Here we are at last, my version of Aura finally getting an explanation. I felt that the whole concept of Aura is really cool, but it's such an unexplored topic in the anime, and not nearly as powerful as it could've been, so I've given it a serious power boost, in case you couldn't tell. I'll be explaining some of that power boost in this, as well as the side effects in this chapter, but there's a lot more I have planned, which shall be revealed throughout the series. But with that said, here's the chapter.
Chapter 50:
Lessons in Aura
The next day, once they're all certain that Max is alright, Ash and Bonnie finally begin her training to control Aura. Ash's friends from Alola want to watch Ash train Bonnie, but since Ash wants to keep the existence of Aura Guardians a secret, he doesn't want them to see. So, Serena and Max invite them all out to spend the day wandering around Lumiose, in order to give Ash the space he needs to train Bonnie without interference. Clemont tags along with them so he can see Aura properly for himself. Ash is less than pleased that both Clemont and Korrina know about Aura Guardians, but he can't complain since he hadn't exactly made Bonnie swear not to tell anyone. Megan wants to come as well, but Clemont asks her to remain in the power station and monitor the energy levels.
Bonnie is skipping with anticipation as Clemont leads her and Ash out to a field he knows no one will see them using. Once they get there, Clemont sets up one of his machines to test Bonnie's Aura, but Ash asks him to put it away. "I don't want people to know about Aura Guardians," he tells him. "So please, don't make readings on this training session." "Why don't you want people to know?" Clemont asks. Ash sighs, then gives them the same explanation he gave the Interpol agents about why he wants to keep Aura a secret. Clemont apologises and puts the technology away. Once he does, Ash turns back to Bonnie. "Before we get started, there's something I need to warn you about," Ash explains. "Something pretty important." Bonnie looks at Ash quizzically. "What is it?" she asks him. Ash looks nervously at Clemont, then turns back to Bonnie. "I need to explain limits to you" he says. "Limits?" Bonnie asks. Ash nods, then gets started.
"Everything in this world has a limit," Ash says. "Like a glass, if you fill it too much, it'll spill. Or if you hit a stick against too many things, it'll eventually break. We have our limits as well. Think about it like you're running as fast as you can. If you do that for too long, you'll grow tired. It's the same with Aura. If you overuse it, you'll wear yourself out." Clemont suddenly gets nervous. "And uh," he asks nervously, "what'll happen if you overuse it too much?" Clemont asks. Ash winces slightly at this, but knows he has to say. "If you overdo it too much," he says hesitantly, "it'll kill you." Both Clemont and Bonnie's eyes widen at this. "So, could Bonnie overdo it during this training?" Clemont asks worriedly. Ash shakes his head. "No," he replies with as much certainty as he could muster. "I'll be only teaching her control here. She won't be able to lose control during this." Both of them sigh with relief at this.
"Ok," Ash continues, clapping his hands together. "We'll start by having you sense Aura around us. Feel the flow of it, that sort of thing." Bonnie looks disappointed at this. "Why?" she asks. "Why can't you show me stuff like Aura Sphere?" Ash laughs. "Because you don't know how to control Aura yet," he replies. "Before you can do any of the cool stuff, you need to know how to handle all of the power inside of you. Think about it like this; Aura is like fire. If you know how to harness and control it, you can do whatever you like with it. But let's say you give this fire to someone who doesn't know how to handle it, like a small child. They'll play around with it, before realising they overdid it. They try to put it out, but they can't and it only grows stronger. Eventually, if left unchecked, it'll consume everything around it. Or it the case of Aura, cause what's called a Surge (very original name, I know)."
Both Clemont and Bonnie look quizzically at him. "A Surge is when an Aura Guardian loses control of their power," Ash explains. "Their power completely takes over of them, and coats their body in this blue energy. In this state, they cannot tell friend from foe, and attack anyone on sight. Only another Aura Guardian can dissipate this power with an ability I call Tranquilise." Bonnie feels nervous about this, and agrees with Ash that his plan for learning control is a good one. But Clemont notices something about the way Ash explained some of this. "It sounds like you've been waiting to explain this stuff for a while," he comments. "How much of this have you told Serena?" Ash freezes at this. "Just the Surge and Tranquilise," he replies. "I haven't told her about the limit killing me." Clemont suddenly looks stern. "Why not?" he asks. "Because I don't want her to worry," he replies. "How would you like it if there was a chance your bag could explode if you used it too much, and Korrina was aware of this?" Clemont blushes a bit at this. "See?" says Ash. "Serena would be worried sick every time I use Aura. I'd rather not put her through that, so please don't tell her." Clemont and Bonnie nod, then begin their training.
Serena sneezes as she and Max walk around Lumiose with Mallow, Lana, Kiawe and Sophocles. Elio has gone to challenge Clembot for his 5th badge, and Lillie and Hau want to watch him battle. Gladion decides to tag along as well, "to keep an eye on his sister", as he put it, but they all knew the real reason. Sophocles and Kiawe marvel at the city and how much bigger it is compared to any city in Alola. Mallow and Lana are too busy blushing around each other to notice Lumiose's sheer size. As they wander around, Max is approached by none other than Ammon Donovan. "I'd heard that you and Bonnie had been attacked by Team Terra," Ammon tells him, shaking his hand and sounding relieved. "Are you two ok?" "We're fine Ammon, really," Max reassures him. "In fact, Bonnie just got her 5th badge, so we're heading to Laverre in a few days." Ammon smiles at this. "That's good to hear," he says, sounding pleased. "I was worried you might be planning to stop your journey there after what happened. How is your book coming along by the way?" Max beams at this. "Oh, it's going very well," he answers, pulling it out. "I've managed to fill it up halfway!"
Ammon reads through Max's additions since he last saw him and Bonnie. "Just as impressive as ever," he comments, handing it back to Max. "I'd say your work will be a bestseller Max. Scholars across the world will be flocking to read this!" Max blushes at this. The two spend a few more minutes catching up, before Ammon tells him that he has other matters to attend to, and that he was just here to check up on Max and Bonnie. With that, he bid Max farewell and left. Max turns to look at the others he was walking around with, and sees that they're staring at him, utterly speechless. "What?" he asks, shrugging his shoulders. "How do you know Ammon Donovan!?" Mallow asks. "And how are you on 1st name basis with him!?" Lana demands. Max blushes a bit and explains how he and Bonnie met Ammon.
As he speaks, a girl with long blonde hair tied in a bun walks past them. She spots Max and runs over to speak with him. Max and this girl chat for a little bit, and she even starts chatting with the others in their little group. She introduces herself as Megan, and that's when Lana and Mallow discover something. Sophocles hasn't said a word since Megan showed up. Looking at him, they can see he's staring at her in awe, a faint blush on his cheeks. Both girls smirk at each other, glad to know they have an option for revenge. But then they notice the fact that they're staring at each other, and look away quickly. Max also notices Megan's eyes keep darting down to Sophocles, and can't help but chuckle slightly at this. Serena notices as well, however Kiawe remains totally clueless to either of them. Eventually, Megan excuses herself and leaves quickly.
Once she's gone, Sophocles stares at her for a few seconds as she runs off. But then Mallow and Lana put their arms around his shoulders and he looks away from Megan quickly, knowing what's coming. "So," Mallow says sweetly, "what did you think of that girl. I thought she was very nice." Lana nods in agreement. "And very attractive too," she comments. "Plus, she seems to primarily use electric types, like someone that I know!" Both girls look at Sophocles smugly. "I hate you both so much!" Sophocles mutters angrily. Lana leans into his ear and whispers, "Payback!" Then, she and Mallow laugh their heads off and high five, going a bit red when their hands touch. Max laughs at their antics, then he and Serena carry on showing them around. As they walk, Kiawe asks Sophocles, "Why did Lana whisper payback to you?" Sophocles goes red as everyone else laughs. "If any of you tells him, I'll be sure you 'accidentally' fall into the Alolan Power Station!" he threatens angrily.
This carries on over the next few days. While Ash and Bonnie train with Aura, often joined by Clemont, Max and Serena wander around Lumiose with the Alola kids. Elio is super excited to see such a big city, and occasionally lets out squeaks and other noises of excitement, something Lillie finds absolutely adorable. Sometimes, either Serena or Max would join Ash and Bonnie as they train. Bonnie keeps improving over the coming days, and has started being able to communicate with Ash's Lucario. She tries to communicate with Dedenne or Fennekin, but no luck so far. "Don't feel too bummed about that," Ash tells her. "I had to have help from a friend of mine to learn how to speak with Pikachu." "Which friend?" Bonnie asks. "You haven't met him yet," Ash replies. "His name is N. At least, that's the only name he's ever given me. If we had more time, I'd show you the tricks he taught me to speak with Pikachu, but you're leaving tomorrow aren't you?" Bonnie nods, somewhat sadly. "So I'll just teach you next time you're in Lumiose" Ash tells her. Bonnie perks up and refocuses on training.
At last, it's time for everyone to leave. The kids from Alola are heading off to Santalune, since Elio hasn't done that gym yet, and Max and Bonnie are heading off to Laverre. Ash, Serena, Clemont and Megan have come to see them off. No one, except Clemont and Kiawe, misses the way Sophocles stares at Megan, and the way Megan seems to glance at him on occasion. Ash and Serena are planning to go back to Vaniville and finally spend some quality time by themselves, something they haven't been able to do since Ash left for Galar for the Masters Eight. Everyone wishes each other well, then heads off their separate ways. As they travel, Bonnie excitedly tells Max about all of the progress she's making with her Aura training. Max is listening happily, and he feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his chest. Even though Team Terra have the Jade Orb, and now Rayquaza, Max would be lying if he says that he doesn't feel immense relief that the Orb is gone. For the 1st time since he arrived in Kalos, neither he or Bonnie has to look over their shoulder for the terrorists. Finally, they can enjoy their journey in peace.
As I said, I'm doing a spin on Aura that's completely my own (like pretty much every fanfic writer who uses Aura does lol). And yes, I've decided that N can use Aura to communicate with Pokémon, but I've yet to decide if he's an Aura Guardian or not. We'll just have to wait and see. Now, as for Sophocles, I was originally planning on shipping him with Kiawe, but I just felt like they had no chemistry, and anyway, I got an Aroace vibe from Kiawe (Projecting, who's projecting? Certainly not me *laughs nervously*). Anyway, I was trying to come up with a relationship for him, when I remembered Megan, so here we go. I'm thinking of calling this ship Mechanicshipping, but that's a work in progress. If any of you have a better name, please let me know. But with that, I'll see you all on Wednesday.