Well here we are again, again. I think that the gaps between chapters are getting shorter and shorter (probably longer though…..definitely longer) but still, I hope that people still read this regardless. I try and alternate between projects but with things going the way that they should, it's always hard. Especially with the motivation here. So much lacking in it…yet! I still feel that I need to pick myself up and do that!
Despite that I want to thank everyone and make sure that everyone continues to continue continuing on despite the slow updates here. Apart from that I want to thank everyone that has reached this point and here is another original story for you guys. I hope that enjoy this and make sure that these stories will somehow make your way into you hearts or at least short term memory.
But in the XY, Ash has managed to get his first Badge. While here he hasn't even gotten his third…..
Otherwise, I hope that you enjoy these and thank you.
Mr Question Mark.
The sound of the helicopter over the Pinwheel Forest might have seemed strange towards those that were passing through but even if one were to look up, the foliage would mean that nothing would even be visible in the first place.
For three beings inside the chopper, their smiles on their faces only suggested that they were extremely happy. And they had the right to be. After all, Jessie, James and Meowth had managed to acquire the Meteonite.
In the helicopter, numerous panels lit up but their focus was not on that. The three of them looked at Pierce who was next to them. They had been extracted from Nacrene City during the night after the theft and had not really understood their objective. However as the Meteonite lay on top of a table that was on the middle of the helicopter, Pierce spoke for the first time since they had boarded said helicopter.
"You might be wondering what exactly is going on. There was a need to keep you in the dark but there's no need for that now." He said. "Welcome to the Mobile Research Lab of Team Rocket. The specialist of this particular one is Dr Zager."
Pierce indicated next to him, towards a short statured man with a monocle. His white lab coat looked new and was almost the same colour as his hair however his arrogant expression suggested that he had no care in the world for such impressions being placed upon him.
"So…." Said Dr Zager as he looked at the Meteonite on the table. "Is this the object that you stole?" He was answered with a nod of the head from the Trio and Zager felt a smile turn on his lips.
"Excellent." He turned towards one of the panels and typed something in, using both his normal hands and Aura Hands. "I'll start the analysis immediately."
Above the table where the Meteonite was on, a small object that looked like an enlarged tip of a pencil came down before stopping a few centimetres above the rock in question. Without a beat it lit up and started scanning a green light across the length of the Meteonite, numbers and graphs coming across the screen that Zager was in front of.
"Interesting." Said Zager as he gave a look over the figures. "There's no question. While the Meteonite does seem to be from an extra-terrestrial origin, it does in fact hold some properties that are similar to that of Aura. I can only imagine that-" Zager stopped as some kind of message blared across the screen in front of him and he spun around towards the table that the Meteonite was on.
As soon as Zager set eyes upon the object, the Meteonite glowed. The colour was a light blue, a colour that could only be described as a familiar glow. It was a glow that everyone on the helicopter knew.
It was the glow of aura.
"I knew it!" declared Zager triumphantly. "This is it! This is the result that I was hoping for! Everyone! This is the giant stepping stone towards the realisation of our plan!"
"And that is?" asked Jessie. While she was the one that had stolen the rock with Meowth, they had yet to learn the importance of the rock itself.
"Yeah." Said Meowth with a similar expression of Jessie's. "We want in. What's the score with this here rock?"
"And how does it tie in with our goal to conquer the Unova region?" asked James.
Pierce was quiet and looked at Zager. He responded with a nod and then went back towards working the machines and trying every single button that existed on the panels themselves.
"Alright." Said Pierce. "We have determined that you are ready. This is what Team Rocket's plan for the Unova region is."
The team Rocket trio looked at each other and with a silent nod steeled themselves against what they were about to hear.
Meanwhile, in the Pinwheel Forest, a boy in a suit sat on a rock an earpiece within his ear. The transmitter that he had placed on Meowth had served its purpose practically to its fullest extent and for that he was happy. However…..
Zager….he knew that name. He couldn't remember where or when he had heard it however Liberty Knox was sure. He knew that name.
Liberty was busy with other work however this was a project that he already knew. He already knew Team Rocket's plan but not how to intervene. But as the small piece of the Meteonite he had stolen in front of him glowed blue along with the Meteonite, he was sure of one thing.
As soon as he reached Castelia City…..that was the time to act.
Because everything would start then.
And with that thought, his red left eye and his blue right eye seemed to glow with anticipation.
Ash Ketchum and Pikachu let out a sigh. They had been walking for ages and they had found nothing that could even remotely look like an exit regarding the inside of the Pinwheel Forest. Cilan frowned as he tried typing into his machine as he tried to get some kind of GPS signal however he knew that it was practically useless, what with all of the cover provided by the trees, there was no way that he would get even one kind of signal.
"Say Cilan?" asked Ash as he sat on the ground.
"Yes Ash?" he asked. He had a feeling that he knew what was coming and he silently hoped that it wouldn't.
"How did we even did off the path in the first place?"
"ARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHH!" Iris yelled from in front of the two boys, her anger forming as aura circled around her, Iris using an Aura Hand to lift Ash up by the collar and into the air. Ash paled as he was lifted and felt as though this scene was something like out of a bullying scene from a movie.
"How. Many. Times. How many times do I have to tell you that it's not my fault!?" yelled Iris. "I thought we would be able to get onto the path fine!" she said.
"No! What you said was that you went through this Forest before! That you knew the way! And now we are lost! Were you trying to show off or something?!" countered Ash. "I mean, it's not always my fault that we end up lost in this forest!"
Ash gave his side of the argument, the side that Cilan agreed with however would never say so out loud, as Iris looked as though she was torn between defending herself and saying that Ash was right.
He was right after all. Had Iris not been so obsessed with showing off then she was sure that she would never have gotten the group lost. She never cared about things like this. She never cared what others thought of her or her dream but with Ash….with Ash, she suddenly cared. It was strange and she couldn't place her finger on it however all she knew was that they were lost. And it was her fault.
"Pikachu pikapi!" said Pikachu from the ground as it tried to calm down Ash and Ash gave the Pokémon a look before slowly taking deep breaths and looking back at Iris.
"Can we at least try and find our way out of here?" He asked. "Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease?"
Iris blinked as she looked at him before looking away with a guilty expression on her face. In all fairness, it was her fault that they had ended up in this situation so at the very least, it was her responsibility to resolve it. She looked around the area, looking for something that could act as a vantage point; a tree or some other tall landmark could be used in order to tell where something was.
"Hey Cilan!" said Iris as she saw something in the distance, using her Aura to enhance her vision in order to try and look at said object. She pointed to what she saw and Cilan looked up from his machine and over where Iris was pointing. "Doesn't that look like-?"
She didn't finish her sentence and Cilan also used his aura in order to enhance his vision, seeing what Iris had pointed out in the distance.
"I can hardly make it out…." He said. "But is that smoke?" he asked her.
Iris let out a grin and a nod. "I thought so too!" she said. "And if there is smoke, that means that-"
"There's someone there!" exclaimed Ash as he raced forward with Pikachu tailing him towards the direction of the smoke that they had indicated however an Aura Hand grabbed the back of his collar, preventing him from moving forward towards the smoke in question.
"Ash!" complained Iris. "I'm telling you that WE can see the smoke. Do you exactly know what that means for someone like you who can't?" Iris referred to what she thought could only be explained as a Low level aura for Ash with all off the abilities that he showed.
Ash was about to say something in response however all Iris did was lead the way while continuing to drag Ash by the collar, Pikachu looking up at its trainer with an expression that could only be termed as pity.
"Pikapi….." said Pikachu as it shook his head however Ash merely responded with pure optimism.
"Look on the bright side!" said Ash. "At least I didn't get us los-OW!" Ash cradled his head with his hands and Iris used a normal hand to clonk him on the head.
"Axew, if he says anything else you know what to do."
"Axew…" Axew trembled in fear of the dictator Iris and slowly nodded while Cilan felt that he knew to keep his distance.
Only through Aura had they managed to get to the location of the smoke incredibly fast and that in itself meant that whoever had lit the fire in the middle of the Forest would not have left. After all, lighting such a fire meant that there would have to be a large amount of control and careful watching so that it wouldn't set fire to anything else in the Forest and since that had not happened, the safe assumption was that whoever had lit the fire was still there.
The group made it to a clearing, a space in the Forest where small trees stood high in the air, shrubs compared to the trees that they had passed in order to reach this one destination. The greenery here was lighter than the rest of the Forest, perhaps because of the sunlight that was coming in through the trees overhead.
"Hello?" asked Cilan as they entered the clearing and two faces turned towards them. Those faces sat in front of the campfire, currently looking at what seemed to be a map of the Forest itself.
One of them was a man who looked to be quite young. His clothes were quite colourful and seemed to mix in with the environment, giving the impression that he was almost a part of it. His brown hair was quite long and almost reaches his shoulders and his red scarf around his neck made his neck look larger than it probably was. His eyes showed his surprise at the group that had greeted them and he turned towards the other person.
She was about Cilan's age, if not younger. She had long, blue hair, something that Ash noted was lighter than Dawn's, and clothes that seemed to suggest that she was a part of the forest like the other man gave the impression of. Her clothes consisted of jeans that looked brand new and her top was something that one might wear to a party, white and loose fitting and the sleeves were too long. Yet at the same time, the ruined nature of the shirt, with a number of holes at the tips of the sleeves and the middle seemed to suggest that either she liked wearing it or didn't care about its state. Her eyes were green and light natured, sparkling silently as she looked curiously at the group who had approached.
It was her that spoke towards them.
"Yes? How can we help you travellers?"
"Well…..we saw your smoke and we hoped that you could help us somewhat." Remarked Cilan as he explained towards the group in front of him what he asked of them. "We're lost. Can you direct us to the entrance or the path nearest to us?"
The girl grinned as she looked at the three of the trainers. "And how did that happen? Did one of you think that you knew the Forest well enough to manage to get through it?" Her tone held something of an arrogant tone that seemed to suggest that she knew what had happened without being told.
"N-No." Remarked Iris as she averted her gaze from the girl. "This kid here chased after a Pokémon that he saw and got us lost."
"WHAT!? How is that true?!" Ash yelled at the unfairness of the accusation that was being directed towards him and truly felt in his heart that Iris had something against him.
"Now now." said the man with a grin as he approached the group. "I'm sure that we can help you travellers out that you've asked. Where are you trying to go anyway?" the man asked.
"Ah! We're going to Castelia City!" said Ash with a grin and patted his chest with a fist. "I'm going to challenge the Castelia Gym Leader and get my next Badge there!"
"Pika Pikachu!" said Pikachu with the same enthusiasm and it was Cilan that gave a small chuckle.
"As you can see, we're pretty excited to get there. But we got lost as you said and we can't exactly find our way anymore….." Cilan gave a sheepish grin and felt that should he reveal why they had gotten lost, Iris might divert her rage towards him.
"The Castelia Gym huh?" said the girl from the fire. "Well if that's where you're going, you won't find the Gym Leader there."
"W-What!?" yelled Ash towards her. "Why not?!"
"Because…..he's the Castelia Gm Leader." The girl pointed towards the man and he gave a small grin with a tired sigh.
"Y-You're Burgh!?" exclaimed Cilan towards him. "The famous Castelia Impressionist and Gym Leader?"
The man, Burgh gave a nod. "Indeed I am. But the thing is though I'm not taking challenges at the moment though." He turned towards Ash and gave a small smile. "I have some things that I have to deal with right now so unfortunately I can't deal with Gym Battles right about now."
"Oh maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!" cried Ash as he gripped his head. He rubbed his hands through his hair as he lost the motivation to continue forward however at the same time wondered about something that Cilan had said about the Gym Leader. He looked Iris and Axew's surprised faces and turned towards him.
"Cilan…..you said that Burgh was an Impressionist? What is that?"
"W-Well….." began Cilan however he was unsure about where to start but it was Burgh that put up a hand and spoke.
"Actually, I think I can explain that! If that's OK?" asked Burgh towards Cilan.
Cilan nodded ecstatically. "O-Of course! I've always wondered what an Impressionist thought of themselves. We place so much emphasis upon their work that I've never actually thought to think of the person behind the brush! So by all means."
Burgh nodded and turned to Ash, but also Iris who seemed just as interested in the topic that Cilan and Burgh had been discussing.
"OK. On a basic level, an Impressionist is an artist. That's one of the reasons why I'm here, I'm here to gain inspiration through the Bug Pokémon that surround this area of pure nature with my own pure heart. However that's not all I am. While you do get artists that paint their pure heart and soul onto a piece of canvas, Impressionists are different." Burgh broke into an explanation and his face only showed how passionate he was about the topic.
"How are they different?" asked Iris towards him. "Didn't you just say that an Impressionist was an artist?"
"I did. But even then, Impressionists truly place their soul and heart into their work. When an Impressionist paints something, it's done in the immersion of a place of person that they want to paint. Basically what we do is use our Aura to completely envelop a person or place and then paint what comes naturally through the use of that connection. Everything has aura. Even the plants, trees and rocks. Not just people and Pokémon. And that's what makes an Impressionist so beautiful in my opinion."
Burgh took a meaningful pause and a light entered his eyes unlike one that Ash or Iris had seen before.
"We connect with those that we wish to place in eternity on the canvas and they in turn give us the information needed to truly need to express that same beauty. To be honest, it's something that I can never get tired of and achieving the connection with places, people and Pokémon is something that truly is beautiful, beauty that is only matched with my pure heart." Burgh opened his palms and Aura Spheres appeared there, something that drifted around Iris and Ash as well as their Pokémon.
They hovered over their Pokémon before they drifted onto their foreheads where they lay. They didn't disappear and Ash focused his eyes, using his Aura Perception to observe what was going on.
Although he had seen many artists in his travel in the 4 main regions and beyond that, he had never seen what an Impressionist could do. And he was somewhat taken back.
As seen as he focused his eyes what he could see was a trail of aura floating in the air between Burgh and the two Pokémon. The feeling must have been quite relaxing as both Pikachu and Axew out smalls groans of happiness. To be honest, to Ash it seemed to be similar to Cilan's use of aura to analyse the connection between then trainer and their Pokémon.
The trail continued in the air and Burgh took a deep breath, slowly opening his eyes. There was a faint blue light there before the trail disappeared and he gave a smile towards both Iris and Axew.
"Beautiful. Simply beautiful. Your connection….is something that is truly inspiring. Thank you for your co-operation."
Iris gave a nervous nod in turn however she soon found herself grateful for the words that Burgh had given here. However it was when he turned to Ash that he gave a response that many others might have been jealous of.
"You…and your Pikachu. I'm not sure what it is, but there's something even greater than the connection between the Axew and her trainer. It's so blinding that I have a feeling that maybe you have achieved something that many other trainers can only hope of….and even something that many trainers haven't even thought of. I'm not even sure how to put into words, even with my pure heart. However I do think that you have inspired me which deals with only one of my problems. What is your name?" Burgh asked.
Ash blinked before patting Pikachu on the head as he gave his response.
"I'm Ash! Nice to meet you." His own smile in response to Burgh's words seemed to be the only way that he could state his happiness towards what it was that he had said.
"Right! We haven't introduced ourselves!" said Iris in a hurried tone. She pointed to herself. "I'm Iris! And you already know Axew."
"Axew axew!" cried the small Pokémon in Iris's hair.
Cilan, as usual, gave a small bow in front of the Gym Leader and rose his head with his hand extended. "And I'm Cilan, one of Gym Leaders of the Striation Gym. It certainly is a pleasure."
Burgh took Cilan's hand and shook it. "Always a pleasure to be acquainted with another Gym Leader. And as for your problem, I'd love to show you out but is it OK with you if you wait a bit? I'm having a rather serious discussion that I'm afraid can't wait. The longer I put this off, the longer I'm sure that things will end up growing more dangerous here."
"Dangerous? What do you mean?" asked Iris.
Burgh frowned before turning around to the girl with long, blue hair. She gave a nod and responded for him.
"It should be fine Burgh. Besides, you said that Ash and Pikachu have a somewhat powerful bond right? It might even work in our favour at the end of the day so it should be fine if they know. At any rate, the more people we have on our side, the greater chance we have at getting through this."
Burgh nodded and turned to the group. "And there you have it. If you please." He indicated towards the campfire and the others gathered around it before sitting on the ground. The map that was in front of the fire itself had a large red circle with the centre of the Forest itself however even then, it did not mean much to the trainers.
As soon as the trainers were sitting down, the girl who was about Cilan's age reached into her jeans pocket and brought out a small identification badge. The group recognised it on sight and it was Iris that showed her alarm.
"A-An AJD badge?!" she exclaimed.
"Hmm….I always like it when people look at the badge and then I tell them I'm an officer. No matter, that's just me showing off." The girl pocketed the badge and then faced the group with a serious expression on her face.
"Well as you can guess, I am an officer of the AJD. My name is Aura Jetstream. I know it's a little strange so please refrain from making comments." Jetstream said that with a frown on her face which made the others wonder if she was sensitive towards her name.
"I know I'm young however the work that I've done, well let's just say that's it put me in the position of someone quite favourable in the eyes of many. My aura level is Very High but even then is bordering along the lines of Extremely High, the level of Champions. But that in itself is a detail, but one that has meant that I'm alone on this mission right now." She gave a sigh before putting her hands together and looking at the group.
"First of all, tell me. What do you know of the Pinwheel Forest in legend?" She got straight to the point, perhaps something that she used to highlight her professionalism despite being young.
"In legend?" asked Ash. Pikachu had hoped off his shoulder and sat near the fire as had Axew as they all looked at Jetstream. Burgh though was somewhat preoccupied, perhaps because he had heard of the incident before, looking at the trees that covered overhead.
Ash looked towards the Unova natives however their faces were puzzled.
"Well, I grew up in the Village of Dragons. There's not really much to say in regards to the lore than surrounds the Forest itself." Iris said and she looked at Cilan who had placed a finger underneath his chin.
"As for me….I can't say my mind can recall any flavours in that nature. Ah! Actually, I seem to remember reading something about the Forest having a large amount of focused Aura, unnatural for any other large flora area. Not so much an Aura Spring however just an unnatural amount of aura. Is that related?" Cilan said that as he just remembered however that statement was important in its own way.
The fact that Cilan had not hesitated to mention to Aura Spring and it had no obvious effect on the others only showed that they had truly come to terms with the incident. They were still affected by it, who would not at that age, however they knew one thing from the events of the night before; they were not alone. And they would always be friends and there for each other not matter what would happen.
"That's only part of the story. But in fact, it relates to something even greater than that. It relates to a Legendary Pokémon that seems to have been rested here." Said Jetstream.
"Legendary…Pokémon?!" asked Ash his voice raising. He had seen so many Legendaries and their pure power and there was nothing more than excitement when he heard that same term. Of course, he had seen Zekrom but even then, he was purely exited from the idea of the Pokémon that lay within the Forest.
"Yes. In fact here, it's said that the Pokémon Virizion is here. It's said in Unova mythology that in the midst of the Forest of pure life, that which powers over all rests where it should. Virizion is a part of the Swords of Justice, a team of 4 Pokémon that includes not only it but also the Pokémon of Terrakion, Cobalion and Keldeo. However right now, they don't matter. This incident surrounds only that of Virizion."
Jetstream reached to her side for something that the others had not noticed, a backpack that looked almost as rugged as her shirt if not even more. There was dirt all over it and a large hole in the middle that seemed to not be natural. However Jetstream opened up a zipper section that the hole did not reach and brought out a smart phone, pulling up a small screen and showed it to the others.
Numbers and figures scrolled along the screen and they looked at them however they could not make a head or tail out of it. Ash and Iris looked towards Cilan who looked at it for an answer however the light mist of aura that flowed around him only revealed that he was troubled by the numbers, having not figured out what they meant.
He looked up at Jetstream and pointed to the screen.
"What are these numbers?"
"It's a yearly cycle of the aura within the region here. You can imagine how the Forest would be affected by the seasons correct? In the summer when it is most warm, the light reaches those plants on the lower levels despite the foliage. In autumn, the main trees lose their leaves and in winter, those leaves die and become compost. The aura that returns to the land then in the spring and becomes the force that allows greener and fresher leaves too grow. However within that cycle, there is one anomaly."
Jetstream used an Aura Hand to point towards one figure that was larger than the rest. As she scrolled down on the smart phone, there was a larger figure that was larger than the others in the same row that probably represented the year.
"This spike in aura can't be explained by science. Many people believe it to be something where Virizion uses the power that it has gained and returns it to the land in order to allow the Forest that is its home to grow once again. There's more information but I won't bore you with the details. I fell asleep during the briefing so I won't be a hypocrite." She gave a small smile and the three trainers sweatdropped. Shouldn't she at least take this a bit seriously?
"The thing to note though is, that should this be true, then that means that right now, Virizion has been pouring its excess aura into the land to rejuvenate itself. This has been happening for the past month and this is the last day before Virizion ends the cycle and goes back to roaming the Forest as it rebuilds its power. But that's where I come in. Burgh, this is where we stopped."
Burgh nodded but appeared troubled as he looked towards the Forest and spoke to the trainers.
"In this time that Agent Jetstream has described, the month, I've been looking for the inspiration that Ash may have provided me. Honestly, Ash, never have I seen such a pure heart such as yours. To be honest, should you be up to it, I would dare say that you would make a good I-"
"Burgh. You're off track. AGAIN!" Jetstream made that comment and dense aura circled around her leaving Burgh somewhat scared of the young agent.
"R-Right. A-Anyway…" said Burgh. "In the month of this increased aura where Virizion rejuvenates the land, I've been here trying to get to know the Bug Pokémon and the land. I've even taken my Impressionist skills and gone from area to area trying to find the right inspiration to look for my artwork. But in that time, there was one area that changed in the amount of aura that I received from it when I went there again. Looking at where it was and the estimated area that came from it….." He trailed off and pointed towards the area that was circled in red.
"Here. This is where we expect the source to be."
"So…..Virizion is here?! Right now?!" said Iris. "Like, we could be right next to it and not know it!" She stood up frantically and scanned the area with her eyes, using her Aura to heighten her senses and look for something that allowed her to see where the aura was coming from but even then, she could not.
"No! Calm down! Calm down!" shouted Jetstream in an exasperated tone. "If it was here do you think that I would be!?" She gave her reasoning and Iris sat back down with a pout on her face.
"At any rate, that's my mission. Find Virizion before the day ends and make sure that no….unsavoury people get to it instead."
"What…do you mean?" asked Cilan nervously.
"Those figures…" Jetstream used her Aura Hand once again to point to the numbers of the smart phone before taking it in her Hand and putting it back in her bag. "Are released by the Rangers that record this area. They are available to the public, as is the Forest. And if the AJD is taking this seriously you can only imagine who else could right now as well….right?"
Ash grit his teeth and clenched his hands. Of course he knew. He had seen it time and time again. Pokémon that had truly wanted to live out their lives in peace being hunted as if for sport for those who only wanted to satisfy their own wants and get the feeling of cash in their pocket. In this world…..there was only one word to describe them.
"Poachers." He spat out the word and Pikachu looked at his trainer with a worried look on his face.
"Indeed." Said Jetstream with a grim look on her face. "Well that's my mission. Straight to the point. I don't expect much but even then…..Burgh, could you please take them to the exit and I'll look out for what I can-"
"Actually….." said Ash as he looked up at the Agent from the AJD. "Can….we help?" he asked her. She titled her head as she asked his question.
"I mean…right now there could be a Pokémon that needs our help. Not only that but a Legendary! Even if there aren't poachers, I still want to make sure that Virizion is OK with my own eyes. If nothing happens, that's good too, but even then, I want to make sure that I can do everything that I can in order to help out. Please?" he asked Jetstream and she gave a blink.
She looked at his companions and they had surprised expressions on their faces however they gave silent nods to themselves and returned the look to Jetstream, that pure determination that the boy had passed onto them. She felt a smile crawl onto her own lips.
She…had been the same. When she had started out and even before that. The idea that she could take on the world and win. The pure determination. If anything, that was something that she had not lost even now.
"Wait a minute now Ash." Started Burgh. "I mean-"
"It's fine." Said Jetstream as she stood up and grabbed her backpack.
Burgh gave her a look however she returned it with her own.
"If anything, having us two against the poachers, isn't much of a challenge. This is the worst kind of job Burgh. They give us a 'possible danger level' and then throw whoever they want into it. That means that if something happens, it's up to us to solve it. And if we don't it's not on their heads. They can just say that 'they thought nothing would happen'. The only ones to lose anything here are us. Having backup…..is something that can be the best thing right now." She gave a small smile and Burgh turned towards the children who had just arrived before sighing and giving a smile of his own.
"Alright then. We best be getting off then right?" he said.
As the group left, something moved from within the shadows. It was unknown what it was to those that saw it and those who could not even do that. However its eyes were set on one thing; the yellow shape that stood on its legs as it bounded up towards the boy in the hat.
The sun shone through the small gaps and highlighted only one aspect of that figure.
The sunglasses that sparkled in that same light hid curious eyes of the Pokémon that could only be intrigued by the both of them.
"So….you've been here a month Burgh?" asked Ash.
Aura, Iris and Cilan took the front meaning that it was just Ash and Burgh in the back of the group as they walked through the Forest however not on the path as it meant that should they spot anything, they would be perfect for any poachers that were in the area.
"Yes. I feel bad for abandoning my Gym Leader duties in that time however even then, I felt that there was something more than just battling all the time. I know that there is something in the place in every heart for the battle however I felt that my skills as an Impressionist were something that were slowly and slowly dwindling so I had to take a break."
Perhaps it was the point of the Gym Leader that seemed in a place so far from where Ash was however the fact that he could say something like that and mean it only revealed to Ash that dreams did not just stop once one was achieved.
"So I've been here in the Forest, communicating with the Bug Pokémon and getting to know them to the best I can." Burgh said. "There's just something about how Bug Pokémon are in tune with nature that I can only respect with my own pure heart."
Ash felt it would be somewhat amusing for Misty to try and get to know Burgh however he felt that whatever fear she had of Bug Pokémon would be something that would inevitably show itself should she even try to get to know him.
"Really? So can you teach me how to-"
Ash never finished his sentence as something from behind him slammed into his head, throwing him off his balance and forward as well. His feet left the ground as his face hit the ground, Pikachu managing to get off his at the last second and save itself.
"Pikapi!" shouted Pikachu in concern however it was lost as the Pokémon that had slammed into Ash sat on his overturned back and looked up at Burgh with eyes that looked awfully pleased with itself.
"Sewa sewaddle!" Cried the Pokémon who had rammed into Ash and Burgh gave a small laugh, reaching down with his Aura Hands and picking up the Pokémon, placing it on his head and allowing the Pokémon to chew on some leaves that were hanging from a vine not too far from his own head.
Ash groaned from the ground as he looked at the Pokémon that had rammed into him.
"Ah, sorry about that." Said Burgh. "It appears that Sewaddle wanted my attention so went to rather strange extremes in order to gain it."
"Se…..waddle?" asked Ash as he reached for his Pokédex and used it to scan the Pokémon that seemed rather happy to have removed Ash from the scene and gained Burgh's attention.
"Sewaddle, the Sewing Pokémon. Its leafy clothing that it wears as camouflage serves as a way for Sewaddle to use photosynthesis to turn the sun's energy into aura that it can then use to fuel its own body should food be scarce."
"A Sewaddle huh? Is it yours Burgh?" asked Ash as he slowly picked himself up from the ground and sat cross legged on the ground.
"Ah nono. This is a wild Sewaddle. In my month here, it's been a Pokémon that I've had the opportunity to grow quite friendly with. We have quite the connection if I do say so myself. In fact, this Sewaddle has been the one that I've been having help me look for the place where Virizion might be housed if anything. Unfortunately, it seems that the stomach takes precedence."
Sewaddle continued to munch on the leaves that were above Burgh's head but even then, Ash could only blink a few times as he watched the Pokémon.
"Really Burgh. Could you not perhaps employ a more efficient Pokémon?" complained Jetstream to which Cilan sighed.
"Well I do suppose that the flavour of good leaves is something that cannot be denied. Even if we are dealing with something such as a situation like this one. I'm not even sure what to think at any rate in regards to what's happening. What do you plan to do if you find Virizion, Agent Jetstream?" asked Cilan.
"Hmmmm? Stand by and protect it. I get the feeling that the higher ups of mine don't expect much to happen but even then, I want to be completely sure."
"That's understandable. What with you getting kids on your side." Iris made that casual comment as she poked fun at Ash and he glared at her.
"Oh yeah? Want to hear how we got lost off the path Burgh? It actually was-mmph?!" Ash's words never came out as Iris sent an Aura Hand his way that wrapped around his mouth and caused him to stop speaking. He struggled against it however found that nothing would serve as a way for it to come loose while Iris merely laughed as both Jetstream and Burgh looked at her with confused expressions.
"Hahahaha! I really wonder we got lost of the path anyway, right?!" Her denial was evident in her voice and Axew could not help but give a sigh in regards to accepting responsibility for her actions.
"But where are we even going?" asked Cilan. "Is it someplace where we can get the highest ground?" Cilan's eyes turned towards the largest tree that loomed over the entire forest but even then, Jetstream shook her head.
"We're actually heading towards the most logical place where Virizion might be actually. Think about it, what would be the best place to place your aura if you wanted everywhere to reach it? You would choose the place where all the soil gets its nutrients. The water source of the Forest. And where's that? Well, you'll be finding out soon enough."
Jetstream made her way further into the Forest and the others followed, Ash being dragged along by Iris's Aura Hand which she had not yet removed while Pikachu merely elected to walk.
Somehow it felt that the Pokémon were the only rational ones in the situation that presented itself sometimes.
Sewaddle didn't stay behind and chew on the leaves but rather moved while sitting on Burgh's head, the two of them moving through the Forest until the group reached a clearing that seemed to be nothing but an expanse of space. The trees had not reached this part, ledges standing where they were placed as they served as a natural barrier towards the lake.
The lake itself was extremely large and Ash could not even see the bottom where he was looking down at the lake after Iris had removed her Aura Hand. He scanned the lake itself, trying to look for something that could serve as a way that Virizion could conceal itself but even there was nothing that he could actually see.
But in the end, it was not what the lake held but rather what was at the entrance to the lake itself that stood out to those who were perched on that ledge that was nearest to the lake.
The 6 black Jeeps that were parked roughly along the edge were filled with men and Pokémon, 2 to each Jeep meaning that there was a total of 12 men and 12 different Pokémon, some were standing by their Jeeps while others were placing various types of equipment on the ground that seemed to cause ripples to pulse throughout the lake.
And that was when Ash noticed one thing:
The lake was completely devoid of Pokémon. There was nothing. No Flying Pokémon or Water; nothing at all whatsoever. Where had they all gone? Had they fled already? Or worse?
He looked over at the men; some were taller than others however there was one thing about them; their heavy build and the fact that in a straight fight, they would probably win hands down.
There were Pokémon that Ash recognised there as well and some that he did not.
He brought out his Pokédex and scanned the nearest Pokémon that he did not recognise, hoping that the Pokédex would manage to actually reach the Pokémon. It did and managed to give off that electronic voice.
"Galvantula, the Elespider Pokémon. Using its front mandibles as antenna, it can send electrically charged threads made of concentrated aura towards their opponents not only to incapacitate them but also to serve as a ways to suck the aura out of their bodies until they have no energy left."
He swapped what he was scanning and scanned another Pokémon that was close as well.
"Ducklett, the Water Bird Pokémon. While Ducklett's main body does not house most of its aura, it focuses its energy it using that in its feet in order to transverse and dive at faster speeds to gather its favourite foods."
Ash turned towards Iris who was next to him as they lay behind the ledge hoping that the poachers hadn't seen them.
"There's so many. And we don't have enough Pokémon." Said Iris as she sweated while looking down at the group of people below.
"Indeed. This….gives an unpleasant taste in the mouth." Said Cilan. "I would consider it however we simply do not have the Poképower needed to take all of them on. What Pokémon do you guys have?" he turned towards Agent Jetstream and Burgh, who both pulled out one Pokéball, before releasing their Pokémon in a burst of light.
Jetstream's Pokémon, perhaps because of her position as someone who was working for the AJD with an aura level bordering on Extremely High, was the Pokémon that could be said to border on Legendary due to the power that it created through the use of Aura. Her Lucario stood proud and looked at the trainers before turning back towards her.
"What is this?"
A voice resounded through their minds and everyone jumped back as a result. However Jetstream herself was unaffected by the sound of Lucario's voice coming through her mind.
"Don't worry. They're friends."
"I…..see…." Lucario responded and then moved to one knee towards the group of trainers.
"It is an honour to be tasked to fight with you honourable trainers. I am Lucario. Nothing more. Nothing less. I am looking forward to our co-operation."
The voice that came through minds was female and Burgh looked surprised and forgot the fact that he himself had taken out his own Pokémon, something that everyone else had as well.
All eyes turned towards the Pokémon that Burgh had released and Ash brought out his Pokédex and scanned the Pokémon as well.
"Leavanny, the Nurturing Pokémon and Sewaddle's final evolutionary form. Through the use of the sticky threads that can come from its mouth, Leavanny is largely considered a connoisseur in the fashion industry and can use its aura to cause different textures in the threads it produces."
"Wow….a talking Lucario and a Leavanny! You guys are amazing!" Ash said with enthusiasm as he looked at the two Pokémon in front of him however it was the remarks that he got in response that seemed to conflict each other and made him frown.
"Leav, Leavanny!"
"Do not get too excited. You'll attract the attention of those who we are tracking."
The complete lack of tone in Lucario's voice only showed the fact that she was probably cautious about the situation that she was in.
The group went back towards observing the men that were at the lake front. Both Aura and Lucario looked at the men, Aura using her binoculars that she had gotten from the backpack that lay on her back. Lucario was using her aura to see further as was everyone else, so Ash only listened to the remarks that they gave in order to gain an understanding on the situation.
"They keep on moving back and forth so it's hard to tell who has what role." Noted Burgh as he watched. "Can we really do something when they are like that? Given the Pokémon that they have, I am quite confident that Leavanny can take out the two Ducklett however it is the Pidgeot that I'm worried about."
"Ash, can you use Pikachu for the Pidgeot then?" asked Iris. "I'm sure that the type advantage that it has can make sure that we can do something about them."
"Pika pikachu!" cried the Pokémon however it was Ash that spoke up.
"Hang on though. Pikachu can do more than just that. Battles aren't decided by the type advantage. We need to have a strategy that allows us the best way to stop them. Do we have something like that though? Charging forward…..will that really work?" he asked.
"Head on attacking does seem the most simply way to do things…..but will it really give the dish that we want as a result?" asked Cilan with a careful tone. "Not only that but I'm sure that my Pansage can be the one who can battle that Rhydon. What about Axew though? This is a battle that will be something that will surely not be following your average recipe."
"You saw Axew in the battle against Julia and Henry. There's more to a battle than just the strength of your Pokémon as well." Said Iris with a frown towards Cilan.
"Axew!" cried the small Pokémon that was in Iris's hair and Cilan gave a slow nod. Jetstream though sank back and frowned, holding the binoculars with one hand and rubbing the bridge of her nose with her other.
"Lucario, what do you think?" she asked her Pokémon.
"Their actions…..they seem too random. Look, two men have just moved to the same spot again. They don't need to do that. It's obvious that they don't trust each other. That does seem to suggest that they are not from the same group. If that is the case then…." Lucario used its telepathy to speak to everyone in the area and everyone listened intently.
"If that's the case then, the smallest thing…" Aura Jetstream grinned as she focused her energy towards the tips of her fingers and used her aura to enhance her sight.
"…can serve to be the biggest spark for victory."
"Is the scan done yet?!" asked one of the men. He had grown impatient, not only of the idiots that surrounded him but of the technology that one of them had brought. Each man had their own methods and motives towards their actions but even then, he was impatient due to the lack of results that were in front of him.
They had thought the same as that member of the AJD. What would be the best way for Virizion to reach the entire Forest if not for the water source that stretched out for miles and miles, something that each bit of soil would have to extract from? There would only be one option if that was the case and using a bit of logic and understanding, one could accurately find what had been lost for so long.
Virizion was a legend. It appeared and disappeared; sometimes saved people lost in the Forest, protected the Pokémon here and made sure that the entire Forest was a place of pure tranquillity. But even then, there were people that only wanted to destroy that from the start. There were some that truly wanted to destroy the work that others had created and focused only on that.
Those men were not of that ilk. They did not think of themselves as 'evil'. Surely, other people wanted to and did however they simply took a hold of the one thing that could perhaps make anyone 'evil'. If there was an international language, one of the things that made it was money. Its allure and pure value in the hand was undeniable.
And the other? That too was obvious.
When you didn't get what you wanted, all you had to do was use violence.
Those two things were at the heart of what those men were attempting to do. To gain money, they used violence. They used money as the means for justifying the violence. It was a circle that was never ending in their minds and as a result, they had nothing but distrust for each other.
Splitting the fee? It was a convenient excuse to make sure that they teamed up and then deal with each other at a later date. Or rather…..they could do that now.
The man looked towards his partner, Shiftry. Had they been doing this too long because they knew exactly what was going to happen? Or had they simply rehearsed it that many times? At any rate, the man put his middle and pointer fingers together, ready to form a blade and-
The truck nearest to him exploded. He was thrown to the side from the blast, slamming into the man who was dealing with the scanner and they both fell into the lake, stunned at what had just happened. Smoke rose from the vehicle and two men and their Pokémon lay unconscious to the side.
"What the-?!" The man stood up in the lake and glared towards those that were surrounding the van. "Who was that?! Who did that!?"
However that question fell on deaf ears. Whether it be due to the fact that everyone was willing to do the same thing that the man had thought of doing in the first place, numerous Aura Swords had sprung from the hands of the men that were in the area. There was no point on asking who had done it.
In order to answer that question, that would identify one person as the enemy. And they were all the enemy here.
In order to gain money, they used violence. And they used justified the violence through the money. Thus, the man felt nothing as he reached down towards the person beneath him and punched him in the face. He fell unconscious within the first blow. He must have been someone on his first job. Honestly, what a weakling.
"Shiftry! Aura Shadow Ball!" the man shouted out and Shiftry responded. With its leaf-like hands forward, those balls of purple energy that had a hint of blue formed. They shot out towards the men that were still standing and some of the Galvantulas responded with their own Aura Electro Balls while other men cut the Shadow Balls in half with their own Aura Swords. Other men ducked underneath the energy themselves and launched towards others with those Swords in hands, their Pokémon doing the same.
There would be no mercy for those that stood in the way.
Shouts of anger and pain, both from humans and Pokémon erupted through the air. One of the Rhydon even lifted up one of the Jeeps and threw it with all of its might, the impact hitting a Snorlax before both it and the Jeep fell into the lake. Water sprayed in all directions and an Aura Hyper Beam could be seen firing from one of the mouths from the Rhydons.
It flew into the sky and the Pidgeot evaded with each, attacking the Ducklett that had foolishly tried to attack the king of the skies. It didn't even stand a chance as the Aura Brave Bird surrounded the body of the Pidgeot and struck the Ducklett within mid-air. It hovered above the battlefield with a confident glare as it watched the movement of its prey.
Its master was underneath that smoke however even so, it had to follow its orders. It scanned the area using its aura but even then something unexpected came into its view. It turned and immediately headed for it using Aura Brave Bird once again but it did not stop when it realised what it was.
It was a Thunderbolt.
Pidgeot collided with it and even then, the power of the Pidgeot should have overcome anything that had stood in its way. But that was not what happened.
The non-aura attack collided with the aura attack, the explosion of air causing Pidgeot to be thrown back from the mere force towards the ground as it was at the centre of the explosion. It collided with a Rhydon that had been fighting on the ground and the Shiftry evaded and scanned the area once more.
Smoke rose and Shiftry used its Aura Whirlwind to blow the smoke away, leaving only the man with a cut on his face and arm in the midst. That man was the Shiftry's trainer and just like last time, they had taken the true spot at the top. As it should have been.
"Good Shiftry." Said the man as he approached the Pokémon. "But we've lost our only lead. The only thing we can do-"
"The ONLY thing you're going to do is sit tight as you simply consider when it was that you messed up." A girl's voice entered his ears and he turned around, looking at the lake as 5 people stood there each with their own Pokémon. They all glared towards the man and he took a step back in response, Shiftry moving in front of him to protect its trainer.
"Is that so? You think that you can play the hero girl? With you and your friends? Go back to whatever school you came from. This is no playground."
"No….it's not." Said the girl. "So I suggest that you give up." A Pikachu from a boy's shoulder jumped off and landed in the lake, its cheeks sparking as it glared at the man.
The boy who was presumably the owner of the Pikachu spoke up towards the man.
"We won't let you hurt Virizion."
His words were short and to the point however the expressions of those around him truly showed how they agreed with the words that the boy had said.
The man sweated. He knew that the actions that he had done were punishable. At the very least, he would get off with 5 years minimum at best. However at the same time, that urge and motivation in his mind was ever so strong that he could do nothing but give into the allure of the object that had once found so powerful that he could not resist it.
"Is that so? Shiftry, Aura X-Scissor!"
Shiftry leaped forward towards the group that was in front of it and its arms glowed green, a hint of blue behind them as well. It approached the Pikachu fast however Ash quickly reacted to the attack that had been sent his way.
"Pikachu! Counter with Iron Tail!"
Pikachu shot into the air and its tail shone with a metallic glow, that same glow something that collided with Shiftry's X-Scissor. The man grinned to himself. What was the boy thinking if anything? The greenery of his experience only showed itself. X-Scissor wasn't limited to just one hand as Shiftry had attacked the Iron Tail with. No, it extended to both of its arms. Whether the boy had merely forgotten that in the moment was not something that the man cared for however he took his opportunity when it arose.
He didn't need words as Shiftry sent the other attack straight towards Pikachu. Yet nothing that had gone according to plan that had been silently devised.
There was an explosion of air, dust and water heading in all directions as both Pikachu and Shiftry were thrown backwards. Shiftry, the more stunned at what had just happened did not recover in time and slammed against the ground where it rolled for a few metres before lifting itself up. On the other hand though, Pikachu was the one that landed on all fours and glared towards the wounded Shiftry.
"Pikachu, Volt Tackle!" Ash shouted and Pikachu leaped forward once again.
"Pika pika pika pika!" Pikachu's body shone with an electric glow as it headed straight forward towards Shiftry, slamming its body into Shiftry's. The Pokémon was blown back towards one of the Jeeps where it collided, sending the entire Jeep onto its side from the force of the blow. The man looked shocked at the fact that his Shiftry, was being actually countered with a Pokémon that anyone could find anywhere.
"Shiftry!" the man shouted and a fine mist of dense aura started to swirl around his body. He truly was angry and that fact only cemented the idea into everyone's head. "Just what do you think you're doing?! Finish this! Aura Burst Leaf Blade!"
Shiftry shot up and closed its eyes, Ash not even needing to know what combination the man was coming to use. He needed to stop it right now and the best way to do that with Pikachu was obvious.
"Pikachu!" he called to his partner. "Hurry and use Thunderbolt!" Whether it was because their minds were one, or because Pikachu recognised the threat the same as Ash did, Pikachu immediately moved towards attacking the man that was its enemy.
"Pika-chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!" Pikachu let out that stream of focused electricity, a non-aura attack that collided with the body of the Shiftry. The aura that it had been gathering in order to execute the Aura Burst hovered around its body and as soon as the attack from the Mouse Pokémon hit, every single part of that aura negated, sending explosions of air to hammer the Shiftry's body from all directions.
The Thunderbolt had done the damage however it was the explosions of air that truly were the final attack. Special Pokémon attacks were more effective than Physical in that respect and the true worth that it showed could only be seen in the results.
The Shiftry collapsed, its eyes swirls as it lay on ground motionless. The man had covered his face due to the fact that the explosions of air had stunned him to that extent however when he lowered his arm, his shock could only be registered.
He turned towards the boy that had managed to take down his Shiftry and started to reach for his own Pokéball however it was the rest of the group that acted. Each and every one of them, save for the girl that had spoken earlier and the boy, stretched out their palms, Aura Hands forming there before they stretched out towards the man, grabbing him from all sides and throwing him to the ground.
The girl in the middle who had spoken before took one step and then disappeared. She was gone for an instant before appearing right before the man and put her pointer finger on his forehead.
"See? I told you. You should have sat tight. But it truly is good to have allies you can rely on right?"
She turned and gave a thumbs up to the boy who had done the quick battle and he returned it with a grin of his own. The girl smiled towards him before reaching for her backpack and bringing out a set of handcuffs.
In this world, the keepers of the peace knew what they were doing. With technology such as Aura scanners and engines that ran purely on the aura of the owner, even those who had been charged with protecting the world had moved with that technology.
The handcuffs that Aura Jetstream held were just an example of how the police had moved on. She attached them towards the man's wrist and they glowed blue, a small vial in the centre of where the silver cuffs were attached filling up as a result. She gave a look at it and then sighed.
"High level aura huh? What a wasted talent." The man wanted to retort and rip free of those cuffs however he knew that it was useless. They operated by analysing the aura of the person that they were holding and any attempt to move aura unnaturally throughout the body would mean that those cuffs would pulse that same amount of aura, if not more back throughout the body as a counter.
Aura that did not belong to the owner would surge and cause pain to those that resisted and the man felt that throughout his body as the cuffs pulsed the aura that was contained within into his body. He gasped in pain and fell forward, glaring at the girl who had placed the backpack on the ground.
"I do have to thank you though." Mocked the girl. "You really did make this easier."
He opened his mouth to say something how a shot of thread came out of nowhere and planted itself right of his mouth. He spoke however a muffled sound came out to which he looked at the culprit, the Sewaddle that was sitting on the head of one of the men, looking rather proud of itself despite its lack of contribution.
"Oh right. Anything you say or do will be used against you? Isn't that what I'm supposed to say?"
The only thing that the man could do was grumble in response.
Each Pokémon had been returned to their Pokéball and the trainers/poachers had been cuffed with those same handcuffs that Jetstream had brought. Ash had felt that she carried too many however she successfully managed to restrain each and every one of them.
"What now?" he asked towards Jetstream.
She turned towards him however he felt her gaze somewhat sharpen as she looked at him however it must have just been his imagination.
"Well, I've already called Officer Jenny and my superiors. I suppose the only thing we can do is wait for them to come and bring back-up. I don't expect much though." She gave a sigh and sat back down, running a hand through her blue hair.
"Is something wrong?" asked Burgh. "We have just protected Virizion but even then, we've made sure that these poachers don't steal any other Pokémon in regards to that. Even my pure heart thinks that you did enough of a good job for that Agent Jetstream."
"Yeah! You should be glad that we took down these jerks! Think of the Pokémon that we've protected." Said Iris. "Say Axew, do you think that we'll get medals?! Or maybe even recognition from a Champion?! I'd love to see Elder's face when she hears about that!"
Axew grinned and nodded in response however it was Jetstream that shook her head.
"I don't like this. I just don't. Maybe it's me being paranoid however I just can't bring myself to say that everything is over and done with."
"How do you mean?" asked Cilan. He had righted the Jeep that Shiftry had slammed into and was giving a look over with Burgh but even then he didn't have much knowledge about cars. It ran on gasoline but that was about all he knew. Burgh was moving strangely as well so he figured that the two Gym Leaders may have just wanted to look like they were doing something besides standing around.
"Is this really it?"
A voice entered their minds and they turned to find that Lucario was sitting in the back of one of the Jeeps, having the same pose as Jetstream, elbow of leg and paw rubbing the underside of her chin.
"I know what you mean Lucario. We didn't bring your Mega Stone but even now, I think we should have. I don't like it." She said.
Ash wanted to know what this 'Mega Stone' that Jetstream spoke of however his attention went towards an object that had interested him from the beginning. The scanner that had fallen in the lake was still functional however the numerous beeps that came from the machine itself and the red flashing lights made it look like it was not going to be the case for much longer.
Numbers scrolled along the screen and once again, he found that he could not make heads or tails out of it. The numbers were large in value however the graph that showed the values of the numbers revealed a number of spikes in the data in various locations, namely where the numbers increased suddenly in values before finally pattering out.
"Say, what does this mean?" he asked. "Does it have something to do with Virizion? If it is here then wouldn't it make sense that the large values here would mean that Virizion is sending out its aura?"
Jetstream rose and went over to the machine, looking at it with a curious glance however it was Iris that came over and gave her own remark.
"Say, doesn't that look like the data that we saw on your smart phone?" she asked. Jetstream looked at her with a frown and then brought out her phone, comparing the data on it and then the one on the machine.
Cilan came over and looked at the data as well, using an Aura Hand to point at various bits of data between the phone and the numbers that were scrolling along the screen.
"Look at these ones. They're basically the same. The data on the phone is monthly right? It's almost as if it's the same data however on a minute based scale on the machine there." He noted. "There are frequent increases in the data here and here, in the same spot every minute. What do you make of it?" He turned towards those that had taken charge.
"Maybe….increases in the amount of aura within this area every minute?" asked Burgh. "But then that doesn't make sense. If Virizion is here then shouldn't there be a great increase instead of just a gradual one every minute?"
"H-Hang on….." said Ash as he noticed that a tense tone had entered his voice. "D-Doesn't that mean that Virizion isn't here? If it was, then wouldn't it just be a constant increase in the data? Aren't we in the wrong place?!"
All eyes turned to Ash and the revelation that he seemed to have thought of but it was Jetstream that ran a hand through her hair.
"But then where else would be the best place?The lake makes sense. All of the soil is fed through it. But then where else also makes sense?!" she exclaimed as she ran a hand through her hair. "Damn it!"
Her tense nature showed itself by covering her body with the aura that she held. The machine continued to scroll those same numbers and it was Lucario that gave her opinion on the next move that they should execute in order to move forward in regards to what to do next.
"We need to use this scanner. If we have made this discovery, perhaps others in the Forest have as well. If that's the case then we need to move quickly."
"Agreed." Said Burgh. "If anything, taking this machine and using what it can tell us is the best way that we can get the results that we want."
As soon as he said that, the worst thing that could have happened did. The machine gave one last number before a spark came from it before erupting into a shower of sparks, something that spread from its main body. Had the damage from the battle really done that much? Everyone moved back and shouted in alarm at the fact that it had completely just died before looking at each other with pale faces.
"What do we do now?! The machine is busted and we have nothing that we can use to fix it!" Ash shouted in a panic before Jetstream groaned.
"We have no choice. We have to move through the Forest and act as bait. As soon as the poachers that have managed to know that we are here have noticed us, they'll attack. We can use that in order to find out where they are and where they are going." Her words were sharp however they held a truth that no one wanted to find out for themselves.
"Wait, so we have to make them attack us? But what about doing what we just did?" Iris's voice was strained however it was likely that she knew the fact of the matter was that they did not have a lot of options either at this stage.
"We need to have the element of surprise for that! We can't have that unless we know where they are! And with our only way of knowing that busted, we have to at least try and make sure that we can stop them before they can capture Virizion as its weak! Do you think that I want to act as bait? Or you guys either? You're civilians! If anything, this is the last thing that I want to do in regards to protecting Virizion! Not only that, but this could all be just a load of complete nothing! We're basing our options on the chance that 'maybe' Virizion is here!"
Jetstream yelled at Iris however stopped. She sighed and rubbed her temples.
"I'm sorry. It's just that usually I have back-up for this kind of thing. Dealing with the worst job in the worst situation isn't something I should make others deal with." She turned and headed for one of the Jeeps that was upright, getting into the driver's seat and having a look at the ignition, bringing out a tool from her backpack and fiddling with the keyhole.
The others looked at her and then at each other but it was Lucario that spoke up in regards to what they were thinking.
"I'm sorry. We can't ask you to come with us however we can't ask you to stay either. What you do now is up to you but this is where we part ways for now. It was a pleasure working with you all."
Lucario moved towards Jetstream in the Jeep silently. She was giving them an option. They could flee and be safe or they could stay with them and truly enter the battlefield that was ahead of them. One was surely a way to survive. The other was the way that would surely end with a negative ending.
For anyone, there was only one option that they could truly take. And for that group, you had been given the chance; there was only one option that they could choose as well.
Ash Ketchum, Pikachu, Iris, Axew, Cilan and Burgh with Sewaddle on his head moved towards the Jeep and the three trainers sat in the back while Burgh moved next to Jetstream and looked at the tool she was using as the engine came to life. She looked up to him and he placed a hand on the wheel.
"I guess I'll be driving." She blinked a few times before turning to the trainers that were in the back seat.
"Even if it is on the chance of 'maybe', sitting back when we could have made a difference is something that we won't do. We'll do our best to make sure to not a hindrance however…..there's nothing that's going to stop us from making sure that Virizion is safe." Ash said those words and Pikachu on his shoulder nodded in response.
"I feel the same as Ash." Said Iris. "Virizion might not be here however even so, we need to help. No matter what." Axew in her hair gave a nod, the small and young Pokémon not even hesitating in acting towards their goal.
"Indeed. Even with nothing that can possibly happen, leaving on the chance that it might give a sour flavour in our mouth. We might be civilians Agent Jetstream…..but we will assist in whatever way we can." Cilan spoke confidently about what could happen and their determination towards making it happen.
Aura Jetstream smiled towards all of them and let Burgh sit in the driver's seat.
"Try not to crash. I don't want to have on my autopsy that I was riding with a careless driver."
"Understood." Said Burgh, sweatdropping as he wondered if she was serious. He put the car into drive as Jetstream got into the passenger seat and Lucario sat on the roof as a lookout for anything that might happen.
The path that they followed seemed to extend forever but even then, they knew that it had to have some end. They took turns every now and then in order to make sure that they had an idea of where they were going, using the massive tree in the middle of the Forest as a landmark that they could use in order to determine whether they were going in circles or not.
And even as they made their way through that Forest, following the car without a hitch, under the ground, the burrowing feet of one Pokémon in pursuit of the truck went unnoticed. The aura that was fuelling the intense burrowing did not stop and anyone would have thought that the Pokémon itself would have reached its Limit soon anytime. However that small Pokémon continued its trek with determination as it followed the trainer and its yellow Pokémon.
It had gone so far and been through so much, all to face that one obstacle that it had determined to be a good match for its ability. But even then, it felt that the choice that it had made was one that it would follow for sure.
The truck took another turn and the Pokémon followed without stopping, turning in the corner on the road as well in order to catch up to the vehicle.
And to be honest, that was when something that it had never even thought of happened.
"Looks like…..they're here." Jetstream made that comment with a grin on her face however the drop of sweat that was rolling down her face made it clear that she was not pleased whatsoever at the fact that they had to face their opponent already.
All eyes turned towards the man that was standing in the middle of the road ahead of them. They could not slow down. That would mean that they were planning on surrendering and the man would not even think twice about knocking them out and bringing them towards where they needed to go.
They were seen as enemies. Just as that same point had assisted them once, it was that point that meant that they could not progress normally like they had. It was both something that allowed them to charge forward yet at the same time prevented them from truly allowing them to win. It was a double edged blade.
The man held up something however when one used aura to increase the ability to see, the object in his hands was obvious.
"WE WON'T LET YOU GET ANY FURTHER AMATEURS!" The man used yelled out towards them, using his aura to make his voice even louder than what it should have been. He pulled the trigger of the item that he was holding and the projectile shot forward.
"'Brace!" yelled Jetstream as the rocket powered grenade shot towards them. It sailed through the air with almost no air resistance however that was not the end of the attack itself. Behind that, a flash of red and blue shot straight towards them, an Aura Hyper Beam. They had not seen the Pokémon that was behind the man however they did not immediately panic in regards to the sudden increase in force that came their way.
If they managed to survive by protecting the Jeep, that would defeat the purpose of acting as bait. They could not get the man to lead them towards where they thought Virizion was expelling its aura into the land.
However at the same time, if they did not protect the Jeep…they would truly only be one fate for them.
The Agent in charge of the investigation moved quickly. The others did the same. They had no plan however their thoughts were directed towards the one thing that anyone would want to do in this situation.
Survive.
Both Jetstream and Lucario extended their hands and created an Aura Shield. With her aura level and her Pokémon's that was sure to match hers, there was no question what would happen to the Aura Hyper Beam that was shot towards them.
As soon as the Aura Hyper Beam and the Aura Shields met in mid-air, the Shields shattered and the Beam dissipated before the Jeep continued its trek through the Shield. Normally, the Shield would have held with that power however not in this case. Their plan had already been implemented through that one action.
The RPG that had been fired towards the Jeep collided with the vehicle after the Aura Hyper Beam, throwing the entire vehicle into the air from the blast in a ball of flame. It hit the ground and the smoke from the blast rose into the air. The man lifted his gaze from the sights of the launcher that he had brought with him.
It had cost a lot of money however he was glad that he had bought it. Competitors in this field were not pushed away through price changes or enhancing the product line that a company had. There really was only one option that one used to deal with them. They themselves knew it so there were no complaints.
The poacher cracked his neck and gave a sigh. He had chosen the easy job and already 'dealt' with the other poachers that had joined him with the same idea.
He gave a yawn and moved back towards his own Jeep that had been concealed in the Forest before driving off, heading towards the location that he had left his Pokémon. He assumed that those that had already found the location of the massive aura in the area had managed to find what they were looking for.
And after their prize had been gathered, all they had to do was take it from each other.
As soon as the Aura Shield had been put up, everyone had immediately thrown themselves from the car. After it had blocked the Aura Hyper Beam, the resulting smoke that had come from the collision had given them the perfect cover to jump out and protect themselves should anything else come their way.
Naturally, out of the 5 people that had been in the vehicle, there had been no problem in the silent plan. But that was a statement that only applied to the 4 of them.
Ash Ketchum, one of the only two Aura Zeroes in the world, threw himself from the van, using his body to protect Pikachu. He had seen Agent Aura Jetstream do the same however he had no idea what the plan would have been after that. Iris had gotten off his side as well however Cilan and Burgh had thrown themselves to the right.
However it was when he had seen Iris and Jetstream throw forward their Aura Shields to protect themselves and their Pokémon, he had drawn a blank. He had done nothing more than cover Pikachu's body with his own but as the Jeep exploded, he had been thrown backwards, being winded as he was thrown off the path and over a steep ledge.
He tumbled down the ledge, trying to tense whatever part of his body that he could however even then, it was useless as he continued down the ledge towards a location that he could not even determine with his imagination.
However he didn't even need to do so. He felt his body leave the rough surface of the ground and saw something blue and flowing right beneath him.
The only thing that he could do as he was plunged into that river within the Pinwheel Forest was yell out until he hit the water.
The Forest breathed life. But even so, there was something about the life within the Forest itself that seemed meaningless.
Things would eventually fall off the trees and die before the aura that was generated from the leaves eventually returned back to the ground and became the fuel for the new life that was going to spring up from that same ground.
The cycle never ended and it had been that way since the beginning. However even then, there was a balance. Virizion, in its kindness would return the life that the Forest breathed in exchange for its own. In Unova mythology, it was because the Forest itself had saved Virizion from its doomed fate when it had acted with the Swords of Justice.
But that balance was once again disturbed.
Such was the nature of the world; the nature of the cruel cycle that had taken a hold of it.
Things that would be destroyed would be destroyed again. Such an action seemed inevitable for those that knew the power of violence and their own ambitions.
The primary weapon that would be used in this battle was certain of that fact.
And as the man picked up his Pokémon, there was that same weapon, concealed to no extent, poking out of the back of the Jeep that he drove.
The flamethrower would only allow the cycle to repeat over and over again.
It did not matter if the myth was true or not. If it wasn't then the poachers would be wanted for a different crime.
And it was only the actions of those that wanted to stop that fate that could act in order to truly save that Forest and the guardian that had protected it for so long.
And that's the end! Lo and behold I have another OC introduced into the story. I feel that while some people don't like them and others do, the idea of the story is to have these OCs truly explain the role of the world to those people that don't understand it.
And yes, even those rules that you thought might be applied could have changed. Each OC has their own story and even then, that may or may not be explained. This time's OC was an officer of the law, someone who can truly act in these times without being restricted at all. Maybe one of these days, Aura Jetstream could perhaps appear with Looker? I hope that you guys are perhaps looking forward to that.
But once again, this is another long story. We have some foreshadowing in regards to the end of the Meteonite arc but even then, the focus was on the Legendary Pokémon scattered throughout the world. The anime didn't really address Virizion in the Pinwheel forest so I felt that since I'm not writing the movies, having this in it will serve as a substitute. I feel that that is somewhat arrogant however as I write this, I'm only thinking how to address the other Legendaries.
I dealt with some varying scientific ideas here and how aura would be applied to that. Yet even among that modern day weapons like the RPG serve as the ones that even those who rely on aura can use. Maybe that shows that basic things like technology have even excelled in that place where maybe aura should prevail?
But that's just my opinion!
I'm not dead at the very least so I'll keep this story up for those that want to read it and even then for those who do not.
And in real time, we have so many more updates even more than this one…..I just hope that the XY series can act as a somewhat breaker for those who want to enjoy Pokémon as much as I do.
And as always,
Review if you please
And I'll see you when I see you and I won't if I don't.
But next chapter will focus more on our heroes rather than the OCs. Even the three heroes here have their own roles after all!