A/N: Welcome to the first official chapter of Tales of a Rising Master! It should set things up for what's to come. I hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon, but I do own this story idea. Pokemon is the property of Nintendo!
The first step toward change is awareness. The second step is acceptance.- Nathaniel Branden
Chapter 1: Setting Expectations
The Tree of Beginning, a mystical place full of wonder and secrets, was also the place full of misery and despair. At least, it was going to be a place of misery. Ash Ketchum realized this immediately upon arriving to the site. The first time he was here, he had needed to find Pikachu after an infamous legendary kidnapped him. That adventure was already a doozy. Why is he here now? To train his body, mind and Pokémon, of course.
Ash loved to train with himself and his Pokémon. That was his life.
Ash was now standing outside of his new house with Serena, Aurora and his two grandparents. The house was must more rustic and natural looking than both his old home and his father's old ranch. There were several berry trees surrounding the place with a narrow path leading to the door. The house looked like it was made completely of some sort of refined wood. It looked like it was recently renovated just for him.
Ash noticed small little Pokémon passing through the berry trees. They seemed like they belonged here. The house screamed nature. It made sense considering the type of mother he had. She was nomadic in nature and relied on natural materials for medicine and food. The odd thing about this was that as a Champion, she made a lot of money so she didn't need to do that. She chose to have a humbler lifestyle.
"So, young one, who are you planning on heading to first? Larvitar or Lucario?" Aurora asked.
Aurora had a moon shaped bang with long spiky black that went down to her knees. She recently put her hair back into a long braid, though. She had a large blue bow with a mega evaluation insignia on the back of her head. Her yellow eyes were very amicable, but make her mad or annoyed and they would send shivers down anyone's spine. She wore black linen pants and a blue short sleeved shirt with a 'z' on it. She also had a black hooded cloak draped around herself, too. She seemed so excited for him.
Ash sighed to himself. He never imagined his life would change so much after finishing the Kalos league and returning to Kanto. So much had happened in the past two weeks he could barely believe it. His previous life was a lie, but he hoped that he could change this life into truth.
At his side was his girlfriend, Serena Paschall. Ash's mother decided it was OK for Serena to stay with them as Ash trained. Aurora wanted to also make Serena as comfortable as possible while living in her home. The only caveat was that Ash and Serena stayed in separate rooms. Ash's mom knew how much they cared for one another, but felt like they shouldn't be in the same room in fear of the future if something happened between them. The thought of it made her head hurt.
Things had changed for Serena almost as much as they did for Ash. Being told that she was the last remaining psychic guardian hybrid because of some prophecy that made psychics and guardians hesitant to mingle was a lot to take in. Also being told that her own mother was suppressing her powers and hiding people that knew her fondly also stung. However, the honey blond decided to focus on the positive. And that was Ash.
Ash put a finger on his chin. He didn't really think about it too much. Then, he snapped his fingers and said, "I'll head to Sinnoh first to get Lucario since she knows to expect me soon. I also know where she is. Then, I'll try finding Larvitar as I'm heading back here."
The yellow eyed lady chucked. Aurora answered, "That's understandable. I suggest you only bring your guardian partners with you on your mini journey. It makes the rekindling that much more special and something cool may happen if you do."
"I already had that planned. I have only my partners with me, but what is this reward?" Ash asked, now curious.
"Haha… I'm not going to ruin that surprise for you. Go and see for yourself. While you're out finding your partners, I need to head back to Hokori for a few days." Aurora told him.
"Aww… how come?" Ash was very disappointed. He really liked seeing his mother, so it felt odd to suddenly not see her when he came back home.
"I'm still Champion, so there are a lot of duties I need to fill. I also need to check in on the people and accept any challengers who want to beat me for my title. I've been focusing my time on you for about a month from gathering the badges needed to enter the Kalos League to training you now. Now that I see that you're stable, I need to normalize things again." Aurora explained.
"Does this mean I won't see you as much now?" Ash asked.
"I need to touch base with a few people, but once I do, I will come back and I will teach you more. I may need to leave weeks at a time to fulfil my Champion duties, but in my absence, my parents or some of my friends can help train you. I will always let you know beforehand, though. I'm so sorry to do this, young one, but…" Aurora looked of to her side, somewhat sad, but Ash interrupted her.
"I understand. You're trying to help a large and dysfunctional region remain stable. You want the best for Hokori." Ash's eyes turned red for a moment before turning back to brown. Ash's eyes turning red signaled his counterbalance, Ashton, saying a response. Ashton was much more reserved than Ash, so he preferred not coming out often. Still, he wanted to make sure he recognized her reasons leaving for a few days, so he come out temporarily.
"Exactly. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you with all my heart." Aurora kissed Ash on top of his forehead. Ash cringed slightly at the contact, but openly embraced it. He nodded his head in determination. Aurora smiled at his resolve.
"I love you, too, Mom." Ash brought out a large lizard-like Pokémon with a flaming tail. Aurora did the same. Ash's and Aurora's Charizards were both larger than normal Charizards, but Aurora's Charizard was much larger than Ash's. She also had red sharp eyes and a stance that radiated power and experience. Ash's Charizard also looked significantly younger.
"The best way to reach Lucario is to go the way Mew showed you in your dream. You would need to head to the caves in the Tree of Beginning until you sense a wall with energy similar to a Lucario and walk through it. Your body would turn into aura and rematerialize you near the Lucario Kingdom. That's much easier than flying there, but… I know you'd rather have a journey-like feel instead of using aura hotspots." Aurora said with a bit of a laugh.
"You're right. Even though it would take longer, I want to fly to Sinnoh instead. I want to test out Charizard's stamina. You can do it, right, buddy?" Ash turned to his fire typed started.
"(Heck yeah, I can!)" Charizard blew out a few flames in the air to prove his point. Aurora's Charizard rolled her eyes in response. Ash and Aurora could understand Pokémon naturally as guardians, but Serena had a harder time. Ash translated for her. The honey blond nodded. Aurora put a finger on her chin as she got an idea.
"You know, I could fly with you until you reach the Lucario Kingdom. However, I would need to turn back southeast since Hokori is a little southeast from here. I would reach Hokori a little later than I wanted to but that's alright with me." Aurora offered.
"Wow, really? Mom, you don't have to do that. Wouldn't that strain Chari?" Ash said in slight concern. Truth be told, he was very excited that Aurora could join him, but did not want her to feel obligated or forced into it. Going to Sinnoh and then Hokori seemed out of the way for her.
"Not at all, young master." Chari chuckled at the teen's naivety. As Chari was a master guardian's partner, her mistress enabled her to speak normally to humans passively. Only when Aurora was unconscious was when Chari spoke normally to humans. Despite that, she has mastered the art of telepathy in case her trainer wasn't present. Unfortunately for her, telepathy strains her, so she didn't like to use it. All of Aurora's Pokémon was like that.
"See? Chari's alright with it. I'm alright with it. So… we'll accompany you until you meet Sensei the Lucario again." Aurora said excitedly. Ash blinked his eyes.
"Wait… Sensei is his actual name? I thought the other Lucario was just calling him that out of respect." Ash pointed out.
"Yeah. The old man or Lucario or whatever you want to describe him as is named Sensei. It's weird, but it's not like Mew is good with naming things." Aurora shrugged and cringed upon thinking about her actual name.
"Fair enough, I guess." Ash replied.
"Are you ready to head out, young one? Chari and I can fly anytime." Aurora was about to jump on her Charizard, but Serena stopped her but grabbing her hand and pulling her slightly. Aurora was slightly caught off guard, but decided to give the teen all of her attention. Gordo and Alice narrowed their eyes at the honey blond teen. Serena had a shiver down her spine and moved to be behind Aurora defensively.
Aurora narrowed her eyes back at her parents. She looked at them disapprovingly. She remarked, "Stop giving her nasty looks like that. She is our guest, psychic guardian or not. You two are acting foolish over that one fact and I don't want you near her while I'm gone."
"Auroralia Ketchum, you will not speak to us like that." Gordo sneered. Aurora looked affronted and hissed at her father. Ash noticed her aura level rising and he could feel her irritation.
"Dad, I don't care about that if I see you're doing something wrong. You've been giving Serena dirty looks and have been saying hurtful things to her for the last two weeks. I will not accept it. I want her to be in an open and comfortable environment." Aurora said.
"Aurora, you just don't understand the implication of having a hybrid spawn here." Gordo looked at Serena with disgust. He snarled, "She could be the reason the world goes into ruin… I wouldn't be surprised if she defected from us."
"I understand the implication perfectly, but that doesn't give you the right to treat her as if she's lesser than you. Serena has proven time and time again that she's loyal to Ash. She even helped to heal me when I was unconscious. I owe her my life and I don't have anything bad to say about her. She's a very sweet and poised girl." Aurora defended.
"I'm surprised you're talking so highly about someone like her, Aurora. You weren't raised to be like this." Gordo pointed out. Aurora crossed her arms.
"I have a different perception because other people showed me a more open approach about life. Meema showed me that I should be open to people and that I should never blind myself in delusion. Judge a person on their merit, not on what they are. Your negative thoughts are making you delusional in this young girl because of her heritage. I won't accept that. I say this again. I want you to be far away from Serena while I'm gone." Aurora said with a deadly tone.
"Aurora…" Alice tried to soothe her, but at this point, Aurora's hands were burning with fire in warning. Her parents stepped back in alarm. Serena was touched to see Aurora defend her like this. So was Ash. Ash felt happy she was this supportive of their relationship. He kind of felt like a little Teddiursa being protected by his angry mama Ursaring.
"I mean it. I'm serious about Serena learning from me and I want her comfortable. Stay away from her." Aurora growled in a deadly tone.
"…" Neither parent could reply. They still couldn't believe they were seeing Aurora defend a hybrid so adamantly. They wondered where they went wrong. When they took a step closer, Aurora brought out her arm to block Ash and Serena.
"Stay away!" Aurora screeched.
"We heard you loud and clear." Gordo frowned and raised his hands up defensively. He figured if Aurora was this adamant about teaching Serena, he would respect it, but he sure didn't have to like it.
"Good. I expect Serena to be well when I return. If you try anything, I will not hesitate to make you both leave…" Aurora growled.
"You really don't trust us?" Gordo said, slightly offended. Aurora narrowed her eyes.
"I do trust you… just not with anything relating to psychics. Like it or not, Serena makes Ash happy. I don't want you to push her away... like you may have done in the past to another psychic I know…" Aurora responded.
"…?" Gordo was confused by the phrasing in his daughter's last part. Aurora sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Hmm… actually, I could help you with this, Aurora." A third voice entered herself into the conversation. A pink cat-like fetus Pokémon appeared right before them.
"Mew?" Aurora blinked her eyes in surprise. Mew rested herself on top of Aurora's head and made a slightly subdued yawn. She knew Mew herself had been busy recently, too. She put more energy into fortifying the Tree since Ash started living there. Gordo was able to take a much-needed break. Aurora looked up with a small smile. She sometimes forgot how cute her patron could be to her.
"Hello dear. I trust you and Ash have started to develop a stable dynamic now that you're together again?" The legendary inquired.
"Yes, but I need to head back to Hokori to resume Champion duties. I'm happy I can be flexible and focus weeks at a time on Ash, but I hate that I need to leave him to maintain the status quo in my region. If the region wasn't a mess, I would revoke my title to someone else." Aurora said with a hint of sadness.
"I understand, Aurora. You've done a lot this last month toward your family life. I think this leave is much needed. I will act in your stead and make sure Serena is comfortable to a point." Mew told her. Aurora didn't like that last part, but noticed Mew's interest in Serena. Aurora felt that was strange. She knew the pixie may want to help her with something, though what she wasn't sure. Aurora only hoped Serena would be alright afterwards. Mew never liked to make things simple for anyone.
"You don't know me well enough to do this. What's your angle?" Serena questioned. She was naturally suspicious of Mew considering what she put Ash and Aurora through in the last month. She was also curious about why she suddenly had an interest in protecting Serena from Aurora's parents.
"I want to know you should you end up with Ash like I have with all potential mates in the past. I would have expected more humans to be open minded like myself. I am vehemently against the separationist belief my counterbalance has spread to humans earlier in history. The pessimism and revulsion that stems from such a juvenile idea sickens me." Mew shook her head. Ash looked at her dumbfounded while Serena looked at her in shock. They both knew that she was speaking in a much more serious tone than usual.
"My lady…" Gordo didn't know his mindset came from Arceus. He shook his head. He wanted to follow Mew's idea as she was the Pokémon he worshiped.
"Gordon, I adore you, but I do agree with Aurora. While she's gone, please observe Serena on her actions and judge her for yourself. View her with an open lens and you may be enlightened." Mew advised.
"I'll… try. I want to see if she's really different from other psychic scumbags. Serena either tricked Aurora incredibly well or the girl is a good kid." Gordo's gaze wandered to Serena and she inwardly gulped. Gordo had an intimidating stature and matching striking yellow eyes to boot. His muscular arms seemed to be pulsing slightly. Serena forced herself not to quiver. She instead glared at Gordo back. Gordo smirked and chuckled, "We'll see how you shape up in my daughter's absence, kid."
"N-noted, sir." Serena covered her month when she shuddered slightly. Gordo laughed a little more.
"Ah… I knew you were a little afraid when I glared at you. It's hard not to feel intimidated by the Ketchum glare." Gordo shrugged.
"The Ketchum glare?" Serena repeated, slightly confused.
"We all have a look that can scare the living daylights out of someone who isn't prepared. It's more potent on someone like Ash who usually doesn't show signs of annoyance. You have a good poker face. I'll give you that." Gordo explained and acknowledged. Aurora found herself trying to hide a smile. He wasn't speaking to her as gruffly and she could hear hints of respect in his tone. She hoped he would find more respect for her while she was gone.
Knowing that Mew would help keep things stable, Aurora turned to Ash and asked, "Are you ready to head out, Ash?"
"Yeah. I have only my guardian partners coming with me and all the berries you gave me yesterday. Hopefully, I'll be back by the end of today or tomorrow." Ash said. Ash gave Serena a hug and whispered in her hair, "Stay strong, Seri. I promise I'll be back as soon as I can. I don't like seeing you so uncomfortable, too."
"Thank you, Ash. Best of luck with finding your partners." Serena hugged him a little tighter.
"Thanks. See you soon." Ash broke off their embrace. Normally, he would be embarrassed doing that in front of his family, but the urge to comfort Serena took precedence over his embarrassment. He wasn't sure how else to help, but he was glad Serena looked better. Aurora found herself smiling.
Aurora mounted her Charizard. Ash mounted his Charizard as well. Mew got off of Aurora's head and started to float beside Serena. Serena still regarded the pixie Pokémon hesitantly, but she was a little comforted that Mew would try and help her while Ash and Aurora were gone. The psychic guardian hoped that Ash would come back from finding his last two guardian partners sooner rather than later.
"Serena, stay safe alright? Mom and Dad, do not be rough with her." Aurora said. Serena nodded, but Gordo and Alice seemed a little less than thrilled. Aurora sighed.
With that, both Charizards started to hover above the ground. Ash waved to Serena and made an inviting smile. Serena made a bashful smile back and waved to him. Then, both Charizards flew high into the sky until Serena, Gordo and Alice couldn't see them. Once Ash and Aurora were gone, Alice and Gordo stared at Serena. Serena had an unnerved chill down her spine. Mew noticed the tension and floated between the three.
"I'd say… it's time for what you humans call an ice breaker." Mew sighed as she directed all the humans into Aurora's home. Serena quickly went in first. Then, the two elderly Ketchums. Serena was dreading being alone with the wildcard of all legendaries and two people that couldn't stand her based on what she was.
A/N: Seems like things are going to be interesting at the Ketchum house while Ash and Aurora are gone. Will Serena be alright when they return? Sadly, you won't know that immediately.
How will things go for Ash as he finds his guardian partners? Keep reading to find out. Happy reading!
Next Chapter: Unsettled Emotions
~SPG123~