A/N: About a week and a half ago, the website decided to shut down for whatever reason when I was typing this and I lost everything I edited online. That was a bit infuriating. It took me a bit, but I managed to retype everything again. I would have updated earlier, but I was discouraged from updating. I'm just glad I was able to write everything again~
Who is hyped for the reveal of Satoshi Greninja (Bond Phenomena), Zygarde Cell, Core and Perfect Forms? I know I am. The DBZ similarities are real...
Welcome to the newest update to the story. Let's find out what happens, shall we?
Disclaimer: Pokemon is owned by Nintendo. That is all. This plot is mine... all mine!
Onward to the story!
Edited as of July 13th, 2018. Happy reading!
"The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it's indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it's indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it's indifference." -Elie Wiesel
Chapter 9: Trial's Aftermath? Looking to the Future!
Aurora raised her hand as the fire became drawn to her. In the matter of a few moments, Aurora successfully converted the fire back into her own aura. Her fist glowed slightly as it consumed the aura. Then, the glowing subsided. Ashton looked at the sight in admiration. Aurora noticed this and gave a small smile. She never thought she'd see that look from him again. Aurora grabbed Ashton's hand. He accepted it without hesitation. Clemont and Serena subconsciously moved back away from Ashton. Ashton looked down in remorse and Aurora looked very uncomfortable. There was an awkward silence between all of them.
Aurora decided to break the silence. She rubbed her head bashfully and said, "Looks like I made it in time to save you two. You two were lucky I was awake."
"Thank you so much!" Serena bowed to her gratefully.
"Seriously, we would have been goners if it wasn't for you." Clemont mirrored Serena. They noticed two things. Aurora and Ashton were holding hands and the Ashton's eyes were still red. Clemont noted, "You… aren't attacking us anymore. Why did you stop…? Er… not that I wanted you to continue."
"To be honest, I don't know. I feel a lot calmer. I feel almost as jolly as Ash is normally." Ashton said with a smile. It oddly didn't look that much out of place, much to Clemont's surprise. If he wasn't paying attention, he would have thought he was seeing Ash again.
"That is my doing. That modified aura grip was my way of calming you down. Since guardians share aura when they perform the aura grip, if you had more rage than I could have handled, I probably would have gone out of control, too. That wouldn't have been good for anyone." Aurora explained as she tapped her fingers and laughed nervously. Serena and Clemont both looked incredibly scared as they imagined how Aurora would be if Ash was this bad.
"Why did you cover your face, Ruru?" Ashton noted the hood. Aurora took off said hood and folded it so it could fit into her bag again.
Aurora suddenly looked despondent and looked away from him. She was subconsciously holding her heart. Ashton eyed her carefully. He formed a wry expression and looked at the elder guardian, unimpressed. When he was smaller, he knew when Aurora was feeling down about something, she'd show it through trying to look neutral or looking away. By the time he was seven, he had became a master at reading her body language. He quickly figured out her distress.
"Did you have a nightmare like me?" Ashton asked. Aurora had a slight shiver down her back and that's when Ashton knew what was troubling her.
"I… wait... you had a nightmare, too?" Aurora echoed softly.
"Yeah... I woke up to a nightmare showing us this weird old groady man riding atop of this terrible dragon. It was horrible. You had drowned in mud and I was alone with the dragon in an uprooted forest. His voice... it was so irresistible. He kept on saying something about Ash ruining the world, but his voice was so overbearing, I felt like it was everywhere. He wanted me to follow him... to do what he wanted, but I resisted. I tried my best to block him out, but it was tough. I think I would have did what he said if Ash didn't wake up." Ashton admitted. Aurora looked forlorn with worry. She had her head down in thought.
"The Great Prophecy..." Aurora barely thought above a whisper. Ashton furrowed his eyebrows.
"The Great Prophecy? What's that?" Ashton said. Aurora sharply gasped, then scowled at the raven haired teen.
"Shoot! I gotta remember you can read my mind if I'm not paying attention. I love and hate your fast progression." Aurora frowned at the boy and directed the message towards him. Ashton merely shrugged his shoulders, but his eyes awaited an answer. She spoke aloud, "I think the best time to tell you the prophecy is when you develop your powers a bit more. I doubt now would be a good time considering what you did earlier."
"Fair enough. Tell me... What did you dream about?" Ashton asked.
"I did have a nightmare, like you. I saw a mysterious old man and purple dragon, too. Except... I was fighting you." Aurora admitted.
"What!? You were fighting me?" Ashton reiterated, highly shocked. He would never think to fight the elder guardian.
"It was quite gruesome. You looked a little older, but we were battling for blood. The dragon... he turned us against each other and commanded us to kill each other. I managed to overwhelm you at first, but I... I could never bring myself to really hurt you. When my back was turned, your eyes turned into the dragon's eyes. In his stead, you stabbed me in the heart. I woke up screaming when I was impaled with the sword. I can still feel the sting of your blade." Aurora disclosed uncomfortably.
"..." Ashton was speechless. He didn't really know what to think of what he heard. He may have electrocuted her, but that was only when he didn't know it was her. Aurora couldn't keep eye contact with the boy. Aurora turned away to face Serena and Clemont.
"I wasn't in the tree because I was so shaken up from what I had felt. I covered my face trying to clear my mind. I just wanted to be alone. Aru tried to take control of me soon after I woke up, but I managed to resist her... barely. I heard a distressed scream coming from the center, so I decided to head back. When I noticed you were about to harm Serena and Clemont, I had to help. I took a chance and defended them. I'm just glad I didn't lose control." Aurora closed her eyes and clutched her chest. She had to fight the urge to grimace.
"I understand you wanted to defend Serena and Clemont, but did you need to almost burn me?" Ashton asked somewhat angrily. Aurora had a small red gleam in her eyes and looked at him with a look unlike herself. It was almost as her eyes were taunting him, but was amused simultaneously. Ashton was unsure of who was truly in control.
"I... have a bit of an evil streak in me. You've always known this. I decided to teach you a lesson on how not to annoy their elders. It is rude to electrocute people, you know." Aurora stated in a significantly higher tone than normal. She remained apathetic to the increasingly alarmed counterbalance, "You're lucky I care enough about you not to burn you harshly... That shock actually stung quite a bit."
"Aruru...?" Ashton recognized that tone of voice instantly. Aru continued to look amused. Ashton wondered how Aurora could have yellow eyes, but still act like her counterbalance. She still had the red gleam in her eyes, but no one seemed to sense it except for Ashton.
She relayed to him telepathically, "It's called subtle influence, young one. I dazed her, so she has no idea what's happening. It lasts only for a few moments, but it's pretty fun to do. Aurora doesn't have as much control as over me as she thinks she does."
"Huh? What?" Aurora blinked in surprise. The red shine in her eyes were gone, but she was looking at Ashton confused. Ashton found himself intrigued at Aru's little trick. He wanted to try it himself when the moment arose. Aurora still looked somewhat befuddled and held her head. She asked groggily, "What were we talking about again?"
"Aurora, are you all right?" Serena asked uneasily. Aurora narrowed her eyes as she tried to remember what she had been speaking about prior to her blackout, but it wouldn't come to her. She regained her stance and nodded her head.
"I... think so. I don't know what happened just now." Aurora admitted.
"Er... don't worry about it." Ashton dismissed. He didn't want her to think about the nightmare she had. It still somewhat disturbed him that he was the one to stab her in her dream. He would never think about hurting her. As Ashton was Ash's other side, he shared the nightmare with Ash. He thought about his dream and compared it to hers. He wondered what the purple dragon was. If it was enough to hypnotize people, he figured it had to be powerful, maybe even a legendary. However, his thoughts were interrupted by Aurora.
"You know what, Ashton? Maybe you won't feel any more pain after this now that Ash is more aware of you and your feelings. You know yourself. Ash means no harm." Aurora gave him a small smile. Her entire expression brightened up when Ashton nodded in agreement. She winked when she said, "You can't fade if he knows about you."
"Fading?" Clemont echoed.
"I don't know too much about this, but I've heard that if a counterbalance is forgotten for a long enough period, they fade away, almost as if they never existed. In consequence, person loses the mark of their family and be unable to use their aura or psychic powers respectively." Aurora explained. Aurora touched Ashton's 'z' like marks on his face. They glowed slightly immediately upon contact. "Ash's guardian marks are on his face. Usually, someone only has one mark, not two. It says a lot about you. "
"Where are your marks, then, Aurora? Could you find mine?" Serena asked nervously.
"An experienced guardian or psychic can hide their mark, like I do. It helps one to remain inconspicuous to others who can sense you. Other guardians or psychics never even find out they have a mark in the first place. I could check, I guess. Just stand still." Aurora's eyes began to glow. Everything became illuminated in aura in her sight.
Serena's aura was a bright pink, but had flares of hot pink from time to time. Serena felt anxious being the object of Aurora's scrutiny. Aurora placed her index and middle fingers together and hovered them near Serena's body. She immediately found a cluster of aura together and touched it. Aurora touched the top of Serena's sternum. Initially, nothing happened. However, after a few moments, Serena's chest shimmered. It shimmered until a medium sized heart formed at the base. Serena was astonished, Ashton looked excited and Clemont didn't really know what to think.
Aurora thought she had found what she was looking for and was about to stop her aura vision. However, she realized there was another notable cluster further up. Curious to why that was, she decided to check and see. Aurora hovered over Serena's left cheek and gingerly touched it. Once again, nothing happened at first. Then, her cheek began to shine until a four pointed star formed in the middle. Aurora gasped and abruptly stopped her aura vision.
She gawked at Serena in awe. She was speechless. "Amazing..."
"What? Is there something wrong with me?" Serena questioned worriedly. Aurora barely could process her thoughts when she shook her head.
"Nothing is... wrong with you. You're just... amazing. You don't know how rare your combination of marks are, Serena. I never thought I'd see this in my lifetime." Aurora continued. Serena raised one of her eyebrows. She didn't know what the big deal was. Aurora continued, "You have two distinct marks, Serena. That's rare within itself. What makes you a special case is you have two separate marks of a psychic and an aura guardian."
"Wait... so I'm..." Serena began to piece it together.
"Half aura guardian and half psychic." Aurora finished for her. Everyone looked shocked. Meanwhile, Aurora's eyes were sparkling in admiration. Aurora said, "I could already sense you had the bond of a psychic and an aura guardian when I first met you. What I didn't know is that you had two separate marks. This is incredible! Here is your guardian mark..." Aurora touched the top of Serena's chest again. Aurora then touched her left cheek. "And here is your psychic mark."
"What does this mean?" Clemont asked. Aurora's excitement dimmed down and her expression turned more thoughtful.
"I'm not sure. I do know that Serena is incredibly unique for inheriting each of her parents' marks." Aurora told him. She inspected Serena's cheek a little further. "I feel like I've seen your psychic mark before, Serena. I can't quite place my finger on where. Do you know who your parents are?"
"I only know my mom, Grace. My dad went away when I was little, so I've never met him. My mom didn't show any signs of being either a guardian or a psychic." Serena responded with a hint of sadness. Aurora noticed this and decided not to push her further.
"I see... I guess we'll find out eventually." Aurora said with a smile. Within a few moments, Serena's marks faded away. Aurora noticed this and stated, "Only you can maintain your marks for a long time. All I can do is showcase them."
Aurora continued to ponder on Serena's psychic mark. She made sure to block her thoughts from everyone, but still felt a little frustrated. She thought, "A four pointed star... where did I sense a four pointed-star on someone's left cheek? I know I met someone like that. Why is this bothering me so much? Something like this would never bother me. I guess I'll recognize it eventually. For now, I'll need to tend to her and Clemont."
Aurora noticed how bruised Clemont's face was. She also noticed red marks on Serena's wrists. She touched Clemont's cheek to inspect the mark. Clemont winced slightly in pain. She also tried to grab Serena's wrist as softly to see if Serena would have the same reaction. She did. Finally, Aurora looked at Pikachu resting in Serena's arms. She saw charred marks all over his body. She felt Pikachu's head and noticed it was colder than it should be. Aurora took Pikachu away from Serena to inspect him further. He made barely any reaction when she touched him or held him in a cradle position. Aurora could barely feel any electricity emulating from him. She slightly widened her eyes as she realized what was wrong with him. She took a quick glimpse of Ashton and shook her head slightly. the raven haired woman thought, "This is way worse than I thought it would be."
Aurora looked at Clemont, Serena and Pikachu in sympathy. Ashton looked away with regret and guilt. She softly touched Pikachu's electrical cheek as she said, "Oh dear… Ashton really did a number on you two. I can patch you up, but I'll need a little help. Rio, Chi-Chi, come, make your presence known!"
Aurora threw two Poke Balls in the air. One looked like it had a weird blue ball and the other had a lightning bolt sticker. Out came the red-eyed jackal and cat.
"Yes, Aurora? What do you need us for?" Rio asked politely.
"I'm here to help! Tell me what to do and I'll do it!" Chi-Chi's fur bristled in anticipation.
"I want to speed up the healing process of Clemont and Serena's injuries, but I don't want to use too much more aura. Can you tend to Clemont while I tend to Serena, Rio?" Aurora asked her blue colored friend. She turned to Chi-Chi to request, "Before I do that, I'm going to need your help. Before I can heal Pikachu, I'll need you to replenish his electricity. Ashton shorted him out, literally. It seemed like Ashton overloaded him with so much electricity to the point where he's close to dying from electrical insufficiency."
"Why can't you do it? You're pretty skilled with electricity." Chi-Chi asked. She didn't want to help out what she considered to be a bit sized snack. It didn't feel right or natural to her.
"Chi-Chi... If I use too much of my aura when my counterbalance strikes…" Aurora didn't need to finish her statement for Chi-Chi to look grim.
"I'll... look past my prey to assist you." Chi-Chi replied and nodded in obedience.
"We are right outside the Pokémon Center. We need go inside and have Nurse Joy heal Pikachu." Clemont spoke up.
"Not necessarily, Clemont. I may not have experience healing Pokémon as much as Nurse Joy, but I have been a trainer for most of my life. I know how to tend to a Pokémon's injuries. With Pikachu's condition, I think I can fix it. Give me a chance to show you how." Aurora tried to assure him.
"I want to help, too." Ashton abruptly called out. Serena and Clemont looked at the boy in shock. Considering he'd almost killed them, it sounded suspicious that he would suddenly want to help out Pikachu. Still, he didn't show any signs of being hostile and seemed like he genuinely wanted to help.
"We can handle it." Aurora dismissed immediately.
"I'm the one who caused it the first place. If I can cause it, I can also undo it. I… I don't know much else about my aura yet…" Ashton's hands became crackling with electricity. Clemont looked alarmed while Serena looked distrustful. He ignored them to say, "But I know I'm really good with electricity. I just wanna help out my buddy. This is the first thing me and Ash agrees on in a long time."
Ashton's eyes shifted to from being calm red eyes to warm brown ones. The electricity on his hands dissipated. Serena and Clemont looked at the messy haired teen in shock once again. They weren't expecting Ashton to relinquish control to Ash so easily. "I'm… er he's right. I'm not that good at my aura, yet, so I'll let Ashton take control for this. Either way, we want to do as much as we can to save Pikachu. I trust him completely."
Serena grabbed his hand in worry, "What? Already? Ash, you're way too trusting. What if Ashton tries to fight you again when you want to come back?"
"I don't think that's going to happen. We are very similar even though we may seem different on the surface. We both care about Pikachu… and want to help him. I can attest to how Ashton felt a little bit better than I did before. It's not cool being trapped in someone's head, watching something you can't do anything about. I can understand why Ashton was blinded by rage." Ash said in a hollow voice. It was emotionless, yet had a hint of melancholy.
"He didn't attack blindly. I don't know how he's convinced you otherwise. He had Clemont trapped. He tricked me into thinking you were him! He even caused damages in the center! Why are you defending him?" Serena eyed her boyfriend, confused. Ash sighed and grabbed her shoulders gently. Serena looked at him, wondering what he was going to do. To her surprise, he gave her a hug and started to whisper in her ear.
"I didn't mean it like that. I mean, he attacked because he was mad. I'm defending him because I can relate to doing rash things without thinking. He was angry at the world and me. He took that anger out of you, Clemont and Pikachu. For that, I'm sorry I couldn't resist him too well until he almost struck you and Pikachu." Ash looked down. Serena grabbed his hand and gave him a small smile. She still looked a bit hesitant, but she decided she would give Ashton the benefit of the doubt.
"I still don't agree with you, but if you trust him, I guess I should try, too." Serena said reluctantly. Ash suddenly hummed a soothing melody as his eyes shifted to red. Serena jerked her hand away and looked at him with an angry expression.
"I'm looking to redeem myself, Serena. You can choose to trust me. Or not… After the hell I pulled, it's understandable." Ashton said to the distrustful blond.
"If you ever pull the stunt you pulled in the Pokémon Center, I'll-" Serena left the statement hang. Ashton knew what she meant, but couldn't help but smile in challenge.
"Duly noted, your ladyship." Ashton raised his hands up in defense and said with a suave toothless grin. He lowered his hands slightly looked at her with a slight sadistic glare. "I'm calm for now, and I'm looking to amend my mistakes. But be warned… the next time I feel angry, you may be the one eating your own words, my pretty little rose."
"Not on my watch, you're not. I will knock you down to the ground again if attack her or anyone else. Next time, I will be keener to burning you if only to teach you a lesson about respect. Don't you dare strike a lady. Ever." Aurora growled at the raven-haired boy.
Ashton flinched immediately. Serena chuckled slightly at how obedient Ashton was to Aurora. Aurora sounded very harsh to Ashton with that last statement and it surprised her at how easily Ashton submitted to her. Serena didn't see this sort of domineering tone from Aurora before and even she flinched slightly. Still, she was appreciative at the older female's efforts to stick up for her.
"Right. Sorry, I'm still trying to get used to feeling… I guess… more tranquil? It's hard not to feel angry anymore. It feels…really… really… weird." Ashton explained the best way he could. Aurora's temper calmed upon hearing those words and her expression softened. "Now… I want to help get my best buddy back. Please let me do this Ruru…"
Ashton coughed as quietly as he could. Aurora inspected his face and hands. She shook her head.
"It's not a good idea. Your face is sunken in and your voice is slightly raspy. Your own aura is getting low on supply. I don't want you to-" Aurora started.
"I don't care! He's my best buddy. You can't stop me from helping him out!" Aurora looked at the younger guardian at a loss of words. He could detect surprise and a bit of annoyance on the elder guardian's features. He never talked back to her. He noticed this and continued in a softer voice, "Sorry Ruru… but I feel too inclined to help Pikachu out."
"You truly want to pay your mistakes, right?" Aurora asked in a low voice. It sounded inviting, but guarded. One wrong word and she would snap up her invitation. Ashton was confused by the question, but answered it nonetheless.
"Yes! What else can I do to show you that?" Ashton grabbed her hand and looked at her with eyes full of emotion. His eyes seemingly reflected a mix of Ash's and Ashton's feelings about Pikachu. Despite the way he attacked him earlier, she could tell that Ashton cared about Pikachu just as much as Ash. She could see Ash reflected in those eyes, and they both had the same conviction. It was like seeing a double image of one being. It was overwhelming to stare into without feeling how they felt. Eventually, she relented. She gave him a hug and he happily returned it. Aurora subconsciously rubbed his back.
"You're on, Ashton. I trust you." Aurora whispered in his ear. Ashton looked visibly happy. Aurora was frowning with worry and said, "At least let Rio restore some of your aura before you start. I don't want you to strain yourself."
The younger guardian nodded understandingly. Aurora gestured to the Lucario. Closing his eyes, the Pokemon shot a blast of aura at the counterbalance. His body began to glow as his aura was returned to him. Once the glowing stopped, Aurora handed over the unconscious mouse to Ashton. Clemont tilted his head to the side in observation of everything. He wasn't sure what to think of Ashton, but was curious how they were going to transfer their electricity.
"Ready, Ashton?" Chi-Chi asked the eager boy.
"You bet!" Ashton said with a nod.
"For you, your hands are your greatest asset when using electricity. They serve as your conductor. A good way to transfer your electrical energy is to use all of your fingertips. This provides a larger surface area of contact between you and Pikachu." Chi-Chi explained while feeling for Pikachu's main source of electrical power. She noticed a little spark when she ghosted her paw over her his red cheek sac. She pressed her paw with slightly more force on the cheek and more electricity came out.
"Knowing from experience, a Pikachu uses their electrical cheek pouches to store and use electricity." Chi-Chi continued. She unsheathed one of her claws and delicately touched the cheek again without cutting it. Her fur started to stand up on end. She looked at Pikachu in shock.
"Whoa... That little furball still has a lot of electricity in him… more than a normal Pikachu. He's such a special Pikachu. Still, it's far lower than it was in our battle. Way too low." Chi-Chi mused and frowned.
Ashton was looking concerned at the little mouse. He felt terrible that he was the one who caused Pikachu to get unconscious. He personally cared about Pikachu, like Ash did, but didn't view him any more than just a distraction in his rage. He hated the consequences for that. Chi-Chi broke his concentration on the mouse. "All right, Ashton. Place as many fingers as you can on Pikachu's left cheek pouch and pour all your electrical energy into him. Focus only on his cheek pouch I'll do the same to his right one. You will feel a jolt when you first touch his cheek, so be careful."
"Right." Ashton nodded.
Since Pikachu's cheek was so small, Ashton was only able to place his index and middle finger together. Upon touching his fallen friend's cheek, he felt a spine tingling jolt. Ashton's hair started to stand up. The jolt didn't hurt. It only surprised him. He closed his eyes and focused on where he was touching Pikachu. His arms grew immersed with electrical aura. He forced the flow to travel down and reach his fingertips. Finally, he forced the electricity onto Pikachu. Pikachu began to shine with a yellow light. Sparks were starting to fly around and Aurora had to move Clemont and Serena back so they wouldn't get electrocuted.
Chi-Chi unsheathed all four of her claws on one paw, but only had one touch Pikachu's right cheek pouch. She focused her energy into that one paw and transferred it to Pikachu. Both Ashton and Chi-Chi didn't mind getting shocked. The light became so bright, that everyone had to avert their eyes. Once the light dimmed down, Pikachu's body was glimmering with electricity. His breathing stabilized. After a few moments, Pikachu started to stir. His vision was slightly hazy, but he could see a silhouette of Ash's spiky hair and Chi-Chi's cat ears.
"A-ash?" Pikachu asked. His vision still wasn't focused completely. He noticed that Ashton's residual aura was still inside him. He wondered how long until the effect wore off.
"Close. Welcome back, buddy," As soon as he said this, Pikachu rubbed his eyes and blinked a few times. Then, he realized his trainer's eyes were red. Electrc sparks began to emit from his cheeks in anger.
"Y-you!" Pikachu jumped out his arms and glared at him. He tried to attack Ashton with an electrical blast, but Ashton raised his hand and absorbed the electricity. He curled up his fist and he shot it up in the air immediately. The electricity took the form of a lightning bolt when Ashton redirected the energy. Ashton looked at Pikachu with a tired expression.
"Glad to see you, too, Pikachu." Ashton said sarcastically, putting his hand down. He knew that Pikachu would be enraged upon seeing him again and gave a slight sigh. "You need to rest up, buddy. Shocking me won't do you any good."
Pikachu perked up his ears in surprise. Ashton seemed much different than he had been in that same hour. "You… aren't going to attack me?"
"No. I wanted to help you, but it seems that doesn't matter." Ashton said with a hint of mock hurt in his voice. He crossed his arms and turned away from Pikachu, but hid a sly smile.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Ashton. I thought you were still hostile." Pikachu said with remorse.
Ashton chuckled, approached Pikachu, then patted him on the head. Pikachu sighed with content. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I'm really sorry for causing you to short circuit in the first place. Now that I've calmed down enough, I'm glad both wanted to help." Ashton closed his eyes and revealed brown eyes when he opened them again.
"Ash! Welcome back!" Pikachu jumped up on Ash and knocked him on the floor. Pikachu nuzzled against Ash's cheek in affection. He accidentally shocked Ash, but they both laughed. It didn't seem to hurt him at all. They both laid back on the floor with smiles on their faces. It was a moment of euphoria they didn't understand, but knew that they both felt upon seeing each other. They felt like nothing else mattered.
"Nice to be back, Pikachu!" Ash gleamed in happiness. Ash stood up and Pikachu happily jumped on his shoulder. Serena and Clemont also noticed that his eyes were back to normal.
"Ash… Are you really Ash? Completely?" Serena asked timidly. Ash looked at Serena with a somber expression. He gingerly took her hand in his and had tears in his eyes. He noticed the marks on them and turned away in shame. That's when Serena knew right then and there that this was Ash.
"It is you…" Serena gave him a warm hug. Ash looked surprised, but gladly returned it. Once they broke off, Ash held Serena's hand again. He looked down in shame.
"I'm… so sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I hurt you, Clemont and Pikachu. I…" Ash started in a small voice.
"That wasn't you… You would never want to hurt me." Serena sounded like she was trying to convince herself. Deep down, she knew Ash would never want to hurt her, but she was still shaken up slightly by Ashton.
"Ashton is still a side of me, Serena. We may not be exactly the same, but he is just like me. Both Ashton and I doesn't want to hurt you, but it scared me that I had enough rage to hurt anyone. It frightens me that I had the capability to do such a thing if I get angry enough." Ash told her. He was avoiding looking at his blond haired friend and girlfriend.
"So you're saying that you don't have a side that wants to hurt people?" Serena pressed further.
"I do not wish to kill you, my little rose, otherwise I would have. That's not me normally." Ash's eyes shifted back into the color Serena despised. Aurora crossed her arms and eyed him carefully. Ashton continued, "However, while in rage, a counterbalance doesn't really think that much about anything other than eliminating any obstacle they see fit. Normally, I really have no reason to hurt, you, Clemont or anyone else. I was tired of being trapped. It doesn't make it right, but I can say that I'm sorry."
"Does this mean you aren't conflicted?" Serena asked anxiously. She could tell that he was telling the truth.
"Well... technically, yes and no." Ashton responded. Ash's eyes flashed brown, then returned to normal. It didn't hurt him, which surprised him slightly. Serena looked slightly surprised. Ash explained, "Ashton isn't mad at me anymore. He's more... indifferent. At the same time, I still feel connected with what happened in the past. I don't understand why I need to go to Viridian Forest, but I know I need to go back. Something doesn't feel right. He said it… Aurora said it… My life is a lie. I don't know why and it bugs me."
"We will get through it together. Remember what I said at the Pokémon League? Don't feel alone. I don't think your life is a lie. You've meet so many people, seen so many places and had so many invaluable experiences. Those can never become lies." Serena said seriously.
"I'm not sure. It's more than that. There's too many signs pointing towards something being off. Not with my journey per se. I sense it's before my journey even began. Still, I'm glad I have you, Pikachu and everyone on my side." Ash said with more emotion and squeezed her hand slightly tighter. Serena knew that he needed support, but wondered why it wasn't hurting as much.
Ash looked up and acknowledged Clemont. Clemont turned his head away in fear. Ash started, "Clemont, I… I understand if you don't want to be my friend anymore after what I did to you, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry."
Ash said. He wanted to approach him, but knew it wouldn't do him any good. He was likely to move away from him.
"Ash… I just… can't accept it. At least… not completely. The aura guardian thing I can handle… but getting hurt by someone I consider close…" Clemont couldn't finish his statement, but Ash had he general idea of what he wanted to say. "I'm still your friend, don't get me wrong, but all of this is just so confusing."
"I understand. If there's any way I can repair our relationship, I will do it." Ash said earnestly. "I wish I could do something about your bruises."
"I don't think you can. It… hurts and there are too many." Clemont said in a small voice.
"Ash may not be able to heal you, but I can." Aurora finally decided to speak up again.
"How?" Clemont questioned.
"With the use of aura, I can accelerate the healing process to the point where the injury is nonexistent. Think of your cells being supercharged enough to divide faster to heal the wound." Aurora explained. "That's what I did to Pikachu to heal him the first time. The same can be used to heal humans."
Clemont looked unsure, but Pikachu decided to help her out. "You can trust Aurora! Aura guardians and psychics are wonderful healers. I felt completely better by the time I came back to the battlefield and it was all thanks to her."
"O-Ok. I guess it can't hurt." Clemont relented.
"Serena, what do you think? I can heal your wrists for you, if you want." Aurora said to the younger girl. The woman looked down at the teens hands. She gasped in surprise. Serena's wrists looked like they already healed completely. The red marks were nowhere to be seen.
"Whoa! Your wrists…" Aurora noted. "How in the world did you heal your wrists so fast?"
Serena inspected her hand and shrugged her shoulders. She looked equally shocked, "I don't know. It just happened. How did I-?"
"That's awesome Serena!" Ash said happily. "I think you may be better at healing than most people. Maybe it has something to you with your cute marks?"
Serena blushed a little upon hearing him call her cute. His words sounded so innocent, but the compliment was still sweet. She shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe. I don't know how to use my guardian or psychic powers too well. Maybe this was passive?"
"Probably. I don't know how to use my powers well yet either." Ash mirrored her action.
"But as Ashton, you lifted Clemont in the air without touching him and shocked Pikachu with a powerful blast of electricity." Serena pointed out. Ash shrugged his shoulders. He tried to summon electricity like Ashton did, but could only form a tiny spark. He wondered why he wasn't able to do what Ashton did.
"A balance and counterbalance may share the same body, but not the same knowledge. Whatever the balance is exposed to, the counterbalance will be competent at it faster to aid or hinder you. I'm assuming lifting Clemont into the air was the aura grip, something I showed Ash how to do before going to bed. As for the mastery of electricity, I believe that subconsciously, Pikachu is your closest guardian partner and guardians tend to use the closest bonded Pokémon's type. For example, I have the closest bond with Chari, so I'm really skilled with fire and air." Aurora explained.
Aurora formed a small fire on her index finger. She snapped her fingers and formed a ring of fire around the tree. Ash, Clemont, Pikachu and Serena looked alarmed and stayed as close as possible to the tree. They were afraid of the fire spreading, but to their surprise, it didn't. The fire stayed in place. Aurora chuckled at their alarm and she snapped her fingers again. A strong wind surged through the area and blew out the fire. Everyone was looking at her with amazement.
"Whoa…" Ash barely spat out. Aurora inwardly smiled at Ash's astonishment. Clemont looked even more nervous than he did before. He didn't know aura guardians could do that.
Aurora said as gingerly as she could, "Look, Clemont. I know that this is a lot to take in within one day. You are a true friend since you didn't run away when things got bad. You tried to help. I respect that. It's never easy being friends with an aura guardian or a psychic. People become drawn away by their 'supernatural powers', as a regular person would put it. Trust me, I know how bad it can end up…"
Aurora had to stifle a tear as she glanced over to Pikachu. Pikachu knew what she was talking about, but the glance happened so fast that no one else noticed. Aurora smiled as she said, "But try to look to the future. Eventually, things will become easier. You just gotta give it a chance."
Clemont looked slightly despondent. He walked moved away from the aura guardians and looked up at the sky. He thought, "I know she's right, but it's still a lot to take in. Ash has helped me countless times throughout our journey, and saved all of us. I know he has my back when push comes to shove. Why am I having a hard time with him and Serena being aura guardians? Is it because of that supernatural aspect? I feel so shallow thinking like that, but for someone who looks to science as an answer, all of this is so… unscientific."
Clemont tightened his fist in conviction. He thought, "What am I thinking? Ash is my friend. Ash may be conflicted, but I want to help him. I can't move away from him the moment things get rocky. I will help him. I need to research more about aura guardians and psychics on my free time to see if I can find out more. For now, I'm curious to see how aura can heal me faster."
Clemont felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Ash's. Ash said in concern, "Clemont, are you alright?"
Clemont smiled, "Yes… I was just mulling over things in my mind. I… I know you weren't yourself when you attacked me. I'm ready to see how Aurora can help me out. After that, I'm going to look up some things about counterbalances to see how I can help you. I still don't understand everything, but I'm a little more accepting than I was before."
"Glad to hear, buddy! If anyone can find out stuff, it's you!" Ash wrapped his arm around Clemont's neck and held him happily. It was purely a brotherly gesture, but even so, Clemont found he couldn't breathe.
"Ash… can't breathe…" Clemont coughed out.
"Sorry, Clemont." Ash immediately let go upon hearing that. He looked sympathetic, but a reassuring smile from Clemont calmed his nerves.
Meanwhile, Aurora had a small curious glint in her eye. All of Ash's movements with his friend pointed to one observation she couldn't wait to show him. "Combat… it seems he'd learn it pretty quickly, based on the way he managed to subdue him…"
"Well, Aurora. I'm ready." Clemont snapped her out of her thoughts.
"Right." Aurora approached the blond boy and placed her hand on his cheek. She closed her eyes as she concentrated. She started to hum rhythmically as her hand started to glow yellow. Clemont closed his eyes as well. He could feel himself having less and less pain on his face. Eventually, the light vanished. Aurora took her hand off his face and smiled. All the bruises were gone.
"I… don't feel pain anymore… Thank you." Clemont thanked.
"It's my pleasure, Clemont." Aurora bowed respectfully to him. "I'm just glad you and Serena are feeling better. Now… there's only one thing left to do. Rio…"
"Yes, Mistress?"
"Use Heal Pulse on Clemont and Pikachu."
The jackal clapped his hands together as a ball of soothing light form around his paws. He aimed his paws at Clemont and Pikachu and opened them wide. All the pent up energy poured over all three. Serena began to glow light pink and her eyes matched her glow. Serena raised her hands up in the air and augmented the healing effect. All three of them were surrounded by a pink outline as she lifted them up a few feet away from the ground. All three of them felt better than they ever did.
If anything, they felt stronger than normal. Rio stopped once he realized that Serena was aiding him. She gently made Pikachu and Clemont land on the ground. However, Serena's eyes stopped glowing pink and she lost her balance. She would have fallen on the ground if it wasn't for Ash catching her in time. She looked at him slightly confused as he held her bridal style. The sun rose just as he caught her. It was now officially the dawn of the new day.
Ash looked at his girlfriend in awe. She looked so elegant using her aura. It was the first time he saw her using it visibly. Serena held her head slightly, "W-what happened?"
"You were awesome, that's what. You healed Clemont and Pikachu. You lifted them up in a pink light and took over for Rio. I didn't know you could do that," Ash noted.
"I didn't know I could either. I… I just felt the energy flow through me and acted on it." Serena explained the best way she could.
"You did more than heal me, Serena." Pikachu stated. He didn't know why, but he felt stronger. His ears bristled with electricity as he aimed an electrical shock straight for the air. It was a more intense blue version of his Thunderbolt.
Clemont's hands were glowing remnants of the pink aura Serena produced. He looked confused, shocked and weirded out simultaneously. "W-what's with me? Did Serena do this?"
"Whoa! Blue lightning?! Clemont having pink aura? You think this is permanent?" Ash said in wonder. His eyes were sparkling in amazement.
"No." Aurora responded flatly. She observed Serena with her wolf-like eyes. The honey-blond teen felt somewhat uncomfortable with Aurora's yellow eyes gazing at her. She folded her arms and seemed thoughtful. Then, she replied, "Aura augmentation is never permanent. However, I've never seen someone augment the power of Pokémon other than their partners… or regular people for that matter. Very strange, indeed. Perhaps this has to do with the fact that she's a hybrid..."
Ash seemed very happy for her while Serena was blushing slightly at all the attention.
"It's also confirmed my suspicions about her. The essence of a guardian and a psychic… I can't believe it. Somewhere out there, a guardian and psychic beat the system." Aurora shook her head from her thoughts. She frowned, "Things are approaching too fast for my tastes. Both of them is budding extraordinarily quickly for their skill… and neither of them are trained! It feels like both a good and bad thing."
"How long do you think the effect will last?" Serena snapped Aurora out of her thoughts. Aurora frowned and crossed her arms in observation.
"This is an odd case. Aura augmentation usually lasts as long as the user is willing to power up that Pokémon. However, in your case, you've powered up both Clemont and Pikachu, but you're not actively using your aura. I have no idea how long this will last." Aurora told her.
"You mean I'll have pink aura coming from my hands indefinitely?!" Clemont asked in distress.
"Not quite, boy. Aurora may not know much about this, but I do. I can remove excess aura and bring it forth to the environment. Young master, you know what I'm talking about, right?" Rio spoke up. Ash nodded. Rio did that to him when he had gotten angry last night.
Rio brought his paw outward, "Clemont, Pikachu touch my paw and I will expel any excess aura."
"Right." Clemont placed his hand on Rio's paw. Rio stopped to regard the Mouse Pokémon.
"Pikachu, I will also get rid of Ashton's leftover aura in you as well. You will revert back to using Pokélanguage. Are you OK with this?"
"Yes." Pikachu nodded immediately. He found it cool that he could speak aloud like this, but felt like he didn't earn to right to speak yet. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he wanted to earn his keep.
"Then, let's begin." Rio's paw started to glow with an intense blue aura. Pink and blue aura came from Pikachu and pink aura came from Clemont. With a thrust of a paw, he expelled all the extra aura into the air. It created a beautiful effect in the sky. Lights began to dance under the sunny sky under a multitude of different hues of pink and blue. It was an odd sight, but was captivating to all who saw it.
"(Wow…)" Pikachu gaped at the sight.
Aurora smiled and looked up in elation. "The dancing sky of my namesake celebrating the dawn of a new day. It's rare to see one in the daytime. It is said that good tidings, blessed by Lady Mew is bestowed on those who witnesses a sight. It's a sign, I'm sure."
"A sign?" Ash echoed.
"You two complement each other extremely well. I think you were meant to be together." Aurora said, pointing up. After a few minutes, the aurora disappeared into the environment. "After seeing such a sight, I think it's best to eat up before heading off into Lumiose City. Ash, can you wait to have our battle?"
"Why?" Ash said, slightly disappointing.
"I'm just as spiritually unstable as you. You requested to battle me at my full strength and I can do that. However, should I battle you at my full strength, it would require the use of my aura and… well… my lovely sardonic counterpart would love to play instead…" Aurora's voice became eerily childlike at the end of her last statement. Aurora seemed confused with herself. She coughed to see if something was wrong with her voice. Then, Aurora clutched her head as if she was in considerable pain. Aurora's eyes twitched suddenly turned red. Ash and his friends stepped back in alarm. She looked at the frightened group, amused.
"I would love to play indeed. I would love to show you guys all my tricks right now, but I prefer nature… and I'm not that mean-spirited. I imagine you guys need to recover a bit more before I rip into your souls. I guess I can hold in my anger a little longer." Aru mused.
"And what if we stop you?" Ash growled. Aru continued to look amused. She raised Ash, his friends and her two partners in the air with her aura grip and spun them all around in glee. They all got incredibly dizzy. Once they were dazed, she set them back on the ground and started to levitate around them. Aru gripped Ash's shoulders from behind him and snickered.
"Silly little Ash. Always with the ambitious goals. I admire that. Your goal to stop me will be significantly tougher than stopping Ashton. After all, we are linked until all of you knows and accepts what happened." The elder guardian said. She began to float freely away from everyone and chuckled, "It has been fun giving you kids a bit of a scare. For now, I'll relinquish control to my goody-goody half. This is only a warning. I can come out whenever I please."
"Wretched witch! Give Aurora back control!" Rio growled and summoned a bone club of aura and pointed it at his trainer. Chi-Chi's fur bristled with electricity in defense. The woman seemed unimpressed.
"Ohohoho… is that supposed to scare me? Don't make me laugh." Aru scoffed.
She grabbed the bone club and crushed it in her hand. It shimmered until no light remained. There was a slight moment where Rio was utterly bewildered. For the slightest of moments, Aru's face went from smiling to unnerving. A dark blue glow formed around the hand she crushed the club with. She smiled at the Lucario with malicious intent. She touched Rio's shoulder. He screamed in agony as she sucked some of his aura from him. She brought him down to his knees and held no remorse. Seeing she made her point well, she released Rio from her aura sucking grab. He clutched his shoulder as he glared at the red-eyed Aurora. When her hand moved to touch Chi-Chi, she immediately moved away and growled. Aurora's counterbalance laughed at her anxiety.
"Putting up a brave act in front of these children… for shame. Your bluff kind of falls a bit short, my friend." Aru said sweetly. Rio sweat-dropped, but refused to give in. He growled indignantly at Aurora's counterbalance. Ash and everyone else shuddered in surprise at the entire scene. They all had a feeling that they'd only seen a glimpse of what she was capable of.
Aurora's counterbalance turned to face Ash. She made him look at her eye to eye. Ash matched her glare. She smiled with pride and regarded all of them. "I hate to admit it, but Aurora already cares enough about you kids to be willing to protect you all from danger. However, how will you deal with her if I make her your temporary enemy? I know we will find out soon. Until then, have a lovely day." Aru sang and made a mock bow of respect. With that ominous sentence spoken from Aurora's lips, her eyes returned to normal. Aurora looked horrified with herself. She immediately tended to Rio.
"Rio… I'm so sorry…." Aurora started.
"Don't worry about it, Aurora. I know you wouldn't do this in your free will. We both know how Aru is when she's like this." Rio said to his trainer.
"I… I didn't know she could suck in aura like that. I didn't know I could suck aura in like that. It feels wrong. So wrong... I need to return your aura to you…." Aurora's hands started to glow blue, but Rio shook his head. He touched her shoulder, letting her know to stop. Aurora still looked concerned.
"Seriously, I'm fine. A little drained, is all. I will gain back my aura over time. Don't sweat it."
"But…"
"It's all right. We've dealt with Aru in the past. I'm fine. Don't worry, all right?"
"Right. I'll try. For now, I want you and Chi-Chi to return. I don't want you guys to get hurt by me." Before they had a chance to protest, she returned both Rio and Chi-Chi in their Poké Balls.
"So Aru came out…" Ash noted.
"I'm really sorry you had to see her like that. She's normally not like that..." Aurora turned away from him and closed her eyes. "She's a lot more deadly than I am. She won't make any hesitation trying to kill you, especially if she doesn't know you. No remorse… while maintaining a smile. That's Aru for you."
"Why though? Why is there a side of us that's like this?" Ash demanded.
"To balance ourselves out, I guess. To be honest, I've always asked this question myself, but I've never really found out the reason. Balance… imbalance… I don't even know the concept anymore. I've learned to stop questioning things like this." Aurora explained tiredly. "Sometimes, I wonder why Lady Mew decided to include counterbalances when making us. She's a bit off the wall, but there must be a reason for it. She's always told me it was to bless us as a contingency, but I just don't know anymore. Counterbalances are amazing when they're not mad at us."
"You've met Mew before?" Ash asked. He noticed she was talking as if she knew the ancestor of Pokémon personally. Aurora maintained a neutral expression.
"Mew is often considered a myth. She could exist, but that doesn't mean I know her. Besides, I have to go inside and tell Nurse Joy about the damages." Aurora said curtly. It was clear she didn't want to continue talking. She started to walk towards the building.
"Wait… one more thing?" Clemont decided to ask.
"Yes?" Aurora asked in an exhausted tone and whipped her head around.
"When Ash was under the influence of his counterbalance, he called you 'Ruru'. He treated you with immense respect and he listened to everything you said, except when healing Pikachu. Just like you said, he didn't attack you, so I'm assuming Ashton knows you in some way. Knows you well enough to care about you. Why did he call you that?" Clemont deduced.
"Ash had always called me that when he was smaller. I didn't mind it and eventually the name stuck. As you can tell, we were exceptionally close. The rest, however, is none of your business. I hope you will give me that much privacy. Now, if you'll excuse me… I need to talk to Nurse Joy about some repairs to the center. She's going to be shocked once she sees what Ashton has done." Aurora answered the blond teen before entering the Pokémon Center.
"(You must be a lot closer to her than you realize if she was the one who was able to calm you down.)" Pikachu told the boy.
"I know. Ashton stopped attacking immediately when he saw her. When I first met Aurora, I felt a deep sense of longing. When he first saw her again, I felt a deep sense of rekindling, but I don't know why. Once he got past the shock of having her knock him down, he felt elated to see her… and by extension, I felt the same way." Ash responded to Pikachu.
"If it's significant enough for you two to intertwined, that reunion you felt is a sign," Serena spoke up. She clutched her heart and said, "Something's bothering Aurora. She wants to tell you what happened, but she's afraid to. I'm not sure why she's afraid, but I could feel it."
"How can you be so sure?" Ash asked.
"I could feel her emotion when she answered Clemont. It's strong. I don't understand it completely. One thing's for sure, she's beginning to open up to us, if only a little bit. Those secrets are starting to spill out the longer she's with us. I have a feeling that over time, she will tell us more. We can't force someone to say what's on their mind. For now, let's focus on recuperating." Serena proposed.
"And Aurora's counterbalance?" Clemont chimed in.
"We can deal with her the next time we can-" Ash responded. His stomach started to growl, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm hungry…"
"Oh, Ash!" Serena pushed him playfully.
"What? A boy's gotta eat!" Ash laughed and rubbed his head bashfully.
"I can definitely make something for your rumbling tummy." Serena rubbed his stomach.
"Oh Serena… you're making it worse!" Ash moaned even more in hunger. Serena giggled at the effect she was having on Ash. She grabbed his hand and ran inside to get something to eat for her man.
Clemont sighed, but said happily, "Some things never change… but I wouldn't have it any other way."
A/N: School's started and of course, that's awesome! I love school. At the same time, it's really unfortunate. I won't be able to devote as much time into this as before. This is a long weekend, so I'll see about putting up another chapter within the next week or so. No promises (school is already a pain and it's not even been a week yet).
I am having a bit of writer's block for Chapter 12 (*gasp* so that's the chapter I'm up to), but I hope I can break out of it soon. Whenever that happens, I usually continue the story from where I would end the chapter, so the surplus of chappies really doesn't end at Chapter 12. I just have to finish the actual chapter~
Have a lovely day~ ;)
Next Chapter: Some Complications...
~SPG123~