Flinky: Alright! I think my late updates are about over.
Red: About time.
Flinky: So yea. Nothing really important in my life and/or the story, so I'm going to cut right to reviews.
Flinky: One from Grey917 (I always have to check to see if it's spelled "grey" or "gray"). I did makes some jokes in an earlier intro about how Lucarios are overused. As for what to do once this story is over, I think I'll either do something with the anime or Mystery Dungeon. This story won't be seen again once it's over (unless in five years I decide to rewrite it).
Flinky: Also from a guest/OblivionWings who are totally not the same person. The story is definately my best (Doesn't say much though, seeing as this is my second and my first was shit).
Red: Okay. So we're onto the story now?"
Flinky: Of course.
Red's Pokemon (On Hand):
Ignite (Charizard)
Moves: Flamethrower, Smoke Screen, Dig, Wing Attack
Omni (Mew)
Moves: Every one except Judgement
Storm (Pidgeotto)
Moves: Wing Attack, Gust, Quick Attack, Steel Wing
Spark (Pikachu)
Moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Nuzzle, Discharge
Azure (Lapras)
Moves: Ice Beam, Surf, Perish Song, Sing
Rift (Lucario)
Moves: Thunder Punch, Close Combat, Dragon Pulse, Aura Sphere
?
"So, a red aura user?"
"Yep. He was last seen in Saffron City with the resistance group Poké Underground. We can attempt to recruit him, but it's unlikely he'll agree."
"Poké Underground, huh? I know who it is. I'll be the one to talk to him. I think I can convince him."
"Riley, are you really going to leave us for one kid? Even if he can use red aura, he'll find out about us eventually."
"Korinna, I appreciate your concern, but I know him."
"Who is he?"
"Red Ketchum. My son."
Red's POV
"Master, wake up."
"Too early…"
"Time is of the essence. You must awaken."
"Fine…"
I groggily opened my eyes. The easiest way to piss me off is to make me wake up early after a day like yesterday.
I saw Rift next to my bed.
"What is it?"
"We have to begin your aura training."
"Alright, give me a sec…"
I put on my jacket and my backpack. Once I was fully dressed I followed Rift outside.
"Now, I believe you remember your battle with Sabrina yesterday?"
"Of course."
"Okay. I want you to try to duplicate what you did then."
"Okay…"
I started off with the red glow that broke Sabrina's shield. It turned into a dome of energy in front of me.
"That is a very advanced technique, normally. However, I don't think that's as difficult with red aura. I am still uncertain myself though."
I'm starting to wish Arceus put knowledge of red aura in Rift's mind. This is getting a bit annoying.
"Actually, I'm going to try something."
Rift held his paws back. I think he's going to use Aura Sphere.
Once they were in in position, a red energy went between them, and formed into a sphere. Unlike a normal aura sphere, this one seemed to be almost exploding inside itself. When he launched it, instead of the sphere launching, it became a beam of red energy.
"Well, that's new. And much more powerful." He pointed toward the hole he made in the tree.
"So, is that a good thing?"
"Mostly. Anyways, once we're done training, you'll be able to do that too."
"Yay," I said, sarcastically. "So, what do we first?"
"Okay. Normally, we would start by meditating-"
"Hell. No."
"Like I was saying, normally. Thankfully, you don't have to do it, and I don't have to put up with it."
"How come?"
"It's just how red aura works. It's nature is to be chaotic and unpredictable. To practice it, you just have to use it and see what you can do. Do you remember how you were able to send aura into different parts of your body?"
"Yea."
"Keep doing that, and see if you can form it outside of your body."
"So basically figure it out myself?"
"Pretty much. You don't know much more about red aura than I do."
"Great."
I put some energy into my hand.
I won't lie. I love how it looks like my hand is on fire with red flames. It makes me look pretty badass.
I don't really know how to explain what happened next. I guess you could say I pushed the energy out of my and and into my palm. Anyways, a red ball of fire was now in my hand.
"Good work. Try throwing it."
I chucked it at a nearby tree, and it blew up.
I made another one. The, I put energy into my legs, and threw at my feet.
I was launched skyward, and didn't feel any pain. I'll have to remember that trick.
Once I landed, I was met by a smirking Rift.
"I figured you would do something like that."
"Anyone who knows me would figure that out."
"Fair point."
As we were talking, I saw a Salamence land about 100 yards from us. A man I couldn't really make out was stepping down from it. I readied another red ball of explosions (that's what I'll call it for now) in case he was against us. For once, he wasn't.
"Hello Red."
I could recognize that voice. That's my dad!
"Dad!"
He got closer, and I could fully see him. There was a (normal) Lucario next to him.
"Okay, you have so many things to explain," I said.
"That's fair," he responded. "Oh, and this is Luke, my Lucario."
"Greetings Red."
"I guess I should introduce Rift."
"It's an honor to meet you Mr. Ketchum. I'm Rift, your sons aura training partner."
You know, sometimes, I can't really blame Rift for being so quick to accept the personality change.
"Ahh, so yours can use telepathy too."
"That is more surprising than the fact that his fur is red?"
"Well, I knew. Part of the reason I'm here is because of your battle with Sabrina."
"What about it?"
"Red, for every 500 aura guardians, there is only one red aura user. Seeing as how we know of only 50 living ones, to say you are rare is an understatement."
"And your point is…"
"Look, this will be a difficult decision, and I'll give you time, but I want you to join the Aura Defenders. It's a group of aura guardians who are just as dedicated to taking down Team Rocket as you and your friends are. Now, this is a large decision, and I'll give you-"
"Nope."
I do like my dad, but I prefer where I am right now.
"What?"
"Nope. Not moving. I'm staying with Poké Underground."
"You should give it thought. You can become the strongest-"
"Nope. Didn't even want to be a guardian. Arceus kinda stuck it on me yesterday."
"Wait, you met Arceus- No, focus on the task at hand. Red, you must join us. You'll be more respected than me."
"Nah, I'm good."
"Give me one good reason why you shouldn't join."
"Oh boy, where to start… Okay, I'll give you five. I am the strongest battler in the resistance, I am the leader of said resistance, my friends are here, my girlfriend is here, and I've accomplished more than you have."
"You don't even know what we've done."
"Exactly. We haven't heard anything about a group of Aura Guardians. We know about Team Magma, Aqua, Galactic, and Plasma, along with the Unovan Strike Force, and some group out in Kalos who I've heard freed their first city today."
"Well-"
"That shows that you haven't done enough to make it into the spotlight."
"Okay, I get your point." He looked at his Salamnce and Lucario. "What if we had a battle? If I win, you come with me."
"What do I have to gain?"
"You can call on us when your organization needs it."
"Alright," I said. "I need to train my new Pokémon."
"Okay. Is three on three okay with you?"
"Sure," I responded. "I don't think we need a ref."
"As a Aura Guardian, my honor is of the utmost importance."
"Whatever. Let's start it up. Go, Azure!"
"Lapras!"
"Okay. Go, Metagross!"
"Meta!"
"Red, you can have the first move."
"Hmm, a bit stuck right off the bat. Okay, Azure, use Ice Beam on the battle ground!"
"That does no harm to us. Metagross, Meteor Mash!"
"Okay, Azure, use Surf to push him back!"
Azure took a break from Ice Beam to send out a blast of water. It didn't do much damage, but did send Metagross away.
"Keep up with Ice Beam!"
She went back to covering the field in ice. Eventually, it was fully covered.
"Meteor Mash one more time!" My dad called.
"Dodge Azure!"
With the new ice field, Azure is much faster, and was able to dodge easily.
"Good work! Now, Sing!"
I saw the look of terror in my dad's eyes. Maybe I should call him Riley. Sentences like that sound really bad.
"Metagross, return!"
His Pokéball's beam was moving at the same time as Azure's Sing attack. It feels different when I'm on the other side of the battle.
He was able to return Metagross before my attack arrived.
"Okay. Luke, I need you. Are you ready?"
His Lucario nodded.
"Okay! Let's do it!"
"Azure, Perish Song!"
I love messing with people like that.
"Are you kidding me?"
"Nope. Azure, Surf, for real this time!"
The attack blasted out, dealing good damage to his Lucario.
"Red, you are able to irritate many people, causing them to cloud their judgement. However, this will not work on me. Lucario, Force Palm!"
"Dodge Azure!"
She slid away right on time. I called her back immediately afterwards.
"Why would you do tha- Ohh. Quick, Luke, return!"
He called back his Lucario before Perish Song took full effect.
"That is a smart move," He said. "However, I will not fall for the same tricks twice. Metagross, let us win!"
"Azure, return!"
Who to go with now… I can do Ignite, but that would ruin the ice field. Omni, I would rather save for later in case I fall behind. Glow is a definite no. Maybe Driver… No, any ground attacks would ruin it. That just leaves…
"Rift, go!"
My Lucario took the field.
"I am curious as to what he is capable of. Metagross, Psychic!"
"Rift, Aura Sphere right through it!"
He prepared his attack, which, quite honestly, is more of a Aura Beam then sphere.
The attack tore straight through the Psychic. It did look a little strange though (even by my standards). As the Psychic was receiving the beam, it seemed to almost avoid the red aura. I'll have to ask about that later.
Anyways, the attack hit Metagross dead-on. Aura Sphere is already a strong attack, but Aura Beam (I'm calling it that now) is much stronger, at the expense of accuracy and control. Since we were battling a fairly slow Metagross, that wasn't much of a problem.
He wasn't taken out, but heavily damaged.
"Metagross, Earthquake! Try to break the ice while you're at it!"
He started shaking the ground, putting cracks in the ground. Great.
"Rift, try using Aura Jump to dodge!"
"Wha- ohh, right. I'll try."
I saw a similar glow to that of what I get when I use aura occur in Rift. It was channeled in his legs, and he jumped about 30 feet in the air, and came down slowly. By the time he landed, the Earthquake was over.
"Now, Thunder Punch!"
He delivered the attack, knocking Metagross out.
"That was a good idea. I still have yet to find out how red aura works, but I have a feeling that was involved in the jump your Lucario did. Anyways, go, Salamence!"
"Rift, switch out! Go, Azure!"
The field still had ice on it, it just wasn't in one piece. Azure should still be able to move.
"Salamance, Flamethrower!"
"Azure, dodge, and use Ice Beam!"
Apparently it's very difficult to dodge and attack at the same time. The attacks met, but given the type difference, Flamethrower won out and hit Lapras. It was a strong attack, but didn't hurt her too much.
"Okay, Lapras, go under him and use Ice Beam!"
"Don't let them Salamence! Use Flamethrower again!"
This time, Azure was able to hit, instantly knocking out Salamence.
"I'm impressed. Salamence is my second-strongest fighter."
"Your first is Luke?"
"Of course. Now, come on out Luke! We can turn this around!"
"Statistically, not really. My third Pokémon is yet to be unveiled and I have a fire dragon who's not really a dragon."
"Usually, I would be dead, but I have a trick up my sleeve, or should I say-"
"NO! That is WAY too corny."
"Fine. It's on my staff. Luke, are you ready?"
"Lucario!"
"Okay then. Mega Evolve!"
Shit.
I have no idea what that is, but it sounds dangerous and magical, two things I don't really like but deal with just about every day.
There was a pink glow, and his Lucario was surrounded by a sphere. When it came out, it was different. The things on the back of his head are much longer, his white/cream body extended into a tail, and there's bits of red all over his body.
"Now, Mega Lucario, Aura Sphere on Lapras!"
"Dodge- wait, you can't. Counter with Surf!"
The Aura Sphere completely destroyed the Surf. Hit by the super-effective attack, Lapras went down.
"So, what do you think?"
"That's...new. Just another thing I have to deal with though. Rift, let's take them down!"
Rift came onto the field.
"So, he's different."
"Yep. Try to use your aura when you attack. That could give us the advantage."
"I wouldn't count on it," dad said. "Mega Lucario is very strong."
"I've taken down an Articuno before. This should be a walk in the park."
"What?"
"I'll tell you later. Now, let's get on with it."
"Luke, Aura Sphere!"
"Shield Rift!"
A barrier of red aura stopped the sphere from hitting Rift.
"Nice. Now, use Aura Beam!"
"Dodge Luke!"
The attack was way off target. Should have expected that.
"Now," My dad said. "Use Close Combat!"
He ran in close to Rift and delivered the hit. He was barely hanging in there.
"Don't give in now. Use Close Combat with aura in your arms and legs!"
This is why red aura helps. Something that I know for sure is that it can be directed into different parts of the body and enhance them.
Rift's attack also arrived (partially because he was too fast to stop him) and did about the same amount of damage.
"Thunder Punch Rift!" I yelled.
"Fire Punch Luke!" My dad called.
Out two Pokémon were charging at each other. Both attacks arrived, and it became a stand off.
"Good game," Rift said, before he collapsed.
"Luke! Thank you for the victory."
"It was a three on three you know."
His face darkened as he realized what that meant.
"Oh no…"
"Okay, so I'm sorry about what I'm about to do. Being in Poké Underground means the world to me, and I'm not going to give it up. Omni! Let's finish this!"
I sent out my Mew. This is completely unfair, but then again, he has mega-whatever.
"Mew… Lady Mew fights with you?"
"Yes. Omni fights with me."
"It's true. I even learned a couple things from him."
"...No matter. Luke! We can do it!"
"Right!" Luke said.
"They are dead," Omni said to me.
"Okay, Omni-"
I didn't even get to call the move. She read my mind and used Aqua Jet, like I was going to order her to.
It completely took down Luke.
There was an orange glow, and he faded back to a normal Lucario.
"Well… Red, you have just as much explaining as I do."
"Yea, that's fair. First, I'm going to have Rift and Azure healed."
"I'll go too."
We walked to the Pokémon Center, where I saw Michael, Leaf, and Blue gathered at a table. They don't seem to notice me yet, and I'd rather wait until I've dealt with my dad before we start talking strategy.
Once our Pokémon were healed, we went back outside to talk.
"Okay, I'll start," I said. "What happened with you?"
"Oh, where to begin… Alright. When you were about five, I started the Aura Defenders. We were one of the first groups to fight Team Rocket. The others have been destroyed. We all had a Lucario or Riolu as our first Pokémon, and from there on out caught more."
"Okay… So… That actually makes a lot of sense."
"Anyways, when I heard of the battle between a red aura user and Sabrina, I had a hunch it was you."
"Great… So I guess you want my story now?"
"Sure."
I explained how I was recruited, Omni, becoming the leader, taking down cities, and stories involving the other legendaries I've dealt with. I left out the information about being a remake though. I don't think I was even allowed to tell Leaf and Michael about it, and I've been with them for the past year.
"Well, I can see why you didn't want to leave. I guess that's fair. Be sure to tell us if you need something, as a part of our agreement."
He looked at me.
"I bet I don't seem much like a father anymore. You've been living with your friends for the past year, and the closest thing to seeing me you had was a one minute video call. Especially since your Pokémon are stronger than me, I don't really know what else I can do. Still, I'm proud. You've never been one to just give in and accept something. Look where that got you now."
I couldn't see it, but I had a feeling my dad was getting teary-eyed.
"Keep going on. Don't let anyone stop you from doing what you want. Not even your mother."
I laughed a little.
"You know, I bet you've wondered why I married her. Someone like me and her don't really mix."
I nodded.
"She wasn't always like she is now. I'm not at liberty to tell you what happened though. You'll see her soon enough." He paused for a second. "I should head out. I bet your friends need you now anyways."
He sent out his Salamance.
"Oh, and one last thing. I want you to take this."
He gave me a ring that looked similar to the one he used in the battle.
"Hold onto it. You may find a use for it in the future."
Yay. Magic stone.
"Bye dad," I said.
He smiled.
"Bye Red."
He took off.
FINALLY. I can curse again.
I ran back to the center to see everyone crowding over a map.
"Hey Red," Michael said. "Where were you?"
"Aura training." It was a half-lie, but I don't really care.
"Alright. What city did you have in mind for taking next? It's between Cinnabar or Vermilion."
I looked at the map.
"Vermillion. I never got to battle Surge last time. This time, we can take it."
"Okay. Any ideas we should know?" Leaf asked.
"Remember how there's a subway to Vermillion?" I asked.
"Oh yea, it goes from Vermillion to Saff..ron," Blue said.
"Exactly. We'll go in dressed as grunts and take down the tower."
"Alright," Michael said. "I'll go look around for someone who can operate it."
"Have fun. In the meantime, I'm going to mess with my aura. Everyone else is welcome to watch."
We broke off. While I was walking, I saw a call on my Poké Gear from Gold.
"Hey Gold, what's up?" I asked.
"I found some possible members. Their named Ruby and Sapphire. They look a lot like Brendan and May."
There are more remakes?
"Okay, let them join. Let's get them working out in Hoenn."
"Figured you would say that. I already had Wally's Gardevoir coming out. They'll probably meet you soon."
"Alright. Give me a heads up if there's someone else to recruit."
"Will do."
I ended the call. New members, huh? A bit late, but it can never hurt.
Flinky: Okay. This chapter marks a pretty big milestone. All of the video game protagonists have been at least referenced once. Also, more information on Red and his family. I'm fairly certain I'll be able to update on time again, so with that, Flinky out.
