"Big brother!" Bonnie wailed, tears in her eyes.
"Hold on, Clemont!" Ash grunted as he stood between Serena, Bonnie, and the squad of Team Flare members along the route. The admin chuckled with his grunts, who held Clemont and his pokemon at the point of guns and electric batons.
"Sorry, brat, but your friend is coming with us. We have plans for those with his skillset. Needless to say, he shall be putting them to far greater use under us." The admin's three Toxicroaks all wore exoskeletons of cybernetics, wires, and other machinery, enhancing their strength, speed, and movesets. Pikachu, Charizard, and Fletchinder all gasped for breath but grimaced with Ash when they saw tubes full of hyper potion attached to the cybernetics spray over the Toxicroaks, restoring them despite the team's efforts.
"Incredible!" Clemont beamed with stars in his eyes before he saw Bonnie and Serena's glares. "I mean, horrible, that's basically cheating!"
"Get that brat out of here. I'll deal with this one. He's been causing us all kinds of trouble, according to Xerosic."
"Yes, sir!" The grunts ran off, and Clemont's screams faded as they disappeared.
"Hang on, Clemont! Playtime's over! Let's go Mega Evolution!" Ash touched his keystone, and Charizard roared with fiery delight as a colorful sphere surrounded him. Within moments, Charizard Y appeared and shook the air with his wings.
"Grauu!"
"Mega evolution, eh? Well, I have been wondering just how strong our cybernetics are. Toxicroak use Venoshock, Thunder Punch, and Toxic!"
"Heat Wave!" Ash threw his hand out, and his eyes flashed blue alongside Charizard Y's. The Mega pokemon unleashed a firestorm through the air, engulfing all three attacks and forcing the Toxicroaks back.
"That's it, Electroball, Flame Charge!"
"Pika chu!"
"Fletch!" Fletchinder and Pikachu added their attacks in and pinned all three Toxicroaks together.
"We're coming, Clemont!" Serena raced after the grunts with Fennekin. However, Ash threw out his last two Pokeballs when he saw her.
"Forakie, Riolu, help her!"
"Froak!"
"Grou!" The two followed Serena, with Riolu pushing himself to keep ahead of Froakie. Together, they closed the distance with the grunts, two of whom stopped to aim their guns.
"Water Pulse!"
"Flamethrower!" Fennekin and Froakie blasted the two gunners, who yelped, one spitting out water with Duckletts dancing around his head while the outer threw her gun away after it almost melted.
"Grou!" Riolu forced himself ahead of them with a wide grin. He arched his arm back, ready to strike. However, the world slowed around him and Ash, too. One of the Toxicroaks leaped over several dozen yards with the aid of his cybernetics. A burn heal, and hyper potion sprayed Toxicroak, and Riolu just managed to see the poison frog's insidious grin before a brick break slammed him backward. Ash did not have time to react, for the admin lunged forward and followed his pokemon's example. The punch lifted Ash off his feet, and onto his back, all the air knocked from his lungs.
"Pika!"
"Grauu!"
"Hmp, I can't wait to tell the boss how well his cybernetics work." The admin laughed and whipped his jacket open to reveal an exoskeleton around him, just like the Toxicroak.
"Ash!" Serena and Bonnie screamed. Ash struggled to breathe and looked over towards Riolu. He reached out, but Clemont was already gone, and Toxicroak loomed over Riolu before turning his eyes on Serena.
"Froak!" Froakie jumped over the Toxicroak and tried to slash him, but the enhanced pokemon spun around and delivered the same crushing blow into him.
"So long brat-" The admin raised his foot over Ash, but a metallic clang rang in every direction. When Ash looked up again, he saw him. A familiar knight wearing a Battle Chateau jacket cape shielded Ash with his right gauntlet before shoving the admin back.
"What the!? One of you freaks!" Sweat trickled down the admin's head. He whipped out a pistol and unloaded the magazine. Serena screamed again, and Ash jerked up. However, the bullets only hit air. Ash blinked but soon realized that the knight dodged these bullets by simply moving aside as if he knew where the bullets would come from.
"No, no, no!" The admin fumbled about to reload, but the knight threw his right fist back. In that instant, Ash thought he lost his mind, for he saw what looked like a veil of dark blue steel form over the already metal gauntlet up to his elbow. When the knight punched, Ash, Serena, Bonnie, and their Pokemon watched with glittering eyes as the admin skidded across the ground like a skipping stone. At the same time, a Frogadier leaped from the trees and blocked the third Toxicroak's attack with his paws.
"Arial Ace!" Frogadier leaped up faster than Toxicroak's exoskeleton, leaving Froakie and Riolu in awe. The Frogadier's eyes flashed blue while the same light came from inside the knight's visor. Frogadier slashed across Toxicroak, severing his cybernetics and hurling him beside the admin.
"Gaah!" The admin struggled to his feet, returned his Toxicroaks, and ran off into the woods. Ash and his pokemon trembled in awe of their rescuers who offered them help up.
"Close one there, my friend. Is everyone alright?"
"Thanks, but not really." Ash grunted while staring into the forest with everyone else. Froakie glanced up at Frogadier, who beamed with a blue aura of power.
"Frog."
"Froak." Froakie inclined his head, but Riolu puffed up both cheeks and turned away, arms crossed.
"They took your friend. I'm sorry."
"Big brother! We, we have to save him!" Bonnie sobbed.
"We will, Bonnie, I promise!" Ash stared at the woods with an intense gaze before looking back to the knight. "Please, can you help us-" Ash started before the young man removed his helmet.
"It's not that simple, Ash."
"Huh? You, I've seen your face before!" Ash muttered, and Serena nodded. She, too, thought he looked familiar and raked her mind when it hit her and Serena at the same time.
"You were at the Battle Chateau!" They shouted together, and he nodded with a slight smile.
"That's correct, Marquis Sanpei, at your service." He inclined his head while Ash trembled.
"How did you do what you just did?" Ash thought he knew the answer after remembering the man who saved him in Lumiose. Sanpei came closer to Ash and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I think you know more than you're letting on, Ash. I saw it in you back at the Battle Chateau. You and I are the same. We can wield Aura."
"Aura." Serena and Bonnie listened closer alongside the pokemon, Froakie and Riolu in particular.
"Aura, hai. I know what that is and that I have it. I did not know you could use it like that."
"Indeed. I'm part of a centuries-old knightly order known as the Order of Aura. We first formed during the Galar Invasion of Kalos over five hundred years ago when our enemy nearly overran the Kingdom. However, a group of samurai from feudal Kanto arrived and taught my ancestors how to wield Aura as they did and created our Order. Together, we defeated the Galar. Today, we carry on their tradition and battle various threats to peace, including Team Flare."
"So you can save my brother!" Bonnie beamed, but Sanpei sweatdropped and scratched his cheek with an evasive look.
"Well, the thing is, I've been tracking this party for days now, and it appears there is more than one admin. I can handle one on my own, but two, I will need help." Sanpei turned back to Ash and looked him in the eye.
"With Ash's help, we can save Clemont. However, he will need to become stronger in his Aura if we are to defeat them."
"What!?" Ash shouted with Serena and Bonnie. "We don't have time for that!"
"Nonsense, we can train as we pursue them!" Sanpei grinned and put his arm around Ash's shoulder as he sweatdropped with the others and the pokemon. Froakie and Riolu, however, listened intently and smiled. Sanpei, likewise, glanced over at Froakie with a clear interest in his eyes.
"Let's begin." Once inside the forest, Sanpei brought Ash up to the treeline with his pokemon.
"Be careful up there!" Serena cried, her eyes fixed on Ash before she glared at Sanpei and his cheeky grin.
"Alright, the first technique we're going to teach you is premonition. All aura users have it to some extent, but we are going to enhance yours to where you can see things happen before they do. This is how I dodged those bullets."
Despite the seriousness of Clemont's kidnapping, Ash and his team lit up at the idea of learning such an ability and nodded. Sanpei grinned and gestured for his Frogadier to jump up onto his armored shoulder. Together, they took an aggressive stance with evil grins.
"Now remember, your Aura is enhanced by the bond and trust between you and your Pokemon. Draw upon that, and you will be able to see these attacks before they come. Do not trust your other senses. Trust your Pokemon. Now, keep up!" Sanpei ran off, and Ash raced after them with his team. Despite wearing a full suit of armor, Sanpei moved like a ninja, leaping from branch to branch. Ash and his team struggled to keep up with them while Serena and Bonnie ran from below.
"Round!"
"Frog!" Frogadier leaped up and unleashed a song of musical notes straight for Ash and his team. Dodging them proved difficult, given Frogadier's deadlock accuracy, but among the trees, it was almost impossible. Ash grunted when one hit him.
"Ash!" Serena cried, but he pressed on. She, Bonnie, and Fennekin all glared at Sanpei, who kept laughing as he swung from the branches while musical notes hit Ash's team despite their best efforts.
"Stop trusting your five senses and trust in each other."
"Grr." Ash growled with the others. It was easy for him to say. The torment went on so long that he lost track of time. His sheer determination and encouragement from Serena kept Ash going. Soon he took a deep breath and tried to block out the world around him. Even as the musical nodes hit him, a sense of calm came over Ash, relaxing his muscles and mind. Soon, he began to see through the eyes of his pokemon and them through him. The world itself transformed around them as if they were under the sea but without water. Everything was clear, focused, and calm. Before long, Ash and Pikachu found themselves beside Froakie and Riolu, who shared this sensation. Then, they saw it. The musical notes revealed themselves as if foretold for a thousand years.
Serena's eyes lit up as she, Bonnie, and Fennekin watched Ash and his team evade the musical notes just like Sanpei did the bullets. Froakie, Pikachu, and Riolu moved off Ash, who held his arms out to give them a platform while Charizard and Fletchinder rolled away.
"Amazing!" Serena blushed a little while Bonnie's eyes lit up.
"They're gonna save big brother!"
Sanpei nodded but kept his eyes fixed on Froakie in particular and the way he moved with Ash. He and Frogadier looked at each other while scratching their chins in intrigue.
"My, you are a fast learner, Ash. Those are the basics, but like the next technique, you will need to keep refining them on your own. The following technique is called Aura Armor. This uses your Aura to coat parts of your body with it in a physical form stronger than any steel." Sanpei removed his right gauntlet, and the same blue steel from earlier grew over his skin. Ash and his pokemon gazed in awe.
"Now, such a technique can only be learned by you. Pokemon use their Aura in different ways. But you will still need them to do it. Focus your connection on protecting yourself and them." Sanpei held up large square pieces of concrete and grinned again. "You have to break these with your fists."
"Eh!?" Serena and Bonnie yelped while Ash sweatdropped and blinked. He gulped while his team tried to encourage him. Taking a deep breath, Ash focused on Clemont and saving him, then charged ahead. He threw his fist at the first block but screamed when it made contact. A sharp pain tore through his hand, but he forced himself to continue. Serena and Ash's pokemon could only watch in horror as blood trickled down his skin.
"Pika! Pikachu!" Pikachu coated his tail in iron, but Ash waved him off.
"No, Pikachu. I have to do this!" Ash forced the words out. Riolu and Froakie watched in awe as Ash punched again and again.
"Froak!" Froakie jumped up beside Ash. Together, they threw their punches, and everyone's eyes lit up when a blue metallic armor formed over Ash's fists. The cement cube shattered before Ash's strike, and his team cried in joy alongside Serena.
"He's amazing!"
"Oui." Bonnie giggled. Riolu, however, struggled to keep in tears when he saw Froakie keep beside Ash as he shattered another.
"Excellent! Ha ha ha! Now, to save your friend!" Soon, Ash caught up with Sanpei, who glanced back at Froakie. "You have a close bond with your pokemon. One of the strongest I've ever seen."
"Thanks. It's what I want the most in this world."
"Well, keep up that mindset. I see a future in you in you, Ash." Sanpei and Frogadier looked closer at Froakie again. The minutes disappeared as Ash and the others closed in on a campsite where a dozen or so Team Flare grunts lounged about eating gourmet meals, combing their hair, or polishing their shoes. Ash gritted his teeth and searched for clemont. After a few moments, his nerves tightened when he spotted him. The young scientist quivered. He and his pokemon lay before not one but two soot-covered admins, who snarled at him.
"You think you're being funny, brat!" One snarled as he held up what was unmistakably one of Clemont's inventions, which lay in pieces.
"I tried to build what you asked me to! I really did!" Clemont pleaded.
"I spent a week getting this outfit ready. Clean it up, or I'll rip all your teeth out." The second admin grabbed Clemont by the jaw, and Ash almost jumped down there and then.
"Nice people. Alright, send your team in after the grunts while we focus on the Admins-" Sanpei started.
"Bad guys!" Bonnie's voice rang across the campsite, and Ash's face turned pale. He, Sanpei, Serena, and their pokemon all turned crestfallen when they saw Bonnie standing on a rock, arms crossed, and Dedenne on her shoulder with the same iron expression.
"Bonnie!" Clemont screamed while his pokemon sweatdropped.
"Listen up, you better let big brother go right now, or you'll face the unbridled wrath of the power you cannot possibly comprehend!"
"Bonnie!" Serena turned red and seized the little girl in her arms.
"What? I was making a dramatic entrance." Bonnie puffed up her cheeks, and Serena sighed with Fennekin.
"Well, they haven't seen us yet-" Ash started.
"Just wait until Ash and Sanpei jump down from the trees! They'll be sorry!" Bonnie shouted.
"...Oh Bonnie." Ash groaned with the others when every member of Team Flare looked up at them.
"The Aura knight!" Both admins whipped out their pistols and unloaded, while a few grunts did the same while their pokemon unleashed various moves. Serena screamed for them alongside Clemont, but both young men and their pokemon did not flinch. They saw exactly where the bullets would go and moved aside. Each pokemon did the same until they ended up on the ground.
"That's right, go Ash!" Serena cried fire in her eyes. With Fennekin beside her, she raced out of the woods and at the grunts, flanking them.
"Back her up!" Ash cried, and before long, Fletchinger raced over, but Riolu hesitated until Pikachu shouted, and he followed. The grunts scrambled about with their weapons and pokemon, but Serena was upon them first.
"Psybeam!"
"Fen!" Fennekin blasted the grunts and their pokemon alike while Riolu and Fletchinder came in on the flanks. Even from a distance, Ash directed them via their aura bond. Fletchinder slammed two Golbats back with Flame Charge and Arial Ace, while Riolu struck a pair of Whirlpede with force palm. Meanwhile, Ash and Sanpei went after the admins, who backed up and scrambled for more amo but found none.
"Let Clemont go!" Ash held his hand out as Charizard, Froakie, and Pikachu surrounded him.
"You two really have no chance." Sanpei added, sword drawn.
"What chance do you freaks have against our technology!" The second admin whipped out two electrified batons and charged Sanpe with his exoskeleton-enhanced Barbaracle beside him.
"Remember what you learned, Ash!" Sanpei donned his helmet before clashing with the admin in a sword fight while Frogadier kicked the Barbaracle back.
"Let's go!" Ash raced at the admin from earlier, who arched his fist back.
"Say goodbye, brat!" He threw his punch, but Ash moved aside. Taking a deep breath, he extended his fist back and, from the corner of his eye, saw the familiar blue steel form around it. Froakie, Charizard, and Pikachu came in at the same moment Ash's fist made contact. Each of their eyes flashed blue when their attacks hit. Pikachu's IronTail sent one Toxicroak flying while Charizard hurled the next into a tree with Steel Wing. Ash, meanwhile, felt his armored fist hit the admin's chest. Unlike before, it didn't hurt. In fact, he watched the admin convulse and stumbled backward while sparks flew from his jacket.
"Gaah! What have you done!?" The man checked his exoskeleton, which sparked and surged. Ash's heart raced, and the adrenaline drove him forward. He threw two more punches that brought the admin to his knees as the exoskeleton broke apart around him. Froakie and Ash grimaced when the third Toxicroak landed a punishing Brick Break on the water frog.
"What's wrong, freak?" The admin laughed and struggled to his feet.
"Can't take the pain!"
"Froakie." Ash took him by the hand as their eyes met. Pikachu, Charizard, Fletchinder, and Riolu all felt it. Each turned to watch Ash and Froakie charging together, but as they did, Froakie glowed.
"Frog!" Frogadier emerged while Clemont, Serena, and Bonnie gazed in awe. Sanpei laughed with Ash's other pokemon, save Riolu, who pouted.
"No! No, use another brick break!" The enhanced Toxicroak leaped up, but Frogadier's eyes flashed blue. He threw a smokescreen ball into the toxic frog's eyes, then mirroring Ash's punches, slashed the wiring with successive cuts.
"What are you doing!? Stop!" The admin screamed, even as Ash's hits broke down the last of his exoskeleton. With a final slash, Frogadier sent Toxicroak into a stumble, and the second frog seized up with his broken exoskeleton.
"Water Pulse!"
"Frog!" Frogadier hit Toxicroak point blank and sent his foe into a pile alongside the others after Pikachu and Charizard dispatched them. Within a few minutes, the Team Flare members lay bound to a tree with Sanpei and Ash standing over them.
"Ash, you truly are one of the fastest learners I've ever seen. You have a bright future."
"Thank you, Sanpei."
"Yes, thank you!" Clemont was in tears as Bonnie hugged him.
"Sanpei and Ash saved big brother!"
"Not just us. Serena you did great too."
"Merci." She turned a little red and smiled while Fennekin stood proud. Ash's team, however, showed praise on Frogadier, each congratulating him on his evolution. All except for Riolu, who gazed upon him with an envious look, especially as Ash came in to bump fists. The young trainer had never felt quite like this before. It was as if he was alive and aware of himself for the first time. Sanpei was right, this was the start of something big, and he wanted to go wherever it led.
Later that night, Sanpei watched the local officer Jenny and her deputies take the Flare members away but still smiled as he thought about Ash. However, he soon smirked with Frogadier and glanced toward the trees.
"I know you're there, Felix. The question is, were you here all day?" The trees rustled, and two figures loomed just beyond sight.
"I wouldn't have let anything happen to you two. I, I just had to see for myself."
"Oui, and you didn't think to teach him yourself?" Sanpei's grin faded when he saw the figure stagger while the other helped him remain upright.
"No. He doesn't need me."
"I'm not so sure, Felix. I see something in Ash and his Frogadier in particular. I think they might have what it takes for full synchronization. For the Bond Phenomenon."