Well, after a wait (can't remember how long) here is my new chapter but there are some notes. In the previous chapter I made a note about dormant aura. I know no-one complained but here's a little explanation.
As already known, every being has aura inside them, except Ash. Also, as known Ash doesn't use Aura to upgrade his attacks, using Thunderbolt instead of Aura Thunderbolt. Since Pikachu has aura though, the Thunderbolt does has renants of its aura inside them, although they aren't being utilised. As such, the attack does have aura but it's not being used. That's why Iris stopped Ash from going into the shield, by all accounts, it should have stopped him because (s assmued by Iris) Ash has aura. Hope it wasn't too confusing for you.
Also, I didn't mention it for a few chapters but I DO NOT OWN Pokémon. This will continue to be the case as long as this fanfiction is running. Good. At least we got that settled. Anything else that you think I missed, just tell me via review if you like.
Anyway, here is the new chapter with segments of the original story coming up. Just saying that this guy is not a part of the 'Lower Class of Aura' but they will feature in a later chapter.
Solana, the man (the one who we met in the previous chapter) and the 'friend' (you know, the killer dude) all sat around the conference table in the Pokémon Ranger Headquaters.
Solana rubbed the bridge of her nose. "There's not much to go on." she complained. "The only positive thing that we know is that the Aura Taker will hit in Unova." she used the tem that the AJD and the Rangers used to describe the murderer.
The man leaned back in his chair, silent as he watched the files on the conference table. The 'friend' looked through the files, smirking behind them, as he looked at the data that the agencies had collected on his kills. Sacrifices for the greater good, the 'friend' considered them. Sacrifices to keep him alive.
"There's one thing that stands out for me." said the man. (if you are wondering why I'm not describing them, I'm going to do it when Ash and co. meet them) "The Taker doesn't just steal the aura like a thief but takes the whole damn lot. It might be that he has the 'Disease'."
There was silence as the other two looked at the man. They both knew what the 'Disease' was, especially the 'friend'. He had it after all. It was when the victim continued to lose their aura as their life progressed. Instead of gaining aura as they got older, they lost it. where the aura went nobody knew and there was no cure, just a way to replenish aura; by feeding off another. When this happened, the victim absorbed all of the aura that was being supplied and their level of aura changed because of it. That was why he had an aura rank of 'very high'. It was not long before he had 'extremely high' and then, he would have access to people who had an abundance of aura. The perfect feeding ground. (Just to clarify, this is because he will advance in the ranks of the AJD and thus meet these people). individuals with the 'Disease' died a different death that others. Due to the fact that aura was leakedf out of their body, after they ran out, their body crumbled like a stale cookie. It sickeneed the 'friend' as to how vulnerable he was.
The next step for the 'friend' was to absorb someone else's aura and catch the 'Aura Taker' at the same time. What he needed was a scapegoat to satisfy his purpose.
Solana looked at the man. "The 'Disease' huh?" she said. "Well the next spot where the Taker could steal enough aura could be anywhere." she said. "And we don't know how much aura the Taker has."
The man nodded and picked a file. the most recent murder. the 17th victim. "The last one was in Nacrene City." he said. "Then the most possible locations would be..."
"Either Pinwheel Forest or Wellspring Cave." put in the 'friend'. He had to contribute otherwise suspicion might be raised.
The man nodded and turned to Solana. "We have to move fast otherwise it might be too late. I'll call the AJD and you tell all available Rangers." Solana nodded and exited the conference room, running a hand through her hair. Her Plusle was on another mission right now, so she was all by herself, facing a great threat.
"Man" she said as she walked towards the main lobby to inform everyone. "What I couldn't do for a miracle right now."
The expanse of the forest that Ash, Iris and Cilan walked through surrounded them. The silence was quite comforting, the wind that was blowing making the leaves rustle. The three travellers looked at the trees as they rustled, pleased with the natural sounds that the world had-
The sound of a stomach rumbling echoed through the silent forest. Cilan looked at the source while Iris just glared at Ash who was holding his stomach with one hand.
"Man, I'm starving!" he said.
Iris shook her head. "I guess that means that we'll have to have a rest here for now." She said. Ash nodded in agreement. "Alright then". The group stopped as Iris did. "I'll go on ahead."
She was stopped as Ash put a hand on her shoulder. She looked at the hand and blushed, the action taking her off guard. She looked at Ash who was looking at her.
"Good luck!" he said, putting a thumb up, with his eyes full of expectation. "Pika!" The Pokémon on his shoulder was doing the same.
Iris removed Ash's hand, looking at his face rather than the part of his body that she was touching. "I said I was going!" she exclaimed and then leaped into the trees.
It was not long before Iris had found Ash and Cilan who were sitting in front of a tree stump, waiting their meal. She approached them with the basket of fruit that she had collected from the forest. "Nature's menu!" she said as she put the basket of the stump. "On the house!"
Ash looked in amazement at the food as if it was life-saving medicine. His mouth watered while Cilan merely sweatdropped. "Only fruit?" he asked as Ash, Pikachu, Iris and Axew picked up some fruit.
"Down the hatch!" Ash and Iris said in unison while Cilan produced Aura Hands to prevent the two from putting the food into their mouths.
"Hang on you guys." He said. "I have a better idea."
It was a further wait before Cilan found the clearing that he needed in order to prepare and serve the food that he had been provided. Using a frypan he heated up the fruit, while Ash and Iris sat on a table. (Cause you know, we all travel with tables in our backpacks).
"Is it done yet?" asked Ash with his head on the table as he watched Cilan cook. His stomach backed his question with a growl. Almost immediately after, Cilan came towards the two, hands full of plates with food on it. He placed the plates in front of the two. Ash looked at Cilan for an explanation on what the food was.
"By pureeing the fruit, I was able to make fruit cakes and muffins." He said. Ash looked in awe and the chef and then at the food, taking a whiff of it.
"Smells great!" he said as he took a muffin. "Let's see if it tastes great as well!" Ash took a large bite out of the muffin and swallowed after chewing. Cilan and Iris looked at Ash for his verdict on the food that was given.
"This is...this is..." said Ash as he looked at the food in his hand.
"This is?" asked Iris.
"AMAAAAAAAAAAZING!" Ash yelled, practically throwing Cilan and Iris back with the volume of his voice. He took another bite and Pikachu happily took a muffin and began to dig in as well.
"Making a big deal out of food. What a kid." Said Iris as she reluctantly took a muffin. "I would have preferred the fruit but..."She took a bite.
"Well?" asked Cilan arching an eyebrow.
"It's great!" she said earning a "Thank you" from Cilan. "If I can eat food like this every day maybe I can put up with travelling with you two! I can't wait for dinner!" her eyes sparkled with expectation towards Cilan.
Ash nodded as he stuffed another muffin into his face. "You bet!" he said.
Seeing as the plate was almost empty Cilan said, "There's seconds if you two want anymore."
At the offer of more food, Ash leapt up and raced towards the cooking table.
"Oh no you don't." Said Iris as she sent out an Aura Hand to grab ash's collar before he could get to the food. Ash let out a yelp as the Hand grabbed his collar and he landed on his back.
"Hey!" said Ash as Iris ran past him, using her aura to increase her speed. "No fair!" He jumped and grabbed Iris's legs before they were out of reach as she fell to the ground much like Ash had, except this time it was face-first.
Iris, in a daze, looked up to see Ash pass her and head towards the food. "Not on my watch" she groaned as she created a barrier using her aura to separate Ash and the food. Ash smashed into the barrier and fell to the ground, rubbing his nose. He quickly recovered and leaned against the barrier, looking at the cooking table where his objective was.
"Noooooooo!" he said. "The fooooood!" Cilan sweatdropped as he watched the two trainers battle it out for the food. Meanwhile, Axew and Pikachu merely watched the two compete before Ash, after using the small gap in which Iris had to pull down the barrier, reached the food first.
His eyes went wide as he looked around the cooking table, Iris catching up with a sour glare and rubbing the dirt off her before she started to do the same thing. After a fruitless attempt Ash turned towards Cilan.
"Um Cilan?" Ash said. "Where are the seconds?"
Cilan approached them without any obstacles and looked around the cooking table. "Huh? I'm positive that there were seconds here moments ago."
"Don't tell me..." said Iris as she turned to Ash. "That you used your aura to take the food?!"
Ash went wide-eyed at Iris. "Hey! What do you mean?" he replied.
"Well, I've never seen you use your aura before. Perhaps you used it to take the food?" she countered accusingly.
"Is that so?" said Ash and was about the retort when a bush near the group rustled. Ash looked at it and the others followed his gaze as they saw the grass continue to rustle almost as if something was moving in it.
Ash moved through the grass as silently as he could until he came into a clearing in which he saw the thief, eating on one of their muffins.
"A Snivy!" said Ash in an excited whisper. He turned to Pikachu. "What do you think about me capturing it?" he asked his buddy.
"Pika pikachu!" came the reply. Ash nodded and reached for a Pokéball on his belt.
"Well, then. Go Pokéball!" he cried as he threw the Pokéball.
"Not this again..." said Iris from where she had come from. She and Cilan were using aura platforms to levitate themselves in order to move silently through the grass. They had watched as Ash had moved, creating much more sound than they were and had asked him why he wasn't using his aura. Ash had ignored them until they reached this point.
The two trainers watched as the Pokéball hit Snivy and it was sucked into the ball, muffin and all.
"Huh!?" exclaimed Iris. "Already?"
"You bet!" said Ash as the Pokéball fell to the ground.
The End (just kidding)
The Pokéball fell to the ground and shook once. Twice. Three times. Almost when ash was about to completely confirm that he now had a Snivy, the Pokéball burst open and Snivy escaped, flicking the Pokéball back to Ash in the process. Ash gritted his teeth as he watched as Snivy fled, using its aura to levitate through the grass with ease.
Iris and Cilan went towards Ash. "Snivy must be wild as it went inside your Pokéball like that." She said.
"Indeed." Said Cilan in agreement.
"If that's the case, then I'll just have to try again!" said Ash as he raced on ahead, not bothering about making sounds in the grass while Iris and Cilan followed. "I'll catch you for sure!"
It wasn't long before the three had absolutely no idea where they were going. "Come on..." said Ash as he looked around. "Where are you?"
"Honestly." Said Iris. "We're lost already. You are such a kid." Only Cilan was silent as he held a glowing finger to his nose and sniffed the air around them.
"Cilan?" asked Ash. He was averse to having his friend use aura to solve his problems but there was nothing that he could do about it now.
Cilan nodded and kept on sniffing before he pointed in a direction. (still refuse to say 'one direction') "That way." He deduced.
Ash looked in that direction. "How do you know?" he asked.
"One of my aura abilities is to determine scents and memorise them. It's useful for combing flavours in my cooking as well as finding similar scents between a trainer and Pokémon. Remember the muffin that Snivy was holding. The unique smell from it is travelling from over there." Cilan explained.
Ash nodded and patted Cilan on the shoulder with a "Thanks!" and ran ahead, Iris looking at Cilan having discovered one of his aura abilities.
"What?" he asked as he felt her gaze on him. Iris shrugged and then went off to chasing Ash.
Just as Cilan said, Snivy was in another clearing in the direction he had specified. It ignored them as Ash turned to Pikachu. "Alright Pikachu, use Quick attack."
"Pi Ka!" cried Pikachu as it raced towards Snivy. Upon realising that it was under attack, Snivy, using its aura, leaped out of the way.
"It dodged!" cried Ash.
"Ash." Said Cilan from behind him. "Snivy are well known for being quite intelligent and fast. It's going to be quite a challenge to catch."
Snivy finished its muffin and looked at its opponents before turning its snout in the air away from Ash and Pikachu.
"I think that Snivy is making fun of you." Said Iris.
"Oh yeah? Use Thunderbolt!"
"Pikaaaaaaaaa"
Pikachu charged up its Thunderbolt but Snivy launched its own attack as it was doing so. It winked towards Pikachu and hearts, shrouded in a blue glow, flew towards Pikachu. Pikachu stopped its attack and looked at the hearts that began to circle around him. It didn't take long for all of them to circle Pikachu completely and then approach their target.
Pikachu's eyes turned into hearts and it began to sway in a dazed state. "Hey Pikachu." Said Ash. "What happened?"
Pikachu continued to sway, unable to answer. "Pikachu was hit by Aura Attract." Observed Iris.
"Aura Attract?" asked Ash.
"It's a move that causes infatuation in the target of the opposite gender. By adding Aura to it, the effect is enhanced causing it to last much longer than a normal Attract." Aid Cilan as he watched the dazed Pikachu.
"Not knowing about Aura Attract? What a kid." Said Iris, folding her arms as if she was disappointed. Ash looked at her with an angry expression. She caught note of it and continued to explain to the trainer. "Since it worked on Pikachu, Snivy must be a girl."
After Iris finished, Snivy's next assault began. Near its neck, two vines, both covered with a blue glow flew out towards the dazed Pokémon. One slapped across Pikachu's face while the other hit it in the stomach, the force of the blow causing Pikachu to stumble back a few steps. But Snivy wasn't done. It launched an additional assault on its attack; Aura Vine Whip.
"Pikachu!" cried Ash.
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?
Cilan got closer towards Ash who continued to step back. "What's wrong Ash?" he asked. "Don't sorry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'll just close the wound with my aura. Perhaps Iris would want to help too."
She nodded. "Come on Ash. Don't be a kid."
Ash couldn't do anything as the two approached him. Any further movement would cause suspicion. The only thing Ash could do was close his eyes and wait for their reaction. He felt fingers (he couldn't tell whose) run down his shirt, looking for the place where the blood was originating from.
"That's funny." Said a voice that was Cilan's. "There's no more blood. Let me check under the shirt." He was about to do just that when Ash turned around and grabbed his hands.
"You know Cilan." He said. "If it's not bleeding then it's fine right?" he asked. Ash wondered how the wound had closed so suddenly. Although the bleeding had stopped, the scar from 4 years ago would still be there and Ash didn't want to have to explain it now.
Cilan looked at Ash with a sceptical glance (THERE'S ALWAYS SOMEONE! GAH!) and Iris looked at him with the same expression. "Is there something that you're not telling us ash?" asked Cilan. Iris's expression grew to that of worry.
Ash was going to say something when a more important issue came to mind. "Ahhhhhh!" said Ash as he ran towards the spot where Snivy had been. "Snivy got away!" Ash looked around, Pikachu on the ground doing the same.
Cilan and Iris looked at each other to the small stain of blood of their friend's shirt. What was underneath it? While Cilan obtained a thinking look, Iris's face burned hot as she didn't really want to know what was under his shirt. Regardless, both trainers thought the same thing. That Ash would tell them eventually. They approached the trainer who was more focused on Pokémon rather than his own injuries.
"It's mysterious though." Said Cilan. Ash turned to look at him and so did Pikachu who had leaped up on Ash's shoulder. "Why are Snivy's moves so advanced?"
"Maybe..." said Iris. "Could it be that it left its trainer?" she asked.
Ash looked at her now. "What do you mean?" he asked.
"Like Cilan said, Snivy are known to be extremely smart. In some cases, and I don't know if this is true, I've heard rumours that some Snivy actually leave their trainers if they think that they aren't suitable."
Cilan nodded. "It wouldn't surprise me if this Snivy did so."
Ash laughed. "Is that so? Well, that makes me even more excited to catch Snivy! Right buddy?" he asked Pikachu.
"Pika pikachu!" Pikachu replied.
"Can't you guys take a break?" asked Iris.
"No way!" said Ash as he reached for one of his Pokéballs. As he threw it he said: "Pidove! Help us find Snivy!" Pidove appeared from its Pokéball and flew off, Ash following it as he did so. But before he could get anywhere he was stopped by a pressure on his collar. He didn't have to guess who it was.
"Yes Iris?" he said as he turned to face her, seeing Cilan look as confused as he felt. She turned away from his gaze, the Aura Hand disappearing as she did so. "I-I just wanted to apologise." She said.
Ash tilted his head. "Apologise?" he asked.
She nodded. "For saying that you stole the muffins."
Ash stood up and gave her a stare before smiling and extending a hand. "Alright." He said, but first you have to help me find Snivy.
Iris looked at him and gave a grin and shook the hand. "Now let's go!" he yelled as he raced off, leaving an amazed Cilan at his determination and a blushing Iris as she held the hand that Ash shook close to her heart.
As they were running, with Iris and Cilan catching up-they weren't using their aura- Ash turned to Pikachu. "Hey Pikachu." He began, talking to his partner. "Do you know how my wound sealed up?" he asked.
Pikachu nodded and Ash gave Pikachu a questioning look. In response, Pikachu held up a paw, a bright yellow glow coming from it that Ash didn't need his aura perception to see. Aura. Pikachu had used aura.
"So..." said Ash as they continued to run. "You closed the wound?"
"Pika." Said Pikachu.
There was a brief silence as both trainer and Pokémon considered the situation. Pikachu had disobeyed Ash's rule. Ash didn't really have rules in the first place, only one. And Pikachu had broken it. Pikachu felt guilty for doing such a thing and looked up at its trainer.
"Pikapi..." it said, unsure of how he would react.
Instead, Ash smiled at Pikachu which resulted in a "Pika?" from the Mouse Pokémon.
"I know that you used aura but..." said Ash. "you used it to help me and close my wound when you knew that I didn't want Iris and Cilan to see it. So I guess it's alright. Just for today." As they were moving, Ash scooped up Pikachu in his arms and rubbed his cheek against Pikachu's. "Thanks buddy." He said.
In response, Pikachu rubbed its cheek against its trainer with a "Chaaaa".
"Now." Ash said, the fire returning to his eyes. "Let's go and catch us a Snivy!"
"Pikachu!"
"I have some vital information for you." Said Giovanni from the computer. The cave that the Team Rocket trio had rested in (on Bulbapedia it is called Wellspring cave but for the sake of this fanfiction, we will call it 'Random Cave 1') hid them excellently from the eyes of the world.
The trio gasped at the news that the boss had given them.
"The criminal organisation in the Unova region has begun their operations" continued Giovanni. "In fact Team rocket's existence in Unova may be known to them already. You are to proceed in your missions with the greatest caution."
The trio stood to attention saying "Understood sir" in unison. With a "Transmission out" the computer went blank leaving nothing but the presence of the trio.
"The criminal organisation in Unova." Said Jessie to the other two. "Their identity is still a mystery."
"Even headquarters are in the dark about that information" said James.
"Regardless" put in Meowth "as the boss said, we have to proceed with the greatest caution."
Unbeknownst to them, Snivy watched as the scene in front of it unfolded.
"I think that we have to focus on working to increase our strength. Which ultimately means we have to catch strong Pokémon on the double." Said James.
Meowth nodded and Snivy, growing bored of the scene in front of it turned around and walked away, the grass rustling as it did so.
Grabbing the attention of the trio, they turned and with a "Whose that Pokémon?" from Jessie, Snivy knew that it was found out.
After James identified it as a Snivy, Jessie went into action. She thrust an Aura Fist (there will be no profile for these guys unless you REALLY want one...) towards Snivy without hesitation. Snivy saw the oncoming projectile and jumped, arching its back so that the fist passed harmlessly underneath it.
Jessie gritted her teeth and turned to Meowth. "Your turn Meowth." She said.
Meowth nodded and its claws sharpened, sharpening with a blue glow. Using its aura to increase its speed, it leaped towards Snivy. "Aura Scratch!" he yelled as he swung his claws towards the fleeing Snivy. Upon hitting a target, Meowth turned around to look at the damage that it caused, only to see a small rock in place of where Snivy had been.
The trio all gritted their teeth at the successful escape of the Pokémon.
Snivy leaped around the rocks near Random Cave 1 and not long after it felt it was far away from the three, it turned and let out a sigh. It continued to leap until it reached a plateau where it walked along until it found a suitable place to lie down.
It looked into the blue sky its thought going back to the trainer that it had met only minutes previously.
The trainer ran towards the Pikachu and covered it with his back. Snivy had continued the assault, hoping that the Pikachu would be hit but to no avail. The trainer kept on protecting his Pokémon. Snivy was about to stop but that was when she hit it. The scar. And that's when all of the memories came flooding through.
Look who it is." Mocked Gary. "The Aura-less freak."
The tingling. Ash reached to his right shoulder where it had started and scratched. Then the area of tingling got larger. It was all along his back, a line that reached his left hip. He scratched, his nails digging into his flesh. What was going on? Ash didn't know. Then all of a sudden, he felt pain. So much Pain. Pain and Pain and even more Pain. Never in his life had Ash felt so much Pain. He just couldn't handle it. He thought he felt his back open up before he blacked out.
"F-Find my mom." Ash had wheezed. "Please.." His eyelids drooped but stayed open.
(See Chapter 1 for details on how Ash got the scar)
Snivy shook its head. It had to get that trainer and his memories out of its head, no matter how intriguing they may be. So Snivy laid its head down to rest, all the while a Pidove was circling it, looking down.
"Dove dove." It said to itself before it soared higher so that its trainer would spot it.
Ash stopped after he saw his Pokémon flying in front of him. "So?" he asked his Pidove. "Can you show us where?" he asked. "and good job by the way!"
"Pidove dove!" cried Pidove as it flew forward, towards the spot where it had seen the target of its trainer.
"I can almost feel Snivy in my grasp." Said Ash to no-one. With new-found determination, he raced ahead until he saw Pidove hovering over a stone plateau.
Ash raced towards it, hoping that Snivy would stay in the same place for some time before it decided to flee.
The sound of wings flapping in the air disturbed Snivy from its slumber. Annoyed, it looked up to see a Pidove hovering in the air above it. She narrowed her eyes at the sight. The Pidove just hovered, just flew around in a continuous circle above the location where it was. It was too unnatural for it to be an accident.
Suspicious that maybe the Pidove was luring someone towards its location, Snivy moved towards the best place where someone-either people or Pokémon could walk up. And that when she saw it.
The Aura Zero trainer and his Pikachu.
Ash looked up to see Snivy standing on the edge of the plateau. "Snivy!" he called to the Pokémon. "Let me battle you again!" he asked. Pikachu did the same with a "Pi Kachu!"
Snivy simply glared at the trainer. How was he going to battle her? Pikachu had lost and he didn't seem to be prepared at all...
The thought was dismissed as soon as one of Ash's Pokéballs opened up with a spark of light. Oshawott appeared on one of the stones and pointed from Snivy towards Ash and held its hands together in a praying motion and bowed. It then continued this attack a few times with an "Osha Oshawott".
Ash got the message. "So, you wanna battle Snivy? I have no problem with that." Oshawott "Oshawott" ed in thanks and the two Pokémon and trainer walked up the stone hill.
Snivy, looking on in displeasure, flicked a rock that was near it towards the three coming up the hill in an attempt to hinder their ascent. Since the trainer was an Aura Zero, there was no way that he could block it.
Ash saw the stone that was coming his way and cried out, leading both his Pokémon behind a larger rock for protection. Behind them, Iris and Cilan panted as they came towards the hill. They both looked up, looking for Ash but the first thing that they saw was a boulder rolling towards them.
In surprise they both held up their hands and produced Aura Shields in order to protect themselves and in Iris's case, both herself and Axew. The boulder hit the Shield with relatively low speed and it shattered, smaller rocks flying in all directions but not hitting either Iris or Cilan. As soon as they lowered the shield, Iris looked up at Ash who was still climbing. "What are they doing?" she asked.
Snivy turned from the scene and walked away, not turning back or even glancing to check if anyone had gotten hurt. It did however, turn when she heard the sounds of footsteps on rock and the continuous sound of "Osha! Osha!"
Looking back, Snivy saw the Aura Zero trainer, with Oshawott on his head and Pikachu by his side, climb up the hill. "Don't think that that will stop us!" he said as he reached the top.
Ash and Pikachu regained their breath after the long trip up the hill while Oshawott leaped off Ash's head and smiled, observing the tired Pokémon and trainer. Ash grinned towards Snivy. "I'm gonna catch you for sure." He said to it and then he called out his first attack. "Oshawott!" he cried. "Water Gun!"
Oshawott fired the stream of water towards Snivy, Snivy leaping back using its aura to gain distance as it dodged the attack. Although it did so successfully, the water that hit the rocks splashed in all directions, and some of it splashed against Snivy's face, it wiping it off as soon as it did.
While the battle was starting, Iris and Cilan appeared, using Aura Platforms to prevent themselves from getting tired as they walked up the hill. (Just to clarify, the aura platforms only let you hover a small distance above the ground so it really isn't using your aura to 'fly') As soon as they reached the top and stopped using their aura to fuel the Aura Platforms, Iris said in surprise "A Water Type against a Grass Type?" She supped her hands and put them to her mouth and also used her aura to project her voice as she yelled. "Don't use a Pokémon with a Type disadvantage!" Axew added to this with an "Axew Axew Ew!"
Ash turned towards the sound of the voice. "Hey, calm down Iris. I know that." He said as he turned back to battle at hand.
Cilan crossed his arms at looked at ash with a smile. "As I thought. Ash does have a unique taste. Oshawott's enthusiasm must have persuaded Ash to use it."
"Well, if you ask me, I think he isn't thinking ahead at all." Commented Iris earning a nod from her trusty partner Pokémon. (Yep. Attack first, think later)
Back to the battle, Snivy produced the same glowing vines from its neck and sent then flying towards Oshawott. Ash knew that if he negated the attack, Oshawott would get more damage so...
"Oshawott!" yelled Ash. "Block it with your scalchop!" Oshawott did just that as it countered the vines that came to strike it repeating "Osha!" as it successfully did so.
"Great! Now Razor Shell!" said Ash. Oshawott held its scalchop to its side, about to release the energy stored up in it to make the Razor shell when Snivy winked at it, the same glowing hearts from before heading towards the Pokémon. Oshawott looked in confusion at the hearts as they surrounded it but not for long as it succumbed to the effects of the Aura Attract.
"Not again!" said Ash. Taking advantage of the opening in the Pokémon, Snivy attacked, using Aura Vine Whip to do so. One hit Oshawott on the side of the face and it was sent flying through the air due to the enhanced effects of the Aura Vine Whip. It landed on the ground and Ash cried out "Oshawott!" in concern. He looked back towards the Snivy, the aura Vine Whip still ready to attack the Pokémon.
In response Ash took out Oshawott's Pokéball and recalled it, Oshawott returning to its Pokéball. Now that the threat was over, Snivy returned its vines and bounded away. "Come on!" said Ash as he chased after it. "Pika!" yelled Pikachu as it did so too.
"Not again..." complained Iris as she and Cilan chased after the trainer.
Snivy continued to leap forward, using its aura to gain distance between the leaps and ash could tell that it wasn't long before he lost sight of it completely, due to the fact that he could use aura to run faster. Instead, he turned to his Pidove that was flying in the sky next to him.
"Pidove! Keep tailing Snivy!" he commanded.
"Pidove!" came the reply and Pidove shot forward in pursuit of the Pokémon. Ash chased after the flying Pokémon, still in pursuit of the Snivy.
Behind them, iris and Cilan stopped running, taking a quick break, sure that they could catch up to them if they used their aura. "Man." Complained Iris. "Why don't they just quit and why not use their aura to run faster?" She shook her head. "His stubbornness is amazing."
Cilan chuckled. "I would say determined instead of stubborn."
Iris looked at him. "Whatever. But why do we have to chase after that Pokémon anyway?"
"Well, I don't know about you" said Cilan, "but I'm doing it to see Ash's and Snivy's flavours will become one. Also, it's because I'm travelling with him. What about you?" He turned to the girl.
"S-Same here." She put in, turning away so that Cilan wouldn't see her blush. "A-Anyway, let's go after him." She ran ahead, using her aura to increase her speed, Cilan following and doing the same.
Ahead of them, the rocky plain of Random Cave 1 had disappeared revealing a lush, green forest. Snivy leaped from tree to tree, in order to escape the persistent trainer, all the while taking a glance back, only to see the trainer in the distance. As soon as the trainer saw Snivy turn around he always said the same thing: "Come back!"
Ash continued to run and chased after Snivy, Pidove lost in the leaves of the forest but he trusted his Pokémon to continue chasing Snivy. Which meant that he had to do the same. Spotting a vine ahead of him, Ash got an idea.
"Alright Pikachu! On my shoulder!" he said. Pikachu leaped onto its favourite place just as Ash grabbed one of the vines, using momentum and crawling up the vine in order to move. He continued to pass through the forest by leaping from vine to vine. Snivy continued to flee, and when it reached the mud river that ran through the forest, it hopped onto one of the lily pads on it in order to cross to the other bank.
In hot pursuit Ash grabbed onto another vine and could see Snivy below him on the lily pad. "Got you n-" Ash began to say bit didn't finish as the vine that was holding him snapped, unable to support him weight. Ash fell onto the lily pad in the mud river, Snivy leaping away before it was turned into a Snivy pancake. (Such exquisite flavour! Said Cilan).
Ash looked towards his Pokémon that had fallen with him. "Let's not do that again." He said with a nervous laugh. "Are you hurt Pikachu?" he asked.
"Pikachu." Said Pikachu, shaking its head in the negative. Ash nodded and stood up, and suddenly felt a sinking feeling, literally. He looked around in worry as the lily pad began to sink and Ash's shoes were covered in mud. The lily pad continued its descent into the river with a distressed Ash and Pikachu. They tried to move but the mud was too thick for them to escape the sinking. Ash turned to Pikachu. "On my shoulders again!" he commanded. Pikachu nodded and grabbed Ash's leg, pulling itself up and moving to its spot.
On the opposite bank, Snivy watched as the scene unfolded. (Snivy: innocent bystander).
The mud continued to rise as the two sank and it was not long before Ash's waist and below was covered in mud. Ash turned to Pikachu, unable to move. "On top of my head!" Ash called. Pikachu moved as it did so and looked around. One option for it would be to use its aura but that would mean leaving Ash behind. And Pikachu would never do that. Never.
The two looked around as the continued to sink, unable to find the way out. He suddenly felt a pressure on one of his arms and turned to the bank where the pressure had come from. He saw Cilan extending an Aura Hand, using it to grip one of Ash's arms.
"Ash!" cried Iris. "Give me your other arm!" Ash held it forward and Iris reached for it using one of her own Aura Hands. Together, Iris and Cilan pulled Ash through the mud, towards their bank.
Ash reached the bank and climbed out, lying down on the ground to take a breather. Pikachu leaped off his head and did the same. That was one experience that they didn't want to repeat. "Thanks you guys." Ash said to Iris and Cilan, Pikachu saying the equivalent in Pika-speak saying "Pika Pika pikachu."
"Are you OK?" Ash asked Pikachu and Pikachu gave a nod. "That's good to hear." He said with a relieved tone.
On the opposite bank, Snivy looked on at the trainer and Pokémon before turning and walking away. (Innocent bystanders: gotta love 'em)
"Ash." Said Cilan as he looked down at Ash. Ash stood up so that Cilan wouldn't have to strain his neck. "Do you think it's worth all this to catch Snivy?"
"Of course!" said Ash with enthusiasm. "This just makes me want to catch it even more!"
"Ash." Said Iris as she looked at him with a displeased expression, putting her hands on her hips. "Why don't you just give up? Snivy is going to be a hard one to catch, so why don't you just give up and accept that fact?"
"I have to admit that your determination is outstanding the fact is..." said Cilan before he trailed off, not wanting to let Ash down completely.
"No way guys!" said Ash. "That Snivy is going to be mine!"
The two looked at Ash with astonishment then at each other before letting out a small chuckle. They guessed that they would have to get used to this...
Ahead of them, our favourite innocent bystander walked down the path in the forest, not hearing any footsteps chasing it. It turned around, somewhat hopefully that the Aura Zero trainer would suddenly run down it, still hopeful for catching it. But nothing was there. No trainer. Nothing.
Snivy felt...disappointment? She didn't know why that was, but it was there. Shaking her head, she moved towards her destination, the river that ran on the edge of the forest. She took a drink, reflecting on the craziness of the day when...
"Dove Pidove!" came a cry from above. Snivy turned to it and saw a Pidove, the same Pidove that it had seen before. Behind her, she heard the cry of "It's over this way Ash!" from another older male choice (this is Cilan. He used his aura to help find Snivy f you were wondering).
She turned and saw the Aura Zero trainer behind her, reaching for one of his Pokéballs. "Finally!" Ash said. "You're gonna be mine!"
Snivy wiped its mouth and smiled. This trainer...certainly was interesting.
"Alright then!" cried Ash. "Tepig, I choose you!" Ash threw the Pokéball from his hand, Tepig appearing in a burst of light that followed.
Finally catching up, Iris and Cilan appeared just in time to see the battle unfold. "A Fire Type Tepig." Commented Iris.
Cilan nodded. "Type wise, Ash does have the advantage."
Iris cupped her hands and used her aura to project her voice as she yelled "Be careful of Aura Attract! Otherwise this battle will be the same as the others!" (Just for clarification, Iris doesn't needs to cup her hands to project her voice, she just needs to use aura. Cupping her hands is just what she does in this chapter)
"I know that!" yelled Ash back. He turned back to his Pokémon. "Alright Tepig." He said. "Just as Iris said, you need to watch out for Snivy's Aura attract. So start off with Ember!"
Tepig complied and sent out burst of flames from its snout towards the opponent. With ease and grace, Snivy dodged them, doing the same as it had done in its previous battles; leaping into the air, using its aura to increase its jump height.
Tepig watched as Snivy dodged all of its attacks and still watched as Snivy winked, glowing hearts appearing as they have done before. And, just as before, they surrounded the Pokémon, causing it to sway in a dazed fashion.
Ash gritted his teeth as he recalled Tepig. He looked at Snivy who was doing a gesture that suggested that it wanted more. Ash clenched his fist and Pikachu leaned forward, ready to attack Snivy. Almost all of his Pokémon had been subjected to Aura Attract. The only one that hadn't...
"Dove dove!" cried Pidove from above Ash and Pikachu.
Ash looked at the Pokémon. "You wanna have a go? Sure!" Ash then turned to Pikachu. "Pikachu, why don't we let Pidove have a shot?" Pikachu nodded.
"Why did ash stop Pikachu?" asked Iris to Cilan. "Pikachu's his strongest Pokémon."
"Type advantage Iris." Explained Cilan. "A Flying Type has the advantage over a Grass Type."
"I know that but" interjected Iris, "the result will be the same if Pidove can't avoid Aura Attract."
Ignoring the comments that were being said on the side, Ash called out his next attack. "Gust Pidove!"
A whirlwind of um...wind headed towards Snivy, one that Snivy dodged with grace and leaped into the air. It winked and the same glowing hearts that had thwarted Ash appeared and headed towards Pidove. Like before they circled Pidove. "Oh no!" said Ash as he looked on. The hearts all converged on their target...only to have no effect at all. It continued to fly around in a circle and look down at the opponent, Snivy.
"Pidove wasn't effected at all..." noted Cilan.
"if Aura Attract didn't work that means..." started Iris.
"That Ash's Pidove if a girl!" finished Cilan.
"That'd be right!" said Iris. "Otherwise, Snivy's Aura Attract would be useless!" (or would it...heh, heh, heh)
Cilan folded his arms and looked at the trainer participating in the battle. "Ash must have known that, otherwise he wouldn't have stopped Pikachu from battling."
Iris turned to look at the trainer as well. "That's...actually pretty smart. He's better than I thought he was."
"Go figure." Said Ash as he scratched his head while Pikachu nodded, proud of its trainer as his smart decision. Ash turned to Pidove in the sky. "So Pidove's a girl. That's pretty lucky!" said ash as he spoilt the moment and crushed everyone's opinions of him. Pikachu face-faulted and Iris and Cilan gave him looks of astonishment.
"Actually..." said Iris. "I take what I said back."
Now that one of Snivy's attacks had been rendered useless, Snivy went in for another assault, attacking with an Aura Vine Whip.
"Dodge it!" cried Ash. Pidove manoeuvred around the vines as Snivy came in for another attack. It spun around in a fast motion, leaves shrouded in a blue glow appearing around it as it did so. Aura Leaf Storm. Snivy then with a "Vy!" fired them towards Pidove.
"Dodge again!" cried Ash. Pidove did so. "Now Gust!" he called. Pidove flapped its wings the whirlwind of um... wind heading towards Snivy. Snivy closed its eyes as it was caught up in the gust, unable to move. "Use Air Cutter to stun!" commanded Ash to Pidove. The Air Cutters hit the ground near Snivy, kicking up rocks and dust as they did so, causing Snivy to cover its eyes. "Quick attack!" said Ash. Pidove, with amazing speed, headed towards Snivy, successfully hitting it in the process.
Snivy fell to the ground and attempted to get up, struggling to do so. Ash took his chance. "Alright then! Go Pokéball!" He threw said device at the Pokémon and Snivy was sucked into the ball. It landed on the ground. It shook once. Twice. Three times. But no cigar. The Pokéball burst open and Snivy appeared out of it, trying hard to stand up which it did with effort.
"Alright Pidove!" said Ash as he was about to call his next attack but Snivy moved first. It launched an assault of Aura Vine Whips that successfully hit the Pokémon. Next, Snivy spun around, creating more leaves that were necessary for an Aura Leaf Storm. Ash smiled to himself.
"Pidove!" Ash called. "Counter that Aura Lea Storm with Air Cutter!"
"Using a non-aura attack to counter an aura one?" asked Cilan. "It's just like our Gym Battle." He said.
Snivy launched the Aura Leaf Storm with a "Vy!" while Pidove attacked with air Cutter saying "Dove!" The two attacks collided in mid-air and negated each other upon impact. The explosion of air that followed whipped up rocks on the ground as well as water from the river. The trees where Iris and Cilan were standing strained from the mere force of the blow, some branches ripping off in the process. Iris and Cilan covered their faces with their hands and turned away, the surprise and suddenness of the explosion of air meant that they couldn't protect themselves using an Aura Shield. Axew cried out with an "Axew!" and hid in Iris's hair.
Ash was doing the same as Iris and Cilan, covering his face with his hands. He knew that the explosion would be powerful, but not THIS powerful. Pidove was blown back but since it was in the air, the damage was reduced. Snivy off the other hand was lifted off its feet, the suddenness of the explosion throwing it off guard. It hit the ground with a crash, throwing rocks into the air as it did so but still tried to get up, grunting as it did so. When it did get up, it looked at the Aura Zero trainer...and smiled.
"This is going to end it!" yelled Ash as he turned his hat around. (Ahhhh! S**t's going down!) "Go Pokéball!" he called as he threw it. It hit Snivy and it was sucked into the ball once again. It shook once. Two times. Ash looked in eagerness at the Pokéball. Three times. Ash leaned closer to it. Then, it clicked with satisfaction as it stopped shaking.
Ash let out a grin as he ran towards the Pokéball, turning his hat back around and picking up the Pokéball. "Yes!" he cried. "I caught a Snivy!"
"Pi pikachu!"
"Pidove!"
Ecstatic of his new catch, Ash let Snivy out of its Pokéball. Snivy looked at its new trainer. "Good to have you on the team." He said. "Now, with your help, let's win the Unova League!"
Off on the sidelines, Iris and Cilan looked at each other and chuckled, their friend's catch and excitement infectious as they felt themselves being filled with excitement.
Snivy looked at its new trainer with pleasure. One thing was for sure. Snivy doubted that she would be bored.
Solana returned to the conference room, now with the results of how the task force set upon taking the Aura Taker down were to be distributed. She walked into the conference room, the man and the 'friend' looking up to her.
"The results are in. Half of us are going to Pinwheel Forest and the other half is going to Wellspring Cave."
"Which on are we going to?" asked the 'friend'.
"We're in the Wellspring Cave task force." Solana reported. "It is suggested that we leave immediately."
The man nodded and stood without hesitation. "Finally. We're going to get the guy." The man started to walk and after walking past Solana, he said to her and the 'friend': "I know that it's unprofessional, but revenge is definitely one of the best motivators. My own partner was killed by this guy. And I'm going to tell you two now, that we'll catch him. For sure." The man walked off, leaving a stunned Solana and an amused 'friend'.
So, he thought, Wellspring cave. The final crime scene and the place of the final act of the Aura Taker. He smiled. It was only a matter of time...
And that'd be that. So, what did you think of the new updates of the original story? With the concepts of the 'Disease' and the fact that both the 'friend' and the man have had their partners killed, it's goingm to be which is it when it comes to the chapter! Don't worry though, because the thing will be soon! And I've also got some ideas about new stories involving aura as well. here's a few hints. Some of them have to do with fear and another has to do with exorsism. Anyway, some new character profiles:
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
Uses aura to help close wounds
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
Uses aura to distingusih and memorise smells
Uses aura to help close wounds
Ash's Snivy
Aura level: High
Aura abilities: Although it did use Aura Vine Whip and other aura attacks, since it is part of ash's team, this slot will be left blank. It does have aura abilities though but they will not be recorded as Ash does not really use them.
No Cilan times updates but whatever. And here's the preview for the new chapter:
Ash stepped back as Darmanitan put the bell on the hook that they had made. Iris and Cilan were also watching in amazement at the sheer strength of the Pokémon. But still, it appeared that it was taking a lot of strength for the Pokémon to put the bell of said hook.
But something struck Ash as odd. Nothing wrong with the scene in front of him but rather around him. He couldn't tell what it was but he could tell. He turned around, feeling the wind on his face from the window blowing on his face. Iris and Cilan smiled at him and he smiled back but them he noticed it. The floor beneath his two friends. It was a bright red in colour. The heat produced from when Darmanitan was resting must have weakened the floorboards. The surprise of the fall would be so sudden that they wouldn't be able to react as quickly as they might and also the suddenness would cause them to possibly fall through any floors below them, onto the staircase that they had just climbed. They would tumble down the stairs and get seriously hurt. Or worse.
Ash ran towards the two, who looked at him in surprise, just as the old, wooden floor beneath them cracked and broke and Iris and Cilan fell.
And that's all she wrote, I hope that you wnjoy this chapter and wait patiently for the others. Also, there might be a preview for my new OC story n the future but we'll see...
Anyways, as usual:
Review if you please