AN: And we start off with our first tournament in the series. Hope I wrote the battles well

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon

Dialogue Guide:

"This is normal speech"

This is a person thinking in their head

This is someone speaking telepathically or with Aura

("Pokemon Speak")

("Legendary Pokemon Speak")

Ash would like to think he wasn't weak, but even he knew he had no chance against any Pokemon in direct combat. This is why he felt like a part of his soul left him when Ranmaru had him spar against her as part of his Aura training to help him learn how to flow Aura around his body for defense and offense. When done right, a user of Aura could take blows harder, move faster, and hit with tremendous force. While Ash could occasionally do this, he still had trouble timing it perfectly with his moves. Hence, the sparing was to help him with his reflexes.

Instead, all it did was get him multiple dates with the ground.

("You are doing better, but you must kick with your heel, not your toes,") Ranmaru said, dusting her paws. ( "Also, you failed to properly use your Aura on your feet to prevent me from throwing you over my shoulders in that last move.")

"Can I use Aura to comfort the pain in my body? Ow," Ash moaned as he slowly got up and rubbed his back. "I think my spine is broken."

("You're fine. I wasn't even using a quarter of my strength on you,") Ranmaru said with a snort.

("Reminds you of the time mom used to kick our butts all the time, huh, Yukimura?") Nobuyuki asked with a grin as he watched from outside the sparring ring with the others.

"Mom still kicks our butts. It just takes a few minutes longer for her to do it," Yukimura pointed out with a deadpan expression.

("I'm surprised my Danger Sense has not gone off so much every time Ash has gotten beaten,") Azrael said in surprise. ( "I would think him getting hurt would have it activated. Even if it is a friendly spar.")

("Personally, I find this entertaining,") Skye said with a grin. ( "Think we can use Ash's Pokedex to record all this and put it on the net for clicks?")

("I swear you spend too much on the internet, especially that Fletcher site,") Azrael muttered.

("Oh, come on! It's got all kinds of funny human stuff on there!")

Ash stretched his back and winced at the pain before Ranmaru put her hand on his shoulders. ( "I think we have done enough training. Tomorrow is the tournament, and you must be at your best for it.")

"Yeah, we're both going to make it to the finals and see who's the best, cousin!" Yukimura declared with his fist in the air as his Riolu brother joined him.

"My first tournament," Ash whispered as he looked at his hands with a frown. "Am I really ready?"

("You are,") Azrael said as he walked over and nuzzled Ash's hand. ( "We are.")

("Yeah! We're gonna show them what we can do!" ) Skye said with excitement as she landed on Ash's head and chirped.

("Don't forget that Yukimura and I are also going to give you guys a fight!") Nobuyuki claimed as he and Yukimura pumped up their fists.

"Yeah, you might be our cousins, but we won't go easy on you!" Yukimura declared.

Ash smiled at all of the Pokemon and nodded. They were right. He had been training so hard these past few months that he wasn't going to doubt himself right now. He had the training, the teaching, and the faith in his team that they would do their best. Even if he didn't win, Ash wanted to ensure he got as far as possible with a hundred percent effort.

He wasn't going to let his team down. He wouldn't let his mom, Professor Oak, Gary, Mew, or Ranmaru down. And he was definitely not going to let himself down.

Ash grinned and nodded his head. "Yeah! We're going to be the best!"

("Like no one ever was") Azrael claimed in agreement.

("Well, since we're all excited and still energetic, how about one last jog to Pops for some ramen?") Ranmaru suggested this, which got excited cheers from the others.

Azrael was about to follow when he paused and sharply turned toward the exact location he had been looking at since they arrived. Every so often, he felt danger in that direction, but only every time it happened, the feeling lasted a bit longer before disappearing. He growled and felt his hair curl up at the feeling. He didn't know what it was, but it felt so wrong, and it was coming from that area with the giant tree from a faraway forest. A tree so tall you could see it from here. It was as if he was feeling the decay of life itself for the briefest of minutes, but then it stopped.

Ash had noticed this and paused before walking over to a troubled Azrael. "Is something wrong?"

("... Yes,") Azrael admitted as he turned to Ash. ( "Ever since we got here, my Danger Sense has been acting up. Always in the same direction for a brief moment, it goes away as if it never happened. I thought at first it was nothing. Just a danger that turned out to undo itself, but this time...I cannot deny it. Something is off.")

"...Should we talk to Ranmaru and Mew about it?" Ash asked.

("It's gone for now...whatever it is, it is not an immediate danger, but it is serious,") Azrael grumbled before sighing. (" I am sorry. We need to prepare ourselves mentally for the tournament, and I will bring this up out of nowhere.")

Ash smiled and patted his partner on the head. "It's no big deal, Azrael. I think your Danger Sense is useful. I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to others if I knew where it was coming from. Maybe after the tournament, we can look into it?"

("Yes, that will ease my feelings,") Azrael said with a nod. (" We should go. I would hate for Pop's to run out of ramen due to us being late.")

Ash laughed as he and Azrael rushed to catch up with the others.

The tournament was to take place in an old military barracks that was mainly turned into a training area for younger children to train their Pokemon, so it was a great place to host the tournament for beginners. The place was packed with families for the thirty-two contestants participating in the competition, a few interested tourists, and those who wished to spend their day seeing the fights. A few Aura Knights and their Lucario or Riolu were also in the stands, seeing if there were any promising future knights since more than half of the participants were those starting their Knight training or wished to be future Knights themselves.

There were decorations such as streamers and balloons, and a few Pokemon, like Lucario, Bellossom, or Eevees, were performing to entertain the crowd. Ash and his two Pokemon were on the first of two lines as the announcer welcomed everyone and introduced each of the tournament participants. He saw Yukimura and Nobuyuki on the other line, who grinned and waved at him, which he did so back in his costume.

That was right. A costume. Per Rota tradition, everyone participating in such a tournament wore costumes for appeal and fun. Ash himself had a traditional old-style Aura Knight outfit that had been commonly worn for thousands of years. For some reason, Mew suggested he look like Sir Aaron for his costume, and he agreed to do it. Meanwhile, Yukimura decided to go with the modern-day Aura Knight look, which looked a bit big for him, especially the hat covering half his face, and he had to adjust it every so often to clear his vision.

Upon the stands, Ash saw his mom and Ranmaru together, smiling at their sons. Sorrin was too big for the stands, so he was perched on one of the towers and looking below, waving to his daughter, who happily chirped at her father on Ash's head. He also knew Mew was around somewhere, invisible, but watching as well.

With a big bag of popcorn, a large soda, and plenty of sugary snacks! Mew said in Ash's head.

Wait, where did you get the money to buy that? Ash asked.

Who said anything about using money?

Ash rolled his eyes and focused instead on the rules being presented. Since it was a tournament for beginning trainers, the rules were made fair to prevent more experienced trainers from smashing through each opponent easily.

First, the tournament was only open to those in the starting year upon getting their Pokemon Trainer license and was limited to those with zero to two badges only. If you didn't have a license, you had to have permission to join the tournament from your parents, guardian, or someone of official rank, which was the case for Ash's new cousins.

Second, Pokemon were only allowed in their base evolution. Baby evolution Pokemon were also allowed, but rarely did that happen since most "baby" types needed more training before fighting in tournaments like these. That said, it was permitted to allow a Pokemon who evolved from a baby form, such as Pichu, to a Pikachu, but nothing past that. Azrael didn't have a base or evolution form as an Absol, so he was permitted, and since Skye was still a Pidgey, she was also good to go.

Third, while you were allowed to bring up to an entire team, every round was one vs one. You could use different Pokemon each round, but only one was permitted. It was a simple thirty-two-bracket tournament with one round only. You could use the same Pokemon as many times as you wanted, but you were free to switch. However, to make it fair, you were only allowed to use a Pokemon Center's healing machine nearby once for one Pokemon only. So, it had to be used at the right time.

Fourth, you were allowed to use psychic or Aura communications with your Pokémon. The use of Aura to power your Pokémon was also permitted in Rota's rules, but few beginners knew how to do it or were limited in influence.

"And now, we have a special guest for the day! This comes at a last-minute surprise for us all, but please raise your heads, open your hearts, and clap for Her Majesty, Queen Ilene! " The announcer said to the shock of all.

In the VIP box stand, trumpets were played as Queen Ilene, her nanny, and her Mime. Jr, Sir Puffy, and her royal guard. Everyone stood up and clapped for Her Majesty while others bowed, including the Aura Knights in the area or those seeking to become one. Skye looked confused and asked, ( "So what's so special about her again?")

("She is the queen of the nation") Azrael answered. ( "Think of her as the head of the flock but for all the land that Rota is a part of.")

("Wow! She must have a lot of mates,") Skye said, which made Ash blush. A few Pokemon nearby who heard her looked at Skye with disbelief at what she had just said.

Queen Ilene soon raised her hand and allowed for silence as she smiled. "Greetings, my subjects and those who come to our land for a visit. As Queen of Rota, I must always think about the future generations of our people, both Human and Pokemon. This tournament shows the strength of our future trainers, who will be Knights, Masters, Champions, and more. As time goes on, they evolve to become stronger and wiser trainers. I am here not only to encourage them to do this but also to bestow the winner a gift. Regardless, I wish you all the best. Good luck!"

The tournament participants whispered to each other in excitement. A chance to impress the Queen and get a gift? Now, they were more determined than ever. Ash was not too bothered by this. While seeing the Queen was neat, and the idea of a prize outside the tournament money and trophy was cool, his mind focused more on the tournament itself. Especially since he was going to be in the first match. All the other trainers returned to the waiting area for their turn while Ash took his place on his side of the arena ring with his opponent, dressed as a classical dark knight, standing on the other side.

"Let's start our Rookie Shot Tournament with our first match of the day, folks! From Pallet Town, in Kanto, is Ash Ketchum, who is in his first year as a Pokemon Trainer! Give it up for him, folks!"

There was moderate applause for Ash, who waved nervously to the crowd. It was his first time having a battle with so many people watching, so he couldn't help but sweat a bit.

"And his opponent! Originally from Hoenn, Hosu Takamura comes to us from Saffron City in Kanto, which he moved to just a few years ago! He's also just started his Pokemon Trainer career and seeks to build a strong team before heading to the Hoenn League!"

Again, there was some moderate applause for Hosu, who was already patting his chosen Pokemon that Ash recognized as a Poochyena. He pulled out his Pokedex to get the data:

Pokemon: Poochyena (The Big Bite Pokemon)

Gender: Female

Type: Dark

Region of Origin: Hoenn

Biography: At first sight, Poochyena takes a bite at anything that moves and will eat anything due to its omnivore diet. It has a very tenacious nature with such an acute sense of smell that helps it chase a chosen prey without ever losing track. It chases its chosen prey until the prey becomes exhausted. However, should the prey become too intimidating or stronger then the Poochyena expects, it will give it up and leave it alone.

"Hmm, Azrael. We're going to let you take this one," Ash decided as Azrael nodded and walked forward. Skye cooed in disappointment before pecking Ash in the head.

("You better let me get the next one.")

"I will, Skye. I will," Ash said with a chuckle.

("Get ready for me to bite your tail off!") The Poochyena declared as it growled and positioned itself.

("We'll see about that,") Azrael replied with a smirk.

The referee held out its flags. "The first round of the Rookie Shot Tournament shall begin. Ash and Azrael vs Hosu and Brina! Ready?! Fight!"

Thanks to her speed, Brina was already dashing forward when Hosu shouted, "Brina! Use Bite !"

However, Ash already figured Brina would be attacking first head-on but didn't worry. Azrael took the Bite to his leg, but to Brina's surprise, Azrael didn't wince but took the blow as his eyes darkened. Ash smirked as Azrael's Justified took effect, allowing him to gain power from a Dark-type move being used against him. Without needing to take an order, Azrael soon used his better strength to lift Brina up into the air, shake her off, and turn around to kick Brina in the gut. She was sent back a bit, wincing in pain, but rolled back to her feet.

"Wow! Without a single command from his trainer, Azrael knocked Brina back hard after getting hit with a Bite attack that he took like a champ! Looks like Azrael knows how to fight physically as well."

That was thanks to Ranmaru's training. She wanted to ensure Azrael and Skye could fight with their bodies instead of just their moves, so she taught them how to fight correctly by sparring them just as much as she sparred with Ash. It took many bruises for them to get the concept, but it was worth it.

Seriously, after being beaten around by Ranmaru for days, I don't think that Bite's attack did much damage, Ash chuckled.

"Brina! Circle around Azrael and get ready!" Hosu said as Brina barked in agreement before rushing around the Absol as fast as possible at the proper distance for safety.

Azrael, keeping calm, waited for Ash to give his command. Ash already knew what strategy to use for this one and shouted, "Azrael! Use your newest move! Then get ready to attack!"

One thing Professor Oak and Gary told him that was useful was to try and avoid using the actual name of the moves of your Pokemon to bring the element of surprise to your opponent. So it was often best to either plan code words or phrases or say things to make your Pokemon understand what to do based on the wording while keeping the other trainer guessing.

Azrael knew his newest move was Detect , so he activated that and waited for Brina to make her move. Sure enough, she tried to use Quick Attack on the left side of Azrael, who quickly turned his glowing eyes to the surprised Poochyena.

"Now! Quick Attack! " Ash shouted as Azrael used the same move as Brina. However, Brina was taken aback by what just happened, and her smaller size made it easier for Azrael to overcome her with a stronger Quick Attack to the head.

Dazed and knocked back, Brina rolled to her side after skidding on the ground. Azrael didn't let up and used another Quick Attack on Brina, which sent her flying toward her shocked trainer's side. She tried to get up but whimpered and fell back down, unable to do so.

The referee decided to call it and raised Ash's flag in his direction. "Brina is unable to battle! The winner of this match is Ash Ketchum and Azrael!"

The crowd clapped and cheered as Hosu put Brina back in her Pokeball, and Azrael stood proudly. Ash sighed in both relief and joy. He did it. He won his first round. He raised his fist and cheered as Skye happily flew around him joyfully, claiming they were awesome. Azrael walked over, but Ash couldn't help but hug the Absol. "You did great, Azrael!"

Blushing from the praise, Azrael whispered, ( "Thank you, Ash. You did great too.")

("We're going to win this tournament! Woohoo!") Skye claimed as the three continued to celebrate.

"Hmm, he seems quite a well-trained trainer," Queen Ilene said as she stroked Sir Puffy, who was eating a cookie.

Of course he is! Mew said with pride as she floated invisibly next to the Queen. He's my Chosen, after all.

"Considering all the training he's had with Professor Oak, his father's Pidgeot, and you, I think he's the most likely to win," Nanny Jenny said confidently.

Do not assume that, Leonidas said as he folded his arms. Some of these trainers are experienced ones with more than one Pokemon. He'll have to battle each of them non-stop with only one healing option.

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" Queen Iiene said as the next round began.

Yukimura and Nobuyuki's battle was quite a quick and disappointing one. Apparently, they just had to deal with a kid with a Rattata he got last week and knocked him out with one blow. Ash had already promised Skye that she would be used in the next battle, and it turns out that she would be up against a Riolu from a local who was training to be an Aura Knight like so many.

"You ready, Skye?" Ash asked as the excited Pidgey released a war cry on Ash's shoulder.

("Yeah! Let's do it!") Skye said as she flew and levitated across from the smirking Riolu.

("A Pidgey? And here I was, worried I was going to face that Absol. This is going to be easy,") The Riolu said as his owner, a blond-haired twelve-year-old dressed as a noble, acknowledged that he was ready.

"The next round of the Rookie Shot Tournament shall begin! Ash Ketchum and Skye vs. Kyle Lindman and Alex! Ready?! Begin!" The referee shouted.

"Alex! Use Quick Attack !" Kyle Lindman shouted as Alex the Riolu charged forward with his fist raised. Naturally, Skye flew out of the way and headed into the air as Alex growled.

("Come down here, coward! Fight me like a true Pokemon!") Alex shouted.

("Why don't you use your Aura Sphere to hit me? Oh, wait. I bet you don't have it,") Skye taunted as she flew around with a smirk.

Alex blushed and looked embarrassed as he prepared himself for whatever attack Skye would use. Ash smirked as he figured that most of the Riolu here were not strong enough to learn a ranged attack like Vacuum Wave. It was the only ranged move most Riolu learned, but it was considered above beginner level. One could also learn ranged moves via TMs, but those were expensive. It was also very rare that a Riolu would learn Aura Sphere so early in their lives unless they were incredibly gifted.

Thankfully, Skye had a list of range attacks that she could use easily.

"Skye! Use Gust !" Ash cried out as Skye flapped her wings and began to send heavy winds towards Alex. Alex did his best to stand still, but Skye's winds were too strong, and he was blown back. " Quick Attack ! Now!"

Skye screeched and dived forward, getting in a blow with her Quick Attack at Alex's gut, but he was able to get back on his feet and tried punching Skye a few times with his own punches, but Skye was able to fly around and avoid them with her speed. Having been training against Nobuyuki for about a week, she was used to the combat style of a Riolu. That said, one or two blows hit Skye in the face a bit, but she took the hits and soon backed off.

"Alex! Jump in the air combined with Quick Attack and use the boost to catch up to that Pidgey!" Alex's trainer cried out.

("Right! Hiya!") Alex shouted as he jumped up and timed his push-off with a bit of Aura to give him a boost. Combined with the power and speed behind Quick Attack , he launched himself at Skye, who was taken by surprise. Alex reached out with an aura-powered fist and hit Skye dead on. Skye was given a haymaker to the face and sent down hard.

"Oh! Alex finally hit Skye and sent her down! This could be it, folks!" The announcer shouted.

Wincing, Skye looked up as Alex came down to try and finish her off with Metal Claw. Ash narrowed his eyes and shouted, "Sand Attack! Just like we planned! Now!"

One of the things that Ash had come up with as a strategy for Skye was that any time she was sent to the ground, she was to grab dirt and sand the moment she touched the surface. They had practiced this during the week of training until it became automatic in her mind by instinct. With the sand in her talon, she spun around and shot it forward, blowing as hard as she could with her wings. The sand went into Alex's eyes, which made him yelp in shock and lose control of his direction. Skye rolled out of the way as Alex missed his attack, leaving a small crater in his wake.

"And a great recovery and counterattack by Skye and Ash! They're still in the fight, folks!" The announcer cried out as the crowd cheered.

"Now! Use Tackle and do your thing!" Ash cried out as he punched in the air.

("Alrighty! Take this! Death by a Thousand Pecks!" ) Skye shouted with vigor as she tackled Riolu but grabbed him by the ears with her talons and started pecking at his head over and over again. ( "Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora! Ora!")

("Gah! Get off me! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!") Alex screamed as he stumbled around, trying to get Skye off her head as she kept pecking with as much strength and viciousness as she could. Alex's owner kept trying to give orders, but Alex was in too much pain to hear him. Finally, blood started coming out of Alex's head as it started opening up from the blows, and he couldn't take it anymore as he fell to the ground and started tapping over and over. ( "I give! I give! Stop!")

Alex's owner soon stated the same thing, seeing his partner unable to fight and take the pain anymore.

"Skye! Return!" Ash said quickly, seeing that the fight was over and hearing Alex's cries. Skye returned as Alex, sobbing and holding his bleeding head, was soon being carried by Chansey nurses who worked to stop the injury.

"Alex the Riolu has given up! The winner of this match is Ash Ketchum and Skye the Pidgey!" The referee announced as the crowd cheered. While some were disturbed by how vicious the last attack was, everyone knew that injuries were common in Pokemon battles and it was part of the lifestyle so they clapped regardless as well.

Ash, feeling guilty, walked over to John and offered his hand. "Sorry for Alex. Good match."

John looked at it with a sigh before nodding and shook it. "Yeah, good match. That Pidgey of yours is a fierce one."

("Thanks! I aim to please!") Skye claimed as she glowed with praise and raised her wings to show off.

Ash chuckled before scratching her chin feathers. "Calm down, girl. We still have a few more fights ahead."

"That was quite a brutal move," Nanny Jenny said with a surprise blink.

Brutal, but efficient. The beaks of the Pidgey line are nothing to laugh at, Leonidas said as he observed the winning duo. Gripping the head and repeatedly attacking it at full force will down anyone. That was a clever move they've come up with to take advantage of Skye's strengths. The only way it would be more powerful is if they combined Agility with that move.

Yeah, Skye has a habit of pecking things she doesn't like, so Ash came up with the idea of using it as a grabbing move, Mew said as she levitated some popcorn into her mouth. Most Pidgey use ranged moves, so having a Pidgey that uses close-range attacks, even if they are self-made, is an excellent way to catch the enemy off guard.

"So not only is he good with the standard moves, but Ash is also capable of making his own moves," Queen IIene said with a smile. "I can't wait to see more."