Revival Chapter Six:

The storm system came and went, as the sun's rays pierced through the rain laden clouds. The system lingered over Pallet Town for nearly two days, then migrated eastward towards Vermillion City and beyond. While the storm clouds hovered over the town, the group had taken the opportunity to make all the necessary arrangements. Misty had to bargain with her sisters so she could leave the gym. It was only with Tracey's offer of assistance did Misty's older siblings give in. May and Max informed their parents of the upcoming trip, while Brock bought all the supplies that would be needed. Ash had to make the painful decision to decide his team, but in the end he went with Pikachu, Glalie, Torterra, Quilava, Staraptor, and Buizel.

The days flew by, rather slowly, in Ash's opinion, and it was now time to start. Dawn had already left earlier that morning, In order to catch a flight to Canalave City. Professor Oak had been kind enough to drive her there. Gary left too, except he had opted for a ride on his skarmory, instead of any 'normal' transportation.

The dirt road outside the Ketchum residence was muddy and soft from the storm, puddles everywhere. Ash made a disgusted face as his sneakers sunk into a miniature sinkhole. His mother gave him a tight hug. "Be careful, alright Ash?" she implored.

"Mom, not in front of my friends," he protested. He loved his mom dearly, but there were some times that the affection was best private, like now. Drew chuckled and Misty hid her face behind her hands. He wriggled his way out of his mother's grip. "I promise I'll be careful." He shouldered his backpack and deftly snatched the map from Brock's hands. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Ash give Brock the map back. I would prefer to not be lost within the first fifteen minutes of this trip."

"I won't get us 'lost'. Don't you have any faith in me, Misty?"

"When you have the map, no, not really."

The banter died away as they continued down the road. Ms. Ketchum watched until their forms receded in the distance. She had a habit of constantly worrying about her son as he traveled. He had been journeying for a good seven years of his life, so he must know what he was doing. A sense of worry gnawed at her, and she was left with the feeling that this trip would be the biggest trip of all.

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Two shadowy figures watched as the group wound their way through the hilly regions that surrounded Pallet Town, which cradled the town like a verdant nest. One of them peered through a pair of high tech binoculars, then huffed and set them down on his lap, drumming his fingers on the plastic cover.

"This is stupid," the watcher proclaimed. "To take him now would be just plain stupid. It's much too early to do so."

His partner, a blond with wavy long hair, snorted. "Oh yes, real way to get promoted Alan. Let's bash the Master's plan behind his back, then suck up to him every chance you have."

"You're so narrow minded Mia," Alan derided. "You're too busy playing teacher's pet."

"I'd like to live longer than you," Mia flicked back a lock of hair. "But you're right. This is stupid."

"Too bad we don't have much of a say in it."

"True. I suspect though that Eldrin and Stella feel the same way about it too. There's just too many risks involve with commence with the plan now. Too many variables."

Alan stood up, brushing the grass stains from his pants. He was tall, with a wiry built. His brown eyes looked through the lens of the binoculars one more time, then he shoved the pair into a side pouch. He straightened his mousy brown hair, and began to head down to their campsite. On first impression, many would have compared him to a furret, a skinny, weaselly pokemon. Oftentimes, their comparison would be true, in both personality and looks. He was dressed in clothing that was ideal for tracking, with few adornments and bright accessories, all in various shades of gray.

Mia, on the other hand, was short, with voluptuous curves and a charisma that would light up a party. However, she was cold-hearted, temperamental, and fickle. She too was dressed in an outfit similar to Alan's, but a long dagger, about eighteen inches long, was strapped to her leg, the metal dull and matte.

"Anything new?" Stella asked, her chain mail chinking as she crossed her arms. She was clad in leather armor that covered most of her body, with a layer of chain mail under it. While it may seen unusual for a person in this age to dress as she did, it was seen as vital and needed.

"The boy has just left Pallet Town, with a whole entourage in tow. This may be more difficult than we thought."

"Difficult or not, the Master needs him." Elrdin said. His armor was a fusion of leather and metal plating, all darkened to prevent it from reflecting any light. "We'll just have to kill the others."

"Yes, but there's something unusual about one of them." Mia interjected

"What?"

"One of the members, he seems to be skilled in Aura." Mia had a minor ability to sense those who were able to utilize Aura. "Very skilled."

"He's a human, just like the rest of us. And if he's a human, he can be killed." Eldrin seated himself on a fallen log, ignoring the moss that was growing. "We'll track the boy at dawn. The last thing we need is for a bunch of dead civilians to be found near a populated area."

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The campfire burned steadily as the group settled down for the evening. They had trekked far into Viridian woods, more than halfway into the murky forest. Blaidd found a secluded glade for them to spend the night, away from any beaten paths. Brock was hovering over a stew pot, occasionally tossing in a spice or two, to season their dinner. Max and Drew had gone out to collect firewood, while May and Misty went to collect water from a burbling stream twenty yards from the campsite. Which left only Ash and Blaidd. Ash had offered to help Brock out with dinner, but was shooed away with a wooden spoon to the head. Blaidd was calmly leaning against a moss covered rock, whittling away at a piece of wood.

"Tell me Ash," Blaidd began. "Have you worked with your 'Aura' lately?"

"No, not really,...wait, how do you know about my 'Aura'? Ash demanded.

"I was there when you released that lucario from Sir Aaron's staff. Only one skilled with Aura could accomplish such a feat."

"You were there?"

"I am Lady Ilene's emmisary you know. Plus I have a minor talent with the Aura myself. I can sense that you have it too. It's raw and untrained, but still there." Blaidd placed the wood next to him and stood up. "I can help you hons your skills with it. In many ways. It will give you an edge in all aspects of life."

"Like how?"

"Well, you can sense emotions with it, turning you into an empath, and give you a closer bond with your pokemon, as you'll be connected with your pokemon more intimately than most trainers. You can sense possible future actions in battle, again, giving you another edge in battle. The ability to use Aura is very rare, and highly valuable. To neglect it is to throw away one of your biggest gifts. Ever wonder why you have such a close bond with your pokemon? It's not just because you've trained them for so long, but also that you have developed a bond through each other's Aura."

"I never knew that."

"Of course you didn't, because you've never had any one teach you it." Blaidd crossed the glade and offered Ash a hand. "I'm willing to teach you how to use it, at least until we reach Cameran Palace. Then, you can continue your training, or go on with your life. But at least I can teach you how to control and refine your Aura."

Ash clasped Blaidd's hand. "Deal."

"Well, you have a habit of rushing into things without a second thought, don't you?" Blaidd went to a tree and yanked off a thick branch, then a second one, inspecting each one in turn, then nodding when satisfied. Pulling out a bowie knife, he cut off the smaller branches, until he had two improvisational staffs, each with one sharpened end. He tossed on to Ash, who narrowly caught it.

"As I've said a few moments ago, Aura gives you the ability to sense possible future moves, allowing you to counter and mount your own attack. But in order to develop that ability with your pokemon, you must develop it in combat." Blaidd lunged with the blunt end, and Ash barely had time to block the staff with his own, bringing his staff up to block it, but Blaidd spun around with the pointed end and hooked under Ash's stave and knocked it out of his hands. The blunt end went into the teen's gut. Ash's air went out in a whoosh as Blaidd's stave collided with his diaphragm. He sunk to his knees. Brock winced as Ash went down.

"That was harsh," he wheezed.

"Training is always harsh. I remember my first training session. You training sessions are nothing more than a cakewalk to mine." Blaidd offered him a hand up. "The key is to connect with your Aura. Clear your mind of nothing else except the Aura. Then everything will come to you."

Misty and May walked in on the training session, buckets of water in hand. "What's Ash doing?" Misty whispered.

"I have no idea," May replied. Max and Drew came into the glade shortly after them.

Ash closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind, but it proved much more difficult then he originally thought it would be. Random thoughts would pop up just as he was on the verge of total clarity. Blaidd noted Ash's frustration. "It's always hard on the first try. Just keep practicing every spare moment. In the mean time, I need to teach you how to fight. You fight horribly." Blaidd pitched Ash's staff to him. "Let's try this again." Blaidd lunged forward again. This time, Ash managed to fend off a handful of blows, until his stave went flying again and he got a hard rap on the shoulder.

"Again!" The pair went at it once more, until Brock called them for dinner, a hardy meal of stew and a mixture of chow and berries for the pokemon. After supper, Blaidd had Ash to go through a few meditating exercises, to help his learn to clear his mind. "Until you can learn to completely clear your mind, without any exertion whatsoever, Aura will be elusive to you." Blaidd explained.

Ash nodded, nursing one of the numerous bruises obtained from the bouts. "Okay," he answered reluctantly. He had enjoyed the fighting, even though he had gotten beaten nearly every match, but he had the feeling that he wouldn't enjoy the 'exercises' very much. He relied on instinct, not on mental prowess and the manipulation of 'Aura'.

"I'll take first watch," Blaidd offered, he felt restless, fidgety, and he thought that staying up could cure the restlessness, instead of tossing and turning in the confining, polyester sleeping bag he was forced to buy. He never needed a 'sleeping bag' before, so why now? "Ash and Drew will take second, Misty and Brock will take third." It was always best to have two people on the second and third watches. One or the other always seemed to be sleepy, so the other person was in essence, a back up. Ash nodded and settled int o his sleeping bag, Pikachu curled up in a small yellow furred ball next to him, using the trainer's cap as a pillow.

Blaidd settled in for the watch, his back against the rock, eyes wide and wary, the red irises peering into the darkness around them.