Hi everyone. Here is my new chapter, finishing off the Aura Gym Battle. What did you think of the whole concept of negating? This will feature a lot so read up of the concept in order to understand it. If you still don't get it, ask me and I'll further explain it. also, my new idea for an original story is uploaded. Be careful though, unlike the traditional Pokémon themes, it is more darker. And someone update the NegaiShipping hints on Bulbapedia! Please! Anyway, enjoy.
The man looked in shock at what his partner had just done in the alleyway. He stared at his partner's face who was grinning with glee then the man looked at his hand, where his partner's hand was, piercing the skin, his blood running down it. He was horrified that he could feel his former friend's hand move inside of his stomach. He wanted to throw up but only one thing came to mind.
"W-Why?" the poor man asked his friend.
The 'friend' simply laughed. "You see, you have something that I want. You have something that will allow me to reach the highest ranks of the Aura Justice Department. So I'm taking it from you. Don't feel bad. I've lost count of how many people I've done this to."
"W-What-"the man didn't finish as he didn't want to continue. He just wanted to make the pain stop.
"What do I want?" asked the 'friend'. "Simple. Your aura."
The man simply looked in horror as his aura was drawn from his body.
The Aura SolarBeam got closer and closer towards Oshawott. In desperation, hoping that the idea that had popped into his head worked Ash cried. "Use your Scalchop!"
Oshawott understood its trainers cry immediately. It lifted off its scalchop off its stomach and lifted it up to the Aura SolarBeam that was approaching. The Aura SolarBeam impacted the scalchop, the recoil moving Oshawott back a tiny bit before it was deflected entirely and launched into the sky, through the ceiling. As Oshawott was not attacking, the aura did not negate and cause the explosion of air that had happened previously.
Ash grinned to himself as his idea proved to get his Pokémon out of harm's way. "Great Oshawott!" said Ash from where he stood. The three Gym Leaders only stood in awe at the unorthodox defense that the trainer and his Pokémon had given.
"That really was great!" exclaimed Iris while the cheerleaders (one of which now had a bandage over her nose) groaned as the attack that their Gym Leader had fired had failed.
Oshawott leaped onto a rock that was near it and posed in a victory stance, expressing its supremacy.
Cilan spoke up from where he stood. "That was quite a flavoursome technique there. Never in my time as a Gym Leader have I seen such a manoeuvre."
Oshawott smiled at the compliment and Ash smiled as well. "That's right. We'll just show you more of how my Oshawott is the cream of the crop!" Ash responded to Cilan.
"Is that so?" asked Cilan arching an eyebrow. "Then we'll have the next move. Pansage, Aura Bullet Seed!" Pansage leapt up and fired the blue outlined seeds at Oshawott.
"You know what to do!" said Ash. Oshawott responded by using its scalchop in the same manner as before, blocking the Aura Bullet Seeds, making them fly in all directions, many landing on the battlefield. When the assault was over Ash cried out his next command. "Now, Razor Shell!"
Oshawott held the scalchop in a slightly different manner from before, it lighting up and sharpening so the scalchop now had an extension, one that looked like a blade. It leaped into the air, aiming at charging towards the opponent.
"I don't think so!" said Cilan. "Knock away the scalchop using Aura Bullet seed!" said Cilan. Pansage fired the seeds again and as Oshawott was in the middle of an attack, all it could do was dodge in mid-air. Resistance was futile however and Pansage's Aura Bullet Seed was successful in hitting Oshawott's arm, causing the scalchop to fly from its hand and onto the battlefield.
Oshawott landed on the stony battlefield and Ash gritted his teeth, anxious that his Pokémon had now lost both its offense and defense. From the stands, Iris rolled her eyes. "That's what happens when overconfidence takes over." She commented which was backed up by Axew saying its name.
"Oshawott, hurry and get the scalchop!" commanded Ash.
"Aura Bullet Seed!" said Cilan. Pansage repeated what had happened numerous times during the battle and fired the seeds at Oshawott, but not at it, only to prevent it from reaching the scalchop. Oshawott ran away hopelessly and was hit on the head by a perfectly fired Seed, causing it to sway around in a comedic fashion.
Cilan grinned and shook his head. "Alright. Time for the battle to be served!" he exclaimed. The cheerleaders on the side erupted into cheers causing both Ash and Iris to back away in surprise.
"What the-?" asked Iris. "What's happening?"
"You don't know?" asked one of the cheerleaders, her voice muffled by the bandage around her nose. She was blushing as were almost all of the other cheerleaders. "The Pokémon Connoisseur Gym Leader Cilan just said it was time for the battle to be served!"
"Time for the battle to be served?" repeated Iris with a blank stare.
Cilan held out both hands, his palms pointing towards Ash. Ash saw the glowing mist of aura run out of them and approach him and Oshawott and he stepped back, cautiously. Judging by the fact that everyone else was simply looking at Cilan and not at the mist, Ash deduced that the mist was aura that Cilan had directed towards him.
He watched the aura surround him and Oshawott, it glowing brighter as it surrounded them both. He shook his arm but the mist stuck to him like flypaper so the only thing that he could do was to sit and observe. Besides, when he shook his arm, he earned a glance of confusion from Iris and he didn't want to attract much attention so he stopped.
It took less than a second for the mist to disappear and retract back to Cilan's hands. Ash looked at Cilan who was looking at Ash with a disappointed expression.
"Hmm. My analysis of you and Oshawott is complete and I have to say I'm disappointed. Your style of battling is plain and your attacks are simple, not flavoured with the spiciness of aura. Your auras aren't matched at all. I'm sorry but you two are a disappointment."
"A what?" yelled Ash, feeling his voice rise. Cilan had just said that their auras weren't compatible and that was expected. As he was an Aura Zero, every Pokémon should hold a higher aura than him. But the other comments hit Ash hard.
"Look at Oshawott for proof." Reported Cilan. Ash did just that and sweatdropped as Oshawott stumbled around after being hit from the Aura Bullet Seed.
"And if you compare you and Oshawott to Pansage and me, the difference is clear. Pansage's attacks infused with aura give off a delicious aroma, much different from the bland taste of yours. I must admit that right now, Pansage defeats your Oshawott hands down." Continued Cilan with enthusiasm.
The cheerleaders erupted in cries of support for Cilan while Iris just put on a sour expression. "I think that a Gym Leader Connoisseur is a handful." Although she said this, Cilan did have a point. Why didn't Ash use his aura to make the attacks stronger? Although the battle was much more exciting the way he did it, using aura would help Ash a lot. So why?
"And another reason for Pansage's advantage is the fact that your tastebuds aren't suited for the basics. Challenging a Grass Type with a Water Type?" Cilan asked.
Ash smiled back at Cilan. "A battle isn't determined by aura or types. There is more to it than that. So don't think that this battle is over yet."
"Your desperation makes the battle taste inedible. The sourness of it is clear to me and should be clear to you." Said Cilan, wagging his finger.
"Is that so?" said Ash. "Oshawott." He said now to his Pokémon. "Use Water Gun and aim it at that seed!" Ash pointed to one of the glowing blue seeds on the ground near. But the seed wasn't anywhere near the scalchop. This action earned numerous sceptical glances (Dammit! There's always someone!) at the command.
"At the seed?" wondered Iris. What was that going to accomplish.
"Trust me Oshawott! Just do it!" Oshawott nodded, placing faith in its trainer. It fired the Water Gun at the seed and as soon as it hit it, there was a small explosion of air, the aura and non-aura attacks colliding. As the seed didn't holds much aura, the explosion wasn't large. However, since the aura was so small, the Water Gun itself wasn't fully negated. As such, as soon as it hit the seed, the stream of water leaped off the seed, heading in the direction of another seed on the battlefield.
The spectators watched the Water Gun hit and ricochet off the seeds that Oshawott had blocked earlier in the battle. And it wasn't long before the stream of water hit the scalchop that was lying on the ground, causing it to launch into the air.
Everyone in the Gym looked at the scalchop that was now airborne. "N-No way!" said Iris as she looked.
"Now now." Said Cilan as he looked at the scalchop. "That is a secret ingredient."
Ash said his next command to the Pokémon. "Catch it and use Razor Shell!"He said. Oshawott jumped and caught it flawlessly and then leaped towards Pansage who was looking surprise at the manoeuvre that the Pokémon had just done.
Oshawott's Razor Shell slammed into Pansage, throwing it back in the process.
"Wow!" exclaimed Cilan. "An unexpected dish! Alright Pansage, use Aura Bite to wrap this up!"
"Finish this with another Razor Shell!" commanded Ash.
The two Pokémon ran at each other, Pansage's teeth glowing blue while Oshawott's Razor Shell was swung towards the Pokémon's teeth. The Razor Shell collided with the Aura Bite and the resulting explosion of air was immense, both Pokémon's determination fuelling the blast.
Ash, Pikachu and Cilan all covered their faces from the resulting dirt and seeds that were scattered in the air, everyone else creating Aura Shields to protect themselves, their Pokémon and their noses. There was a crash on one side of the battlefield but it neither trainer could tell whose Pokémon had crashed. The explosion died down, leaving only dust. And when the dust cleared...
Pansage could be seen on the back of the Gym, lying under a crater created by the impact its body had made when it had smashed into the wall. It eyes were swirls. Oshawott was standing up, still holding its scalchop in one hand.
"Oh no..." said Cilan in a weak voice while the cheerleaders let out disappointed moans.
"Pansage in unable to battle. Oshawott wins. Thus the winner of the battle and the Gym Badge, with 2 wins, is the challenger, Ash!" declared Chili.
"Yeah!" said Ash as he pumped his fist in the air while Pikachu leaped up on his shoulder and did the same action, saying its name. Oshawott exhaled and fell to the ground.
From the grandstands, Iris looked on at the trainer in surprise. "He...did it. He really did it. Without using his aura as well..." she continued to look at the trainer who was celebrating with his Pokémon on his shoulder before running onto the battlefield. "Ash..." she whispered in a soft voice fighting the blush that was rising on her face.
Ash realised his Tepig and the 4 (Ash, Pikachu, Oshawott and Tepig) walked up to the three Gym Leaders, one of which-Cress-was holding a small open container, which inside lay the Trio Badge. (if you don't know what it looks like, why are you reading this?)
"Here, Ash. For you." Said Cress.
"It's proof that you beat this Gym." Reported Chili.
"And it's called the Trio Badge." Finished Cilan.
Ash nodded in thanks and took the badge from the container. "Yes! I got the Trio Badge. My first here in Unova!" he cried, striking a pose.
"Pi-Pikachu!" "Osha!" "Tepig!" cried his Pokémon with him.
Ash turned to Iris as he put the badge inside his hoodie pocket. "So Iris. What did you think? I didn't even have to use aura!" he boasted, rubbing the underside on his nose with his finger.
She rolled her eyes. "You didn't have to verse all of them." She said. "If you had lost after making it harder of your own choice, I would have laughed at you. As well as the fact that you didn't use your aura." She shook her head. "Honestly, it's a miracle that you even beat one, let alone two."
Ash put on a sour face. "B-but I won..." he said.
"And that was mainly luck. It's luck that your Pokémon came through even though they had a Type disadvantage. Next time, how 'bout you leave luck aside and think about better strategy and using aura?" she said.
"Is that so? Then I think I'll battle you to show you how wrong you are!" retorted Ash.
"Fine with me." Said Iris as she looked away.
"Hold on you two. Save it for later. Although the combination of the two of you does conjure a certain bouquet." Said Cilan. (When I first heard, this I thought of the bouquet at weddings, not the aroma. Does this mean that Cilan supports NegaiShipping?)
"Bouquet?" asked Ash.
"I-It means aroma. Obviously." Said Iris who imagined a different type of bouquet (you know at weddings) and was trying to stop her face lighting up like a Christmas tree. "What a kid. Let's go Axew." She said, turning to her partner Pokémon.
"Hang on." Said Cilan. "Aren't you two travelling together?" he asked.
"WHAT!?" yelled Iris. "No weren't not! I-I was just helping him out! A-Anyway, good job anyway Ash. See ya." She said and left the Gym in a hurry.
Ash looked on as Iris left the Gym. "But...my battle with you..." he said to himself so that nobody could hear him. As he said this, Cilan looked at him and smiled. He had an idea.
Meanwhile, on the far outskirts of Striaton City, the remains of what looked to be a laboratory stood. Rubble lay on the ground and what remained of the structure had numerous holes inside of it.
Jessie, James and Meowth looked at the depressing scenery. "The Dream Yard..." said James silently.
"Was future energy really investigated here?" asked Jessie. "It's hard to believe."
"Yeah." Said Meowth. "You can hardly tell with all the rubble."
"Anyway. We should get down to business." Said Jessie, avoiding the distraction.
James nodded and put down the briefcase that he was holding. He opened it and the two humans went to assembling the parts inside. (It's a Build-your-Own-Evil-Weapons kit! Only $49.99 at selected retail stores.)
When they were done, the machine which had two glass panels like solar panels on top on wheels was ready for operation.
Meowth opened up the control panel on the machine while Jessie spoke what needed to be done. "Scanning for residual energy and sending data back to HQ."
Meowth pressed a button on the control panel and the machine moved, the panels facing down as it scanned the ground beneath it.
Almost immediately, the ground beneath the Team Rocket trio began to shake and rubble, a pink light emerging from it, almost like the land itself was leaking the aura that it held.
"A response!?" exclaimed James. "Already!?"
"You can feel the extreme power growing!" said Meowth as he took a few steps back.
A massive burst of energy came from the destroyed laboratory that seemed to spread the energy in all directions. And underneath the rubble, something awoke.
A Pokémon sensed it. It cried out as it felt its friend awaken from its long sleep. Its eyes glowed with the same shine as the land and its trainer cried out. "Munna! Are you OK?"
Munna didn't answer but merely looked out the window, wondering what was going on.
Meanwhile, the body of the man fell to the ground. The 'friend' licked his lips and wiped his hand on the corpse. He searched the body and found what he was looking for. A radio.
He turned it on and spoke into it.
"This is AJD HQ. State your intention Officer." Said the voice on the other end. (AJD is Aura Justice Department)
"H-Hurry! Come quickly!" said the 'friend' in a pretend frightened voice. "My-my-my partner was just killed! You've got to come. A man came and-and"
"Alright." Said the voice on the other end. "Give name and location and we'll be there as soon as possible."
The 'friend' gave both. "And Aura rank?" asked the voice. The 'friend' looked won at the corpse and smiled. "Very high." After answering a few more questions, he hung up on the AJD.
He turned back to the corpse on the ground. "Thanks for the meal, pal. And the extra aura. Who knows how more before I reach extremely high..."
The 'friend' laughed as he walked away from the body, heading the nearest police station to await the oblivious members of the AJD.
Ash placed his Pokéballs inside the container and Pikachu jumped off his shoulder and sat on the countertop. "Ready!" called Ash.
"Hi." Said Nurse Joy as she appeared from another room.
Ash tilted his head. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "Aren't you supposed to be in Accumula Town?" he asked thinking back to the Nurse Joy in Accumula.
The Nurse joy in front of him giggled. "Of course. You mean my younger sister." She reached for a photograph that was behind her and showed Ash. In it were Nurse Joys, all look-alikes. Exactly like in Kanto.
"That's the Accumula Town nurse, and that's me." She said as she pointed to two of the Nurse Joy's in the picture.
Ash sweatdropped. "I can see the resemblance." He said. It was times like these that he needed Brock's skill in detecting the differences in Nurse Joys. He never understood how Brock did it at all.
"Thank you." Said Nurse Joy and looked down at Pikachu. "A Pikachu. Very rare for Unova. Does that mean that you have a Gym battle today?" she asked.
Ash was about to answer when someone else answered for him.
"Nope. Already finished. He's very impressive as a trainer." Ash turned around and saw Cilan standing almost directly behind him.
"Hey Cilan." He said wondering what the Gym Leader was doing here. "What's up?" (A direction or a movie made by Disney/Pixar. Whatever suits your fancy. Get the joke?)
"I'd like to have a talk with you. If that's OK with you..." said Cilan.
After Ash handed him Pokémon to Nurse Joy, the two boys headed towards the floor above and took a seat.
Cilan spoke first. "Our battle today was a fruitful one, however what struck me was the fact that you and Oshawott's aura didn't seem to be matched at all, yet if I were to perform an analysis of you without aura, I'd say that you two are quite matched."
Ash wasn't sure whether he should be glad or insulted so he simply treated the statement as a compliment. "Um..thanks Cilan but-"
"I'd like to ask you some questions, if that's OK. I feel that it might help me grow as a Pokémon Connoisseur." Interrupted Cilan.
"Sure thing Cilan. Shoot." Ash said.
In an instant, Cilan produced 2 Aura Hands and held them in front of him. One held a pencil and the other a notebook, his normal hands still free, and Cilan looked at Ash with a bright expression in his eyes. Ash looked in surprise at the sudden action.
"So, Ash, how do you bring out a Pokémon's hidden zest like you do? Also, what is your secret recipe for turning Type disadvantages into a victory?" Cilan leaned in closer and Ash sweatdropped. "What about your aura? Does it have something to do with the fact that you don't use it in Gym battles?" Cilan used his spare hands to grab Ash's collar and bring him closer. "Please Ash! I'm dying to know!"
"Ummmmm..." said Ash, a bit scared at the Gym Leader. "Well..."
The intercom beeped and Nurse Joy's voice was heard from it. "Ash? Your Pokémon have all made a full recovery."
"Right." Said Ash and looked to Cilan. "C-Can I have my collar back?" asked Ash. Cilan let go and Ash went down the stairs towards the counter. When he reached it, a Pokémon pulled a trolley, on top of which was Pikachu as well as Tepig's and Oshawott's Pokéballs.
"Pikachu!" said Ash to which Pikachu responded with a "Pikapi!" Ash looked at the Pokémon pulling the trolley. "Who's that Pokémon?" asked Ash.
Cilan appeared next to him, his Aura Hands having disappeared. "That's an Audino. It's Nurse Joy's assistant at the Pokémon Centre." Ash nodded and brought out his Pokédex for further information.
"Audino, the Hearing Pokémon. Using both its ears and aura, it can assess a Pokémon's physical condition and mood. As an Audino ages, its ability to do this increases as its aura get more mature." Said the Pokédex.
Ash looked in amazement at the new Pokémon when the doors of the Pokémon Centre opened and Iris ran in holding Axew. "Nurse Joy! I need your help!" she said.
"Iris?" asked Ash and he watched as she went over to Nurse Joy. The problem didn't need to be said. Axew's whole body was glowing pink, although it didn't look like Axew was noticing as it was fast asleep.
"Axew's body started to do this when a pink light hit it from the sky! I tried to use my aura to flush it out of Axew's system but nothing happened. See?" Using one hand to hold Axew, she held her other hand in front of it and it started to glow blue.
Almost simultaneously, Axew's body glowed blue as well as pink. The blue glow continued to occur but nothing happened and Iris stopped using her aura.
"Pink light?" asked Ash.
Iris nodded. "Whatever it is, there's a lot more outside."
Ash looked outside, only to see another person run into the Pokémon Centre. She was a tall woman, wearing a lab coat and glasses. Her hair reached down to moat of her back and she wore a small hairpin in the shape of flower. Next to her was a Pokémon that Ash had never seen before.
She gasped when she saw Axew. "It's started" she said. "Munna." She said to her Pokémon. "Wake up Axew! And quickly!"
Munna said its name and levitated towards Axew and opened its mouth. Inside its mouth, a small blue sphere full of aura appeared and the pink light that was on Axew was sucked from Axew into the blue ball. It swirled around inside as soon as it touched. Ash, curious as to the new Pokémon, got out his Pokédex again.
"Munna, the Dream Eater Pokémon. Munna can eat the dreams of people and Pokémon alike and then project the dreams using the Dream Mist from its body. By using aura, these dreams can be projected at high levels and stored."
The mist from Axew's body disappeared and Munna closed its mouth, the flower like spots on its body glowing pink. The small spot of its forehead glowed blue and a peach-coloured mist flowed out, forming into a cloud and floating in the air above the people watching it. A picture appeared from the cloud and the quality of the picture was incredible, it being enhanced by aura. (Think of high definition)
The picture showed Axew running in a flat field.
"What's that?" asked Iris as she continued to look at the picture.
"That's the dream that Axew was having" reported the mysterious stranger. Axew stirred and woke up from its slumber and looked at the picture. Iris sighed with relief.
The group watched as the Axew in the picture started to glow blue, then watched as its form changed completely as it evolved into another Pokémon, using aura to speed to process up. "Fraxure!" cried the Pokémon in the picture.
"Did it just evolve?" asked Ash as he watched.
Iris nodded. "It evolves into Fraxure." Axew reached out for the cloud but was unable to as Iris held it close to her body. (Clearly, Axew wants that dream on Blu-Ray)
Now, the picture showed Fraxure's body glowing and it changed form into a whole new Pokémon. Ash turned to Iris for an explanation. "Haxorus." She said. "The final evolution for Axew." She said as the cloud vanished.
"So" Said Iris as she looked at Axew. "You were having a dream about evolving..." Axew nodded.
"Hi everyone." Said the stranger. Ash, Iris and Cilan turned to her. She curtsied. "I'm Doctor Fennel. I specialise in dreams and other strange phenomenon which so many Pokémon possess. Shall we go outside?" (Is it just me or do you think Dr. Fennel should have been in Inception?)
When Ash, Iris and Cilan followed Dr. Fennel outside, they all looked in amazement at the pink lights and mist that Iris had talked about surrounding Striaton City.
"Those pink lights are what made Axew fall asleep." Said Iris as she looked at them. Axew retreated back into her hair for protection.
"I have a feeling that this is caused by the Dream Mist that Musharna creates." Said Fennel.
"Musharna?" asked Ash, hearing the name for the first time.
"I believe that Musharna evolves from Munna." Said Cilan to which Fennel replied "Correct."
"Musharna huh?" said Ash as he got out his Pokédex and had a look through.
"Musharna, the Drowsing Pokémon and the evolve form of Munna. The mist on its forehead has the same qualities as Munna's Dream mist although Musharna can use aura to manipulate the occurrences of the dreams." (Damn it sounds more like Inception than Pokémon)
"Musharna eats dreams just like Munna and also can project the dreams onto its Dream Mist" explained Fennel.
A police car screeched to a halt in front of the four and Officer Jenny stepped out.
"Officer Jenny!" said Cilan in surprise as she walked closer towards Ash.
"You have to return your Pokémon to its Pokéball right now. Pokémon are falling asleep after being hit by this pink light so you have to hurry." She commanded Ash.
Ash scratched his head. "You see, Officer, my Pikachu doesn't like being in its Pokéball at all."
""What?"" said Iris and Cilan at the same time. "Wow!" said Iris, speaking for herself. "I never knew that."
Fennel smiled at the boy. "May I?" she asked Ash. Ash didn't object as Fennel took off his hat and put it on Pikachu's head. The hat prevented the lights from touching Pikachu.
"That should keep the lights off." Said Fennel.
"What about Munna?" asked Cilan.
"Munna will be fine." Said Fennel as she turned to said Pokémon. "The lights and Munna are attracted to each other." She said as the lights from the sky hit Munna and its body glowed as they did so.
"I think if we want to solve what is causing these lights, we have to go to the Dream yard." Said Fennel.
"The Dream Yard?" "Pika?" asked Ash and Pikachu.
Over the intercoms spreading throughout the city, the voice of Nurse Joy could be heard telling people to stay indoors.
In Officer Jenny's car, Cilan told Ash and Iris what he knew about the Dream Yard.
"It's an abandoned site at the edge of the city. A few years back, it was the talk of the town. Something about an explosion or something." He said.
Fennel in the passenger seat nodded. "It's the remains of the Pokémon Energy Research Facility. Its main aim was to find a way to utilise Musharna's Dream Mist. Basically, we wanted to turn it into energy. I was one of the scientists on the project." She said.
"Dreams?" asked Ash. "Into energy?"
"Yes. It would have been the ultimate clean energy had our research been finished. I mean, dreams would be the source and nothing more. But then..."
"Then what?" asked Ash, anxious to find out. "What happened?"
"A group of people came to take the energy. And since their goals were dreams, Musharna absorbed them. But it was too much. The dreams became too much for Musharna and it couldn't process them anymore. As a result, the lab's source of energy overloaded and the facility itself was completely demolished and Musharna disappeared"
Ash and Iris flinched when she said 'overload' earning a glance from Cilan but they didn't interrupt otherwise.
"What about the research?" asked Officer Jenny.
"Without Musharna to help us, I gave up. Munna and I left the city. But we returned because Munna sensed something and with then pink light being involved, Musharna must be here. I'm certain of it."
In the driver's seat, Officer Jenny looked straight ahead. "What is that?" she asked.
Ahead, the pink lights were converging, the colour thicker than anywhere in the city.
"Incredible!" said Jessie.
"Indeed. The readings are amazing!" reported James.
"That only means one thing." Said Meowth. "Success. Pure and simple."
A screeching sound from behind them caught their attention and they turned around.
"The police?" they said in unison, all of them surprised that they had been discovered.
All the occupants of the car climbed out and approached the 3. "Alright." Said Officer Jenny. "I demand to know your purpose here."
"Simple." Said James wearing his cloak and sunglasses like Jessie and Meowth to make sure that no-one recognised them. It was working as the twerp and the twerpette didn't recognise them at all. "We're scanning this area for any residual dream energy."
Fennel pointed at the machine that was still running. "That machine must be elevating the energy levels left here."
"Very good." Said Jessie.
"What exactly are you planning on doing with that energy anyway?" asked Officer Jenny.
"Exacting questions are good indeed." Said Jessie.
"The answer to come as we feel the need." Replied James as the two and Meowth threw off their cloaks and sunglasses revealing their uniforms.
Ash and Iris scowled, Iris's aura reacting to the anger that she felt from seeing them causing it to manifest and swirl around her. "Not these guys again." She said.
"Bringing the white light of evil into the future" (you guys know who says this)
"And thrusting the hammer of justice on the black universe"
"Carving our names in the rock of eternity"
"The fiery destroyer, I'm Jessie"
"And with thunderous emotion, I am James"
"Wisest of the wise, I am Meowth"
"And now we call all to gather under the name of Team Rocket!" the three said in unison.
"Team Rocket?" exclaimed Officer Jenny. "What is a Kanto criminal organisation doing in Unova?"
"Beginning our takeover of the Unova region of course." Replied Jessie.
"The energy here will be awakened here by Team Rocket." Said James.
"And we won't let the police or twerps stand between us and that goal!" said Meowth.
"To think that there are still people who want to harness that energy..." said Fennel.
"Dr. Fennel." Said Cilan as a thought occurred to him. "Do you think it is probable that Musharna was warning you about this occurrence through Munna?"
Fennel blinked at the question. Was it possible? She turned to Munna who was nodding in agreement to the thought that Cilan had just had.
The ground beneath their feet rumbled and streams of pink energy like lightning arose from the ground. There was a burst of energy and a pink dome, starting at the centre of the Dream yard, expanded to cover the entire Yard.
"What?" said Meowth in surprise. Everyone looked at the dome surrounding them when iris spoke up. "You guys. Do you here that?" she asked. No-one said anything for a while but there was no sound.
Ash shook his head. "What are you-?"
"I hear it." Said Cilan. Ash turned to him. "You need to Aura Listen Ash. You can't hear it normally." Ash nodded, pretending to understand and went along with whatever they were saying.
"Is that Musharna's cry?" asked Fennel.
"Musharna?" asked Jessie to James.
"The Pokémon that helped the experiments at the laboratory." Said James.
"Hey. If Musharna is the source of the dream energy, not only could we retrieve the residual energy remaining but also have the source of the energy to boot." Said Meowth with a grin.
"Musharna! Come on out. Please!" said Fennel. Responding to her cry, Ash followed suit as did Iris and Cilan. It was not long before their cries were heard when a crack appeared in the air above them inside the dome.
The crack turned into a ball, filled with the pink energy that was surrounding them and Striaton City. The ball burst apart and Musharna appeared, hovering in the air.
"Musharna!" cried Fennel and she and Munna raced towards the Pokémon, only to be stopped by a laser shooting in front of her.
"Doctor Fennel!" cried Ash as he too raced forward, only to be stopped by the laser as well.
"We'll be taking Musharna now." Said James. The machine had stopped collecting the energy, with one panel shooting the lasers that prevented them from advancing while the others fired a green beam that wrapped around Musharna causing it to cry out.
"Please stop!" pleaded Dr. Fennel.
"No way!" said Jessie. "Musharna is now a proud member of Team Rocket! And to make sure you twerps don't interfere..."
Jessie held up a small back box. She pressed a button on the machine and the effect was instantaneous. A large blue shield appeared in front of Doctor Fennel and Ash, preventing them from advancing in addition to the laser.
What?" cried out Ash. He gritted his teeth and looked at the Team Rocket trio as they walked forward to stand right at the edge, close enough for Ash to reach had the shield not been there.
"Don't think you can break through this twerp." Said Meowth. "It's even above your level. Whatever that may be."
Step aside." Said Officer Jenny from behind Ash. He turned and saw that she was forming an Aura Fist in one of her hands. Ash nodded and stepped back, allowing Officer Jenny to take the shot. She flung the Aura Fist towards the shield and as soon as it hit it, there was a shower of sparks causing all people to hide their faces from them. Behind them, Officer Jenny cried out in pain and held her hand close to her chest.
"Hahaha." Said Meowth."Our shield prevents anything from coming through. It rejects any aura, dormant or not, and fired it back on its victims. Pretty neat huh?"
Ash looked at Officer Jenny who was staring at the trio. Obviously the wound was not serious but still painful. Jessie held out the small box that had been the source of the shield.
"The only way you're going to stop us is by getting this, but I don't think that that's an option for you." She said.
Ash looked on at the shield in front of him that was separating him from Team Rocket.
"Let Musharna go!" he exclaimed.
Meowth laughed. "No way twerp!" he said. "The only way that you're going to be to able to do that is going past that shield. And only an impossible being can do that."
Ash in his anger went forward without hesitation, forgetting the actual consequences of passing through. Iris grabbed his hand.
"Ash! You can't! Remember what happened to Officer Jenny?!" Ash looked over at the Officer who was holding her injured hand. But what could he do? All he was was an Aura Zero and those...
Ash looked at the shield in amazement. What was it Team Rocket had said? And only an impossible being can do that. An Aura Zero was impossible. Absolutely, utterly impossible. It was a long shot but it was there.
Ash glared at the shield and pushed Iris's hand off his own and ran towards the shield.
Jessie and James arched an eyebrow as he closed the gap between them. "Seriously? She asked. "The only thing you're going to do is-"
Ignoring her, Ash reached for the box and passed through the shield. There were no sparks or any painful consequences. Only the stunned looks of the people around him.
"How?" said Jessie as Ash grabbed the box. He pulled and she pulled, trying to get the box of the advantage.
"Pikachu!" yelled Ash. "Thunderbolt! Hurry!" Pikachu didn't need to pick out as target. There was only one. Regretfully, Pikachu unleashed a Thunderbolt that hit Ash. He cried out in pain and the current passed through the shield, creating sparks as Pikachu's Thunderbolt had dormant aura in it but it was not done. Since there was still more for the current to travel, it did so, passing through the shield and heading towards Team Rocket. They leaped back to avoid the Thunderbolt, letting go of the box as they did so. The current hit the box and immediately resulted in a short-circuit. With a shout, Ash leaped back and the box exploded. The shield immediately dissipated leaving only one target left.
"Ash!" yelled Iris and Cilan as they headed to help the boy.
"Doctor Fennel!" yelled Ash to her. She nodded.
"Alright Munna, use Aura Psychic!" Munna's eyes glowed blue and so did the machine. It crumpled like a piece of paper under the effects of the Aura Psychic, destroying the laser but still leaving the beam holding Musharna intact.
"Alright now." Said Ash as he was helped up by Iris and Cilan, taking his cap off Pikachu's head. "Pikachu, destroy that machine with Volt Tackle!"
Pikachu complied and ran forward, uttering "Pika" over and over again as it raced towards the machine.
Pikachu smashed into the machine, causing it to shatter as it exploded and the beam holding Musharna was immediately released. As soon as it was free, the pink dome surrounding the group disappeared.
"No you don't" said Jessie as she threw a Pokéball. "Woobat, Aura Gust!" she cried.
Jessie's Woobat appeared and flapped its wings which were glowing blue. The air produced from them also glowed blue as it kicked up dust, causing the four heading towards them (Ash, Iris, Cilan and Pikachu) to cover their eyes. When the dust cleared Team Rocket had disappeared.
"They're gone..." said Cilan, with almost disappointment in his voice.
"Not again!" exclaimed Iris.
"It's fine." Said Ash as he pushed off Iris and Cilan who were still supporting him. They looked at him with both confusion and worry. "Musharna and Dr. Fennel are re-united. Can't ask for a better ending than that." Iris and Cilan nodded and looked at the scene in front of them.
Musharna had floated down and was embraced by the teary-eyed Fennel. "I'm, so sorry Musharna." She was saying. "For not feeling your presence here." Musharna responded by saying its name happily. Fennel wiped her eyes and looked at Musharna. "From today, we'll never be separated." Fennel turned to Ash. "I can't thank you enough Ash." Said Fennel. "For destroying that shield. But are you OK?"
Ash smiled at her. "Don't worry Doctor. I'll be fine. And I'm glad to know that you will be too." Fennel acknowledged the smile with her own.
"Ah, what a sweet re-union." Said Cilan. "Dr. Fennel's and Musharna's hearts joined after so long. "Such a lovely flavour!"
Officer Jenny walked forward, her hand opening and closing in a fist to see if it would react. "Well, for now, this case is closed."
No-one objected to that.
The computer turned on revealing Giovanni's face. "The mission was a success. All data that was received has been transferred to headquarters." He reported.
"And the energy analysis?" asked Jessie.
"It is currently being investigated by our special research team. You are to be on standby alert until your next mission."
"Sir" responded the Team rocket trio as the computer turned off.
It was the late morning hours that awoke Ash and thus Pikachu as well. After a LONG night's sleep, Ash's body didn't feel anything from yesterday's events. Usually when he was hurt to a large extent, the scar on his back hurt but now it didn't even sting.
Since Iris had said that she wasn't going on their journey anymore, she had gotten a different room in the Pokémon Centre after they had returned from the 'dinner' Cilan had invited them on. Ash shivered at the memory. When he had returned the key back to Nurse Joy (after a lengthy breakfast of course), she had told him to wait in front of the counter because he had a visitor who wanted to see him.
"Wonder who it is?" he asked Pikachu.
"Pika..."responded Pikachu, wondering the same question as Ash.
"Here he is" said Nurse Joy.
"Thank you Nurse Joy" said Cilan. He was different from usual and Ash spotted what was different immediately.
"Why have you got a backpack Cilan?" he asked. Was he going somewhere?
Cilan winked at him. "You'll find out soon. But is it OK if you accompany me for a while to the Gym?"
Ash nodded and walked ahead of Cilan. If he remembered where the Gym was...
Ash turned to the right because he originally thought it was the left. Huh. Maybe getting lost so much was making him actually find his way again. He smiled to himself, wondering what Iris would say when he got the direction right.
"Ummmm Ash?" said Cilan from the Pokémon Centre. "The Gym is that way." He said pointing to the left. Ash hung his head in disappointment while Pikachu shook his head and they slowly waddled over to the left.
Upstairs, looking at the depressed boy was Iris, who was also eating a late breakfast, much as Ash had. She figured that he was heading towards the Gym, judging by the fact that Cilan was leading the way.
"What a kid..." she murmured as she ate her cereal. If he was heading to the gym...the best way to intercept him would be...
"You're going on a journey?!" exclaimed Chili.
"Are you serious?" asked Cress.
"Absolutely" said Cilan. "After Ash and I had our battle, our talks convinced me that I just couldn't resist the temptation anymore."
Cilan remembered the previous night when Cilan had accompanied Ash to a special restaurant and treated him to meal with Dr. Fennel, Officer Jenny and Iris.
The night before...
"So Ash." Asked Cilan."Going from our previous questions, how would you have a relationship with a new Pokémon? Would you use aura to accelerate the bond or not because it hinders it? What type of flavours do you think would suit you best? When you battle what type of recipes do you think of? Are there any jobs similar to a Connoisseur in Kanto? What type of Gyms are there? What about anywhere else? Are there Connoisseurs in Johto for instance? Or Hoenn? What type of relation do you think is the best for a Fire Type? Or a Water Type? Do you use food or treats to enhance the bond between you and your Pokémon?"
Dr. Fennel, Officer Jenny, Iris, Axew and Pikachu all sweatdropped at the questions being asked of the boy. Cilan wanted to get the most out of the boy as he was leaving Striaton City tomorrow and this would probably be the last time to talk to such a unique trainer.
"Why don't you go on a journey yourself?" asked Ash. "These things are better experienced that actually told. It's like a movie. It's better to see it than have someone tell you about it." Iris stared at him. The advice was actually good. She didn't actually think he had the ability to give smart advice like that.
"But Cilan?" asked Ash.
"What is it Ash?" responded Cilan.
"Can I have my food back?" he asked. Cilan, in order to make Ash answer his questions had taken his food away using his Aura Hands.
"Hang on Ash. You still have to answer my questions. This will be the last chance to talk to you so you'll have to bear with me."
Ash cried anime tears as Cilan continued his assault of questions. It would not be a while before Dr. Fennel had convinced Cilan to let Ash eat. It was at that point that Cilan was the one depressed. The bill after seeing Ash's appetite...*shudder*
"I can see so clearly now!" said Cilan to his brothers with enthusiasm. "The pairings of trainer and Pokémon are much more complex than I originally thought. So much more! And I am positive that this will help me be a better Pokémon Connoisseur."
"If that's the case, go ahead Cilan." Said Chili.
"We both want you to be the best Pokémon Connoisseur." Said Cress.
"Thank you both." Said Cilan and shook hands with Chili.
Ash looking on on the sidelines, saw Cilan touch Chili's hand. As soon as he did, both trainers leaked out their aura, the aura flowing down their hands until Chili's aura covered Cilan and Cilan's aura covered Chili. Ash smiled at the 'Aura Transaction'. This happened when people who felt that they had an extremely close connection shared a tiny bit of their aura with each other so that that person would always be with them. It usually happened between relatives though so ash wondered what people did for people who weren't relatives. (Since Ash is dense about this stuff, sharing your aura with people not your relative is the Hearts of Aura). He himself, didn't do it with his mother as there was no aura to share.
"You leave the Gym to us," Chili said as he and Cilan exchanged aura.
"Yes. Best wishes on your journey Cilan." Said Cress and he exchanged aura with Cilan as well. Cilan nodded to the two of them and gestured to Ash that they should continue on their way.
As such, Ash, Pikachu and Cilan walked down the tree-lined streets of Striaton City. "So where are you going Cilan?" asked Ash.
"Wherever you're going. I want to accompany you on your journey! Besides, I still have some questions for you..."
Ash's cheerful mood immediately changed as he remembered the dinner of last night. Dark anime clouds hovered over his and Pikachu's heads when he asked "What?"
"D-Don't worry." Said Cilan. "I'll spread them out unlike last night."
"Oh OK! That's fine with me!" said Ash his dark mood disappearing instantaneously.
"If we travel together, I have no doubt that the journey will be full of unexpected flavours." Said Cilan with a smile.
"Pika!" said Pikachu as it voiced Ash's opinion. "Sure! I have no problem with that! Let's travel together!" exclaimed Ash.
"OK then." Said Cilan. "The next Gym is in..." Cilan reached into his pocket for the Town Map and he looked over it. "...Nacrene City!" he said. "Home to the Nacrene Gym."
"Sure thing!" said Ash.
"By the way." Asked Cilan. "Do you know where Iris is? I really did think that you two were travelling together but..."
Ash shrugged. "I don't know. I thought-"
"Boo!" said a loud voice from the tree that Ash was standing next to.
"Gaaaaaaah!" said Ash as he jumped at the sound of the voice, which was made louder using aura. Cilan jumped back as well.
Ash turned to the source of the sound and saw Iris jump down from the tree she had been hiding in. "Did I scare you?" she asked with a grin.
"What do you think?" asked Ash with a glare in response to Iris's smile. "Piiiiika." Responded Pikachu.
"Why don't we all travel together?" suggested Cilan. "The way we compliment each other is like exquisite ingredients in a 5-star recipe."
"Do you think so Cilan?" asked Ash. "Actually, that's a great idea!" he exclaimed.
"Oh?" said Iris with an arched eyebrow and put her hands on her hips. "Since when are you the boss?" she asked. (Since he was the protagonist of the series! Duh!)
"Why not?" asked Ash. "We should make our dreams come true together! I want to be a Pokémon Master. Cilan wants to be the world's best Pokémon Connoisseur" said Ash as he looked at him while Cilan puffed out his chest in pride. "And you... What did you want to be?" he asked.
"It's a secret!" she said with a wink. Axew popped out of her hair crying "Axew axew!" Iris laughed as she ran on ahead. Ash and Cilan looked from the girl to each other and gave their own grins.
"Come on!" said Iris as she reached put an Aura Hand towards Ash's collar.
"Gah!" he yelled out playfully as he allowed Iris to drag him with Cilan following behind, all of them laughing and ready for the next adventure that awaited them.
The 'friend' stood up as soon as the officer in plain clothes from the AJD walked in. Next to him, there was a Pokémon Ranger. The 'friend' could tell from the uniform.
"Are you-" the man stated the name that had been given to him. The 'friend' nodded.
"Alright." Said the officer. "I'm sorry to hear about your partner. This is the 17th victim that this guy has gotten."
"17th eh?" asked the 'friend'. So that many. At least someone else was counting for him.
The Pokémon Ranger nodded. "17 victims who all had their aura sucked out of their bodies in dark places in Unova. Caves, alleyways, it doesn't matter. The victims are random. That's all we know about them. The media has been hushed up but we have to work fast."
The 'friend' turned to the Ranger. "Is the AJD working in collaboration with the Rangers?" The Ranger nodded.
"It's in both our best interests that this guy is caught. As such we have developed a task force here. Full of people determined to take this guy down. Now, for the reason why we are here."
"You want me to join?" asked the 'friend'. The man nodded.
"We heard you were sharp. Revenge is a vicious motivator."
"This guy killed my partner. I'm not letting him get away."
This time the Ranger nodded. "Good. If you get this guy, I'm sure that you will get a promotion for sure. Probably to the highest ranks in the AJD."
"Really?" asked the 'friend'. Of course, he already knew that.
"Yes" said the Ranger in confirmation. "I'm glad to be working with you. I'm Solana. I hope that we can work to get this guy.
And that's that. I hope the scenes for my new story didn't gross you out too much, but it just further emphasises how dangerous this new adversary really is. this will probably be shown after Ash's battle with Trip but we'll see how I go. Also here are some new updates:
Iris
Aura level: Very high
Aura abilities: Using aura to stengthen her attacks
Uses aura to create physical objects like fists and platforms
Uses aura to run faster and leap higher
Uses aura to create shields
Uses aura to flush out any unwanted substances in Axew's body
Uses aura to project voice
Cilan
Aura level: Very high
Aura abilities: Uses aura to analyse a connection with a trainer and their Pokémon
Uses aura to create shields
Uses aura to create physical objects like fists and platforms
The Cilan times
Time for the battle to be served
So what did you think of the story? these usually take me a long time to write but I'm glad to do it if you people like it. Also with Solana making an appearance perhaps we'll have another rival in love for Iris. Anyway, this is where it starts to get good as the whole gang is here now. and as usual hre is the preview for the next episode...
Ash ran towards Pikachu and covered him with his back. Snivy's Aura Vine Whip lashed out mercilessly numerous times against his back. Ash didn't focus on the pain but instead looked down at Pikachu. Pikachu looked up at him saying "Pikapi" as it was concerned for its trainer.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Said Ash. "What about you?" he asked.
Snivy would have stopped the attack had it not been halfway in an Aura Vine Whip. It struck Ash's back, but this time, he wasn't so lucky. The Aura Vine Whips had miraculously missed his scar but luck always runs out sometimes.
The Aura Vine Whip hit the bottom of the scar, on the left hip and opened it. Ash grunted as he felt the pain of the old wound opening up and Snivy stumbled back. This was the added ability that it had when attacking with aura, it could open up the wound but it also received the story behind it, the feelings that were locked inside of it. And these feelings were immense. Snivy stumbled back at the mere shock of the story and stared at the trainer.
An Aura Zero. Snivy didn't think people like those actually existed but there were always new discoveries to be made out there. Pikachu looked graciously at the trainer that had prevented its further injury and Snivy turned away from the trainer.
Ash turned around to see Snivy envelop itself with leaves before it fled. Ash got up and was about to run to where Snivy had disappeared before Iris spoke up.
"Ash? Are you OK? Your back's bleeding." She said. Ash froze. The Aura Vine Whip must have opened up the old scar more than he thought resulting in the old wound to bleed, to be noticed. Closing the wound would be easy but explaining it would not be.
"Yeah Ash." Said Cilan. "Stay still and let me have a look at it..."
Ash took a step back from his friends. He knew that he would have to explain his 'condition' to his friends but he didn't think it would be so soon. He wanted to have a little more time to get to know them but now was not the time. He had to think of an excuse and fast. The thing was...what excuse would convince the two?
And that's the preview. Not much more to say anyway so all I'll do is the usual. So...
Review if you please.