Chapter 5 - Tensions
It was around 3am when the only teen in the castle sleepily woke up. Groaning, he looked around and was surprised that the sky was tainted in purple and black; the town below was quiet and peaceful. Up above in the firmament, there were stars twinkling brightly and the moon slightly covered in the thin clouds.
The boy glanced at the outfit he was given and sighed. Kicking of the blanket from his bed, he touched the floor and grabbed the clothes he wore before he met Sir Aaron; his usual attire when he was traveling the Sinnoh region. After changing and leaving his vest and hat on the mattress, he silently opened the door and stepped out. Ash had no clue why he was doing this at first, but then his stomach kept growling at him and he had no choice but to find the kitchen.
The teen stifled another yawn as he sluggishly walked through the hallway. He only realized now about his lack of sleep when he traveled before, and using so much of his aura just made it worse. He kept on going until he spotted a large door that seemed to lead to a huge room. He grabbed the handle and pulled it, making a loud creaking noise that seemed to echo in the palace. Ash hoped that it didn't wake up anybody and went inside; closing the wooden door behind him. The teen quickly recognized the place to be the dining room due to the large, long table that was in there. He scanned the area for another door, but it wasn't easy in the dark. Soon his eyes adjusted to the lack of light and noticed another door across the room.
Before he could have taken another step though, the light behind him suddenly intensified and he heard steps walking towards him. "What do you think you're doing?" the voice asked; his tone clearly not amused.
"Trying to find some food." Ash replied while yawning again.
"It is dangerous to roam around the palace at this time of night." he scowled.
"Who said I had to follow your orders Lucario?" the teen uttered mildly. The jackal pokémon snarled again in disgust. "You humans are all the same."
"Really? Then what's your opinion on Sir Aaron?" he countered. "Are you going to insult him too?"
Lucario had to resist the urge to punch him in the face. "Master is different. I don't see why he takes pity on you; a worthless child."
Ash's stare didn't waver at the pokemon's retort. "Look, I have no idea why you hate me so much, but Aaron wouldn't like it if we fought." he turned back to the door and avoided the other's death glare. "Anyway, can you show me the kitchen? I'm starving..."
"Tch, think you can do whatever you want? I'm here to take you back to your room. You can eat in the morning."
The boy gaped. "But why?" he complained. "We're already here in the dining hall right?"
"You were not allowed in here in the first place. Now stop whining and let's go."
Ash hesitated as he looked around the room. With a defeated sigh, the two made their way across the halls and back where he was originally. Lucario then left afterward as swiftly as he came in.
The black-haired trainer grumbled as he changed his clothes and went off to bed.
-o-
"Good morning Aiden." the Aura Guardian greeted with a smile as he bumped in to him (not literally I assure you.)
"Morning Aaron..." he replied while yawning and his eyes slightly teary.
"Anything wrong?" the man asked with concern.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just...hungry."
"Then we better have breakfast soon before we train again today." Ash nodded sleepily. While they were walking together and the teen trying to remember the different paths around the castle, he realized that the place seemed empty. "Where is everybody?"
Aaron frowned. "There have been rumors circling around recently. Nasty ones."
"About..?"
"A group that attacks towns without them knowing and leaves destruction in their path."
Ash was surprised with the news. "If that's the case, then shouldn't the villagers be worried or preparing for it?"
"I have a feeling that it would be better to hide it for now. After all, they're just rumors. But Lady Rin has already taken precautions in case of ever such a situation would happen."
"Do you think they'll strike here?"
"It is possible. The tension in the atmosphere has been growing, and I don't think we can keep this a secret any longer. Some of the villagers have already found out and are gathering supplies. You may have not known, but this place used to be livelier than it is now."
"But...it's just a rumor...why get so worked up about it?" Ash questioned as he gazed at him. The Aura Guardian met his eyes and the teen could sense worry in them.
"...because they are saying that the group happens to use aura...like us."
-o-
Ash kept thinking what Aaron had told him before as he ate his meal with the other people in the castle. He kept his manners in check because Lady Rin was there, and Lucario was glaring at him; like he was saying not to mess up in front of the queen. The teen didn't care about that though; he was more concerned about the 'rumor'.
"Why and when was aura used in the war..? Is this the war that was supposed to take Aaron's life in the first place..?" he thought. He began to try looking for memories of the past; the ones that contained the time he spent in the present...his journey to the Tree of Beginning. He was sure in the projection of the Time Flower that there were two sides going against each other. People and Pokémon, divided in two groups. One red, one blue. Both of them fighting for reasons unknown to Ash. It was all so strange, he never heard of a reason why they were even fighting in the first place. All that he recalled was that the palace was right in the middle, and if Aaron didn't stop them with the help of Mew, the village and the castle wouldn't have survived.
"But what does aura have to do with this..?" he thought as he chewed on some bread. "If it's real, then aura should have played a big role in the war." the boy looked at his hand and closed his eyes. He saw the light blue energy coursing in him, and he continued to wonder about his unanswered questions.
Dialga was also watching and wondering from a safe distance. But he wasn't musing about why aura was used, but more of when Ash will be able to figure everything out. "If all goes well, then it is possible for Ash not only to save that Aura Guardian's life, but to erase the mere existence of the war happening here." he mumbled. "But, I guess that is too much to expect from a boy of his age."
The legendary's neutral expression slowly turned in to a smirk. "Will you be able to put all the pieces together on time..? To alter history in that extent?" he chuckled. "This is going to be interesting indeed."
-o-
"Alright, let us continue with Aura Sensing today Aiden." Aaron said cheerfully after setting up the swinging logs. Ash nodded and went in to place; closing his eyes and focusing his concentration. He could faintly see the aura around him, but it wasn't as clear as last time where he could see all the outlines.
Because of that, he couldn't see the logs moving towards him that well and kept on dodging like he was trying to avoid air. In the dark, he couldn't see where it was coming from, and nearly got hit a few times too. Aaron was already worried and wanted to move to something else, but Ash persuaded him to keep going. "C'mon...focus..."
His mind continued to drift until the last second; before impact so that he can move away. The teen was starting to get tired and signaled his teacher to stop which he did almost immediately. The Aura Guardian knew something was bothering his student; the aura he sensed in him was wavering and wasn't filled with spirit unlike yesterday. "Aiden, you're not concentrating." he muttered to him as he helped the trainer get back on his feet.
"I-I know...I'll try harder after I rest."
"No. We're moving on to harnessing your aura. That way, we can try to utilize these two skills at the same time." Ash was shocked, but then hesitantly agreed and took a break. "At least he wouldn't be in danger for now." Aaron thought as he followed him to the river area...yet he did not expect someone else to be there with him. "What are you doing here Lucario?" the boy asked.
"This is my master and my training ground. Not yours. You should leave." the jackal pokémon growled.
"Who said about this being yours? The forest can be visited by anybody, including me."
"You are not wanted here. Now leave!" he quickly summoned an Aura Sphere and threw it at Ash. The trainer quickly avoided it, causing the attack to leave a large burnt mark on the tree behind him.
"What's your problem? Do you really think Aaron would want this?" the teen shouted in annoyance and anger. Lucario scowled. "You are not an Aura Guardian and have no purpose in this village. You may not be aware of it, but maybe because of your presence, you may attract some unwanted visitors."
"Like?"
"The dark aura users."
Ash was starting to make his own sphere now. "You think-" the ball of bright blue light grew bigger in his palm. "-that I am the one-" his face showing genuine rage. "-causing the war?" he shouted as he hurled the energy ball at the pokémon. Lucario caught it easily; breaking it with his hand. "Strangers...are not to be trusted."
This time, the jackal-like creature rushed towards him with amazing speed, if it not for Aaron cutting in their argument, Lucario would have knocked Ash out with a Rock Smash attack. "Master!" the man caught the pokemon's fist with his palm and deflected the power in it quickly. "You two." he glanced at both of his students with a dark glare. "Stop fighting. Now." the pokémon gritted his teeth and left the scene while Ash stood there with a surprised face. "A-aaron..."
His stare did not waver which made the boy flinch when he saw it. Suddenly, his eyes softened and the man sighed. "Forgive Lucario Aiden, he doesn't like human company."
"Why is that?" he asked.
"I will explain to you another time. For now, you can say he has...'trusting' issues."
"Oh-kay then..." Ash didn't like for his question to be left unanswered, but he decided to drop the topic. "So..." he began while gazing at the forest behind him; thinking about Lucario, but then quickly focused on his current mentor. "Are we going back to training Aaron?"
"...yeah. Let's go." after he turned away, his teacher glanced at him and smirked. "By the way, not a bad Aura Sphere."
"Uuh...thanks...I guess."
A/N : Yay~I updated~...I hope I didn't disappoint you with this chapter. O.o Lucario and Ash aren't starting off so well aren't they? I still have no idea what's in store for Ash's training so...oh well.
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