Well, hre you go everyone. I'm glad that people were patient (for those who yelled at the screen for me to hurry up, I'm sorry) for this orignal story. This will be the end of the Aura Taker Arc and the next arc will be the Exorcist Arc, where we get to see well...figure it out for yourself. Also, that will set the stage for more of Ash's past after he's out of hospital after he is a kid.
Anyway, I hope that you enjoy the story and yeah...just enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon *grunble, grumble*
The preparations were all ready. Although the tunnels were split up to make a natural labyrinth within Wellspring Cave, they were ready to tackle them and flush out the Aura Taker. Even if they weren't here, the team over at Pinwheel Forest would most likely find them. And that made Solana happy.
The man, who had on fact been a large part of the preparations stood up and addressed the crowd.
"Today, a villain of the world will be defeated. Those who suffered by their hand will receive justice and most of all, we, the ones searching for them will receive satisfaction." He remained silent and no-one dared to interrupt him. At last he spoke.
"I say to all of you. Let's finish this."
There was a chorus of "Sir, yes, sir!" as well as salutes, one that Solana participated in. They were all smiling, glad at the prospect that in the caves, there might be a criminal that was waiting to be flushed out.
However, the 'friend' was smiling for a different reason. Yes, he thought, let's finish this.
There was a major problem for Ash and his friends. No, they had not run out of food (That would be a disaster) and they had not lost their way (yet). The problem was a fork. Not that there was only one and they had lost the rest but rather a fork in the road. It was a standard fork, one path leading to the left, another leading straight.
Ash looked between the roads, Pikachu doing the same. "Cilan! Which road to we take to get to Nacrene City?"
Cilan smiled while Iris just shook her head. "What's the rush? What a kid." She said to herself. Axew appeared out of hair and as always agreed with her opinion with an "Axew axew"
Cilan brought out his map and read it carefully. "Well…" he said, scratching his chin. "Up ahead is-"
Before he could finish Ash cried out. "Alright then, forward it is!" And then he ran off, leaving the others behind. His companions could hear the cry of "Pika!" coming from his trusty Pokémon as well.
Iris held up a hand, it glowing blue, ready to strike forward with an Aura Hand. "He went the wrong way again didn't he?" asked Iris with a slight smile. Although his attitude was awfully childish, he had felt better regarding the incident in Accumula Town after her talk with Ash.
Cilan chuckled. "Yes actually." Just as Iris was about to release the Hand towards Ash's direction, Cilan stopped her. "However, in that direction is Wellspring Cave. There's an interesting rumour there that I've always wanted to explore.
"Rumour?" asked Iris. Axew was interested and it looked at the Pokémon Connoisseur with an intrigued expression.
Cilan nodded. "But I'd rather say it with everyone present." He said with a sweatdrop.
That was all Iris needed to launch the Aura Hand in Ash's direction.
"You know, all you have to do is ask me to stop!" cried Ash as he wiped dirt off the bottom of his trousers. Pikachu had managed to survive but was still upset.
Iris frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I wouldn't have to if you slowed down."
"Whatever. So Cilan, what was this rumour about Wellspring Cave?" he asked, eager to know. Iris turned to him and they awaited his explanation.
"Well, it' rumoured that underneath the two known levels of Wellspring Cave, there's a third level and that houses an Aura Spring." Said Cilan.
"What's that?" asked Ash. He had never heard of one of those before in detail although he was pretty sure Professor Oak had mentioned it once or twice.
"Honestly." Said Iris as she shook her head. "You don't even know what that is?"
Ash glared at her and then focused on Cilan. "So? What is this Aura Spring?"
Cilan crossed his arms. "Well, Ash, I'm sure that you know that every being in the world has aura correct?" Ash hesitated for a minute before nodding slowly. "Well, in the world, there are natural 'springs' of aura. No-one really knows how they are formed but the fact is that they are just natural forms of aura. Kind of a lake filled with aura and nothing else."
Ash was surprised. To actually think that such things existed. "So are these things rare?"
Cilan nodded. "Extremely. There are less than 50 known Aura Springs but there could be even more. The main reason that there is a rumour like tis surrounding Wellspring Cave is cave drawings on the inside of Wellspring Cave suggesting that the Aura Spring was used by an ancient civilisation for power. They absorbed it in order to increase their aura level."
Ash nodded. He was interested in the topic but he felt detached from what Cilan was saying. Iris was interested for sure but mainly because of the fact that it could increase her aura level, making her a better trainer in the process and closer to her Pokémon. But that prospect was something that Ash could never have.
"Hey Ash?" asked Iris. He looked at her. "Are you OK?"
Ash was puzzled. Although he wasn't he had tried to hide it. "You look kind of sad." Said Iris as she explained her concern.
Ash smiled and scratched his head. "I guess I'm just upset that we can't go to Nacrene City right away. Say Iris, do you think that the Aura Spring exists?"
Iris frowned and crossed her arms. She wasn't sure really. Inside of her was doubt surrounding the concept but she truly wanted to believe in it because of the possibility it provided her for growth.
"I can't really say." She said. "What about you Cilan?"
Cilan shrugged. "That's what I want to find out. Shall we go?" Ash and Iris nodded and walked slowly, with Iris grabbing Ash's collar with an Aura Hand to make sure he didn't run off, towards Wellspring Cave.
Solana had reached the second level of the Cave. She had gone down and looked in front of her. Numerous paths led in different directions and all the teams had been divided up except for some people above ground to divert tourists away. She looked at the man and the 'friend' both who part of her team. They would all go down one passageway while the other teams would do the same.
Their bodies let off a bright glow that illuminated the tunnel that they were to pass through. The person in charge of carrying any equipment that they might need in an emergency was split up between the man and the 'friend' both carrying the same thing in case they were ever forced to split up.
They never saw the need for it but precaution was needed.
"You guys ready?" she asked her partners. They both nodded and Solana took her first step.
That's when it happened. It wasn't anything bad. It fact it was a rather pleasant thing. However only Solana felt it. A warmness spread through her body, a feeling that immediately calmed her down despite the serious situation. She clutched her chest where the feeling was coming from.
She closed her eyes and exhaled, the feeling growing stronger within her. It was faint before but it was spreading throughout her body at an incredible speed.
"Solana?" asked the man as he went to her side. "Are you OK?"
The strange feeling should have made her uneasy but the effect it had was far from so. She was better than OK. But what was this feeling? She tried to pinpoint where the feeling was coming from within her and her eyes widened when she pinpointed it. It was in a very specific part of her chest.
It was where her heart was. Her thoughts went back to the 'feeling' that people felt whenever the person that they had given their Heart of Aura to was within a certain range. Heart of Aura. She didn't need to know who she had given that to. There was only one person. And that fact that this feeling was flowing within her meant…..
She turned and ran towards the entrance towards the Cave ignoring the cries of the man and 'friend' behind her. They would catch up soon. But Solana only focused on getting towards the entrance of the Cave as fast as she could.
"What do you mean we're not allowed in?" asked Cilan. When he group had finally reached the Cave itself, they were surprised to see that it had been blocked off the police and the Aura Justice Department. "What's going on?"
The police officer they were talking to waved his hands in the air. "Nothing serious. Only a Cave collapse that have trapped some hikers. We just need to get them out."
Ash and Iris nodded while Cilan looked greatly disappointed. Ash patted Cilan's back. "Don't worry Cilan. I'm sure if we hang around then the Cave will be able to be open soon."
"Ah sorry but we might be a day at least." Said the police officer. Ash looked in surprise at him. A day for some hikers? "The hikers are trapped in the lower level so it'll take a while."
Ash and Iris looked at each other with worry then at Cilan. "Well, what do you want to do?" asked Ash. "I mean you wanted to check out the Cave."
Cilan sighed and brought out his map. "Well, that truly is an unfortunate flavour to start off the day. I'll guess we'll just have to backtrack guys." He walked off and before they left, Ash and Iris turned back to the police officer.
"I hope you get those hikers out safely." Said Ash to which Iris agreed. And with that, they both turned and headed back the way that they came.
Or they would have if not for the torpedo of a person that rammed into Ash's back when he had turned around.
"Gyah!?"
"Pika!?"
Cried Ash and Pikachu in surprise as they were both struck to the ground. They actually skied along the dirt for a little while before coming to a stop.
"Ash!" cried Iris as she ran towards where boy was, Pikachu lying near to where he was as well.
"Pika pi!" said Pikachu as it ran towards it trainer. Cilan had turned around at this point and looked at the scene in surprise.
"Ow ow ow ow." Said Ash as he lay on the ground. He angled his head to have a good look at the person who had tackled him. The only thing that he saw was the symbol of the Pokémon Rangers on the arm of the person. "A…..Ranger?" he asked himself.
He tried to stand up but found that the extra weight on his back was not moving at all. "Um…excuse me?" he asked. "Could you perhaps get off me so that I could get a look at you?"
The person complied and just as Ash turned around, he found himself in the embrace of the person who had tackled him. His face was shoved with the person's light blue hair. Ash looked at the hair.
Light blue hair? A Ranger uniform?
"Solana?" he asked the person as he pushed her away and saw that he was right. His Ranger friend was before him, looking extremely happy. Seeing her face brought a smile to Ash's face. "What are you doing here? Getting those hikers out of the Cave?"
Solana stood up, while Ash stayed sitting on the ground as Pikachu jumped on his shoulder and looked curiously at the Ranger. Although he wasn't pleased in being thrown off his perch, he was glad to see an old friend.
Iris on the other hand was not so pleased. Seeing that Ash knew the person in front of him brought her memory back to what had happened in Accumula Town, or rather what had happened at the end of the incident. Her aura manifested around her due to her negative feelings and Cilan and Axew looked nervously at her.
"Hikers?" asked Solana in response to his question but realised that he must have been told the cover story. "Ah no, well actually-"
"Excuse me." Said Iris in a stiff voice. Solana turned around and saw her, as well as her aura that manifested around her. "Could you perhaps help Ash up? I'm sure that the ground can't be that comfortable."
Solana raised an eyebrow and turned to Ash who she helped up. "So, who is this?" she asked.
"Hmm? This is Iris. I'm travelling with her as well as Cilan over there." Cilan gave a bow which Solana acknowledged with a nod of her head and then went back to staring at Iris.
"So, you're travelling with Ash?" As since Solana could not control her jealously at the situation, her aura manifested around her as the two girls stared at each other.
Ash, Pikachu and Cilan all sweatdropped. "What's going on?" asked Ash. "Why are they so angry with each other?"
Cilan smiled at Ash, partly amused with his obliviousness while Pikachu just elected to shake his head.
Upon Ash's role as a mediator, Iris and Solana soon solved their differences and Solana told them about the situation in the Cave. Everything about the Aura Taker and his actions. The mood darkened gradually as the 3 travellers heard the news.
"S-Seventeen…" said Cilan in shock. Iris was similarly surprised but Ash however decided to ask Solana something that had been on his mind.
"Why are you telling us? I mean there's not much that we can do against a criminal like this." Iris, Axew and Cilan nodded in agreement. Only Pikachu did not agree as he himself had seen the actions that his trainer was willing to take in order to have happiness for everyone.
"That's not totally true." Said Solana. "Remember that time with Celebi? And Hunter J and Riolu?" Ash looked surprised almost as he had forgotten or had brushed off the importance. Because for Ash, his actions weren't heroic but rather were viewed to be as such. All Ash was doing was what he thought to be right.
"But what can I do now?" asked Ash.
"More than you think." Said Solana in response and both Iris and Cilan looked surprised. Was this Ranger asking their friend, a simple trainer, for assistance in catching a criminal? They were about to protest when a voice interrupted their thoughts.
"Solana!" called a voice from the entrance to the Cave. She turned and the others turned as well and saw two men at the entrance.
They both wore the same uniform, a blue jacket and jeans as well as a red shirt that was lined with gold streaks. Both of them wore the badge that was the symbol of the AJD and indicated their rank.
The man on the left was of average height and medium build. He had red hair and green eyes, the man on the right the same except with blond hair and hazel eyes. They both shared strong features on their face, especially when they looked displeased. Which they were now.
"What do you think you're doing?" said the man on the left.
Solana sighed. "Rodney, calm down. I'm just telling these kids what' going on."
"WHAT?!" said the man on the right. "You can't bring in these kids into this situation. It's too dangerous!"
Solana stood up. "Don't worry William. Ash, Iris and Cilan, these are my colleagues, Rodney and William."
Ash narrowed his eyes. Around one of the men, there was a strange aura, something that looked to be leaking out of the man. Ash had never seen anything like that before and he wasn't sure what to think of it. Still he approached both men and shook their hands. (Am I pissing you off as I haven't revealed how the 'friend' is yet?)
Rodney looked at Solana. "Why are you telling these kids what's going on?"
Solana, although she was standing nearer to them, reached out using an Aura Hand and used it to pat Ash's shoulder. "This kid here had helped me on more than one occasion. I value his help greatly." Everyone there, apart from Pikachu and Solana looked at Ash in surprise. He had helped her before?
Rodney gave a strange look towards Solana. "Anything else who want to mention?" Solana blushed and hid her face earning a raised eyebrow from Rodney. He looked at William who shrugged. Rodney walked up to Ash who felt rather intimidated by the larger man.
"You must have an incredible aura to be suggested by Solana. You wouldn't happen to be the Civilian would you?" asked Rodney.
William looked shocked. Of course he had heard of the Civilian but to think that it might be this kid?!
Ash tilted his head. "Civilian? Well I am one. But aren't Iris and Cilan one too?"
Rodney stared at Ash before turning away chuckling. "Whatever. Solana, you're in charge of them. Come on."
The 3 travellers blinked before they were led forward by the Ranger. They entered the Cave and as soon as they found that it was dark, too dark to see, Iris and Cilan used their aura to make Aura Lights that lit up the area around them. Only Ash did not do so but since he was in the presence of those who could, he didn't really need a flashlight.
They were led towards the lower levels and Cilan looked around him. With Solana, William and Rodney in front of them, the travellers simply walked behind them.
"I betcha you didn't think we would be brought in Wellspring Cave like this." Said Ash jokingly.
Cilan gave a nervous laugh. "Indeed. Such a mysterious flavour…" Although Ash thought he was talking about the situation, both Cilan and Iris were thinking the same thing: Ash certainly was mysterious. To think that Ash was suggested by Solana to help! What could he do?
They soon came to a stop in front of a tunnel and Solana turned around. "We'll go down here. Make sure to stay together guys."
The group nodded and walked carefully through the second level of Wellspring Cave. Ash looked down at the ground he was walking on. To think that there might be another floor beneath him, where there might be an Aura Spring.
Still, he was partly nervous. What was he going to do in this situation. Although he could rely on his Pokémon to help him out, he wasn't sure if it was safe. He looked at Pikachu. His Pokémon had faith in him to keep them safe so he would live up to their expectations. Solana's as well.
"Say, what happens if we find the guy?" asked Iris.
The answer was short and concise from William. "We capture him." The answer was so simple that it stunned the three a little bit.
"What about us? How are we going to do that if we run into the Aura Taker?" she asked.
"Simple." Replied Solana. "You guys aren't to leave our sights. That way we can act if we find 'em."
"Indeed." Said Rodney. He pulled back part of his jacket to show a gun. They looked at it in fascination. They had never really seen one except in TV before and were a little bit shocked, although Ash was still shocked despite seeing on before (in the early episodes, guns are used, particularly in that banned episode). "We'll use force if necessary but we all have handcuffs on our person."
"What if someone else finds him?" asked Cilan.
"We all have a GPS on our person as well. If anything happens, we're to send out a signal on it that will be received by others. By the time we get there we should have already captured them but if not, we have an idea of where they are." Explained Solana.
Cilan nodded and happy with his explanation turned to Ash on his left. "What do you think?" he asked.
"About?" asked Ash.
Iris looked past Cilan and spoke to Ash as well. "Well, you're the one that Solana asked to help. Also, Sabrina on Accumula Town as well wanted your help."
Ash waved his hands in front of his face. "It's not that I'm anyone special. I just do what I normally do. You guys have seen that in me."
Cilan and Iris looked at each other. He said what he did was nothing special yet in the time they had both known him Ash had foiled Team Rocket's plots a few times, as well as protecting his friends and Pokémon in the process. How did that not make him special?
Iris was also particularly annoyed. He said he wasn't special but that wasn't true. He was special to her. That thought made her blush slightly but she still held true to that thought.
They stopped as soon as they realised that the people in front of them had done so. They looked at them, confused and saw that the oath in front of them split into a fork, one heading diagonally to the left, another to the right.
The three authoritarian figures turned to each other and talked to each other, finding out how to split up the groups. It took a while, as well as some argument but they finally reached a decision.
"Alright guys." Said Solana. "Ash and Rodney, you guys are taking the left path. "Iris, Cilan, you're with me and William." Iris was surprised.
"Hang on." She said. "Why are there only 2 going down one path and 4 going down another?"
"I suggested it." Said Rodney. "Are you questioning my judgment?"
Rodney's voice was so intimidating that no-one dared to speak up against the idea.
So thus the groups were decided.
Ash headed over with Rodney to the left path while the others took the right one. "Keep an eye on your GPS alright?" said Rodney to William and Solana. They nodded and they watched Ash and Rodney depart. They all watched them leave, Solana clutching her chest. The warm feeling was getting softer although they wouldn't be that far apart for her to worry. If anything happened to him, she would know immediately.
"Hey Ash!" said a voice next to her. She turned and fund that it was Iris.
Ash turned around. "Yeah!"
"Be careful!" she called.
"Sure thing! You too! And Cilan and Solana as well!" he shouted and then Rodney's Aura Light got dimmer and dimmer until they were but a speck.
"Come on." Said Solana, slightly annoyed with Iris. "We have to go."
It was dark. Although Rodney's Aura Light was bright, Ash was behind him and finding it difficult to keep up with the larger man's pace. Still he didn't complain as they searched the tunnel. Pikachu was silently looking around as they searched the tunnel, silent as well.
He stopped when Rodney did and soon found the older man turning to look at him. Rodney just stared at Ash and Ash just stared at him. What was Rodney doing?
"Why did Solana chose you?" he asked.
"Huh?" asked Ash, looking at Pikachu. What was he saying?
"You don't look very special. I could kill you where you stand and you wouldn't be able to do anything. So what's so special about you?" he asked.
Ash shuddered at how casual he sounded when he said he could just kill him but Ash still answered his question. "You want to know what's special about me? You'll have to ask someone else for that answer." He said.
Rodney blinked a couple of times. "Is that your answer?" Ash nodded slowly. "Hmm. Well then here's a present for you."
Ash was surprised as Rodney walked towards him and shoved his hand into his chest.
Solana felt a twinge in her chest. Had something happened? She had never dealt with the feelings that the Hearts of Aura had so she wasn't sure how to react when she had felt that feeling. She looked behind her at Ash's companions and found that they were looking around nervously. The eerie silence was something that she didn't like so she decided to strike up a conversation.
"So why did you guys even come here? I thought Ash would go and head to the nearest Gym instead of taking the detour here." She asked.
It was Cilan who answered. "That would be my fault. I wanted to have a look at those rumours regarding the Aura Spring. Unfortunately, I got a different recipe when I got here though."
"That rumour huh?" said Solana. "Do you believe in the one that is said to be here?"
Cilan shrugged. "That's why I wanted to have a look. But instead, we're having a look for a murderer." She shuddered.
Solana let out a laugh. "Yeah, well if you travel with Ash long enough that'll be one of the most boring things that you'll do."
"Oh?" said Iris, interested. "What do you know about that?"
"Hmm? Well I've seen Ash twice and both times he helped me out a lot. And each time he doesn't ask for anything in return. He just bounds n without a care and helps. Part of why I gave it to him." She said.
"It?" asked Cilan curious.
"Hmmm? My Heart of Aura." She said while blushing slightly.
"WHAT!?" said Iris that left both Axew and Cilan speechless. William on the other hand looked behind him, not really caring much for the topic at hand and looked ahead, ignoring the others.
"Yeah." Said Solana. "I gave him my Heart of Aura." She looked at Iris and raised an eyebrow. "Is there something wrong?" Iris blushed and turned away muttering a "No", something that Cilan smiled at.
"So anyway," said Solana as she gave Iris a suspicious look. "Travelling with Ash is definitely an adventure."
Although Iris didn't really want to talk to Solana now, she felt that she had to speak up about a question that she had always been curious since day one. "So Solana? Do you know what Ash's aura level is?"
Solana was silent as she looked at her before shaking her head. "I wish I did. That's something that he keeps close to the chest. However, May did tell me once about the aura level of his Pikachu if you're interested." She said.
Iris thought, May?, but nodded in response to her question. "It's the level of champions. Extremely high."
Cilan and Iris eyes went wide. E-Extremely high? They looked at each other. They couldn't accept or deny it. After all, they had never seen Pikachu use an aura attack before so how could they do sure. They asked Solana if she was sure and she nodded.
"Of course" she was about to continue but looked ahead and saw that William was further ahead of her than she had expected. She raced to catch up and then remembered something that she may have not said.
"Say, did I tell you guys that the Aura Taker may have to Disease?" she said.
"Disease?" asked Iris. She had never heard of the term before.
Cilan looked intrigued. "It's a rare condition. What it means is that the body loses its aura as one lives. Aura has to be injected back into the body, usually through the veins and they have yet to find a cure."
"So….aura just 'leaks' out of the body?" asked Iris. That sounded terrible. If aura was the life-force and it leaked out…..
Cilan nodded. "But what happens when the body runs out of aura?" she asked.
"The body crystallises. The body started to harden into a material that's so brittle that a rock can crumble its very foundation." Said Solana. "That's why we think the Aura Taker kills. To stay alive."
Iris shuddered. Killing just to stay alive. She didn't want to think about an existence like that. She looked ahead as they ran to keep up with William.
Ash…..be careful, she thought.
Ash looked down at the hand on his chest then up at Rodney. Ash moved his hand towards Rodney's-
And took what was in it. It was a flashlight. Clearly, Rodney had known that Ash couldn't use his Aura Light and had given him a flashlight.
"Um….thanks." said Ash as he turned it on and walked forward.
Rodney looked surprised. "That was quite an impressive reaction. Actually there was none at all. I wanted to see what you would do but I didn't think it would be nothing. "
"What are you talking about?" asked Ash tilting his head. Pikachu did the same with a "Pika?"
Rodney frowned. "Don't you know?"
"Know?" asked Ash. "Know what?"
"About the Aura Taker and the Disease." Replied Rodney. Ash shook his head and Rodney concluded that Solana had not told him. And thus he explained it to him concisely.
"So basically if a person is a bucket filled with aura, then someone with the Disease like the Aura Taker is a bucket with holes. And when it is empty, it crystallises."
Ash nodded and then froze. A bucket with holes…leaking. As remembered back to when he had first met the men.
William had a strange aura, almost as if it had been leaking out of him. It didn't take a genius to make the leap.
"Rodney!" said Ash quickly taking the man by surprise. "Show me where the others are!"
Frowning, Rodney brought out his GPS and Ash snatched it out of his hands. According to this, they were near the end of the tunnel they had entered, and coming out of it would lead them to an open space in the cave.
Ash ran forward without hesitation, Rodney following behind. "Hey! What are you doing?" he asked.
"I saw it!" shouted Ash. "Back when you guys first came in front of us, I saw that William had a strange aura! Almost like it was leaking out of him!"
Rodney was shocked. "You…you have Aura Perception?" he asked. Ash nodded and kept on running, Pikachu by his side as he did so. He looked down at the GPs. According to it, they would reach the same place as the others but they were fairly behind.
They had to catch up. Because….
"Are you saying that William is the Aura Taker?!"
The space that the others found themselves in was fairly large and open. Numerous tunnels were opposite the ones that they had just come from which led further into the Cave.
Solana looked down at the GPS. "Well the others should come out of that tunnel there." She said as she pointed to the tunnel. "Shall we take a rest?"
Iris and Cilan nodded and they leaned against the wall of the rocks near them while Solana had a look around the area for anything that might suggest that the Aura Taker had been there. William on the other hand was using a hand to support himself as he used the other to cover his mouth.
He was almost out of energy. He needed some aura. He needed to feed. He looked up at his options. Solana was too alert so that left the kids. Either the green haired one or the purple-haired one. He thought carefully to himself and then almost hit himself for his stupidity. What was he talking about? He had two hands. That meant he could feed on two targets.
He went into the centre of the room and called over to Iris and Cilan. "Hey guys! Can you two come over here?" he asked. They innocently came over, not suspecting a thing. William smiled to himself. This was almost too easy. All he had to do was gain enough energy, kill Solana and then say that it was her the entire time.
Almost too easy. As Cilan and Iris came over a voice shouted "Stop!" just before they were in reach. William could jump and attack them but they would most likely notice and dodge. He wouldn't get anywhere.
Everyone looked at the source of the voice, Ash and Pikachu coming out of the tunnel, panting. "Stop right there William!" said Ash. "Iris, Cilan, get away from him! NOW!" the force in his normally calm voice had startled them a bit and they stayed rooted to the spot.
Suddenly, right behind Ash, Rodney came out of the tunnel and held up his Aura Pistol at William's face. "You're not getting away with killing my partner Aura Taker." Said Rodney, not faltering.
Iris and Cilan froze. A gun was being pointed in their direction. They had no idea what was going on and it seemed Solana was the only one who felt that way with them.
"What're talking about Rodney?" asked William. "I was just-"
"Shut up!" he called. "You are not getting away this time! You've killed enough."
William's face darkened as he glared at the people in front of him. How had they figured it out? He wondered. That that it mattered anymore. He was busted. But he wasn't going down without a fight.
He raised his hands above his head. "Alright. You got me." He said. Iris, Axew, Cilan and Solana all looked in surprise at William. What….what was he saying? The person who had killed 17 people was this man in front of them?
"How did you figure it out? No….not that it matters anyway. I have to say that I didn't actually think it would end here. Quite a surprise, even for me." William grinned and looked at Rodney. "Say, what victim was your partner again? I forgot? I've killed so many that I just forgot who's who. But if you tell me what they looked like, I can probably tell you how they died."
Ash clenched his fist. William sickened him. Here his friends were being threatened by such a person and that made him burn with anger. However it was Rodney who appeared to be even more angry. A thick blue aura spread out from him, much denser than the aura that Iris AND Solana had produced earlier. It was extremely thick and Ash felt that he could actually touch it.
"Oooooooooohh." Said William. "Did I touch a nerve? Come on. Who was your partner?"
Rodney raised the gun and held it still towards William's face. "You are gonna burn." He said in a hissing voice. "I am going to make sure of that."
William frowned. It seemed that the only option that in front of him was to surrender. There was no way that Rodney would allow him to escape. There was just no way. So…all William had to do was to make sure that someone came with him.
William closed his eyes and spread his arms out in front of him, raising his head like he was about to be abducted. Rodney and Ash frowned. What exactly was he up to?
Ash focused his eyes, trying to look if he was going to use an aura attack. The only thing that caught his eye was the aura that was 'leaking' out of him and…
Wait. It looked like along, with that aura, the aura around William seemed to be converging towards his body. Almost like he was absorbing it…
Ash move quickly. He reached for a Pokéball on his belt and pulled on out. "Snivy! Get Iris and Cilan out of there with Vine Whip!" he called. In a burst of light, the starter Pokémon appeared and complied with the actions of its trainer. But just as the vines were close enough to reach Iris and Cilan….
William 'burst'. As soon as he opened his eyes, the aura that he had been absorbing was released in a burst. An Aura Burst. It was the most standard and common form of aura attack and worked similar to the Pokémon attack Bide except instead of absorbing attacks, it absorbed the aura in the air. The reason as to why it had to be released was simple. The aura in the air could not handle being maintained in the medium known as the human body and thus had to be released. Learning an Aura Burst was something that any aura user would do.
The ground beneath William's feet cracked and looked like it was about to give in as Snivy's vines wrapped around the terrified Iris and Cilan. Snivy threw them to the side but not before William snarled.
"No you don't!" he cried as the ground continued to give way. He grabbed Snivy's vines with a grin, intending to drag it down with him to wherever the ground was collapsing to.
"SNIVY!" called Ash as he grabbed Snivy, being pulled by William as well.
"Pika pi!" cried the concerned Pikachu as it grabbed its trainer as was pulled as well. All three of them fell towards the ground near William's feet and there was nothing that they could do as the ground collapsed.
"ASH!" cried out Iris and Solana as the ground collapsed on itself, preventing anyone from seeing what was going on beneath the ground.
Ash groaned as soon as he opened his eyes. They was a pain on his hand and he held in up to his eyes. The pale blue light that was coming from an unknown source showed Ash what the problem was. There was a cut on his right hand. It had gone through the glove that he was wearing and was bleeding.
Of course Ash knew that the material could be fixed by someone using their Aura to seal the material together but someone who had done it before was most likely be able to do it the best.
Ash looked around and saw numerous things. The first was his two Pokémon. They lay fairly close to each other and Ash went over to them.
"Hey guys." He said. "Are you OK?"
Bot of his Pokémon turned to look at him before nodding. They were both marked with scratches and Ash sighed with relief. Thank goodness, he thought. Apart from the scratches, they were better off than him. He had received scratches as well but apart from the mark on his hand, he was the same as them.
"Snivy, I want you to return." He said, taking out Snivy's Pokéball while cringing from the pain. The centre of the Pokéball let out a red ray that engulfed Snivy who was returned to its Pokéball.
Pikachu looked up at Ash who returned the look with one of reassurance. "It's OK buddy." He said. "I'm good." Ash looked up, past Pikachu and his eyes went wide.
He had found the source of the pale blue light that was lighting up the floor that they were on. In front of them was could only be called an Aura Spring. It was placed inside a hole in the ground and would have almost passed off as a pool apart from the fact that it was shining.
Pikachu turned around and its eyes went wide as well as they both looked in awe at the Spring.
"So….this must be the third floor….." said Ash as he looked around. He wanted to have more time to look around but was disturbed as a groan came from the other side of the cave. It didn't need to be said who it was from.
William rose his head and looked around seeing Ash and smiling. "Hey there kiddo. Glad of you to join me. Makes my target easier." He said. "You screwed up everything you know? I was going to join the highest ranks of the AJD after I killed my partner and then I'd have a supply of aura large enough to cure my disease. The Disease. But of course a brat like you would never understand what I'm going through." William stood up, rubble coming off him. Unlike Ash, it appeared that he had only received scratches and wasn't bleeding at all.
"But you know. I'm really pooped. I've practically wasted most of my aura and I really need a new source." William started to walk towards Ash who stepped back. He didn't want William anywhere near him. No way.
William smiled as he saw Ash back away in fear. "You know, that's there no escape. You're trapped. So it's either gonna be you, your Pikachu or that Aura Spring behind you." William grinned in a sick fashion. 'So, which one of you wants to die first?"
Pikachu leapt forward, its cheeks sparking with electricity as it glared at William. William just looked bored at the Pokémon. "Doesn't use aura to even threaten? I know how my target will be now."
Then as quick as William could manage, he unleashed Aura Hands and smacked Pikachu way, smashing its small body against the wall. Pikachu cried out and Ash started to head towards where it was but was stopped as soon as he felt Aura Hands on his own collar.
William's actions were fast, the actions of someone who had been trained to be an officer of justice by the AJD. It didn't take a moment that Ash found himself in front of William.
William let go of Ash but still held on with one hand and that hand glowed a blue colour. But somehow, it wasn't the same feeling of aura the life-force but the aura that lay in William's hand made Ash feel sick just to be in its presence.
Ash focused his eyes and saw that William was still leaking aura, the colour of it appeared to be more faded that before. .
"See ya later kid." Said William
"Come and help!" cried Iris as she and Cilan tried to scrape away the rocks using the aura. "Are you just going to let Ash be stuck down there with that maniac?!"
Solana and Rodney merely stood in front of the hole that had been created, their facial expressions grave. It did not seem that they viewed the situation to be as optimistic as Ash's friends had.
Solana clutched her chest. The warm feeling that had been there was gone. That meant one of two things. Either that Ash had gone done deep in the Cave, further than they were or….or….or he was longer here.
Rodney looked at his GPS. The lower levels, or rather the mythical third level was not plotted on the GPS so it was unlikely that they would ever find him in time. He knew that and Solana knew that. But even worse. Iris and Cilan knew that.
Both of them worked hard, even Iris's Axew was helping in the situation scooping away the rocks. Cilan's Pansage was assisting in the effort while Iris was forced to do so by herself due to her Excadrill not following her commands.
They worked hard yet they knew that their efforts would be for nought.
"Iris….Cilan…." said Rodney.
"SHUT UP!" yelled Iris, her anger swirling around her in the form of aura. Tears were starting to go down her face. "Are you gonna stand there or help!? Ash can't be gone! He can't be!" she yelled. Cilan said nothing as he continued working.
Rodney turned to Solana who had her face down although small balls of water leaked from it to the ground.
Rodney clenched his fist. There was not much they could do now.
"See ya later kid." Said William as the deadly hand filed with poisonous aura moved towards Ash. Ash knew that nothing would happen even if it did pierce him. He was an Aura Zero after all. But Ash knew that it wouldn't end there. He would be what would be the equivalent of a stab from a knife. He was terrified but something inside his head told him to fight back.
To live.
So Ash, using his bloodied hand tried to alter the course of deadly hand. Ash's hand hit William's and as soon as it did, a Sound came out.
It was one that Ash ad never heard before in real life but it sounded almost like the sound of a blaster in one of those science-fiction films that Professor Oak liked to watch and laugh at the holes in the theories of.
The Sound came out and William's eyes went wide. So did Ash's. Because in front of them, William's aura was gone. The aura that was previously in his hand was gone, just disappeared. Almost like it had been negated.
Ash knew that the idea was ridiculous. Normal physical attacks from humans did not negate aura attacks from humans. That only applied to Pokémon, not humans. So what was going on?
William glared at Ash and tried to pierce him again but Ash did the same, hit the hand with his own bloodied one. The Sound appeared again.
That was when Ash figured it out. Was it….something to do with his blood? Also, something else that happened was that every time Ash negated William's attack, a small burst of air came from the negation almost similar to what happened in aura vs. non-aura attacks.
William's face contorted with anger as he tried one last time, Ash foiling the attempt. "You!" spat William as he threw Ash to the ground, reaching for his Aura Pistol. "Looks like it's the Aura Spring then!" William didn't even hesitate. He fired the Aura Pistol at Ash and Ash raised his hand in an attempt to protect himself…
The Sound echoed in the Cave again, a burst of air appeared again and Ash found that he was OK. It was his blood. Just what was going on? When he had been attacked by Gary, such a thing had never happened. The same in Accumula Town. He had been operated on with aura and that had never happened before. So why was it happening now? What had changed?
Then Ash looked down at his hand. He was conscious. When he had been operated on by Sabrina and Officer Jenny as well as those doctors, he hadn't been. But he was now. So….he could negate with his blood when he was conscious?
The idea was farfetched but it was the only thing keeping Ash alive right now. Ash looked up at William who was red with anger, a faint aura circling around him in response to his negative emotion. Ash looked over to Pikachu, who looked almost as surprised as Ash did.
But Ash didn't have time for that. He had to destroy that Aura Spring. Whatever was happening to him, he had to take priority. And that was preventing William from absorbing the Aura Spring. If that happened-
Kind of a lake filled with aura and nothing else
Cilan's words and the information that Rodney had given him on the Disease told him one thing. That if William was to touch that Aura Spring, he would have an extremely large amount of aura, and one that could rival even Pikachu's and that in itself was extremely high. So he had to be stopped.
Even though Ash didn't really want to destroy the beautiful construct of nature, he was doing it to save the people above ground. Rodney and his friends as well as everyone else with aura.
Quickly, Ash turned around and started to run towards the Spring but William was one to catch one. He rammed into Ash, sending him spinning to the side and touched the Aura Spring first.
That's when it happened. A *POW* sound came from the Spring and William's whole body started to glow blue.
"Yes! Yes!" He cried. "I can finally feel it! Aura! Oh yes!" yelled William with glee. (with no sexual undertone at all…)
Ash went wide-eyed as he realised that he was too late. He turned towards the opposite wall at Pikachu who was looking at Ash with concern. That was all that Ash needed. Pikachu was counting on him to do what no-one else could. And he wouldn't let him or anyone else down.
"Not on my life!" yelled Ash as he too ran to the Spring and plunged his bloodied hand into it.
"You're too- WHAT!?" yelled William in surprise as soon as Ash touched the Aura Spring. The Sound echoed in the Cave once more but then nothing else happened. At least, not immediately.
Then there was the sound of glass cracking and an enormous explosion of air occurred with Ash's hand touching the Aura Spring at the centre. The Aura Spring disappeared almost as if it wasn't there and Ash and William were thrown back with so much force that they actually smashed into the wall and wall and made new indents in them. Pikachu was pressed up against the wall again.
Ash's vision blurred, his hat falling on his head. He looked at Pikachu who was doing the same at him and then they both turned to look at William.
His hands were blue. Not because they were infused with aura. But because they were being to crystallise. It was a light blue, almost like glass but not like the colour of aura.
"No…no…this can't be happening…" said William, "THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!" He looked at Ash and was about to take a step forward but instead fell forward. His legs were the same colour as his hands but he still reached out. The pale blueness crept up his arm slowly like a bug and there was nothing that William could do to stop it.
His face twisted with anger, there was little left of William's aura that could surround him due to his negative feelings.
"You kid! You won't get away with this! You monster! I'll-" he never finished as the light blue light completely covered his body. He almost looked like a statue reaching out outwards the light that would never reach him.
Ash's vision still blurred and it was not soon that he knew that he would fall unconscious. But what was going on with his blood? He had no idea but it was something that had saved his life. For that he was grateful. But still. Ash was going to be stuck here for the rest of him life. He had survived yet-
There was a sound of rocks moving up ahead. The immense explosion from where Ash had touched the Aura Spring had affected the rocks blocking the way more than expected and it was not long before they toppled from the hole they were covering, tumbling down into the hole.
They fell onto William's frozen body, crushing it into hundreds of pieces but the sound was covered by the sound of the boulder's smashing onto the ground. Dust was kicked up and Ash's vision blurred even further. Then he heard voices.
""Ash!?"" cried concerned voices. Were they…Iris and Cilan?
"Axew axew!" cried another. There was movement and Cilan's voice came again.
"I've found Pikachu!" he said.
"But where's Ash?!" cried Ash. There was movement right in front of Ash and he looked down to see a familiar Tusk Pokémon in front of him.
"Axew!" Axew cried from where it stood in front of Ash. Ash could barely keep his eyes open as a person…no two people came into his view. One was holding a yellow Pokémon and the other had purple-hair.
"Ash….." the purple-haired one said. Ash didn't say anything as he smiled. It looked like he wouldn't be spending the rest of his life in a Cave. With that thought he closed his eyes, the last thing that he remembered hearing was the cry of 'ASH!" from the person in front of him.
Ash woke up to find a Pokémon licking his cheek, holding a familiar looking hat. His whole body ached with a pain that he had no intention of feeling again and he smiled as he patted Pikachu's head with his right hand. That's when he noticed.
The glove's material had been mended and his wound was gone. So….the negating effect of is blood only worked when he was conscious….
It was a thought that Ash would have to put away for later as he felt the hands of someone with a lot of hair wrap around him.
"I…..ris?" he asked weakly. His lungs were being crushed. Maybe this was the end?
He felt his shirt being wet by Iris as she cried onto his shirt although he didn't mind. He groaned as he looked over Iris's shoulder at Cilan and Rodney. They were smiling at the scene while Solana was wiping tears off her face.
Ash looked around. He was outside Wellspring Cave and noticed that the police force was as lively as ever. They were moving without rest and Ash lightly pushed Iris away as he tried to stand up, managing to do so while cringing.
Pikachu jumped up onto is shoulder, a dull pain spreading through his body but he didn't mind. Pikachu's fur was the best thing that he had felt all day. He felt the Pokémon put his hat on his head and he let out a chuckle and thanked the Pokémon.
He looked at Rodney and Solana. "What happened?" he asked. And that was when he had heard everything that had occurred in the time from when he was rescued to now.
They had a look down at the hole Ash and William had fallen through, only to find what was left of William. Case closed it seemed. They had then moved towards healing Ash., with Cilan fixing Ash's gloves, and getting everyone else and focusing on telling the other group. Of course, they were still in the middle of doing that.
Ash nodded as he understood the situation and then scratched his head. "Sorry Rodney. I gave you a lot of trouble that I should've have."
"Trouble?" asked Rodney. "Using your Aura Perception, you managed to find the criminal and then, unintentionally of course, trap him inside a place where he was crystallised. No record of him anymore. Of course, it was his own foolishness that led to the development so it's not your fault."
Ash let out a slow nod and then turned to Solana who had her head down. Tears were streaming down her face. "I'm….sorry Ash." She said. "When you were down there, I gave up on you. I gave up when you had it much worse. I'm…I'm sorry."
Ash didn't say anything as he approached Solana slowly and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She didn't stop crying as she wept into is shoulder. "It's fine" he said. "It's fine" he repeated as he patted her back and then pulled back. "That's all in the past and it's the present that matters. And I'm fine, so you should be as well."
Solana nodded and wiped away the tears.
Ash then turned to William. "So what happens now?" he asked.
Rodney scratched his head. "Well….."
Ash stomach rumbled and everyone looked at it. Ash grinned and scratched his head.
"I guess lunch?"
And just like William's aura, the dark mood was negated and replaced with laughter.
After Ash had a rest, and was judged to be OK for moving on, he, along with Iris and Cilan prepared to head off.
Of course, it was not without a little argument between Iris and Solana over who-knows-what. When Ash asked who they were fighting over, Cilan merely gave Ash a kind look and gave him a sandwich to eat. Ash felt it was an excuse to dodge the question but he ate it anyway.
Rodney saw them all off along with Solana.
"Where are you off to now?" he asked.
"Nacrene City." Replied Cilan. "It was a detour to come here and although we found that third floor there was no Aura Spring so that was a disappointing flavour right here. But the surprise ingredient was that everyone came out OK."
Rodney nodded. "That's what matters after all."
Solana frowned and gave a look to Iris. "You better take good care of him." She said.
"Why do I have to deal with this little kid!?" yelled Iris. "Why don't you just ask Cilan as well?" she added, making Solana laugh.
"Well…that attitude is something you need to fix. And as for you Ash…."
"?" Ash tilted his head as Solana came closer. She took off his hat and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. Iris blushed furiously and Cilan put a hand to his chin looking thoughtful.
"That's for your efforts today. Thank you." She said.
Ash smiled and adjusted his cap to its original position. "That's fine Solana." Said Ash. "Thanks for the umm…..experience." he said with a smile before turning around and walking away.
They all waved to each other until they could no longer see them waving and Solana sighed. "There he goes."
Rodney was silent as he watched them go. He had a hunch and was going to go with it. "The Civilian huh? Ash Ketchum, I'll keep an eye out for you."
As for Ash and his friends, they didn't has the usual of Iris pulling Ash back using her Aura Hand as Ash still wasn't up to running just yet.
He looked down at his hands. At this mysterious power that he had. He didn't know what it was and he looked at Pikachu who was just as stumped as he was.
Regardless, it didn't change who he was as he and his friends moved forward.
"Come to think of it, why did Solana kiss me?" asked Ash.
Iris blushed as she looked away and Cilan just sighed. "Well, did she give you her Heart of Aura?" he asked.
Ash looked and him and after thinking said. "Yeah."
Iris, if she was drinking water, would have done a spit-take wile Cilan just sweatdropped.
"You still don't understand?" he asked.
"Under…..stand?" asked Ash. "Understand what?"
Cilan and Iris just looked at each other and sighed. "Hey! What do those sighs mean?" yelled Ash.
And so, with that one adventure behind the trio, the next awaited them with open arms.
And that'd be the end.
Of course that also means that there is more aura updates for main characters:
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
Uses aura to create light
Uses aura for an AURA BURST!
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 distinguish and memorise smells
Uses aura to help close wounds
Uses aura to run faster and leap higher
Uses aura to set up sound barriers
Uses aura to fix materials
Uses aura to create light
Uses aura for an AURA BURST!
And that'd be that. The next original story should take place in Nacrene City I hope and yeah.
Also, what do you thnik of the mystery of Ash's power? It's a mystery
Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed the story and-
As always
Review, if you please