AN: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Enjoy the chapter

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")

Disclaimer I do not own Pokemon

Naturally, as the tournament progressed, the matches got harder. Yukimura and Nobuyuki had to face a pretty strong challenger and their Riolu, which made the whole thing end up in a large fist fight. It ended when Nobuyuki used his aura to increase his strength and unleashed a devastating haymaker that knocked the other Riolu out. Although exhausted, the two declined to use their healing option for now.

"I'm starting to see why other Aura Knights get more than one Pokemon," Yukimura said as he gave his Riolu brother some water. Ash and the others were in the locker room with them. "Maybe I should get a flier like you, Ash?"

("Yeah, you should totally get a Pidgey! We're the best!") Skye claimed on Ash's shoulder with a proud look on her face.

( "There are also a lot of Grass and Ground type Pokemon around here,") Nobuyuki suggested. ("Maybe you can capture one of them?")

"Why not a Bug type? I happen to like those a lot and they can be trained pretty easily from what I know," Ash also suggested.

"Bug types? But aren't they often seen as the weakest?" Yukimura asked curiously.

"Maybe, but they are pretty good Pokemon for beginner trainers, and I hear Gyms outside of Kanto have Bug types as their specialties. Unova's Champion is even a Bug user," Ash recalled as he rubbed his head and chuckled. "Believe it or not, I've always wanted a Scyther or a Butterfree as part of my team."

("We really should consider what Pokemon we wish to join our team to make our force dynamic and powerful,") Azrael said with some thought. ("Provided they wish to join us, of course.")

"Yeah, we'll never force anyone to be on our team," Ash stated firmly.

One thing that bothered Ash personally was how sometimes Pokemon had no say in getting captured. While most of the Pokemon had accepted this outcome, seeing as combat was a means to show domination and respect in their culture, there were some who hated being taken away from their families and loved ones. Most trainers were respectful about who they captured, but others didn't care and wanted to focus on finding the strongest team. The thought of taking a child away from his parents or a parent from their children or mate didn't sit well with Ash.

It also didn't help that Skye told him why Pikachu hated him and Pokemon Trainers as well. While he knew what Pikachu did to him was wrong, he could at least sympathize with being taken away from your family against your will and could understand the anger coming from there. It made him realize that particular Pokemon shouldn't be caught for various reasons. Talking to so many Pokemon and learning about them had made him see them differently than he used to. His mom even compared it to how his dad saw Pokemon, which only made Ash feel more determined to keep his new mindset.

Did he want a strong team? Yes. Did he want it to come at the cost of a Pokemon's happiness against their will? Hell no.

Skye interrupted Ash's thoughts with a wild war cry. ("Let's worry about that later! Right now we got tails to kick in this tournament!")

Ash nodded as he and his Pokemon got ready for their next match. Then, Ash noticed that the gloves on his costume were missing. "Hey, where are my costume's gloves? I put them down to wash my hands after using the bathroom."

"We'll find you a new pair. Just go out there and win the next round," Yukimura assured Ash as he nodded and walked out of the locker room with his Pokemon.

("Shouldn't we watch and cheer Ash?") Nobuyuki asked as they started to leave for the costume area.

"Relax, Ash will get this in the bag."

Ash was not getting this in the bag. He was up against another Riolu, a male one named Jiraiya this time, and he was making Azrael work for it hard. Jiraiya was a speed demon, and what he lacked in power, he made critical and fast blows that were making Azrael have bruises all over his body. He would use Metal Claw and Quick Attack to attack while dodging any blows Azrael had saved for his only ranged attack, Swift, which was always a hit. Azrael tried to use Detect to focus on Jiraiya's move, only for him to use Feint, which was a counter move for such a thing.

However, Azrael was still standing despite the heavy breathing. The few times he hurt Jiraiya, the blows seriously knocked the wind out of him. Ash and Azrael knew this had to be one of those Stat-Focused Trainers Professor Oak and Mew told them about. In this case, the focus was on speed.

This isn't good. At the rate we're going, he's going to tire out Azrael and finish him off, Ash thought as Azrael barely jumped back to avoid another Metal Claw attack. He's mainly focused on speed, so his defense shouldn't be that good. One good hit could end it, but the question is how? He's too fast.

Azrael's Leer could do the trick, but that would require getting him to stare eye to eye at Jiraiya, who was too fast to lock eyes on. So, how do you get around that? Ash ordered Azrael to get closer to him as Jiraiya backed up close to his trainer. Ash knelled towards Azrael and whispered, "How are you doing?"

("Fine for now, but if this keeps up, I'm going to be too tired to move,") Azrael answered with sweat on his brow and took deep breaths.

"Tired to move..." Ash whispered to himself as an idea came to him. "Azrael, I got an idea."

After discussing their plan, Azrael prepared himself and charged forward. Jiraiya's owner told him to charge forward two, and it looked like the two were going to meet head-on. That was until Ash shouted, "Double Team!"

Copies of Azrael were soon made, charging forward. Jiraiya hesitated too long and jumped towards the center one with Metal Claw, only for his attack to go right through the illusion. More copies were made as they circled and moved around Jiraiya, who tried to find the real one.

"Jiraiya! Use your Aura to detect which one is real!" His owner cried out.

Jiraiya nodded and soon closed their eyes, but this was what Ash and Azrael were waiting for. Because of their Aura sense, Riolu and Lucario could easily pick out certain illusions without fail, including the false clones of Double Team. However, the goal wasn't to trick Jiraiya into attacking the clones but to trick him into closing his eyes.

Concentration was required to find the real Azrael, who quickly moved towards Jiraiya and tackled him to the ground as the Double Team clones disappeared. Jiraiya tried to move and opened his eyes, but this proved to be a mistake as Azrael leaned down and unleashed the full might of Leer.

Jiraiya was frozen in fear as the effects hit him dead on.

"Now! Knock Off!" Ash shouted as Azrael summoned his dark energy into his horn, unleashing it point-blank on Jiraiya's face. Upon impact, there was a large explosion of dark energy, and after a few minutes, the dust settled, showing a triumphant Azrael standing next to an unconscious Jiraiya.

"Jiraiya is unable to battle! Winners are Ash Ketchem and Azrael!" The referee said as he lifted his flag in Ash's direction.

"And Jiraiya is out! Ash Ketchem and his Pokemon will now advance to the Semi-Finals!" The announcer said as Ash shook hands with Jiraiya's trainer before he and Azrael approached a bench.

("That looked like a tough one,") Skye said as she flew down and rested on Azrael's back. ("You okay?")

("Bruised and tired, but I should be okay,") Azrael said with a wince.

"Should I use the healing option?" Ash asked.

("Let's let Skye deal with our next match in the semi-finals. Once we win that, we'll see which of us should be at full strength,") Azrael suggested.

("Don't worry! I'll make sure to win!") Skye chirped as the two walked out of the arena towards the entrance to the locker rooms.

"That was a close match," Queen Ilene said as Sir Puffy cheered for Ash. "Good thing Ash came up with a counter strategy."

Not every battle you face will have you on the domination side, Leonidas said as he closed his eyes. Sometimes, you win by turning the tide with strategy and determination. Ash portrayed both in this battle.

Yeah, he used to panic sometimes when he was losing fights, but we soon got him to relax, Mew said as she broke a cupcake and handed over half to a happy Sir Puffy. One of the things we were able to do early during his recovery was train his mind and emotions. Trainers that start initially are often rash and don't think clearly. We made sure to make Ash learn that.

"Two more victories are needed to win," Nanny Jenny said as she turned to the Queen. "Do you think he can do it?"

Queen Ilene smiled as she rested her chin on her hand. "Yes, I think he will."

"Oh, hey! Did you win?" Yukimura asked as he and Nobuyuki found Ash halfway to the lockers.

"Yeah, but it was tougher than I expected," Ash said as he patted Azrael on his head. "We almost got tired but managed to pull out a good win in the end."

"Great! That means all we need to do is win our match, beat the semi-finals, and face each other in the finals!" Yukimura claimed with a big smile on his face.

("And we're going to give you our all, so you better do the same!") Nobuyuki declared with a thumbs up from his paw.

"Don't worry, Nobuyuki," Ash assured him with a smile. "We will."

("Great! Oh, and we found you some replacement gloves,") Nobuyuki said as he handed Ash some old-looking gloves with golden lines heading towards the center of the back of the glove's hand placement where blue orbs could be found. ("They were lying around in a dusty area and looked pretty cool. Even has the symbol of the Aura Knights on it.")

Ash thanked him and put them on, only to feel something pass through him like a bucket of cold water splashed down. For some reason, something in his Aura flared out, and he soon became more aware of his surroundings. He felt weird. It was like his Aura was expanding and was much smoother to move around inside of him.

Yukimura and Nobuyuki sensed it and looked at Ash with Aura in their eyes before widening. "Woah! Ash, your Aura is blazing harder than I've ever seen it."

"Really?" Ash asked as he slowly closed his eyes and began to summon his Aura. To his surprise, it was much easier to summon, and he opened his eyes to see the world...different. It was like seeing different colors emanating from different forms of life. There was a blue and yellow glow coming from Skye and pure blue coming from Yukimura and Nobuyuki. Azrael had blue as well, but there was also a dark purple aura around him.

"I...I can see colors coming from you guys," Ash said as he blinked again, only to find it all gone and his sight back to normal. "It's gone now."

"Wow, was that Aura Sight?" Yukimura asked in surprise. "I can tell where Aura is coming from, but not colors. I think they represent different emotions or intentions."

("How did you unlock that?") Skye asked while tilting her head.

Ash didn't have an answer before looking at the gloves. "Could it have been there?"

"Huh? But there isn't any Aura coming from them anymore," Yukimura pointed out.

Nobuyuki closed his eyes and concentrated as Aura wrapped around him. Opening his eyes, he shook his head. ("Yeah, I got nothing, too.")

("Maybe it's from the last match? Maybe focusing on it caused your Aura to flare out suddenly?") Azrael suggested.

They would continue theorizing until the announcer stated that Yukimura and Nobuyuki's next battle would start soon. Cursing, Yukimura told Ash, "Well, let's worry about it later. We need to get to our next match! Let's go bro!"

Ash watched as the two left to participate in their match. He looked at his gloves hands and wondered if there was more to these gloves than meets the eye.

Yukimura and Nobuyuki managed to win in a close match against another fellow Riolu, which turned into a stamina match. The two were about even in everything and used all their power and moves to match each other in combat. Blows were exchanged, Aura flared out, and both Riolu used whatever tricks they could. In the end, Nobuyuki won because the other Riolu had already healed up earlier in the starting rounds and had to carry the weight of the past injuries. This led him to collapse from exhaustion, and, seeing as her Riolu couldn't be found anymore, the trainer threw in the towel. Because of his injuries, Nobuyuki needed to take the healing option now despite his arguments that he could hold on until the finals.

"Alright, folks! The first of the semi-finals is about to begin! First, Ash Ketchem of Pallet Town vs Kirby Green from Pewter City!"

The crowds were cheering and roaring for the two trainers who waved to the crowd. Ash gazed over at his opponent, a pink-haired thirteen-year-old male with a royal guard outfit on for his costume. He hadn't yet shown his Pokemon, so Ash decided to lift his elbow more and let Skye, who was resting on it, let out a cry and fly toward the center, where she waited to face her opponent.

"Go, Clefairy!" Kirby shouted as he threw his Pokeball, and one of the most well-known Fairy Types in the Indigo region came out.

Ash quickly pulled out his Pokedex to scan it:

Pokemon: Clefairy (The Fairy Pokémon )

Gender: Female

Type: Fairy

Region of Origin: Kanto

Biography: Because of its adorable nature, it is in high demand as a pet. However, it is rare and found only in limited areas. On every night of a full moon, groups of this Pokémon come out to play. When dawn arrives, the tired Clefairy return to their quiet mountain retreats and go to sleep nestled up against each other. It is said that happiness will come to those who see a gathering of Clefairy dancing under a full moon.

While technically not the first evolution of the line, Clefairy was allowed since the rules allowed the evolution above a Baby Type, in this case, Cleffa. Ash knew this was going to be a very tough fight. Clefairys were very strong Pokemon, including their ability to use Metronome, which was a move that could technically do any Pokemon move, but it was random by the result.

We're going to have to strike first and fast so that she doesn't use Metronome, Ash thought, as the move could bring out anything from a simple Flamethrower to Hyper Beam .

Once the referee started the match, Kirby shouted, " Metronome!"

Darn it! Ash thought as Clefairy was already waving their fingers. Ash had to hurry and strike before the move was complete, but he only had a short window of opportunity. "Skye, fly as fast as possible, and Quick Attack!"

Skye flew as fast as she could and nearly made it, but the move was finished, and Clefairy happily cried out while lifting both their fingers. Suddenly, there was a large explosion that emanated from Clefairy, and Ash had to cover his eyes as he heard both Clefairy and Skye scream in pain. His heart nearly leaped out of his chest upon hearing this, and he shouted, "Skye!"

Skye had fallen, bleeding and covered in soot, on her back while twitching. Tears were coming down her eyes as she cooed in pain. Ash had all but rushed to her with Azrael behind him as he gently took up the hurt Pidgey. ("...that...hurt...")

Ash looked over and saw that the Clefairy was just as bad, if not worse, as they were also unconscious. Nurses and Chanseys rushed over to help, and the referee quickly declared Ash the winner since Skye was still conscious, and Kirby's Clefairy was knocked out. Ash quickly handed Skye over to the nurses as Sorrin flew down and was by his daughter's side to let her know she would be okay.

("What just happened?") Azrael asked in worry.

"I think that was Self-Destruct," Ash answered as he remembered the move. One designed to take down an opponent with the last of your energy at your own cost. "Let's go check to make sure Skye is okay."

Azrael nodded as he rushed after the medical crew with Ash by his side.

("Oh man. I hope Skye is going to be okay,") Sir Puffy whimpered as he hugged Queen Ilene.

It was a costly victory, Leonidas said with a sigh. Even with the healing machine, a blow like that will take longer to recover from. That point-blank explosion did hefty damage. It's a miracle that she was able to stay conscious.

Skye might be small, but she's got spunk, Mew said with a head shake. It was also pretty dumb of that trainer to use Metronome that quickly and right off the bat. While it can be a helpful technique, it has many drawbacks. It's best only to use that as a last resort or if you want to add a bit of unpredictability to the fight.

"Still, Ash has made it to the finals, but he'll only have his Absol now to fight," Nanny Jenny whispered with worry.

"Ash still has his healing option, so he can use that for Azrael," Queen Ilene said with a sigh. "Right now, I just hope Skye will recover well."

"Your Pidgey is currently resting, and she will be okay by the time the tournament ends," Nurse Joy said with a comforting smile as Ash, Azrael, Sorrin, Delia, and Ranmaru watched her sleep in a nest-like bed with bandages around her body. "But I must advise you not to use her for the rest of the tournament."

"I understand," Ash said as he slowly stroked the sleepy bird Pokemon's feathers. He turned to Sorrin and muttered, "I'm sorry this happened, Sorrin."

("Don't apologize, Ash,") Sorrin sighed as he nuzzled his daughter. ("Injuries like this happen in battles, and none of us could have seen Self-Destruct being used like that. It was just a case of bad luck and nothing more.")

("If anything, knowing Skye, she'll be upset that she can't be used for the final battle") Azrael pointed out, which made Ash and Sorrin chuckle upon hearing this.

"...We'll win this for her," Ash said with determination as he gripped his fists. "We'll ensure her work ethic helped us in the end."

You still need to beat my sons, though, Ranmaru said, as they had learned a few minutes ago that Yukimura and Nobuyuki had won their semi-final match. So make sure you give it your all.

"I will," Ash said with determination as he turned to Azrael. "Come on, Azrael. Let's get you healed up before our final fight."

The two exited with Nurse Joy, who needed to help another Pokemon in their care. However, upon leaving, Ranmaru narrowed her eyes and whispered to Delia and Sorrin via Aura. Master Ash is...different.

"Different?" Delia asked.

His Aura has increased tremendously. It's smoother and flows like a series of rivers through his body. Almost subconsciously, Ranmaru whispered in deep thought. I didn't sense it at first, but after careful observation...something has changed in Ash.

("Is it a bad change?") Sorrin asked in concern.

No, I don't think so, Ranmaru sighed before shaking her head. But Master Ash shouldn't have that big of a boost to his Aura in such a short time especially since it was much weaker this morning.

"So what could have caused it?" Delia asked.

After getting Azrael healed, Ash ensured he was ready for his final battle for the tournament. Win or lose, he felt proud that he had gotten this far and that his training had been working. Azrael, fully healed, was by his side and looking focused as they stepped forward together in determination to ensure they won this upcoming fight against Yukimura and Nobuyuki. The duo were smirking with excitement and anticipation as they stared across the field, eye to eye.

The crowd was cheering as the announcer started things off. "And here we are at the final match of the Rookie Shot Tournament! It's been a long road, folks, but we've come to the end! Who will win the tournament and achieve both glory and prestige? On the first corner, we have Ash Ketchem of Pallet Town, who has shown clever techniques and strategies to make it this far! He'll use Azrael the Absol, who has shown great strength and density through all obstacles! Give them a round of applause!"

The crowd applauded and yelled in support of Ash, many from Kanto who wanted to see one of their own win.

"And in the other corner, we have Rota's very own Yukimura Nishikori and Nobuyuki Nishikori! The former was adopted by the latter's parents, Kenshin and Ranmaru, and both have trained hard to become future Aura Knights. They've shown a great mastery of Aura and have pulled no punches in tough matches! Let's show them our support for these two future knights of our great kingdom!"

The applause for Yukimura and Nobuyuki was louder because they were from the local area. Many residents, both humans and Pokemon, wished them good luck. The two grinned and posed heroically as if to show their confidence.

The referee soon stepped forward. "The final match of the Rookie Shot Tournament shall now take place! Ash Ketchem and Azrael vs Yukimura Nishikori and Nobuyuki. Are both challengers ready?"

"Yeah!" Yukimura shouted.

"We're ready!" Ash shouted back.

"Ready!" The referee said as he raised both his flags.

Azrael and Nobuyuki glared at each other with a competitive look as they prepared to rush inside the ring.

"Set!"

Ash and Yukimura nodded to each other as both gripped their hands.

"GO!"