, a moment where my limps and bones gained warmth from the surge of adrenalin flashing through my veins. Footsteps tramped in the snow, moving faster than any human could ever move in these conditions, but not that fast for a Pokémon standards.

I saw a small, hunched figure move in between me and Riley, its identity hidden from my eyes through the thick layer of snow falling around me. I heard Riley shout out, and saw him lose his footing. Then the rope went limp in my cold, yet movable left hand, and all I could think about was how much I fucking hated snowy mountains.

It had just separated me from Riley – effectively.

All kinds of warning signs flashed through my mind, telling me to act before something acted on me, but it was already too late.

Something small but powerful tackled me. I was sent rolling and hurting down the side of the mountain, rocks and ice digging into my body. My armor saved me from dying; dulling every hit I took in my fall. And then my now hot and white right hand caught around a sharp stone, the object biting into the unprotected flesh and drawing blood.

And for second I felt lucky to be alive, Drew, that sharp edge could've just as easily pierced through my armor and abdomen. But it didn't. I was still alive, still kicking, and I gained my feet, surprised and fucking pissed.

The fucker that pushed me came tumbling down after me, looking in no way in control of what it was doing. I shook the curtain of fur of me; it had become all tangled up doing the fall, and spat snow, dirt and blood out of my mouth.

I squinted my eyes through the howling wind, catching sight of my target. Then I lifted my hands and suppressed fucking Aura at the running and falling fucker. Like bullets from a machinegun, my Aura Spheres blasted through the falling snow, burning it away in their wake, and hit the ground like meteors.

I set the snow on fire, creating craters big enough to swallow me everywhere. But the blasted Pokémon kept falling and evading every devastating attack I flung at it. I told myself it was all luck, and blasted some more. The wind picked up around me, ruffling my hair and clothes, and I could see a blue aura surrounding me, making me lit up like a fucking Christmas tree. The ground beneath me shook and cracked, snow gliding away from me as if afraid of my power.

Have I ever told you I'm a badass, Drew?

But the little fucker just kept on dodging, and I realized that it was not just luck – it wasn't luck at all, really. I dropped my power-attack, tightening my fist and knocking them together.

A deep dong – resembling the sound of a church bell – resonated from my being when my fists met, and with the sound came Aura. A grotesque, impenetrable layer of dark-blue energy field rippled out of my whole body. A dome crackled around me like thunder, and I was protected.

And not a moment too soon. The Pokémon stopped pretending; flying through the air as if it had wings. It was so fast that I thought it would break through my shield and kill me. But then it met my power and it was stopped and burned.

The power of my shield lashed back at the creature, sending it tumbling out of control for real this time. A thin beam of Aura had left my shield and followed its direction, striking like a whip at the fallen Pokémon, all guided by my intent.

I kept lashing at it, and the Pokémon kept grunting in pain, but it didn't back down. It kept trying to stand up, to fight back. I respected that – it reminded me a little of myself.

Then the light of my Aura-whip caught the Pokémon, and I got my first look at the grisly beast.

It was a dinosaur.

It wasn't really a dinosaur, of course. It was a Pokémon that looked and acted like a dinosaur. A miniature Tyrannosaurus with a body seemingly made of stone – it wasn't really stone, of course, just something that looked and felt like stone. It was a grayish-brown color except for its abdomen and lower jaw, which was a lighter grey color. It had black eyes, and those eyes looked at me with murder in them.

I smiled, quite delighted. "It's a Tyrunt. Cool."

But it wasn't cool, it was cold. Tyrunt was a Stone and Dragon Type; it hated the ice and snow just as much as I did. It was small and way too thin, how it had even survived in these conditions I had no idea. But I was gonna save it. I'd just found my next Pokémon.

"Good little Tyrunt," I whispered to it, dropping my attack and shield. It all died down instantly, wind and snow and Aura all disappeared. "I'm gonna give you a warm place to rest, don't worry…"

I withdrew a new Poké Ball, clicking it large and wishing for my cap to complete the ritual. "Oh well, it'll have to do without this time."

I walked closer to it with measured step, noting the gashes I had caused along its small frame. It looked angry and fearful all at the same time, with a note of curiosity hidden behind its animalistic eyes. "You were just hungry, weren't you?" I asked it. It just tilted its head to the side, confused. "That's why you attacked us before. You wanted some food."

You wonder why I talked to it, right, buddy? Well, it gives a good foundation for our coming relationship. Didn't that ship sail when I beat it to a pulp? Nobody likes a smartass, shrink.

It was snapping its jaws and growling in the back of its throat when I crouched down to its level. "Don't worry, you won't feel a thing if you let it consume you – or so I've been told…"

Oak had explained it to me once upon a time. A Pokémon's energy was stored inside the Poké Ball, and that energy would then slowly recharge until it reached its full potential. It was a very complex procedure that I didn't really understand – but that didn't matter here, I knew how to use it.

"Stay still…" I whispered, and touched the Pokémon with the ball, taking care to avoid its sharp fangs.

It disappeared in a red light. Holding my breath, I waited for the Ball to stop shaking, the cold air all but forgotten. And then it beeped and stopped moving.

"Yes…"

Yeah, that's the same Tyrunt that evolved in Vermillion. Don't worry, I'm working on it. So, what else do you want to know? I've run you through some of my training, and my capabilities. I've kept some secrets – but then again, don't we all?

The snowy mountain was part of a mountain range that involved Mt. Silver. It was over three thousands kilometer, all mountains put together. Luckily, we only had to pass that one, and then it was down to a little warmer climate again.

But, man, it was harsh. I found Riley with my Aura after the attack. Together we camped for the night and set off for the top of the mountain at the break of dawn.

There is something calming about the mountains, minimal conflict, no enemies turned mad, no fucking Pokémon and Crime Lords out for my head. Drew, I like the quietness, I don't do this because I want to, I do this so that nobody else has to.

I turned the whole world upside down because if I didn't do it somebody else would, and that somebody might not be as lenient as me.

I hear the whispers in the shadows, the blissful, fearful whispers of dark and terrible secrets that promise nothing but sorrow. I feel their terror at the very sight of me, Drew. I know that some things can never be taken back.

But ask yourself this: what would you have done without me?

Given up, you'd all have given in to the rapture of a world bathed in fire. Why do you think I have any fans? They like the Armageddon – they revel in it. I'm not insane, at least not completely. I don't want to kill and destroy, even though some… assholes beg to differ.

I don't see an end to the greater war yet, but I see an end to this conflict. I need an army, every Pokémon Ranger, every G-man, every trainer of the Indigo Plateau. We can set this right…

Our enemy is… confused.

"Do you ever miss home?"

I blinked the sleep out of my eyes, and looked at Riley from the corner of my eye. "I miss some things but… no… not really."

Riley sat against the wall of the cave we had camped in for the night. I could hear the waterfall outside, its water curtain hiding us from the outside world. We left behind the mountain a couple of days now, the snowy fields being replaced with another forest.

Riley's gaze studied me. "I'm not by any means an expert, but… you didn't have a happy childhood, did you?"

"I'm twenty-four years old," I said, keeping my tone as light as possible. "If I had a happy childhood would I be out here?"

Riley hummed. "Noted…"

I turned on my side and tried to go back to sleep, but something was nagging at me. I sighed to myself, I didn't really care but Riley seemed in one of those mood. "What about you?" I asked, and tried to put as much sincerity as possible in my question. "Got any family back home?"

My feinted sincerity must have looked sincere, or maybe he just didn't care. "No… no, I'm an orphan."

"Oh?"

"Yeah…" he laughed, it was a sad, sad laugh tinged with bitterness. It sounded like an old man's laugh, an old man broken by regret and great loss. "I grew up in small town – you know how that is," he said and paused. "It was nice town… a cozy little place where everyone knew each other. I had a good childhood, sheltered from the outside world, which is rare these days – then it all caught up with us, I guess. No good deed goes unpunished…"

I sat up in my sleeping back and took notice. I had never seen Riley so sad and… human before – there was always this cool mask of indifference no matter if I was bleeding to death or just eating dinner. "What happened?"

"We were attacked by some wandering thieves." He took a drink of his new filled bottle, greasing his constantly hoarse voice. "They thought we had Poké Balls they could use – my father had two. They killed my father and his Pokémon, and took the Poké Balls with them. I don't know what they did to my mother and I don't want to speculate… but I can't stop myself from doing so from time to time. Her body was found a week later, she had been… they had…" he paused, taking deep breaths and closing his eyes. When he opened them again, the sadness had been replaced by some of the usual coolness. "They burned our houses down. They took everything they needed and disposed of everything else – all for some extra Poké Balls…"

"How did you survive?"

"I don't know. One minute my father is screaming and fighting, fire and death everywhere… the next I wake up beside a little monkey."

"Infernape?" I asked.

Riley shook his head, smiling a little more genuinely this time – as he always did whenever Infernape was mentioned. "It was a Chimchar back then. There were tracks from where it had dragged me out of the wreckage."

I smiled; I remembered all the times Pikachu had pulled me out of trouble. "What about a wife – kids of your own?"

He shook his head and leaned back, his smile leaving his face again. Same cool mask in place. "Ask yourself that, Ash," he replied. "You know a wife or kids would never fit in with the lives we're living."

I frowned. "It could – maybe," I said, my voice heavy with unhidden doubt.

"No, it really couldn't. We'd either get them killed, or they'd realize just how fucked up we really are."

The old Riley was back, the unapproachable dude was in place, and I turned around in my sleeping back, knowing the conversation was over.

"We'll reach the Tree by the end of the week," he said behind me. I could hear him getting into his own sleeping back. "I hope you're ready… for everybody's sake."

I didn't answer him, Drew, but I felt terrified because if I wasn't ready everything I'd worked for would come undone. And I would be damned for it.