Xan once again repelled the Bone Rush Lucario was using against him, using his Aura to protect his arms and hands as he deflected each swing Lucario took at him. When Lucario was spent, he jumped away from Xan, his cold gaze never leaving him. Xan was painting heavily, his Aura feeling drained from all the tasks the Teacher had set that day.
Lucario charged up an Aura sphere, and Xan sighed reluctantly as he once again got into an offensive stance. Lucario fired the Aura sphere, and with the aura focused mainly in his legs, Xan leapt to the side with speed and grace, and started to run as soon as his feet hit the floor. Lucario hardly had time to react as Xan dive-tackled him to the floor, rolled and pulled out a dagger, and held it to the Pokémon's throat.
"Very good," Symons voice boomed through the clearing, "you have beaten your own personal record as well Xan." Xan sheathed his dagger and pulled Lucario to his feet.
"Hey buddy, you alright?"
"I'm fine," Lucario mumbled, using his Aura to communicate, "I just didn't see the speed of that last attack. I should have been more wary master."
"Buddy, it's fine," Xan replied, walking over to where Antonio and Liz were sitting with their own Pokémon, "Antonio, your turn," Xan grinned as he sat down the other side of Liz. Antonio groaned and pulled himself to his feet.
"Why do I have to?" he muttered, "I feel so dead already." And with that, He and his Gallade and Pikachu shuffled onto the field.
"I swear he's getting worse than you," Liz said as Antonio began the mock fight with Pikachu, giving Xan a smirking sideways glance.
"So what if he is?" Xan replied, looking around to try and find Infernape as Lucario settled into a meditation position next to him, "Just means I have another weapon to use against him."
"Maybe," Liz said, looking back to watch Antonio shielding himself against a thunderbolt from his Pikachu. The two remained silent as Xan continued to look around for Infernape. He hadn't seen him since he had managed to finally dodge the rather powerful Mach punch he had thrown at him, and getting him into a Headlock, signalling the end of the mock fight.
"I'm sure he's fine master," Lucario said from next to him, "I know he is rather competitive, but you must remind yourself, he is also a rather large jokester, so he'll get over it quickly."
"I just hope he gets over it soon," Xan mumbled to Lucario, "We have the exam tomorrow, and I want to pass it first time."
"We'll do fine," Lucario said, watching as Antonio now moved onto fighting Gallade after he had managed to absorb Pikachu's thunder and send it back at him. Antonio was now fending off each swipe of Gallade's extended elbows.
"Xan, are you alright?" Liz asked, and Xan realised that she had been trying to ask him a question.
"Huh? What?" Xan said; look around at Liz, with Lucario chuckling softly to himself. Xan ignored this, "Sorry, I was talking to Lucario. What was it you wanted to ask?"
"Do you think we're actually ready for this exam?" Liz asked, and Xan could see some fear etched in her eyes. Although she never let her emotions show on the surface, her eyes always betrayed her true feelings.
"I believe we are," Xan said, grinning, "I mean remember when we couldn't do any of this stuff?"
Liz smiled, "Yeah, it was so long ago now. I remember the first time you tried to summon an Aura Sphere. It exploded in your face. The look on your face was priceless."
"Not as bad as when Antonio was trying to summon the shield," Xan said, remembering back to about the same time, when they were about eight years of age, "Remember he managed it, and then it just blew outwards, leaving a smoking Antonio once the dust had cleared."
"Oh, those were the days," Liz said, looking back to watch Antonio. Xan turned to watch as well. Antonio was now on the offensive, spinning out with his sword, causing Gallade to put on a defensive front.
"Alright, that's enough," the teacher yelled, and Antonio fell onto the floor, panting and out of breath. Gallade and Pikachu ran over to him, concerned. They helped him up and they walked over to the place where Liz and Xan were sitting.
"Alright Liz, show us what you can do," Antonio said, grinning slightly, his Green eyes sparkling with determination from his mock fight. Liz smiled nervously at Xan and Antonio as she walked out with her Ninetails and Sceptile. She began the mock fight with Sceptile, using her shield to absorb the grass Pokémon's attacks.
"That was some awesome moves you were pulling," Xan said to Antonio as his breath began to return to him, "I mean, being able to counter with that much strength after taking that mean hits, it's like you're a Torrtera!"
"Ah, it's all in the Aura," Antonio grunted as he sat upright, nursing his forearms which he had coated in Aura to help him fend of Gallade's attacks, "You were pretty impressive yourself, what with using that speed and Agility to outsmarting Infernape and Lucario like that."
"It was pretty difficult to," Xan said quickly as he felt Lucario flex slightly next to him, "I mean, you can't really outsmart these two with ease. Lucario has the mind for the Counters, whilst Infernape just dances out of the way."
"Did someone mention me?" a voice said, and Infernape suddenly appeared in front of them, landing on all fours, absorbing the energy form the landing.
"Where have you been?" Xan questioned. Infernape smiled his cheeky smile.
"Oh, here and there," he said, sitting down next to Lucario, "Oh, and if any Breloom come asking if I'm the Infernape that was messing with their fruit, I have been here all this time."
"Wow, sound like Infernape has been the joker once again," Antonio muttered to Xan. His Gallade gave a disapproving look at the fire monkey, whilst Pikachu just shook its head with an exasperated smile on its face.
"Tell me about it," Xan muttered, watching Liz manage to cause Sceptile to back down with an impressive pulse of Aura. Ninetails took his place, her nine tails fluffed out, a growl etched upon her face, the red eyes blazing. Xan had never seen the Pokémon look that pumped up. She threw a flamethrower towards Liz, who blocked it, absorbing the power slowly.
"Well, that's not going to end well for Ninetails," Xan muttered, watching the blue shield slowly turning red.
"Well, it depends whether Liz can handle the heat or not," Antonio remarked, "Knowing those two, it's going to be a long standoff."
"Well, that's one match up I don't want to get caught up in," Xan said, but then a loud roar filled the air. Xan and Antonio turned around and looked up as a shadow covered the clearing. Even Ninetails and Liz stopped fighting to look up. There were three Pokémon, a Salamance, a Garchomp and a large Dragonite, all of them with a person on each. They landed in the clearing, and the three people stepped off them. The two men were tall and Muscular, with battle scared faces and arms, dressed in cloaks with hoods, which hid their eyes and Hair. The third was a female, shorter than the two men, but something about her Aura commanded a sense of respect, the same amount as the two men stood next to her.
"Antonio, isn't that," Xan started, but he didn't need to finish his sentence.
"Yeah, it is," Antonio said, "It's the Aura Cult Alpha. The most well respected and feared Aura Cult there is. Only the best make it to the Alpha Cult. I hear after the great Purge there have only ever been three people in that Cult ever since."
"Then what are they doing here?" Xan asked, "Last I heard from Teacher was that they were on a communication mission with the camps in Sinnoh."
"I heard they were on a dangerous raid at one of the Shrines in Hoenn," Liz said, coming up behind Xan and Antonio, "They managed to take back the Shrine from the New World Council forces by themselves; three against fifty."
"That's rubbish," Antonio said, "I heard that the one standing on the left, Alexander, He was on a lone recon mission into the heart of Saffron City, right in the heart of the New World Council Headquarters whilst Aqua, the small one, was battling with a legendary, whilst Arthur, the one to the right, was leading a raid on one of the strong holds near Mount Silver."
"Still, putting the stories aside," Xan said, cutting across Antonio, "What are they doing here?"
"They are here to Examine you," the deep voice of Symon cut through their conversation from behind, causing everyone to jump.
"You mean, were' gonna be judged by the Alpha Cult?" Antonio asked disbelief in his voice.
"Yes, Antonio, and you better stop drooling over them as well," Symon said with a small chuckle, "They're not gods you know, and they don't like being treated as them either. Now go rest up you three; tomorrow is going to be a long one."