Chapter 10:
Changes
Ash woke up suddenly. Literally two inches from his nose was the nose of a dozing Shiny Umbreon: Nyx. Ash looked up to see the sleeping face of Nathe. Very close. Not as close as Pikachu who was snuggled against his loving master, but close enough to freak the teen out and cause him to bolt upright, yelling for about four or five seconds.
"WHAHAHA!" Nyx half-screamed, half-chuckled in response as he jolted awake.
"WHAZAT?" Nathe boomed, waking up every other Pokémon in the Male Common Sleeping Hall. The male Kangaskhan rapidly looked around, before calming down. "Nice, Ash," he sighed. "Do you want me to wake everyone in the Female Commons, as well as the ones in the Temple's private rooms as well?"
"Sorry…" Ash muttered embarrassingly. "I'm just not exactly used to being so close to others while sleeping…particularly large ones."
"Thanks," Nathe said bitterly.
"Sorry," Ash repeated.
"At least it's not Aura," Nyx defended the human. "If it had been, she might have attacked some of us before she calmed down, instead of just screaming."
"Good point," Nathe nodded.
Ash tensed as his stomach growled.
"He has the power of the Normal Element in his grasp, and Ash Ketchum's greatest love is still his stomach," Pikachu chuckled.
Ash glared at him.
...
Aura was thrilled to be leaving, though she didn't look it. She didn't like being surrounded by others, particularly strangers.
Ash was talking to Saki and Nathe, while Sara was talking to Misty and Nyx. Aura was standing alone. She tensed, listening.
"Keep it wrapped in that cloth," Saki reminded Ash. "That way, if someone accidentally touches it…."
"They don't die," Ash muttered. "I get it."
"It is very important, Ash. You also need to protect it. We are depending on you."
"Relax. What could go wrong?"
Aura grimaced. She knew all too well.
"The next Shrine is by the East coast, near the Dark Tunnel. Odin is the Sage. He'll give you his creation after you obtain the Orb…. But, I should warn you. It's only going to get harder from here on out."
"Hey, I'm the Chosen One, right? This Test thing of yours proved that. I've got to do this, right?"
"Wrong," Saki said quietly. "You are the only one who can do this, yes. That much is true. But, you are by no means under contract or oath to do this. You have a choice; you have free will as much as any other person. You can become what destiny has planned, or you could break away, and walk from this, even now. You always have a choice, Ash. Remember that."
"W-will do," Ash was caught a bit off guard.
Then, Aura found the sound she thought she'd heard.
Whum-whum-whum!
Helicopter blades!
"Hide!" Aura barked. "Humans!"
"Wha?" Was all Ash got out, before he and Misty were forced to hide under the overhang of the cliff sides with the Pokémon.
"No human must know this place even exists, outside of the Chosen One…and a chosen few," Saki amended with a nod and smile to Misty.
Aura looked to the sky in wide-eyed fear as a black helicopter flew overhead and out of sight. She didn't know about the others, but Aura definitely noticed the big, red R on the side.
"Team Rocket!" Ash confirmed that he saw it, too.
"PiPikachu!" Pikachu echoed.
"Giovanni!" Aura snarled. "The bastard!"
"Who?" Ash asked.
"He's…not a fun person to be around."
"Shall I assume you've met?" Nyx narrowed his eyes.
"I've considered killing him several times, if that's what you mean. No one really meets Gio. He keeps himself locked away. Acts more like a sixteen-year-old than…" She trailed off.
"You've met Team Rocket?" Ash was shocked.
"I think I might've killed a few…" Aura chuckled darkly. Ash couldn't tell if she was joking or not. "I wonder why the big boss would be here…unless…oh, God…" She paused. "Unless he somehow caught wind of what's going on! We got to get going!"
Aura ran off to the north without another word.
"How peculiar…" Nyx said to himself.
"Why would Team Rocket care about me wandering aimlessly…other than the Orbs, which they couldn't possibly…how could they know?" Ash went off in several tangents.
"Why would Giovanni-who, according to Aura, seems to be the Boss-come himself?" Misty added.
"Maybe it's coincidental." Nyx offered. "It could just be another Rocket in his copter. I've heard of them. They sound like the scum who'd steal their boss's big ride to instill fear wherever they go."
Ash still felt obsessed with the thought of this Giovanni lurking behind him in the shadows. It was like the bogeyman when he was little, only…. There was now a name to the shadows that haunted his dreams. And, he wasn't sure if he liked it.
...
Giovanni had no idea that Ash Ketchum was in the ravines that his copter was flying over.
Even if he had, who knew if he would care? Dag didn't think he could, anymore. The Boss had heard a lot about Ash. A lot. The boy was a remarkable trainer, but it seemed like he was being held back from his true potential. Dag had suggested persuading the boy to join. When he had the Boss had asked why.
"I think you could come up with a good reason or two," Dag had said softly.
"No," was all the Boss would say in the matter.
In fact, the only major underage member was the Elite Domino. Silver wasn't even a member. That gave him an idea!
"I think I know how to get Silver to become more… persuadable to do what you want."
"Even…?"
"Possibly," Dag shrugged.
Giovanni remained silent, allowing his bodyguard to speak.
"Make him an Elite."
"He's not even a member, yet!" Giovanni was shocked at the idea. "The other Rockets could be furious at the idea of serving a neophyte, and a teenage one at that!"
"Now imagine their fury if he becomes Boss without earning his dues in some way first," Dag said as diplomatically as he could.
"I see your point. I shall think about it."
Dag held back a smile. Would Silver be proud of becoming an Elite, if Giovanni did that for him?
Or, would he only hate his father more for it?
...
Silver was, at that moment, as far from thinking about being an Elite as he could be. He had snuck away from his bodyguards-who really didn't care, anyway-and ran off to the Viridian Park. He was amongst a few other trainers and their Pokémon, and Fang was joyfully running about him.
"Focus," Silver said quietly.
Surprisingly, the Totodile stopped, and looked at the teen expectantly.
"Can you use Bite?" He asked.
Fang grinned, nodding vigorously.
"Then, try it on this!" And Silver threw a decent-sized stick into the air.
Fang jumped at it, and Bit it, snapping it cleanly into three pieces. After landing, the Totodile began to hop up and down in pride.
"Not bad." Silver smiled slightly. "Try Water Gun."
A burst of water jettisoned out of the Pokémon's mouth, grazing the top of Silver's head, fraying a few pieces of his hair.
"Nice," Silver muttered. "I bet'cha can't use Bubblebeam!" He challenged.
Fang smirked bravely, and then unleashed a torrent of bubbles on his trainer, most of them blasting him in the face. Fang gasped, suddenly scared that he had angered or otherwise upset his master. Silver's face has frozen, expressionless, causing Fang's fear to build. Then, Silver smiled slightly. Fang blinked, as the teenager started to laugh.
As fate would have it, a certain blonde, teenage girl was walking silently through the park. Domino stopped when she heard Silver laughing, and turned to find the source of the sound. She stared, wide-eyed and mouth agape, at the sight of Silver not only smiling but also laughing. She hadn't heard him laugh in…a very long time.
"Ahem," someone cleared his throat next to her, causing the Elite to jump slightly. "Enjoying the view a bit much, aren't we?"
"Mondo," Domino identified the brown-haired out of the corner of her eye. He was in civilian attire (White shirt, gray zip-up hoodie, and jeans), as was she (black shirt and black jeans). Mondo stood about six feet or so, was quite lean and lanky, with his brown hair cut short and spiky by his face. He appeared to be about 17, but Domino never really asked, nor did she even care. A crowd of passing girls giggled to themselves, obviously attracted, and he smiled flirtatiously, snapping his fingers to point at them and clicking his tongue.
"I oughta do this more often," he mused to himself with a grin. "Life as a Rocket's tough, particularly for us Grunts. Hell, I'm little more than a runner!"
"At least all you deal with when you mess up is Viper giving you push-ups or whatever," Domino scoffed, not taking her eyes off of Silver, who was continuing with training Fang. "Elites have to answer directly to Giovanni."
"Yes, but the Boss seems to favor you quite a bit."
"I have earned that respect through loyalty and competence, as well as a strong ability to lead and fight."
"Rrrright," Mondo sounded skeptical. "And the fact that you're currently engaged to his only son doesn't mean a thing to him."
Domino frowned, a feeling a guilt coming over her.
"That's not…" she started, but trailed off.
"Whatever," Mondo chuckled. "See you at dinner?" He waved, as he walked up towards Silver.
"Mondo?" Silver noticed him in surprise. "What?" He grabbed Fang. "This…this isn't…this isn't what it…looks…" Silver stammered, struggling to keep a hold on the fidgeting Tododile.
"Relax, Silver," Mondo reassured him. "I won't tell your father. I promise."
"The word of a Rocket loses its value before it's even uttered," Silver glared darkly at him, his voice low as an assassin's.
"Domino wasn't there when…when he killed…" Mondo cleared his throat. "But I was, remember?"
Silver paused. He did remember. In a turnabout way, the teen supposed he probably owed Mondo his life.
"I guess."
"I won't tell Giovanni. I promise," Mondo repeated.
Silver looked at him, uncertain.
"I remember how you reacted to the last friend you lost," Mondo couldn't look Silver in the eyes. "I remember the way you…lost it when she died. You must've truly loved her."
"I…" Silver trailed off. "I won't let anyone hurt Fang!" He challenged in a soft voice.
He can't have had that thing long, Mondo thought to himself, and he's already named it. Damn it, why does he go and dig such deep holes for himself?
"I promise, Silver," Mondo said a third time. "I'm your friend, too."
Silver simply stared at him.
"I don't want you to become your father, either," Mondo muttered, and walked away.
Silver watched, uncertain exactly what to think-or how to feel.
...
"Why did you run off like that?" Nyx asked Aura at dinner that night. They were less than a day's walk from Lavender Town. None of them were quite sure why they were able to make such good time. Perhaps fate was on their side.
Either way, Aura knew better than to look a gift Ponyta in the mouth.
"I don't particularly like Team Rocket," Aura muttered. "The idea of them following us…doesn't exactly have a favored place in my heart."
"What heart?" Ash chuckled, earning a glare from everyone in camp. "Just a joke…"
"Any specific reasons you hate them?" Misty asked, suddenly curious.
"Other than that they've destroyed my life?" Aura snarled. "No, no reason at all to hate the bastards."
"How did they destroy your life?" Misty asked. Ash reached out to stop her, but too late, and he grabbed her arm for no real reason, causing them both to blush.
"I haven't seen my mother since…I was a hatchling," Aura eventually admitted in barely a whisper.
"How old are you?" Misty asked.
Aura hesitated.
"How old are you?" The Lucario asked Ash in the calmest voice she had used with him since they met.
"Sixteen…and about a month." He estimated. "Why?"
"Then, I think I'm about the same, maybe a few months older," Aura was still her strange, still, calm mood. "At least, I think Azar said you were about my age."
"Hmm, and yet you matured like a human." Nyx mused.
"No," Aura shook her head. "I grew up within months."
"Why?"
"I had my…family to take care of."
No one could tell if she was telling the truth to any degree.
"Where did you live?" Ash asked.
"Hell."
Wait a minute…
"But, what do you care?" Aura frowned. "My life is my business, and it doesn't affect you. Leave me alone." And she leapt into a nearby tree, out of reach and sight of the humans without another word.
Ash grimaced.
"Darn."
"Patience, Ash," Nyx chuckled. "Empires are not conquered in a single battle, nor are they so liberated."
"Seriously," Ash teased. "Have you ever talked to someone that wasn't a Sage?"
"Have you ever actually read a book that was more than five pages long?" Nyx retorted instantly. Ash blinked in shock.
"I'm with him," Misty pointed at the Umbreon, chuckling.
"I read!" Ash snapped. "You just don't know when!"
"Or what…" Pikachu giggled to himself, trailing off on purpose.
Nyx twitched uncomfortably. Misty chortled and choked, trying to hold back an uncontrollable burst of laughter that she knew would turn to an unending fit of giggles. Ash stared at Pikachu, horrified. All three had come to the same conclusion.
"PIKACHU!" Ash breathed in shock. "I…you…that's not…"
Misty finally calmed down enough to find her voice.
"Has Ash been reading one of those romance novels all our mothers hide under their beds?" Misty teased, narrowing her eyes, grinning wickedly at her best friend.
"Th-that's not…!" Ash stammered. "I'm not reading…who would…I'd never…." He continued stammering. "If you…I'll…I'll…!"
"You'll what?" Nyx asked, smiling.
"We already know you can't finish a sentence," Misty nodded. "What are you going to threaten us with, then?" After a pause, she added. "You couldn't threaten a toddler!"
Ash felt challenged.
"I've threatened hardened adults!" He barked, taking a step towards her.
"I doubt that!" She exclaimed, taking a step towards him.
"Yeah, and they were those big shots from Team Galactic in Sinnoh!"
"Maybe a newbie who couldn't tell a stubborn kid from a tough man!"
"Are you saying I'm not a man?"
"I'm certainly not claiming you as a woman!"
"What the-?" Ash started.
"All righty, then, you two," Nyx yawned suddenly. "I'm going to bed. Be sure to keep your little love spat down so I can sleep, 'kay?"
Pikachu chuckled.
"Love spat?" Ash scoffed, looked at the electric mouse, annoyed. He glanced at Misty again, and lost all annoyance. Not to mention, he lost all other emotions besides a bit of shock…and a little wonder.
He hadn't noticed that, during their stare-down, they had come…quite close to one another, their noses almost touching. They were close enough to….
Ash quickly backed away, turning to hide his reddening face.
In her tree, Aura shook her head, and turned away, closing her eyes to sleep.
...
Jerzy was about sick of this.
Only they could seek him out. Granted, his years since leaving their Order gave him the knowledge, experience and self-training gave him the ability to sense them in time to avoid being seen.
But, that wasn't the point.
It was the Order that had donned him in his mask and cloak. Perhaps part of him missed the simple life they had offered, and given, him for over five years. Perhaps that was why he never ditched his attire.
Or maybe, the change was simply not a high priority in his mind.
And, still, here he was, hiding in a Noctowl's nest, praying it didn't come home anytime soon. He allowed himself a peek out down into the forest.
A small, cloaked figure was wandering about. He couldn't tell its species from his height. Jerzy went back into the tree hollow. He grimaced, almost pouting, and crossed his front paws.
There is no way this could get worse…
...
There is no way in hell that this could get worse…
Aura was extremely pissed off.
There were three things she hated in her world: humans in general, Ash Ketchum in particular, and Team Rocket with a passion.
And today had already had the first in abundance, the second would be unavoidable for a while now, and the third….
She could only pray.
"Whadaya think?"
Misty had come out of the store's dressing room. Aura glanced at her briefly, appearing to be uninterested. The teenager was wearing a yellow, zip-up hoodie over a dark blue T-shirt. The jean shorts she was trying on were a little longer than the ones she was used to wearing, coming to just about two inches above her knees. Her tennis shoes were a clean, brand-new white, and her hair was pulled back in her trademark side ponytail.
"Take the ponytail down," Aura said in a monotone voice, not looking her in the eye. The words were hardly out of the Lucario's mouth, when she turned and walked straight out into the mall. Misty grinned to herself, understanding exactly what Aura had truly meant, and took the ponytail down.
Nyx, on the other hand, was down in the other end of the mall, at a guys' clothing store, waiting with Pikachu as Ash finished his purchases. He was now donning new attire: black T-shirt under a black and electric blue jacket, and full-length blue jeans. His new shoes were a dark black, with electric blue markings on them. He reached into his new, black-and-green pack and took out the one thing that wasn't new. In fact, it seemed…so old to him now. It was the same hat that he had worn when he first started out on his journey. He smiled, lost in memory for just a moment, before placing it on his head.
"Oh, no, you don't!" A voice barked out.
Before Ash could react the Lucario had snatched the hat clean off of his head.
"What the hell?" Ash tried to grab it back. "Aura!"
"No!" She said in a harsh whisper, ignoring a concerned parent shuffling their kid along quickly nearby. "No kinds of identifying traits from our pasts! None!"
"So that's why you ditched your cloak thing for that jacket?" Ash asked.
Indeed, Aura was no longer wearing her old cloak-Misty was keeping it in her pack for her…somehow-but a black leather jacket. She still wore the slightly bloodstained pearl necklace, however. Ash narrowed his eyes at it.
Was it just him or did….
"Misty!" Nyx grinned, as the Water Trainer caught up to them.
"Pikachupi!" Pikachu echoed in a similar tone.
"So, why are we doing this?" Ash asked Aura.
"Besides the fact that we always have a new traveling outfit for every new journey you start nowadays?" Misty said just within Ash's hearing range. He wasn't sure whether to chuckle or grimace.
Aura didn't speak.
"Aura?" Misty nudged her gently.
"The last thing we need is Team Rocket identifying us. And, if they are already tailing us, this might throw them off for just a bit. I mean, the bastards are annoying as hell and…"
SSSSSSCHMMMMMSSSSSSS! The sound of shattering glass announced the arrival of the most ironic trio possible.
"And, God loves to mock me," Aura snarled in a low voice.
"Pi-Pikachu!" Pikachu echoed her tone.
"Haha!" One of them, a man of his early or mid-twenties with short-cut purple-ish blue hair, laughed as the Rocket trio jumped in through the large, shattered window.
"Team Rocket!" Ash and Misty barked in unison.
"Well, they don't look threatening," Nyx observed.
"Yeah, well, they're more annoying than anything, usually," Ash shrugged.
"The man is James, and the woman with the long red hair is Jessie," Misty filled the Umbreon in. "They also have a…."
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAARGH!" Aura bellowed as she charged them.
"Prepare for-!"
"Oh, shut up!" Aura skidded to a halt right in front of them. "No one cares!"
"Such an attitude…" Jessie sighed. "Kids these days…."
"Even the Pokémon don't respect the real baddies anymore," James nodded in agreement, causing the Lucario to grimace in annoyance.
"Uh, Jimmy," Meowth gasped. "Does she look familiar to you?"
"You can call me Death," Aura snarled. "Cause you'll be meeting him soon…in Hell!" And she took a swipe with her right paw spike.
"She's always thinking with her spikes," Pikachu muttered, shaking his head.
"You wanna fight, little punk?" Jessie snarled. "Well, you better…prepare for trouble!"
Aura rolled her eyes.
"And, make it double!" James chimed in.
"So typical," the Lucario growled.
"To protect the world from devastation!"
"To unite all peoples within our nation!"
"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"
"To extend our reach to the stars above!"
"I'm gonna have to listen to this whole freaking thing, aren't I?" Aura interrupted.
"Jessie!"
"James!"
"That's a yes."
"Team Rocket blast off at the speed of light!"
"Surrender now or prepare to fight!"
"Oh, you can count on-!"
"That's right!" Meowth meowed from behind the Lucario.
"Stay out of this, you collar-licking, leash-wearing traitor!" Aura spun around with a roundhouse kick, hitting the cat Pokémon right in the gut.
"Oof!"
"I have a message for you underlings to take straight to Giovanni!" Aura roared. "The Shadow Beast of the Mountain has sworn to protect the Chosen One. Any who cross my path won't be doing it again."
"Shadow Beast?" James repeated.
"Ah, who cares about the twerp?" Jessie didn't catch the hint. "We just want the Pikachu."
"Why?" Aura narrowed her eyes.
"It's special," James grinned greedily. "Has a huge power potential. Boss wants this one in particular."
Aura glanced back at the electric mouse by the hesitating teens.
"I knew it!" She breathed.
"Knew what?" Jessie blinked.
"Have we met?" James asked, almost innocently, leaning towards the Lucario, not seeing the danger he'd just put himself in.
"Hmm," Aura feigned deep thought, then kicked straight up, getting James on the underside of his jaw, knocking him back and onto the ground with a thump! "I may have kicked your ass before. I can't remember. And frankly, I don't care. Because I'm going to today!"
"Looks like the twerp finally made a friend who's not afraid to get their hands dirty," Jessie mused. She selected a Pokéball from her belt.
"Back off!" She snarled. "I've got dibs on the…twerp, as you put it. That includes putting him through any kind of suffering."
"You'd have every opportunity if you joined us," Jessie's mind started working overtime. "Whadaya say?"
A bomb went off within Aura.
"NEVER!" She roared. "I'd rather die!"
"Go! Seviper!"
"Seeeeviper!" The Rocket's snake Pokémon hissed in challenge.
"Poison?" Aura scoffed. "How typical."
"Poison Tail!"
Aura leapt in a back flip, avoiding the attack just in time.
"Again!"
Aura rolled to the side, but got a slight scrape on her right upper arm.
"Ngh!" She moaned from the burning poison entering the wound.
"Sealeo!" Misty shouted, sending out the Ice Pokémon. "Aurora Beam!"
The beam shot out, grazing Aura's wound, and hit the Seviper right in the eyes.
"Viiii!" The Seviper hissed in confusion as ice blotted out its eyesight-if only temporarily.
Aura tapped the frosty fur on her right arm.
"Did you do that on purpose?"
No, actually.
"Yeah, did it work?"
"It seems to have numbed it enough that I can use my arm." For now, Aura added to herself. She paused. "Thanks," she said in a soft voice.
"C'mon, Pikachu, let's…" Ash started to urge his friend.
"No, Ash," Nyx cut him off. Then, in a voice that only he could hear, he went on. "Let Misty and Aura work together on this."
"Huh?"
"Trust me," the Shiny Umbreon muttered. "I have a theory…."
"Alright, then…"
"Seviper!" Jessie yelled.
"No, you don't!" Aura kicked up. Just like with James, she hit the snake's lower jaw, sending it flying right into its trainer, causing them both to fall out of the window.
It was at about this time that James himself recovered from Aura's earlier attack.
"Jessie!" He yelled out in concern for his partner. "Go! Carnivine!"
However, instead of attacking, the plant Pokémon secured his trainer in an inescapable hug.
"No! No, no, no!" James shrieked. "Attack them!"
"VINE!" The Carnivine simply cheered, hugging tighter.
"Go!" James struggled to get his other Pokéball out.
"Mime!" A Mime Jr. appeared in a jolt of red light.
"You've gotta be kidding me," Aura chuckled.
"Go! Feebas!" Misty yelled, as she recalled her Sealeo.
"Feeee!" The strange, yellow fish Pokémon yelled a battle cry.
"I know that Mime Jr. isn't exactly a challenge, but seriously?" Aura shook her head. "A Magikarp look-alike?"
"Feebas is a very special Pokémon I'm training to use in my Gym," Misty explained.
"Special?" Ash asked. "Where'd you get it?"
"…A friend," Misty hesitated.
"Irrelevant!" Aura barked. "Let's get on with it!" She charged the Mime Jr. She chased it about the abandoned mall area, with it running about in fear.
"Water Pulse!" Misty shouted.
The Mime Jr. jumped just in time, putting Aura between it and Misty's Feebas, causing her attack to hit only the Lucario, soaking her pelt instantly.
"Thanks," she muttered bitterly.
"Sorry!" Misty shouted.
James ran right up towards the two Pokémon, simply concerned for the Mime Jr.'s health. However, Aura still moved slightly, preparing to attack.
"Ice Beam!" Misty acted faster.
"Huh?" James looked just in time to see the attack hit his lower body, freezing his legs to the floor.
"I had it handled!" Aura frowned.
"You're welcome!" Misty chuckled.
"Now to end it!"
"Watch out!" Misty's cry caught Aura off guard. "DRAGONBREATH!"
A powerful, greenish beam shot out of the Feebas's mouth, hitting both James and Mime Jr., sending them flying out the window, where Jessie had gone earlier.
"Not a Magikarp!" Aura breathed, almost grinning. "Nice."
"I think…I'll just go…" Meowth tried to walk away.
"Oh, no, you don't!" She ran back to her pack-which was with Misty-and took out a baseball bat she'd packed when they'd first left. She started to charge the Meowth, gaining speed and closing the gap fast. "And here's the windup…and the pitch!" When she'd caught up, she swung the bat with all her might, getting the cat Pokémon right across the back, sending him blasting off through the window, much further and faster than either of his two human partners. "Home run," Aura gave a half-smile, staring out the window.
"You cracked that thing in half!" Nyx gasped in shock.
Aura glanced at the bat in her right paw. About half of it was hanging, attached only by a few splinters. She had never heard the cracking noise but…there was her proof.
"Meowth will be feeling that tomorrow," Ash chuckled nervously.
"I think he's feeling it now," Aura gave him an almost evil grin. "I can guarantee that he won't be laying down for a few weeks. That should keep those creeps away for a while."
"Oh, my," Nyx staggered, and fell to the ground, passed out.
...
"What now?" Professor Oak was surprised.
"I said," Ash repeated himself, "they fought them off with only three attacks!"
"They?" Oak caught a change. "You told me that Misty and her new Feebas were the only attackers."
"Uh," Ash stammered, caught in the lie. He glanced back at his friends.
They were in a Pokémon Center, with Ash on the videophone. Nurse Joy was trying to bandage Aura's arm, but the still semi-feral Lucario kept swiping at her, refusing to let a human touch her.
"Come on, now," the good Nurse tried to soothe her and calm her down. "Just relax, it won't hurt a bit."
"Don't touch me!" Aura stepped back, taking another swipe with her left paw. She was too smart to use her right: the Nurse could grab it, and force her to accept treatment.
"I have to clean and dress that!" the Nurse exasperated. "It could get infected, or the poison could still spread or…."
"No." Aura said in a firm voice. "No one heals my wounds but me." The Nurse took yet another step. "And no human will touch me!" Aura snarled.
"You said feral?" the Nurse asked Misty.
"Just about."
"Abandoned?"
"Not sure. And she's not talking."
"Damn straight," Aura frowned. "Get away!"
"Aura, why don't you let me fix your jacket?" Misty changed the subject. "There's a rip there, in the sleeve."
Taken aback in the sudden twist in tactics, Aura slid out of her leather jacket, and wordlessly handed it to the Water Trainer.
"Well, heh," Ash chuckled nervously. "Let's just say that we had some help, but not any other…attacks…per se."
"I see," Oak mused.
"Aura, I owe you my life," Misty said calmly, showing no signs of hostility, or advancement towards the Lucario. "Let me start to repay you, in this small way; let me heal your wound."
Aura frowned in a mix of confusion and what appeared to be sadness. She sighed and looked away, but neither spoke nor moved. Misty cautiously took a step. Aura didn't react, and she didn't even seem to notice. Misty hesitated, before gently grasping Aura's right arm. Aura's eyes moved, gazing at the trainer, watching, but other than that, she made no move towards the teen. Misty took the wet cloth from Nurse Joy.
"It appears that Misty has tamed that feisty Lucario," Oak smiled, noticing what had been going on in the background.
"Hmm?" Ash turned slightly from the screen to see what Oak was talking about. His eyes went wide in shock and fear.
Misty gently placed the cloth on the open wound. It stung somewhat, and Aura hissed in a sudden inhale, and started to pull her arm away instinctively.
To Ash, however, the act appeared to be more aggressive than simply out of pain.
"Misty!" Ash ran over to her side, startling Aura.
The spell-like trance that had been keeping the Lucario calm had broken. Aura pulled her arm out of Misty's grasp.
Human! She thought, anger building. He's going to attack me. This one wants to help me, and he wants me dead? Aura felt confusion, misunderstanding the circumstances entirely. Feeling threatened, Aura turned sharply and ran out the automatic door of the Center, and out of sight.
"Good going, Ash," Misty grimaced. "I almost had it."
"She looked like…." Ash started to defend his actions.
"She's not going to kill either of us, Ash," Misty snapped. "She's actually more afraid of us. We have to be patient, and trust her." Misty started to head out the door. "I'll be back." And she was gone, chasing after the Lucario.
"Misty," Ash breathed to himself, concerned for his best friend.
"She's right, you know," Nyx grinned, as usual.
"So, what's going on?" Oak's voice reminded Ash that he was still on the phone.
"We have some new…traveling partners. One of them is a Lucario without a trainer. She's…a little…testy."
"Testy?" Oak hinted towards an explanation.
"She's mistrusting, and aggressive. She's kinda like an injured predator, you know? Snaps at everything, just to protect its pride?" For some reason, the last part came out like a question.
"Sound to me like she's been betrayed, and doesn't want it to happen again. I saw how she reacted with Misty before you stepped in. She seems…"
"Distancing?" Nyx supplied.
"Sure," Oak smiled, then blinked as sight of a Shiny Umbreon registered in his mind.
"I've been working on a theory for her past," Nyx continued, not noticing. "Either she was abandoned by a trainer, or she ran away from an abusive mate. That's what I've got so far."
"Or, maybe her parents got sick of her and chased her off," Ash muttered to himself. That Lucario has caused a new tension between Misty and me. I don't like it.
"Is this Umbreon…talking to me?" Oak finally found his voice. "And, it has blue markings, instead of yellow!"
"Why, yes!" Nyx grinned even more profoundly. "I am a Shiny, thank you."
"What?" A new voice came from Oak's. "Gramps, did you say 'Shiny?' What Shine…?" And a very surprised Gary Oak appeared right beside his grandfather. "Is that a Shiny Umbreon? Ash, I didn't know you even had an Eevee!"
"He's not…" Ash started.
"I don't have a trainer," Nyx said calmly. "I follow Ash and the others out of free will. I am Nyx, apprentice and aid to the Night Sage."
"The Night Sage?" Gary asked, causing Nyx to tense. "What…who's the Night Sage?"
"Uh…someone I didn't just tell you about…" Nyx hesitated. "It's…a secret…and… er…." Oh, my mother would kill me…. Nyx was very happy-as he felt his face's temperature rise-that Umbreon couldn't really blush. At least, not very visibly.
"Well, in any case, it's a pleasure to meet you, Nyx," Oak smiled.
Gary stared.
"I'm Professor Oak, and this is Gary, my grandson."
Gary turned and ran, gone just as quickly as he had appeared.
"What's his problem?" Ash asked.
"He's been acting like this for a while now," Oak shrugged. "About a few weeks ago, he started running off at the strangest times. He also locks himself in his room or in the library for hours on end."
"Well, there's plenty of reasons he could have for doing that," Ash chuckled darkly.
"He also seems to be upset with me," Oak said quietly. "I don't know why, but he seems very short-tempered whenever he's around me. Do you think this could have anything to do with his sister?"
"Well, I know I haven't seen or heard from her since we were little, but…"
"Sasha came home last week."
"Really?" Ash was taken aback.
"She's been spending a lot of time at your mom's."
Ash didn't doubt that; his mom had helped her a lot when the Oaks-the Professor's son and daughter-in-law, that is-died in some horrible car crash somewhere between Pallet and Viridian.
"Didn't you have a crush on her when you were little?" Oak smiled.
"I was so immature then," Ash tried to weasel his way out of it.
"As opposed to now?" Pikachu grinned.
"Funny," Ash muttered bitterly.
"I thought I should warn you," Oak grinned. "You know the crazy ideas those two get."
"Huh," Ash scoffed. "My mom's ideas have a way of getting me in trouble," Ash smiled slightly.
There was a brief silence.
"Have I ever told you how much you remind me of your father?" Oak asked.
"M-my father? You knew him?"
"Gyles was always getting himself into trouble, true, but put him and your mother together when they were about your age, and…" Oak trailed off chuckling. "She'd get him into the worst dilemmas…but I guess they always worked together to get through it. They were quite a pair."
"What were they like…before…uh…" Ash trailed off.
"Before they became a couple?" Oak asked. "I don't have much memory of that; most of their friendship beforehand happened away from Pallet. Though I do remember Gyles went against his mother's wishes to come to here to visit her…and to take my classes, of course."
"Grandmother didn't like…Mom?" This was the first Ash had heard of it.
"Delia certainly never got along with her mother-in-law," Oak said gravely. "That is one thing I can guarantee you."
"So, you don't really know much about them, do you?" Ash realized that, though he knew a little bit about his father, the late Gyles Ketchum was pretty much a stranger, apart from siring him.
"I only really became his friend for a year before your mother and him became…a…shall I say…item. And, after that, he was mostly your mother's boyfriend-and later, husband-to me."
Ash couldn't decide how truthful Oak was being.
"From, what I do know…I would have to compare their pre-romantic relationship with…"
"With…?" Ash urged.
"Now, Ash," Oak hesitated. "It's only my opinion. I don't want to offend you…"
"S'okay," Ash muttered, wishing the old man would stop beating about the bush already.
"I would have to compare to the friendship I see between…you and…Misty."
Ash grimaced, but for some strange reason, he couldn't find his voice to retort.
...
"What do you want?" Aura snarled. "Go away."
"He didn't know," Misty slowly took a step towards Aura. "He misunderstood. He didn't mean to scare-or hurt-you."
Misty had found Aura sulking in an alleyway. The Lucario was sitting on a crate, which appeared to be long abandoned.
"Aura…"
"Did I ever tell you what happened, many years ago, right here in Lavender Town?"
Misty sat down on a small crate, a few feet across from where Aura was. Aura didn't move her gaze from the concrete floor below her.
"Years ago, before we were born, there was a beautiful sanctuary, known as the Lavender Valley, where the namesake plant's fragrance created a perfect mellow mood for its inhabitants. Many Pokémon lived in the Valley, with a small village of less than ten people on the Valley's edge. These villagers lived in peace with the Pokémon, and they helped each other, so that they were each dependant only upon each other, with no travel or trade to other towns or to cities. These people lived in peace, under the guidance of a wise elder, and under the strength of their only warrior, a youthful male.
"When the warrior was somewhere between sixteen and nineteen, evil had come to the Valley. A teenage gangster from a distant city came, with her ragtag horde of villains, humans and their enslaved Pokémon. She saw the Valley, not as the paradise it was, but as a possible home for her…tribe." Aura searched for a word that wouldn't insult Misty. "She led an attack on the Valley within hours of sighting it. Dozens were killed in mere minutes, and the western side of the Valley was ablaze. They had had no warning.
"But the Valley wasn't going to be wiped out without a fight." Aura looked up, gazing Misty in the eye, her voice dripping with anger and passion. "The warrior, on the back of his gallant Rapidash, led the charge to fight the villains back. The Valley burned from the enemies fire…and the flame of the peaceful Charmander, Growlithe, and Vulpix that lived in the Valley like their ancestors had done for thousands of years. Poison filled the air, and the warrior knew…even if they won the battle, the war, the Valley was lost. In the end, they managed to finally chase off the villains, whose supplies had run out. Yet, hundreds of Pokémon lives were lost, including the warrior's Rapidash. And, on that day, the warrior declared that the town would build a tower to house the graves of all those who had died to keep evil off their lands."
"The Tower on the edge of Lavender Town?" Misty gasped.
"The same," Aura nodded. "The Valley had been scorched beyond…recognition. Those Pokémon that had survived fled from it, minus a very small few. And, within a year, more peaceful-and more powerful-humans came. Thus began the construction of a new Town, which would be named Lavender after the legend whispered amongst the locals. And so, we stand on hallowed ground…and these people know nothing of it…of the lives lost here, so long ago." Aura looked up to the sky. "Some say that the warrior still lives in secret, here in Lavender, and hangs his head in shame every day, shame that those deaths were, in essence, in vain."
"This town should have never been built," Misty muttered.
"In this, we are in agreement," Aura looked at her. "Humans only bring destruction when they seek supremacy. I no longer believe that our two kinds can live in true peace, ever again."
"Aura," Misty started.
"Our peoples will never be friends again," Aura frowned sadly. "That alliance died a long time ago."
"We can be friends," Misty reached out, and grabbed her arm. "Let me finish healing you."
Her anger all spent, Aura didn't move, nor protest, as Misty cleaned the wound and promptly wrapped a white, cloth bandage around it.
...
Misty sat on the top bunk of the bed, sewing the ripped leather back together with extreme caution. Aura sat on a chair near the window, glancing back and forth from the moon, and Misty's sewing. The Lucario felt…something strange. There wasn't as much hostility in her mood at the moment. She didn't mind-quite so much-that the human would occasionally say something to her. In fact, she found herself answering, and keeping a slight conversation going. She rubbed her arm, just below the white bandage that had been wrapped around and tied off. She wondered when she could take it off permanently.
"Maybe a week," Misty shrugged. "You can ask Nurse Joy in the morning."
Aura frowned.
"You can trust Nurse Joy," Misty fought back a chuckle. "She makes her living helping Pokémon. She's not going to hurt you."
"Mmm," Aura shook her head.
"Trust us," Misty pleaded.
"If there is one thing I have learned in my sixteen years," Aura muttered darkly, "it is that trusting a human leads only to pain, suffering, and-ultimately-death."
"Do you trust me?" Misty asked softly.
Aura glared out at the moon. She stole a brief glance at Nyx, who was sleeping soundlessly under the bottom bunk, his entire pelt radiating a soft blue light, like some sort of nightlight.
"For now," Aura eventually muttered.
And, in his bottom bunk, Ash snored on, unaware of the conversation, lost in his dreams.
A/N: Holy, crap. That took forever. And the Team Rocket fight still feels funny to me. I dunno, tell me what you think. I also just had to throw the motto in there. I still think it's funny as hell. And, yes, this chapter was meant to focus on Aura, and her relationship with Misty (though I couldn't resist a little shedding of light on Ash's father). Don't worry, I'll be getting to the next Element shortly here. As for Silver and Fang…let's just say I don't have plans to evolve the little terror. So drop those notions now. Less disappointment later. As for who gave Misty her Feebas…that's going to be revealed later…at a far more…eventful point. *Evil grin*