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The Aura is With Me (Advanceshipping)

L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
Title Page

The Aura is With Me (Advanceshipping)
- By: lunarshadow ;448;

lunarshadow said:
QUICK ANNOUNCEMENT WHEN READING THIS STUFF

Some things have changed! I would like to invite all of you to re-read the entire ten chapters I've got up so far before continuing onto the later chapters. I've got a minor case of paranoid perfectionism so I've been revising some of my earlier work to polish it as much as possible. Some of the new things (especially in the prologue) will have great significance all the way to the end of this mega-long epic I have planned.

I've created a new table of contents post, as well as an expanded author's note. I've kept the previous author notes of years prior, but hidden them in spoiler tags. This means that there are new thoughts with the author notes every chapter! Feel free to peer into my conciousness as you see fit!

Updates will be every Monday AND Friday morning at 12:00AM PDT, aka 03:00AM EST where I actually live.

Happy reading! :D
Click to expand...

Table of Contents:

Part One: αρχη
Prologue: The Last Guardian of Aura

Arc One, The Battle for the Beacon Badge
Chapter I: Unleashed
Chapter II: Undaunted
Chapter III: Aquapolis
Chapter IV: Skyridge
Chapter V: Rising Rivals
Chapter VI: Team Rocket
Chapter VII: Neo Genesis
Chapter VIII: Neo Discovery
Chapter IX: Neo Revelation
Chapter X: Neo Destiny
Chapter XI: Great Encounters
Chapter XII: Majestic Dawn
Chapter XIII: Legend Maker
Chapter XIV: Hidden Legends
Chapter XV: Call of Legends
Chapter XVI: Battle for the Beacon Badge, Part I - VS Raichu!!
Chapter XVI: Battle for the Beacon Badge, Part II - VS Ambipom!!
Chapter XVI: Battle for the Beacon Badge, Part III - VS Luxray!!

Part One: Arc Two, Assault on the Team Galactic Base
Chapter XVII: Call of Duty
Chapter XVIII: A Link to the Past
Chapter XIX: Chain of Memories
Chapter XX: Far Cry
Chapter XXI: Crysis
Chapter XXII: Journey
Chapter XXIII: Chrono Trigger
Chapter XXIV: TimeSplitters
Chapter XXV: Partners in Time
Chapter XXVI: Uncharted

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i. Introduction:

Welcome to the home of my first fan fiction, The Aura is With Me! The idea of this fan fiction started some time around March 2008 when I was pondering about stuff like physics and Pokemon at the same time. I'm still in High School, and physics and mathematics and stuff like that still hurt my brain, but I thought that I could possibly work the two out together in a seamless combination, relatively speaking of course.

Fortunately for me, there was a person that beat me to it, and his name, or at least pen name is EarthBorn. He has written one complete fan fiction, Destiny Bond I: Aura Sphere and is currently working on his sequel, Destiny Bond II: Sacred Fire. His work is phenomenal. He has combined several key concepts of quantum mechanics and Pokemon into a fiction that is very, if not absolutely, believable. His work is what mostly inspired me to get the courage to piece the impossible together.

This is a story loosely on the same lines as EarthBorn's Destiny Bond, containing elements such as physics, Pokemon, Advanceshipping, and Aura. However, there are several major plot differences and physics concepts that set this work very much apart from Destiny Bond I and Destiny Bond II. Obviously, they won't be revealed right here and now because that wouldn't leave anything for you to read will it? EarthBorn and myself have talked it over and he's more than perfectly okay with my ideas. Plus, I don't think plagiarizing is exactly a very professional practice, so I'll never do it. Plus, I intend not to bore you with my story with things you've already heard, after all, reading is for enjoyment!

ii. Story Assumptions and Sources

The reader is encouraged to have been previously familiar with the materials that this adaptation of Pokémon draws inspiration from. Barring this circumstance, readers are welcome to investigate elements that they were unfamiliar with before by following the provided links in the Sources section of every chapter and at the bottom of this page.

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Inheritance from Spheres of Influence:

Manga: Epic battles as well as the intention for a visual adaptation, Pokémon can learn more than four moves, six ball carrying limit is non-binding, character personalities.

Games: Team Rocket from RGBY, Team Aqua/Magma from RSE, Team Galactic from DPPt, characters from Unova, Cipher and Shadow Pokémon from Colosseum and XD, Pokémon World, HAPPI, and Wigglytuff’s Guild from Mystery Dungeon series, and the Ranger Union from the Ranger series.

Anime: Aura, anime physics is applied, no blood, Pokémon League structure, Unova exists as a region, money is scarcely discussed.

Movies: M1-M15, with movies considered canonical.

Our World: Classical physics to explain attacks, quantum mechanics to explain energy and Aura, astrophysics to explain the creation of the universe, different religions to provide meaning to existence, spirituality to explain meaning for living.

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Reader’s Responsibility:

The Aura is With Me story begins before Ash gets his eighth badge in the Sinnoh region, before Team Galactic completes their final operation, and after M12.

Manga: Reader should have read the first chapter of Pokémon Adventures to get an impression of what Satoshi Tajiri says is how he envisioned the Pokémon universe to be

Games: Reader should have played through Generation I, II, III, IV, and V games, optionally played Colosseum, XD, Mystery Dungeon Blue Rescue Team, Explorers of Sky, Pokémon Ranger

Anime: Reader should have watched up to episode 615 or DP 135, Gateway to Ruin and are encouraged to have watched Japanese episodes with subtitles

Movies: Reader should have watched movies M1-M12

Our World: Reader should have basic understandings of gravity, magnetism, spacial bodies like planets and galaxies, a vague understanding of dimensions, an exposure to more than one religion, and a willingness to think spiritually

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Time:

1 second = 1 second.
60 second minutes.
60 minute hours.
24 hour days.
30 day months.
12 month calendar.
360 day years.
8 episodes is roughly equivalent to 1 month.
Average walking distance traveled per day is 3 km.
Timeline begins when Ash is born. 0 years ago/after = Ash birthday.
This story does not begin at a specific year like 1995 or 2012 and time is measured relatively to Ash’s birthday at year 0.

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Character Ages:

Ash's birthday is assumed to be August 28th. Everyone has their own birthdates relative to Ash.
Ash is 10 years and some days old at the time of leaving Pallet. That puts him at 16 years and 5 months old.
Misty is 11 years and 6 months old at the time of meeting Ash. That puts her at turning 18 in two weeks.
Brock is 12 years and 9 months at the time of meeting Ash. That puts him at nineteen years old.
Tracey is 12 years and 8 months at the time of meeting Ash. That puts him at nineteen years old.
May is 11 years and 6 months old at the time of meeting Ash. That puts her at 15 years and 2 months old.
Max is 7 years old at the time of meeting Ash. That puts him at 10 years and 7 months old.
Dawn is 10 years and 6 months old at the time of meeting Ash. That puts her at 12 years old.
Other character’s ages will be revealed only in terms of years within the text and by use of the timeline.

iii. Author’s Preface

This story has been written without ownership of any intellectual property. Those rights are reserved to Nintendo, GAMEFREAK, or The Pokémon Company International where applicable.

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Hello, and thank you for reading my story, The Aura is With Me.

This project began in the spring semester of my freshman year in high school as a hobby, never intending to have it published or even seriously read. I’m not sure how I discovered fanfiction, but I’m sure I’ll never forget becoming engrossed in it. You see, I was madly enthralled with my childhood obsession and disgusted with Shakespearian iambic pentameter in English class. Naturally, this turned my productive attention to building a fantasy adventure instead—starring a brash ten year old named Ash Ketchum.

The Aura is With Me is my first attempt at writing a complete story as well as my first attempt at fan fiction. Overall, my goal for this project is to combine the world of Pokémon as shown in the anime, movies, manga, and games into one comprehensive world that encompasses everything in its jurisdiction. Additionally, this story will meld our real world, theoretical physics, philosophy, and pure speculation in order to create an enjoyable narrative.

I do not personally view fan fiction as a legitimate form of expression, but I write and read it anyway in rebellion of my own opinions. Formally, I believe that writing within the universe of others is not only dishonest to those creators, but also dishonest to the writer. The reason for overlooking this dissonance in the meantime is simple: fan fiction is supremely fun. With fanfiction, the official story, limited by time, money, producers, and even the creator’s own ambition are all wiped away, leaving us fans to develop stories of even more grandeur, intelligence, and imagination. With the experience I hope to gain by writing my own fictions, one day I will realize my ultimate dream to pen an original story. That said, I love everything about my story: the vision, the creative process, and the response I get from fellow fans because of it. This story is my first baby and I coddle it like the precious little booger it is.

Even though Pokémon is largely a kiddy show, kiddy game, and kiddy obsession, it is not without surprising wisdom, life-long lessons, and deep intrinsic value. Objectively it is a billion dollar franchise, but subjectively it has converted otherwise normal kids and teenagers into wannabe creature tamers. Even for a non-fan, it is very hard to find a child who has not heard of Pokémon. But for a current fan, one would be hard pressed not to indulge in a sentence or two (maybe in socially unacceptable amounts) with others who have been touched by this incredible machination. I am not ashamed to say that it is a huge part of my life and I eagerly await to see how the next decades include these curious little blips on a screen.

This fan fiction is the culmination of my obsession, my vision, and my imagination within the universe once started by a shy Japanese bug collector who only received a technical degree. My hopes for the characters, the themes that are herein, and the story that I want to tell could not have been possible without him or his team’s efforts. Doumo arigatou gozaimasu.

I hope you enjoy reading this story as much as I have enjoyed penning it. Without any further ado, please enjoy, onegai shimasu!

-TestSubject069, aka lunarshadow

Mirrors:

Fanfiction.net
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/1594674/ - Mirror of this Page and More Detailed Descriptions.

Serebiiforums.com
http://www.serebiiforums.com/member.php?u=109329 - My Home Here On the Serebii.Net Forums.

Advancers Proboards
http://advancers.proboards.com/thread/1725/aura-me-pg-13 - Advancers community posting

Rules

Serebiiforums.com Rules: http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?397567-Serebii-Forums-Rules

Serebiiforums.com Shipping Fic Rules: http://www.serebiiforums.com/showthread.php?133520-The-New-Shipping-Fic-Rules-Read-learn-obey-%28Updated-3-30-11%29

Rating: This, according to Fanfiction.net ratings, is rated T, containing content that may not be suitable for young children. This, according to Serebii.Net Forums ratings, is rated PG, containing content that may not be suitable for young children.

Author Requests:

1. Feel free to read my story!
I appreciate anyone who reads this, it's just a figment of imagination, but nonetheless, it feels nice to have readers. :)

2. Feel free to comment my story!
I appreciate very critical comments the most to be honest. I feel that if you tell me what I need to improve, that would help me more, and give you a better reading experience!
Of course, I won't say no to "OMG This is the most awesomest fic ever!"; or "WOW this is a great fic!"; or a "I LUV YOU!" from anybody! :)

3. Try as hard as you can not to tell me to hurry up with the updates!
I know it's tough, but please restrain yourselves! :)

4. Please rate and review my fiction extensively! I cannot stress enough how much I like people who tell me that I actually need work, that my story is not perfect, and that I still have a long way to go! Don't feel embarrassed by murdering my work with a reply post telling me things you would've changed. I like it! Bring it ON!!! YOUR COMMENTS DON'T SCARE ME!!!But seriously, you may comment however you want.

And now to the actual fan fiction. *Finally!* Enjoy!

Awards for The Aura is With Me

3rdPlaceTraditionalContest-1.png

5/31/2009 - SPPF's Shipping Fan Fiction Contest; C.Gholy
3rd Place Winner (Traditional Category)​
 
Last edited:
L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
Prologue: The Last Guardian of Aura

The Pokémon World has been described as an irreplaceable, alluring, and joyously endless experience. Living a normal, human life is incomplete, only made whole by including Pokémon, the creatures of nature. Pokémon are living, breathing beings, and although there are many species, each individual Pokémon is endowed with its own unique characteristics. Some are born strong. Others are born meek. Some are born with attitude. Others are born reserved. Some become family. Others become warriors. Some species are bountiful. Others are rare. Some are the stuff of legends. Others are the ones that make them. A life without Pokémon, would be a life lived regretfully and unfulfilled.

Since the dawn of civilization, three million years ago, the first humans had emerged and evolved from nature’s common ancestor. But at the time of the universe’s creation, some thirteen point seven billion years ago, the first Pokémon came to be; the direct decedents of life itself. Humans have existed for less than a hundredth of a second on the universe's timepiece; they are an addition to the already beautiful cosmos. When the first humans came to be, Pokémon welcomed them, the new species, with open arms. Today, the tradition lives on. Humans and Pokémon coexist together today sometimes as teacher and student, sometimes as person and companion, but always as friends.

Yet always is there trouble in the world, ever since the first wrong of humans was recorded. Evil and the plague on this earth was born when the first humans betrayed nature and tilted its delicate balance. For generations since, remnants remain and continue to reflect themselves upon the world. Today this evil exists through cruelty and injustice. Pokémon are sometimes treated as though they are inferior beings, exploited for the sake of power, sometimes even used to manipulate the world we live in for personal gain.

The fight against evil is everlasting, and the end is not in sight. But there are those who continue in the struggle. Some feel it is their duty. Others are obliged through righteousness. Still, Pokémon and humans alike live to fight this evil, they are united, and they are one in the battle for peace. They are destined through the bonds that sustain life itself.

This is the story of humans and Pokémon working together as teacher and student, people and partners, and friends, walking down the path of life towards their final destination. Our story begins at three in the morning in a quaint laboratory near Sangdem Town, where an accomplished Professor sits alone with a single lamp light on, unearthing legends.

[03:43 A.M.] Sangdem Town (Research Institute and Laboratory), Sinnoh Region

Professor Rowan, as he was formally called, was a professor of Pokémon, similar to many in other regions. At the shocking age of fifty years old and acclaimed in the field of Pokémon Evolution, the media, his assistants and colleagues called him an expert. Regardless of the acclaim he earned, he personally felt as though he knew nothing about what evolution was. Thus, he searched for the answer in published academia under his lamplight.

His assistants had left the laboratory several hours earlier for their family, beds and normal lives, but the Professor again sat at his desk, itching to answer his lifelong question, “What is Pokémon Evolution?”

Every time he met someone new, and he tried to explain what he did as a Pokémon professor, he would ask that person speculative questions like “What exactly is Evolution? Why does it pertain to only some Pokémon? Is it that they are more advanced, that they can become more powerful? Then what do we make of the Pokémon that don’t evolve? What exactly is the force that allows it to happen?”

Naturally, that person would reply for conversation’s sake with responses such as, “Well, it could be that some are supposed to evolve while others aren’t because that’s the way it is.”

Upon hearing repetitive, generic, and empty responses, he would have to give an equally repetitive, generic, and empty reply, “Well, wouldn’t that mean there was a creator who specified which Pokémon evolved? How did it create the force to allow Evolution to happen?”

At that preposterous set of questions, the conversation would fade away, leaving only the same questions from before unanswered. Regardless, it is a professor’s duty to answer the unanswered, and it was Rowan’s self obligated duty to solve his own puzzle.

Tonight, he was about to throw in the towel once again at solving the question that drove him nuts for the past four years of his career. After all, there were so many research papers to sort through and data sets to organize that it would be impossible to come across the answer with a restless set of eyes. He could skip over a potential research paper most pertinent to his problem due to lack of focus or even lack of motivation. But as he was about to close off the light on the desk, an old, dusty graduate-level physics textbook caught his eye, containing aged pages and dry passages. He picked it up and decided to crack it open. It was late, but his mind was in no mood for rest, so a bit of light reading might help to calm his nerves.

“Modern Physics and Philosophical Analogies, published by the University of Celadon Press,” Rowan mused to himself. “Who knows? Maybe there’s something novel these authors know that’ll take my mind off things. Let’s see… the table of contents.”

He turned the worn book over in his hands and sat down in his seat to begin. For an average person or undergraduate, the list of chapter names would’ve been enough to create a reason to put the book right back down, but some of the sections were mildly interesting to the professor.

It read, ‘Forces of the Physical World’, ‘The Effects of Gravity, and ‘Electromagnetic Fields in the Microcosmos’, on and on until finally, the last chapter read Theoretical Original Force. The professor grew intrigued with this title, and decided to investigate. Evolution, he had found, was an actual force similar to gravity and magnetism, but obviously not one experienced on a daily basis and limited to certain individuals for unknown reasons. For all the so-called authority on Evolution knew, Evolution could be a “Theoretical Force”. He turned to the corresponding page and began to read.

“The ancient cultures have legends pertaining to the creation of this earth and also the many forces later to be revealed as Gravity, Electromagnetism, and the relatively recently discovered Strong and Weak Nuclear Forces. However, at the time when the legends were inscribed by these cultures, they apparently knew nothing of the forces that we know of today. Based off of the primary legends circulating at the time such as The Original Story, the ancients understood merely the dimensions, and not the forces that correspond with them.

“According to a particular legend from the Sinnoh Region, the Original One, be this a force, a god-like entity, or something else, was expressed as an “egg” that contained an infinitely dense primordial energy for a fraction of a second before it hatched into the universe. This telling of cosmological genesis is semantically similar to the empirically supported theory of the Big Bang; that an indescribably violent and dense point of energy existed for a fraction of a second before it detonated and cooled off into the known universe. This symmetry of mythology and science indicates that there must be an underlying cause for this phenomenon, that some theoretical force underlies the birth of this dense region of primal matter as well as its instantaneous release. Even now, research into such a phenomenon is neither within the scope of humanity’s capabilities and possibly even its understanding. It is our hope that this theoretical force may one day prove to be empirical, validated, and true.”

“Could it be…!” At this, the Professor set the physics textbook down and walked over to his filing cabinet of ancient Sinnoh legends and began to search for the legend, The Original Story. “Oh where is it?”

The professor was struck with a sudden but loose connection. Apparently, to preserve the professionalism of publishing a physics book, the authors and editors avoided mentioning Pokémon directly, and therefore addressed mysteries relating to the Pokémon world only if they were relevant to physics. But what jolted the Professor was that the so-called egg of the “Original One” bore similarities to Pokémon eggs before hatching.

“If that is true,” the Professor reasoned. “Then the same force that allows Pokémon to hatch from eggs is the same force that allowed the “Original One” to emerge from its egg and into the new universe! Is that possible?”

At that, he found his saving grace, The Original Story. Upon re-reading it, his understanding grew ever deeper.

In the beginning, there was only
a churning turmoil of chaos.
At the heart of chaos, where all
things became one, appeared an Egg.
Having tumbled from the vortex, the
Egg gave rise to the Original One.
From itself, two beings the Original
One did make.
Time started to spin.
Space began to expand.
From itself again, three living things
the Original One did make.
The two beings wished, and from them,
matter came to be.
The three living things wished, and
from them, spirit came to be.
The world created, the Original One
took to unyielding sleep...

“I don’t believe it,” the Professor murmured to himself. “It’s so simple… Why hadn’t I realized this before?”

“What is Pokémon Evolution?” he asked himself. The Professor then knew the answer to at least one of the questions that had been driving him slightly kookie for over four years. Getting Goosebumps from this simple discovery, he replied to himself in the dimly lit laboratory. “It’s the force that created the universe! This is insane!

“Am I the only one on this earth who knows this? How could this have eluded so many brilliant minds? Pokémon Evolution is the force that created the universe! It’s so ridiculously simple! I must get this out to someone! But whom?

“Oak!” The professor spoke with insight. “He may be the only one who would actually believe me since we’ve known each other for far too long, but this would be completely ridiculous if I am right! After all there would be no way to actually test it or anything… but at least I can confide with the greatest mind of this age without fear of ridicule.”

Walking over to his videophone desk, he grabbed the registrar of numbers off the table and scanned the pages to find his old friend’s number.

“If Oak agrees, I might be onto something!” Rowan talked out loud. “I have no idea what the force is made of, I don’t know how it happened, but now I know at least that it had existed from the very beginning! That alone would be a revolutionary redirection of my research!”

Dialing the number into the videophone, he centered himself in the built-in camera, and patiently waited for a response from Oak, despite his anxiety to get this out immediately to someone for analysis or confirmation. Unfortunately, it was taking slightly longer than usual.

“Come on, please pick up…”

Just after he asked, Professor Oak’s face appeared, along with his sleeping garments.

“Wah! Clarke, you’ve caught me at a bad time! I was just about to sleep! Couldn’t you call during the day?”

“Sam, I’m so sorry, but I had to call!” Rowan said, hiding his face with his hand to prevent himself from getting blinded. “I’ve just made a connection that could change the course of my profession, and I thought you may be able to help me!”

“Oh, alright, fine, but let me get some clothes on!” Samuel Oak griped good-naturedly, sinking back into the background.

“Fine, fine, sorry!” Rowan apologized again. A few moments passed, and eventually the modestly underdressed Professor returned with more suitable attire.

“So Clarke my friend, tell me. What do you need?” Oak asked with a wide smile.

“Your advice.”

“My advice?”

“Sam, I’ve told you many times before that I am frustrated. I’ve written countless articles in the Pokémon Journal of Behavioral Biochemistry and I’ve given plenty of seminars on identifying when an evolution may occur, and plenty of other academic accomplishments, but so far my life’s work has been studying Pokémon Evolution through a perspective of functionalism, rather than through a perspective of structuralism.”

“Indeed… You are the leading authority in this field, but I understand your conundrum. If a breakthrough could be found, then you may be able to transition your attention to structuralism. Did you discover a breakthrough?”

“At the very least, I think I may have discovered a lead!” Professor Rowan exclaimed, his face lit up with enthusiasm. “I haven’t done any preliminary research or verification, but I think it’s a good start!”

“Well? Let me hear it.”

“According to the ancient Sinnoh legend, The Original Story, it said that the Original One hatched from an egg and started the expansion of the universe thirteen point seven billion years ago. Pokémon too, are born from eggs, and egg hatching is much like Evolution in its own right, correct?”

“Yes, that’s correct,” Professor Oak pondered out loud, smoothing out his chin with his hand. “What do you have in mind, Clarke?”

“Do you realize where I’m going?” Rowan asked. It was now or never for the professor as he grew ever more excited inside. “I think Evolution is what started the universe!”

At that, the professor on Rowan’s screen blinked knowingly, and then he laid back in his chair pondering how to respond.

“What do you think?” Rowan asked, now slightly apprehensive.

“Wow… well, let me first say that I’m glad you came to me first about your theory,” the professor on the other end smiled, thoroughly surprising Rowan.

Rowan expected an ‘I think it’s plausible’, or some kind of ‘Well, we’d never be able to test it’, but it didn’t come. Instead, Oak continued to smooth over his chin in thought, smiling all the while. Rowan continued.

“Who else would I call about such an idea? For all I know my theory is just like some child making a completely uneducated guess connecting something from fairy tales, not real life! I would be laughed at by my own colleagues much less the scientific community if I ever brought this up.”

“I know. That’s because I made such a conclusion myself, Clarke. I know what you mean.” Oak still sat in the same position and continued to smile. “I haven’t come forth publicly about my thoughts, but now I know I have at least one confident.”

“Sam, I knew I made a safe choice by conversing with you about it first before I publish some sort of dissertation!” Rowan was now completely hooked with what his colleague had to say. “What kind of conclusion did you make?”

“Some time ago, Ash came back from the Hoenn League to Pallet Town to figure out what he was going to do next. Of course, as you know, he decided to take the Pokémon Battle Frontier Challenge, but while he was in my laboratory he and I talked about something very intriguing.”

“What was that?” Rowan asked, knowing that something big was coming up. After all, everything regarding Ash was something big.

“Oh, he talked about his adventures, gym battles, and about May’s contests and things like that, but that’s not all too important.”

“Wait one second, who’s May?” Rowan asked, unaware of Ash’s previous travelling partner.

“Right, I never mentioned her before! May Maple is a Pokémon Coordinator like Dawn but she and her younger brother Max tagged along with Ash during both his Hoenn league journey and the Battle Frontier challenge. To be honest, Ash and May seem very close after all of that. The two parted ways so now Ash is in Sinnoh while May is in Johto.

“Anyways it was not so long after our small talk that Ash mentioned a Pokémon he met at Cameran Palace in the sovereign city-state of Rota. He said that this Pokémon was learning techniques from a human.”

“Hmm, yes. I’ve heard that a long time ago Pokémon were sometimes taught by humans through uncommonly close bonds,” Rowan brought his hand up to his bushy, white mustache and began to stroke it thoughtfully. “But there hasn’t been a mention of such a bond between a Pokémon and a human for several centuries. It is widely thought that the members of that secret society had disappeared.”

“Well, now you’ll understand why I’m so glad you came to me. I too, have a fairy tale theory, and now I can finally confide in someone who also thinks along the same lines,” Oak spoke. “I think there’s reason to believe that Ash can connect to Pokémon using such bonds described in the legends of centuries past!”

“What? That’s impossible!” Rowan was absolutely astounded and jerked to attention in his seat.

“Oh, it’s possible. And because of that, our Ash is also directly connected to the very force that you happen to call Evolution.”

“Hold on! What are you talking about, connected? How can a boy be connected to a Pokémon so strongly, to say nothing of a connection to a Pokémon phenomenon?”

“This is exactly why I’m finally telling you about what I’ve been thinking for the past two years!” Oak replied with enthusiasm written all over his features. “I knew that if I ever mentioned such a thing to our colleagues, they wouldn’t fathom the possibility. But since you’ve also come up with such a connection just as I did, I know that I can finally tell someone about this!”

“Well, I’m really surprised that you’ve been holding such a theory back for so long, but why Ash? He’s just a boy, and as far as I’m concerned, Evolution is a phenomenon experienced only by Pokémon.”

“While everything you’ve said so far is true, I know in my gut that Ash does have such a connection, both to Pokémon and this phenomenon.”

“Why?”

“The day Ash started his Pokémon journey, he claimed he saw a Ho-Oh. No one had seen one since the fall of the Tin and Brass Towers one hundred and fifty years ago.”

“No. That’s unbelievable. That’s ridiculous. The boy may have seen some other Pokémon and could’ve easily mistaken it for a Ho-Oh!”

“That’s exactly what I said when he told me. But ever since the day Ash got his first Pokémon, I thought about the possibility. I warrant you, I’ve thought long and hard about it, and I’ve decided that Ash wasn’t mistaken. He actually saw the legendary Ho-Oh.”

“Incredible… He’s just a boy and yet he’s seen a Pokémon people have searched their entire lives for!”

“I know it’s difficult to believe, but trust me. That Ho-Oh is the reason why I know that Ash is connected so strongly to Pokémon as well as Evolution. Here’s my reasoning: Ho-Oh is best known for its historical residence in the Tin Tower along with Lugia, who resided in the Brass Tower, both in Ecruteak City in the Johto Region. However, it is why Ho-Oh and Lugia came to reside in the two towers that is most relevant to our discussion about Ash and Evolution.”

“How so? Their reason for descending upon the towers is common knowledge.”

“True, but you and I both know that the history behind their descent is not well established beyond academic circles. You recall the conflict between the Hero of Truth and the Hero of Ideals, correct?”

“Hmm… Yes, I am very familiar with the story,” Rowan affirmed knowingly. “Their squabble over ruling Unova between the landed gentry and the peasant public drove the region into utter chaos. Their conflict extended overseas, plunging the other lands into respective periods of technological stagnation. Those dark ages lasted three centuries.”

"Yes, the Three Hundred Years War and the collapse of the classical civilizations of Pokémopolis and Pokélantis, which finally culminated in the Battle of Rota seven hundred years ago. And what happened then?"

"The city of Ecruteak was chosen as a neutral location to end the war, the Treaty of Ecruteak City was signed, and the four nations entered similar periods of cultural renaissance. But where are you going with this?" Rowan asked with great intrigue.

"The Tin and Bronze Towers were also erected to honor the war's end and Ho-Oh and Lugia descended upon the towers,” Oak explained. “Most people understand those towers to be a monument to a new era of peace and cooperation between humans and Pokémon, but nobody has ever questioned why Ho-Oh and Lugia descended upon the towers in the first place. To be realistic, they needn’t have bothered with such a gesture. Monuments to peace would’ve sufficed, but those legendary Pokémon chose to come and take up residence. Why?"

"Didn't they come because they too saw the need to foster the relationship between humans and Pokémon? That is how the story has been told since it first happened."

"Perhaps... but don't you think it's suspicious that we've simply assumed this is the case? Also, isn’t it possible that this reason is an oversimplification of real events, told over and over, and reduced down each time for the sake of narration?”

A pregnant pause settled in the midst of the two Pokémon professors’ conversation. Oak’s supposition was unquestionably valid. The quaint laws of nature dictated that stories not only become embellished by grander tales with each iteration, but that they also lose context and shorten in length for convenience. Professor Rowan stroked his beard tightly and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. Now that the prospect had been brought up, it was very possible that this particular tale had become self-aggrandized and had lost the specifics over the years.

“If that is indeed the case, the public would be in for quite a shock,” Rowan suggested. “Are you saying that Ho-Oh and Lugia did not recognize a new era of interspecies cooperation?”

“Hardly, Clarke! I think that Ho-Oh and Lugia certainly observed the new bond formed between humans and Pokémon and wished to acknowledge it, but I think that there's a simpler reason for their coming," Oak replied.

"What could that be?"

"I believe Ho-Oh and Lugia were honoring the sacrifice of Sir Aaron,” Oak said slowly and delicately.

“The knight who, according to legend, single-handedly ended the Three-Hundred Years war?” Rowan asked.

“The same. Furthermore, I believe that Ho-Oh and Lugia not only descended upon the Tin and Brass Towers because Sir Aaron had passed away, but also because they were waiting for someone like him to return—a hero, if you will. The way I see it, the Three Hundred Years War began as a squabble between two heroes, but ended centuries later because of a third.

“I think it is only natural then that just as the Tin and Brass towers symbolized the peace between Ideals and Truth, Lugia and Ho-Oh watched over those towers waiting for a ‘hero’ who recognized this peace. However, they were kept waiting for far too long, and after the fire of Tin Tower the two Pokémon must’ve fled in order to search for a hero as opposed to idly waiting for an apparition. And when they do find that person, they will come back to the Tin and Brass Towers.”

“I apologize my old friend,” Rowan said. “But your theory cannot be accurate. There have been plenty of people, heroes like Sir Aaron to have emerged through the ages! I can recall the story of one nomad who put an end to a Spiritomb’s rampage five centuries ago and an acquaintance of mine on Iron Island has been training in the same discipline as Sir Aaron for quite some time, albeit in an unorthodox fashion. Yet neither Ho-Oh nor Lugia have returned! I highly doubt our Ash signaled the return of those two legendary Pokémon if people like that do not qualify as this ‘hero’.”

“Well countered, my friend, but it isn’t merely the skill of Sir Aaron that I believe Ho-Oh and Lugia are seeking,” Oak responded.

“What is it then?” Rowan asked.

“It is said in another ancient legend that when the souls of humans and Pokémon can commune, upon the emergence of a trainer with the ability to touch the souls of Pokémon, Ho-Oh will appear from the heavens, correct?” Oak asked. “What do you think it means to be able to touch the souls of Pokémon?”

“I’ll take the bait and let you answer that,” Rowan chuckled to himself. “What do you supposed it is?”

“I believe it is the unwavering will to sacrifice one’s self. That is what it means. Take all three heroes in the war. Each sacrificed everything they had in order to pursue ideals, truth, or peace between the two. They gave their lives for each respective cause and were known as heroes as a consequence. And Ash—”

“— sorry Professor,” Rowan interrupted, clearly not convinced. “You can’t possibly suggest that Ash Ketchum has the unwavering will to sacrifice himself for a cause! He’s just a boy!”

“That’s where you and I differ, Professor,” Oak replied, ready to quell Rowan’s doubt. “We differ not on the basis of subjective opinion, but on the basis of objective information. You met Ash only once and I’m sure you’ve already seen proof of my suspicions. I don’t suppose you recall his Pikachu, have you? Did you see how far Ash is willing to go to save that little Pokémon?”

“Hmm, yes I have,” Rowan replied, letting his mind search his memories. “I know that when Dawn caught up to him after the two of them got separated, he risked his life to save his Pikachu from an enormous exploding mech. I’d say it was maybe twenty meters high or so.”

“Have you ever seen a trainer ever do that for any of their Pokémon?”

“No. No, I haven’t,” Rowan replied slowly, still massaging his beard. “Even though I wouldn’t like to admit it, I, for one, wouldn’t risk my life like that. I would just phone the police after they got away.”

“I rest my case. Ash is the only human I know who would go to such lengths for his Pokémon, or any Pokémon even. Your encounter with him is only a small sample of his journey. He has been through many, many more harrowing experiences with Pokémon than I believe you or I will ever encounter.”

“Do you honestly believe so Sam?” Rowan asked politely. “You love Pokémon very dearly. It’s hard to imagine anyone with a greater conviction to Pokémon than you.”

“Between that boy and I, there is simply no comparison,” Oak replied somberly. “I’ve seen him call upon the North Wind to save Arbor Forrest from total destruction forty-three years ago and I’ve seen him single-handedly prevent the Earth’s flooding four years ago. For him, both were narrow escapes from death.”

Another permeating silence filled the conversation. Rowan paused his beard stroking, remembering Oak’s recount of his travels through time and recalling the impending collapse of the planet’s biosphere. As he looked upon the professor on the other end of the video conference, Clarke Rowan could see how sure Samuel Oak was about this.

“He is the avatar of self-sacrifice. He is the only one I know who could ever truly touch the souls of Pokémon. There is nothing he wouldn’t do to save their lives, even if it meant dying in the process…” Professor Oak continued slowly. “When Ash first received Pikachu, it was incredibly disobedient for reasons I still don’t understand. But it soon became apparent to me that in such a short amount of time, Ash and Pikachu have become beyond best friends, no doubt about that. Ash has touched the heart of that little Pokémon I found in Viridian Forrest, and he has touched the heart of every Pokémon he has encountered since.”

“Well, with such an argument, you’ve got me convinced,” Rowan said, enjoying this conversation, discussing revelations that the boy in question had absolutely no comprehension or awareness of. However, one question remained.

“But I still don’t see how he is somehow connected to Evolution. Were you going…?”

“Ah! Yes! I digress. You think Evolution is related to the Original One, and I think Ash is the trainer with the ability to touch souls. Yes?” Oak took his hands, folded them, and placed them on his lap and he closed his eyes, ready for the last words. “Well, I think there’s only one thing left to conclude.”

“What is that?” Rowan knew that whatever came up next was the moment he placed the call in the first place, so he didn’t want to miss a single word of Oak’s answer. Leaning forward he beckoned, “Tell me, what is it?”

In response, Oak opened his closed eyes and flashed a grin across his face. This was it.

“I think Ash is the last Guardian of Aura.”

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Dear Readers,

I had originally uploaded this story four years ago during the Diamond and Pearl era of both the games and anime. If I recall, Ash had only five badges in the anime and Platinum hadn’t even yet been revealed to the public for release. Needless to say, much, much, much has changed since then. We’ve had a third Sinnoh game, Generation II remakes, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon II, and the advent of Black and White/Black and White 2.

I am enormously pleased with the new direction of Pokémon games. Not only have their technological attempts skyrocketed with three-dimensional orientations with their gaming, they’ve taken intractability to a whole new level and also equalized the learning curve for new and old players alike. Furthermore, they have begun to incorporate serious, very serious, themes into their games. Themes like ‘what does it mean to be strong?’ or ‘can the truth be met with ideals peacefully?’ are sorely needed in such an open-ended environment like a Pokémon game.

Luckily for me, my original plans for this story were neither fully developed, nor land-locked to the first four regions. The fifth generation of Pokémon fits very well into my over-arching story and, even better, the themes represented are so complex that they will be perfect compliments. I avidly look forward to a Unova arc in my story, (hopefully before Generation VI).

Small trivia: the first clock time recorded is 3:43, a nod to the guys who made the new Halo IV. Incredible masterpiece. The soundtrack is the only thing lacking.

When I first edited this chapter, I was celebrating the occurrence of 500 views. 500. This month alone has garnered 6,000. Needless to say, I am more than pleased. I’m downright giddy.

As always, please review or private message me!
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Story Notes:

13.7 Billion years ago – Big Bang, Original One emerges
1000 years ago – Three Hundred Years War begins
1000 thru 700 years ago – Pokélantis and Pokémopolis fall
700 years ago – Battle of the Tree of Beginning waged, Sir Aaron dies, Three Hundred Years War ends, Treaty of Ecruteak signed, Tin and Brass Towers erected, Ho-Oh and Lugia descend
500 years ago – Aura Guardian seals Spiritomb into Hallowed Stone Tower
150 years ago – Tin Tower burns, Ho-Oh and Lugia flee
53 years ago – Samuel Oak is born
50 years ago – Clarke Rowan is born
43 years ago – Samuel Oak travels into the future
6 years ago – Ash Ketchum leaves Pallet Town
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Sources:

Age of the Universe – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Age_of_the_universe | scientifically accepted age acquired by Hubble Space Telescope images and redshift estimates
The Original Story - http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Sinnoh_myths | unmodified
Tin and Brass Towers -http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/History_of_the_Pok%C3%A9mon_world
Creation of Pokémon World, Hero of Truth vs. Hero of Ideals, Spiritomb Sealing - http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Timeline_of_events_in_the_anime | Oak’s Age is adjusted to match Ash’s arbitrarily supposed age of 16.
Note: Lucario and the History of Mew (M08) does not have a specific date for the war in either the Japanese version or English Dub adaptation, so the arbitrary date of 700 coincides peacefully that Poké Balls were not yet invented.
War of Truth vs. Ideals, Note: it is possible that another war occurred previously to the 1000 year ago war, but it does not explicitly state so in the Games - http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Relic_Castle

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Author’s Notes:

Uploaded, 07/29/08
| three total revisions/universe introduction/made Ash important/ hint of Advanceshipping/similar later chapters |
RE: edit. 8/23/11
| additional revision/included history/made Unova part of story arc/included timeline/added reference section/added title page |
RE: edit. 10/28/12
| awkward explanations revised/grammar corrected/sources section included|
RE: edit. 04/14/13



I decided I might as well post this on the night of the Beijing 2008 Olympic games, so whatever. I hope to update this fiction, semi-regularly, but if I can't I hope you understand.

A bit of wierd concepts that don't make sense at all? Well good! They shouldn't until the answers come later....

Until next time, out.
 
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L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
Chapter One: Unleashed

The sun was incredibly and harsh for most travelers today in the Sinnoh region. Rays of light beat down relentlessly on the shores of Route 222, threatening to burn the grass and evaporate the ocean. At a solid thirty-five degrees Celsius, it was no surprise that there weren’t many humans or Pokémon around. Many had taken residence back in Veilstone City out West or retreated under some shady tree, respectively. At least in those places one could find some A/C or even a nice nap in the shade. Instead of following similar behavior, three teenagers who were traveling together endured the sun’s hazards. The trio included a much tanned man, an energetic blue-haired girl, and a skinny, young boy with a large rodent perched on his head. They needed some A/C and shade about now.

[15:49 P.M.] Route 222, Sinnoh Region

“Ugh… Brock, you wouldn’t have anything left in the canteen would you?” asked the girl with an exasperated tone.

Dawn Berlitz was a young girl who just turned twelve years old, celebrating youth by traveling her home region. She competed in Pokémon Super Contests and aimed to become a top coordinator in her mother’s footsteps. She had brilliant dark blue eyes, two hair clips to keep her long, blue hair back, and a white hat with a pink half of a Poké Ball emblazoned in the center. She wore a tight, black tank top, a pink scarf around her neck, and a pink Pokétch watch, on her wrist. Around her waist she wore a pink mini-skirt, long, black stockings that reached up to her knees, and a pair of tall, pink boots.

“No, I’m afraid not, Dawn!” Brock conceded. “Ash and Pikachu drank it all once we left camp this morning…”

As the more mature member of the duo, Brock Harrison was nineteen and had already been through three different regions with Sinnoh as his fourth. He had brown hair to match his tan skin and eyes that refused to come out of a slit-like appearance. He wore a green T-shirt and an orange and dark brown vest over it, as well as khaki pants and a pair of light blue and white sneakers.

“Hey, don’t blame me!” Ash shot back, trying to defend himself. “Pikachu and I were thirsty so we drank! What’s the problem?”

This young boy named Ash Ketchum was an aspiring Pokémon trainer who aimed to be the best, the best there ever was. About sixteen years old, his attitude didn’t show any signs of maturing; taking risks like jumping on levitating security bots, flirting with water-logged death by returning a stolen crystal in a sinking underwater temple, and shimmying up trees to retrieve his stolen hat. Initially it was much, much worse, but after traveling with his friends, his demeanor was more defined, his abilities as a trainer increased, but that habit of brashness, rashness, and impulsiveness stuck. He had deep auburn eyes, and wore a white T-shirt beneath a blue collared shirt that had a yellow stripe curving across the top. Otherwise his choice bottom half remained a set of blue jeans and red-black sneakers. On his hands he wore black fingerless gloves with a green outline, and on his head sat a red cap hand-woven by his mother. Lovingly crafted, it sported a black band down the middle and a blue Poké Ball emblazoned in the middle—rotated on its axis. His best friend Pikachu rested there as well as his cap, but unlike inanimate objects, he felt beat by the sun’s continued existence.

“Cha…” sighed Pikachu.

Pikachu was a Pokémon, one of many mysterious creatures dotted around Mother Nature’s Earth, endowed with powers unseemly for a human. Hundreds of different species of Pokémon exist, each differentiated by Elemental Type, Egg Group, Species, and many other classifications. But to Pokémon Trainers like Ash Ketchum, these differences were unnoticeable—overshadowed by the memories he and other trainers like him crafted in their company. They communicated by instantiating different parts of their name in different patterns, formed their own communities in the wild, and possessed many, many uncovered secrets. This particular Pokémon was an Electric Type, part of the Field and Fairy Egg Groups, and belonged to the Mouse Species. He was an electric rodent with red, circular pouches of immense electrical energy stored in his cheeks, and had a protruding, long tail shaped like a thunderbolt that little kids would mischievously yank.

Pikachu was Ash’s first Pokémon and had helped him innumerable times in battles and in the field, forging a bond exemplary of even the best Pokémon-Trainer relationships. Today, none of these qualities would alleviate these persons of their immediate troubles. The sun couldn’t care less if your hair was blue or black, whether you spoke human or Pokémon, or even if you had a tail. Nobody escaped the sun’s heat.
“What’s the problem? What’s the problem?” Dawn recoiled. “You could have left us something to drink like a considerate person! I’m so thirsty, Ash!”

“Oh come on, Dawn. Don’t get mad over that,” Brock said trying to calm the girl down. He knew that she got very aggravated without certain basic amenities since she was still a beginning coordinator. “It’s already bad enough that we’re out here in the middle of a dirt road and getting baked, no need to make it worse.”

“Plus, Pikachu has a fur coat and he gets hot really quickly. He needs all the water he can get,” Ash explained. “Right buddy?”

“Pika… chu…” Pikachu sighed once again.

Now despite the fact that Pikachu was a Pokémon and Ash was a human, the two could understand each other very well. Ash knew Pikachu was stressed, but he also needed a good excuse to worm himself away from Dawn’s complaints.

“Brock, let me see that map? I want to reach the next Gym as soon as possible!” Ash asked as he took the map. “Where is it anyway?”

“Let me see. Right here,” Brock said as he pointed at a city located on a peninsula that jutted out from the rest of the region. “Sunyshore City shouldn’t be too far away—I mean we have been traveling for two days on this route from Veilstone. We have to be getting close.”

“So here’s North and there’s South, ah… Well maybe that’s Veilstone, and then… wait, no,” Ash mumbled as he moved the map back and forth frantically.

“Oh jeez, Ash,” Brock sighed. Upon seeing the desperate child in front of him, he offered some much needed guidance, “Two pointers. Number one, know which direction you’re facing, and number two, check if the map is right-side up.”

Pikachu nearly fell off his trainer’s shoulder to faceplant in the ground. Dawn merely rolled her eyes at the boy’s well documented lack of map-reading skills.

“Thanks Brock,” Ash grumbled. “Geez, this would’ve been so much easier with a PokéNav,”

“A PokéNav?” Brock asked. “You mean like the one Max had, right? Now that you mention it, he’s probably in Petalburg City raring to get his first Pokémon while May is probably far off in Johto. It’s too bad we’re stuck with old-fashioned maps right now.”

“Tell me about it,” Ash muttered. “I guess I was just thinking about what May and Max would have said if they were around.”

Max and May Maple were siblings from Petalburg City in the Hoenn region. Max was now a ten year old boy who wore large glasses, a green polo shirt, sneakers, and khaki shorts. Despite Max’s appearance, Ash and Brock knew that he would be a very successful trainer once he became eleven and received his Pokémon Trainer’s license. The only reason why Max didn’t leave immediately when he turned ten was due to his parent’s insistence on remaining with them for at least one more year. Needless to say, the aspiring trainer-to-be was just itching to get started.

May on the other hand was already an accomplished fifteen year old trainer, specializing in the respectable art of coordinating Pokémon Contests. She started out much like Ash had, clueless and without an inkling of skill, meeting up with Ash through a string of equally unlikely events as the next. But over time, Ash had taught her the ropes of the Pokémon trade, and soon enough, May partook in two separate Grand Festivals, placing in the top four in her first and the runner-up in her second. Unfortunately for the two friends, their goals diverged so their course of travel did as well. May decided to venture the contest scene of the Johto region while Ash wanted to train across the ocean in the Sinnoh region.

“Do you miss them or something?” Brock asked. He had noticed a lot of allusions to the pair of Pokémon enthusiasts from Hoenn lately.

“Maybe…” Ash idly responded as he became lost in thoughts of his old traveling companions. “You know what, Brock?”

“Yeah?” he replied as he turned towards Ash.

“I’m just…” Ash paused as if trying to find out what to say, “I’m really worried about her. I know she seemed fine last time, but what if she needs me? Like now more than ever?”

“Well you did teach her as much as you could,” Brock smiled, looking back towards the long route ahead of them. “Don’t worry about her so much.”

“I know,” Ash replied in a slightly defeated voice. “I’ve just got a feeling.”

“You know Ash? While we’re talking about old traveling partners I just remembered something!” Brock suggested, prodding his friend’s proverbial buttons ever so slightly. “Misty’s eighteenth birthday is coming up soon! Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten about her?”

“You kidding? I’d never forget Misty!” Ash replied with some measure of shock. “But is she really turning eighteen? That makes her like… old or something!”

“Um, feeling a little out of the loop here,” Dawn interjected, waving her arms out to get the two boys’ attention. “I remember May from the Wallace Cup, but who's Misty?”

“Oh Dawn, the three of us go way back!” Brock announced jovially. With a resounding smack he brought his hand down onto Ash’s shoulder like a brother, who winced in pain. “She was actually Ash’s first traveling partner and the two of them met before me. Apparently she was taking a break from her duties as Cerulean City Gym Leader and bumped into him!”

“Wow!” Dawn exclaimed, feeling honored to be connected so well. “What was she like?”

“Horrible!” Ash and Brock both said uniformly.

“Huh?” Dawn gasped. She hoped they were just joking about that.

“She used to smack the back of my head for no reason at all!” Ash complained, thinking back to some not-so-fond memories and digging his frustrated face deeper into the map. “That and she stole Togepi away from me, her proper trainer!”

“That, and combined with Ash, the two of them bickered so bad it drove me crazy!” Brock added, nearly laughing how awful it got sometimes. “Not to mention Misty stopped me from rescuing the damsels of my dreams every time!”

“Stopped you from rescuing…?” Dawn eyed Brock with severe skepticism. “Don't you mean she rescued them from you?”

“Oh that's beside the point!” Brock swatted the cheeky remark away. “The point is Ash and Misty were best friends!”

“Best friends, hmm?” Dawn queried with a heavily sly tone. “Were they ever—?”

At that both Brock and Dawn gazed on Ash for several moments without him even realizing it. Once Ash noticed the talking stopped he looked up from his map and saw two lecherous eyes boring into him, expecting an answer. It took all of a second to realize the question and he was horrified.

“Me? Misty?” Ash asked to clarify. Getting two synchronized head nods, he immediately denied it all. “What? No-no-no! We were never like that, not at all!”

“You sure?”

“Really!” Ash assured the blue-haired girl, throwing his hands up in front of him in surrender. “Besides, it's not like it would work even if we tried!”

“Why?” Dawn asked curiously, realizing that Ash was actually trying to be serious for once. “What happened?”

“Misty's actually the de facto Gym Leader of Cerulean City,” Brock explained. “Her sisters were taking care of it in her absence even though they aren’t as skilled. Then when the three of them ended up leaving the gym to pursue other careers, Misty couldn’t ignore the gym like that so she had to stop traveling.”

“Yeah…” Ash lamented, remembering how hard it was to let her out of his sight. “And after that I barely ever got to see her. She was busy being one of the best Gym Leaders in Kanto and I was traveling through Hoenn, now Sinnoh. I guess we've really fallen a bit out of touch.”

“Wow Ash,” Dawn marveled. Until today this particular aspect of Ash’s journey was unknown to her. “And how does May get into the picture?”

“Heh, we met by total accident really,” Ash explained, perking up at the fond memories in hindsight. “We were both supposed to get through Hoenn on our own terms but we ended up travelling together when we met at Professor Birch’s lab. Now that I think about it, if I hadn’t met May, I probably wouldn’t have been able to compete in the Ever Grande Conference as well as I did.”

“And now she is traveling on her own, right?” Dawn asked. “That can’t be easy.”

“Yeah, and that’s why I’m worried about her,” Ash admitted. “We’re a lot alike to be honest, and I see myself in her sometimes. But I’ve got friends right here every day, and she’s got no one… I don’t know, it’s complica—”

“—Hey!” a voice suddenly called in the distance. “Hey! You there, with the Pikachu on your head!”

“Huh?” Ash glanced up ahead, redirecting his attention from the map, Misty, and May towards the voice. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Are you wacky-cookie kids headed for Sunyshore City?” the unidentified man asked from afar.

“Yeah, sure! Why do you ask?” Ash replied defensively.

“A flaming red hat trainer headed to Sunyshore? You are just the person I’m looking for!” the man replied.

Quite out of the ordinary, this man had a flaming red afro and wore a bright orange T-shirt. He seemed to melt right into the sun’s scorching heat waves as he juggled a Poké Ball idly in his right hand.

“What are you talking about?” Ash asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, he wants a Pokémon battle,” Brock pondered out loud.

“A battle? Yeah, you bet!” Ash exclaimed, already feeling the customary adrenaline introduce itself into his blood. “This’ll be a great warm-up for Sunyshore City! I accept your challenge!”

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu piped up, mirroring his trainer’s excitement.

“As a former Gym Leader, I will assume the role of impartial judge,” Brock said, stepping ahead of Ash to fill roughly the same space between the two trainers. “Now please, mister, what is your name?”

“Call me Flint… Flint Timber of the Elite Four,” the man replied plainly.

At this news Ash felt about as surprised as walking into that Ursaring in the Bewilder Forest. You see, members of the Elite Four are said to be the most powerful trainers in the entire region, save for the Champion who was more powerful than all of the others. This structure existed across many regions, and each elite carried the same weight as the next. Except a handful of trainers, few have been successful enough to scrape a win against an Elite Four member—no matter how narrowly.

“This is perfect!” Ash yelled, jumping for joy. “The stronger the opponent, the stronger we fight!”

“Wait, you’re a member of the Elite Four?” Dawn asked, thoroughly shocked at the revelation. “What are you doing challenging passerby?”

The last time the group met an Elite Four member, one of their Pokémon arrogantly challenged him and was soundly defeated in a matter of seconds. Dawn was worried because that Pokémon was her Buizel at the time.

“If you beat me, then I will be glad to tell you my business. For the record, I’m not just challenging random noobs on the street!” Flint stated jovially. “But enough about me, I’m specifically challenging you! I want to test your fiery spirit, Ash Ketchum!”

“What?” the identified trainer exclaimed, now his turn to be bewildered. “How do you know my—”

“—I’ll explain later! As I was saying, this will be a one on one fight and I choose my Infernape!” Flint yelled. “Go! Let’s win this!”

Flint threw out a red and white sphere with a button in the middle into the air. Immediately, the device christened a “Poké Ball” cracked down the center and released a stream of white energy that materialized into a monkey-like Pokémon with a glowing flame on his head. The Pokémon roared as the ball contracted and flew back to the owner.

“Infer! Infernape!” the Pokémon yelled, awaiting his opponent. The flames on his head danced brilliantly in the sun’s rays.

“Ash, do you accept the terms of the battle?” Brock asked from the sidelines. “If so, send out your single Pokémon!”

“I accept your challenge, Flint, and we’re ready to win this!” Ash replied, quickly calculating his odds and choosing the best Pokémon to counter his opponent. He figured that even though his own Fire species Pokémon Monferno had a good shot, a safer bet would be an offense with a type advantage.

“Go, Buizel!” Ash called out and released a red and white orb just as Flint had. This time, a smirking Water type weasel-like Pokémon with a dual tail and floatation sac emerged, ready to fight.

“Bu bui,” Buizel taunted playfully at his opponent.

Dawn’s insides froze at the sight of her old Buizel pitted against yet another member of the Elite Four. She watched with rising panic as her old Pokémon gestured the flaming vanguard monkey to come at him.

“Hey, Buizel, check out our opponent this time. He’s an Elite Four member!” Ash said, bending on his knees next to Buizel. “You know what that means, don’t you?”

Buizel took in a long and deep breath, steeling himself for the tough battle ahead. After breathing out all of the spent air out through his snout, he nodded slowly, but knowingly.

“You ready?” asked Ash.

Buizel turned his head towards his trainer but kept his body faced forward. A determined grin played itself across Buizel’s face. Ash remembered Buizel’s first encounter with an Elite Four member, especially recalling the pitifully short amount of time it took to thoroughly defeat the Water type. This time would be different. Buizel was ready now, and so was his trainer.

“Ash, be careful! I don’t want to see Buizel hurt again!” Dawn called out.

“It’ll be fine, Dawn!” Ash said, calmly patting Buizel’s head. He stood up, smiled towards his female traveling partner, and threw her a confident thumbs up. Taking a leaf out of her book, Ash shouted brightly, “No need to worry!”

Perhaps it was true. Buizel was arguably the second strongest Pokémon in Ash’s current arsenal, outmatched only by his vintage choice, Pikachu. More importantly though, Ash wasn’t concerned about Buizel not performing. He always gave one-hundred and ten percent on the battlefield regardless of the opponent. To Ash, that was all that determined the final score on the battlefield.

“So, I see you’ve met my good friend Lucian already!” Flint called out. “I’m sure he gave you a quick show of his ability!”

“Yeah, and now we’re here today with some tips he gave us!” Ash called back. “Right, Buizel?”

“Bui, bui!” Buizel responded affirmatively.

“This will be a one on one battle between Flint Timber of the Sinnoh Elite Four and his Infernape against Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town and his Buizel,” Brock shouted. Now that the introductions were out of the way, Brock was ready to assume his role as judge and announced the start of the match. “There is no time limit and no technique restrictions. Let the battle begin!”

“Infernape, use Dig now!” Flint commanded, wasting no time to attack.

Ash figured he might try a move like that since Fire attacks don’t damage Water Pokémon directly. It would have been a strategic loss to use an attack like Flamethrower right now.

“Buizel, stay calm and wait there. There should be ground movement at some point!” Ash instructed.

“Bu-bui!” Buizel murmured to himself, nodding to Ash before closing his eyes.

Regardless of whether or not Buizel could tell exactly where Infernape would surface, he trusted Ash to be prepared and he steadied himself to respond. For what seemed like too long, nothing moved on the field.

“You should be more careful with your predictions, Ash,” Flint toyed, especially noting how the ground had no signs of depression or cracks.

“What are you talking about?” Ash asked, fearing an oncoming upset. Buizel stood still on the battlefield surface, expecting Infernape to emerge out of the sand and launch an assault. That assault never came from the Pokémon personally.

“Use Fire Spin from below, Infernape!” Flint ordered.

Infernape complied and within seconds Buizel was shot skyward with a column of red-orange flames erupting from the ground. It looked like the unholy marriage between a volcano and a slinky, with Buizel caught in the procession.

“Buizel, no!” Ash yelled, gritting his teeth as Buizel landed with a gut-wrenching thud on the ground.

“Ash, hang in there!” Dawn cried out in an almost pleading tone.

“Pikapi! Pikapikachu!” Pikachu called out to Ash and Buizel.

“Buizel! Can you get up?” Ash asked his Pokémon.

“Bu bu… bui!” Buizel grunted. Buizel was injured to a great extent and took the fall mostly to his legs. Ash noticed Buizel stagger himself into a standing position in preparation for the next move.

“I’ve gotta figure out a way to attack and defend at the same time!” Ash said to himself bitterly. In his mind, he sorely wished that his trademark counter shield was a viable option, but it would be neigh effective against an underground opponent.

When the attack subsided, molten bits of glass and lava littered the surface, bringing another unwelcome heat wave. Seeing this, Flint built upon his last move.

“Infernape, stay underground and dig some tunnels!” Flint ordered. Infernape obeyed and began digging his own labyrinth underground.

“Bui! Buizel!” Buizel cried out to avoid the same result as the last Dig attack. Ash understood Buizel’s slight apprehension and tried to think of a counterstrategy. In that time, images of his second battle against his rival, Paul, re-entered Ash’s mind.

[11:13 A.M.] Bewilder Forest (Clearing), Sinnoh Region — One Year, Ten Months Ago

“Alright, that’s enough!” Ash muttered to himself as Turtwig was taking Scratch attack hits from Paul’s Chimchar. Noticing that Chimchar had dug himself numerous holes and that he stayed inside and attacked for surprise, Ash decided to attack in order to flush him out. “Turtwig, aim Razor Leaf at the hole!”

Chimchar leapt out of the hole, paining after taking a direct hit from Razor Leaf on his backside.

“Chimchar, use Ember!” Paul countered.

“Now, Turtwig, in the hole!” Ash ordered. Turtwig followed suit, narrowly missing the Ember attack above ground, but Paul had expected such a maneuver.

“Aim Ember into that hole!” Paul commanded confidently.

Unfortunately for Ash, Turtwig received the brunt of the column of fire and took a good portion of stamina out of him. The match had been fatefully decided from that attack onward.

I remember, Ash thought. A Pokémon inside of a hole has little room to dodge unless they jump out onto the surface! So, if I can get an attack into the hole without Buizel in as well, then Infernape won’t be able to dodge either!

[16:08 P.M.] Route 222, Sinnoh Region

“Buizel, hang in there! Fire your Water Pulse into the tunnels!” Ash shouted. Glad to hear his trainer’s newfound strategy, Buizel began shooting three spheres of water into the tunnel openings.

“Infernape, use Flamethrower and smash the sphere! Keep using Flamethrower afterwards!” Flint shouted.

The spheres of water entered through the hole and were guided by the tunnels directly to Infernape. As Flint ordered, Infernape retaliated with Flamethrower immediately indicated by a muffled explosion underground as the Water Pulse spheres and the beam of fire clashed.

Maybe Infernape couldn’t take the impact! Maybe we won! Ash thought.

As though in spite of him, Infernape didn’t come out of the tunnels at all. Instead, columns of condensed steam rose out of the openings and engulfed the entire field in a cloud of mist.

“Argh, I can’t see!” Ash shouted out in frustration with this sudden lack of sight. “Buizel keep a sharp eye out there!”

A new problem bubbled to the surface, literally. Soon after the columns of steam, the entire area of the battlefield began shimmering like exhaust from a car as the sand and rock began glowing dull red. Moments later, trapped air below ground rose to the surface and popped the surface tension of the liquidized rock. The field was melting before their eyes.

Buizel stood in the center of the battlefield watching the sand and rock around him slowly melt into a red hot liquid magma. Paralyzed by the magnitude of the situation, Buizel aimed a quick water gun onto the ground and moved toward the relatively cool patch of earth. He reached the less molten haven and waiting for his trainer to make a decision, all while trying to keep a level head. Ash on the other hand was dumbstruck as he saw why Flint ordered Infernape to keep using Flamethrower. Flint chuckled to himself.

“What’s so funny, Flint?” Ash called out to his opponent, trying to contain his own flash of sheer panic.

“Ah, nothing,” he said as the ground heated even further. “I remember seeing a scene much like this some years back. The tables have turned on you, but nonetheless it’s all familiar.”

Buizel knew that he was strong against fire on a small scale like direct Ember of Flamethrower attacks, but nothing like an entire battlefield being melted. Fire fighters had their limits too, and both Buizel and his two human trainers grew enormously frightened. On his side, Buizel managed a gulp in his throat and wiped the beads of sweat streaming from the fin on his head.

“Ash, do something! Buizel’s in trouble!” Dawn frantically called out, absolutely horrified as she watched her old Pokémon stand completely rigid, at a loss of what to do.

Ash simply looked at the battlefield, completely oblivious to anything around him.

Brock yelled out from the middle line, “Ash! What are you doing? Forfeit before Buizel gets seriously hurt!”

“Pikapi! Pikapi pikachu!” Pikachu yelled out.

Ash wasn’t paying attention to the shouts coming from around him. As he watched the events before him with a glazed expression, his mind reeled back to a battle a long time ago; during the Johto Silver League Conference against his good friend and rival, Gary.

[16:17 P.M.] Silver Town (Johto League Silver Conference | Round 1, Finals), Johto Region — Three Years, Ten Months Ago

“Charizard, use Flamethrower on Blastoise!” Ash commanded.

“Blastoise, don’t let him come near with Hydro Pump!” Gary retaliated.

“Charizard, keep using Flamethrower on Blastoise!” Ash ordered despite the evidence before him. Even though he hoped for a better outcome, Ash saw it was no good. Charizard was too high up to make a powerful and accurate Flamethrower hit and the beams of super-hot flames merely impacted the ground.

Now I remember! I was trying to take on Blastoise head on, even though fire attacks wouldn't do a lot of damage anyway, Ash thought. No matter how often we tried, Blastoise kept danger at bay by using Hydro Pump constantly which forced Charizard to keep missing and hit the battlefield instead.

Ash thought to himself slightly more intensely and remembered, Then I saw the dust and rock melting and directed Charizard to purposely heat up the battlefield! The field melted, and trapped Blastoise… just like how Buizel is trapped right here! So now I am in Gary’s position. What am I going to —?

[16:13 P.M.] Route 222, Sinnoh Region

“Ash! Forfeit the match already if you’re not going to make a move. I don’t want to harm your Buizel,” Flint offered. Ash snapped back from his moment of reminiscence and only vaguely heard him.

“What?” he asked to clarify. “I’m not going to forfeit this match!”

“Then I guess I have no choice. Perhaps you’re not as great as we thought you were. Let’s wrap this up,” Flint sighed. “Use Flamethrower at full power, Infernape!”

Ash then sent an order to turn this match around, “Buizel, use a SonicBoom directly in the center of the field!”

Then Buizel, relieved to find his trainer still had a plan, graciously complied. Buizel mustered a jump with the limited space on the field, and sent a shock wave of water toward the molten ground. Instantly, the water turned to steam again, but left behind a solid mark in the middle shaped like a rocky bull’s-eye.

Perfect. Now there is a weak spot in the field with all of those tunnels dug in underneath! Time to exploit it! Ash thought to himself.

“Ready to win this, Buizel?” Ash yelled out.

Buizel landed on top of the rock circles and stared at his trainer with a determined smile on his face. As though they could read each other’s minds, Buizel suddenly understood the strategy.

“Bu Bui!”

Dawn, Pikachu, Flint, and Brock saw what Ash ordered and became perplexed. The bull’s eye looked like nothing more than a feeble attempt at a contest appeal. Flint especially cocked his eyebrow into his forehead, not seeing the techniques fall into place.

“Is this some new kind of crazy scheme you’ve created under the pressure, Ash?” Flint asked quizzically. “Cause’ this battle is over!”

“Actually yeah, you're right on both terms!” Ash replied quite satisfied. “Now, Buizel, use Aqua Tail on the bull’s-eye and shock it! And use the force to leap into the air!”

Buizel then directed all of his water energy as a build-up of dense water enveloped his tail. As soon as it was charged, Buizel swung the Aqua Tail attack downwards, directly at the center. The structure on top fractured and caved in creating a shock wave throughout the entire magma field. Infernape noticed nothing as he was still awaiting orders from Flint who now stood both bewildered and confused.

Buizel then pushed himself up into the air using the force from Aqua Tail and was in perfect position to attack.

I’m glad I could avoid injuring Buizel’s legs further, Ash thought with a satisfied grin. “Now Buizel, use SonicBoom with everything you’ve got! Force him out!”

Buizel gathered as much energy as he could muster and focused it on his tail. “Bu bui!” Buizel roared as he released his attack. A charged SonicBoom fired from Buizel’s tail headed directly for the exploited weak spot on the field–the bull’s-eye. Suddenly, the strategy became crystal clear to Flint as he realized the tables were turned.

“No way. Infernape! Get out of there!” he ordered.

It was too late. The force of the SonicBoom shoved the new magma into the ground and in return forced the magma underneath to spread out at the speed of the shockwave. Out from underneath, Infernape was forced into the air as Buizel landed on the new hardened rock battlefield. The just cooled rock was slightly soft and cushioned his landing. Infernape landed with a thud on the new battlefield only to get up and keep fighting.

Ash seized the opportunity, “Use Water Gun!”

“Use Flamethrower!” Flint ordered in return.

Buizel and Infernape launched their respective beams at the same moment. The collision exploded, pushing the two Pokémon further away from each other and left another cloud of dense steam.

As if both trainers and Pokémon knew what was going to happen, Flint and Ash ordered a blind assault.

“Go, Buizel! Time to win this!”

“Go, Infernape! Take him out!”

Both sides waited in tension for the mist to clear out. Ash gritted his teeth while Flint calmly stood, waiting, only to be shocked at the scene in front of him.

“No! Infernape!” Flint cried out.

Infernape was put in a head lock by Buizel, pinned and had no clear line of fire at this close range.

“Buizel, use Aqua Jet and finish this up!” Ash ordered.

“Infernape, loosen yourself out of Buizel’s grip!” Flint shouted in desperation.

By the time Infernape had loosened himself of Buizel’s grip, Buizel had launched a fully charged Aqua Jet attack. Infernape flew into the air from the impact and landed on the ground while Buizel landed on his feet, but completely wiped out from the effort.

Both Ash and Flint yelled out, “Are you all right?”

Infernape and Buizel faced each other as the dust cleared out from the impact. Buizel stood using his right arm against his knee as a brace, while Infernape struggled to get on his feet. The Aqua Jet and magma battlefield had taken its toll on both of them.

Buizel defiantly stood as rigidly as he could, making sure that he would be the last one standing. He refused to let fatigue dictate his fate. He had come too far into the battle to let victory slip his grasp.

“Buah, bu… bui…!” Buizel muttered to himself.

Both Pokémon looked into the other’s eyes and withdrew, knowing who was beat. Infernape slowly slumped back down onto the field, having met his match, knocked out. Buizel slowly closed his eyes and began swaying slightly, cringing from the pain, exhausted from combat.

Ash ran out onto the battlefield as quickly as he could.

He realized Buizel had been driven too far as Buizel swayed on his feet as though he had been through a battle for his own survival. Buizel stood upright for a few seconds more before darkness enveloped his vision and he crumpling on his knees, falling headfirst into Ash’s arms.

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Dear Readers,

Not much for editing around this chapter, but you would be surprised how many times I said something like ‘Buizel brushed the molten glass of its flotation sack’ when it clearly should be ‘Buizel brushed the molten glass of his flotation sack’! Pokémon have genders! DUH.

If you’ve noticed the new cover page, GOOD FOR YOU. It’s mostly for my purposes. I like the idea of roughly publishing something that functions like a book on fanfiction.net. That sort of thing appeals to an OCD kid like me.

Furthermore, I have decided that every character in the Pokémon universe will be designated a fitting last or fitting first name. For example, Brock was revealed to have the last name Harrison in an informal interview with his voice actor, Dawn’s character in the Pokémon Special manga is named Berlitz, and Flint Timber is an appropriate name for him considering what happens when you strike a flint upon dry leaves.

Finally, I have reasonably timelined the story of Ash throughout the Anime in a cohesive timeline that doesn’t contradict my original age limits with Ash at sixteen years old and his Pokémon journey progressing for a total of six years. Johto really was that freaking long ago.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Story Notes:

2 years ago – Brock is born
0 years after – Ash is born
2 years after – May is born
5 years after – Max is born
6 years after – Dawn is born
13 years after – Ash competes in Johto Silver Conference


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Author’s Notes:
Uploaded, 08/27/08
| ash’s team decided/ battle diction/unsatisfactory human-Pokémon dialogue/scrap for later chapters |
RE: edit. 8/28/11
RE: edit. 03/16/11
| age change/names determined |
original title, “The Battle on the Road”
RE: edit. 10/28/12


Well, finally there's a bit of action going on eh?

Hey, it's getting kind of lonely here without any comments or reviews...Reply as you like!

Hopefully updating within the week, out.
 
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VoltTacklingPika

VoltTacklingPika

Well-Known Member
So far, so good. Great detail and very interesting theories you have here. I enjoy reading fiction that can get me thinking.

To me, your theories make sense and don't confuse me as much as it would others. But I can't really predict anything from my understanding so I am intrigued.

Try not to over-complicate things though. Sometimes, people can be put off by stories with ideas that are too difficult and complicated to understand. IMO, anyway.

I know how you feel about feeling lonely as well. My own story on FF.net has been getting a lack of response lately...

Anyway, I look forward to the next installment.
 
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L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
YES!!!

FINALLY! FIRST REVIEW!!! THANKS!!!!

Any way, apart from my outburst of appreciation, I'm actually kind of intrigued by your response, VoltTacklingPika.

I tried to make the first one as complicated and far fetched as possible by throwing in concepts that are very complex in how they will eventually stack up. Tell me, what do you understand about this? That way I know how my readers feel when they read this stuff.

Thanks to all peoplez!
Reviewers and lookers!
 
VoltTacklingPika

VoltTacklingPika

Well-Known Member
"Evolution is the force that created the universe."
I actually think this is an abbreviated form of "Evolution is the force that hatches Pokemon from eggs, and therefore is the same force that hatched the Original One from its egg - thus the universe was created." Of course, I could have misinterpreted and you actually meant for the that statement to be literal.

Whether I'm wrong or right, I think it's safe to assume that the concept of Aura is somehow related to Evolution and the creation of the universe. This link leaves a few questions in mind: Is Aura, the so called esscence of life, the power used by the Original One to create the beings that created the universe? Does Evolution utilise Aura in some way? And a few more. I've made a couple of other links as well.

I think I'll reword my original statement and say that I understand the basics of these theories about Evolution and Creation but without further elaboration from you, the wonderful author, I cannot fully understand. Things about balance, bonds and legends I understand through playing Tales of Symphonia and Pokemon, and also watching Naruto and Bleach.

I hope that helps you, in some way. At first, I think everyone is going to interpret things differently and develop their theories and predictions from your theories. What I've just said is how I see things so far.
 
M

midnightmoon

Banned
Ash is showing a few hints of likeing May. can't wait until May is intorduced into the next chapter. i bet Ash would be happy to see her.

Very nice work. hope to see chp3 up soon.
 
U

Uzamaki Hinata

Bye bye!
Random review :O

wow, are you serious? Is this your first ever fanfic? Because I know that at least ninety percent of new writers really mess up on their first story. Too much focus on making the shipping come true than bothering with the writing methinks. But your writing is just wow. It's really good! Like, it shows that you took your time with this and really put in a lot of thought with the story. I'm amazed, it can even beat most of the older authors as well.

That said, your story is pretty interesting so far, can't wait for more ^^
 
L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
Chapter Two: Undaunted

Buizel felt like his body weighed more than a Snorlax. He tried to remember what had happened to him since he passed out but he kept his eyes closed. He tried to move his legs but was shocked when they wouldn’t respond.

Oh, that’s right! I was in battle with that Infernape and fell flat on the ground. I must be in the Pokémon Center then. What happened? I don't even remember if we won or not… Buizel thought.

[17:13 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Pokémon Center), Sinnoh Region

He was right. Laid out on a Water Pokémon stretcher, courtesy of the Sunyshore City Pokémon Center, he was monitored by several machines beeping softly and humming quietly, all tenderly attached to his skin. He was grateful. After all, when a Pokémon collapsed in the wild, they’d have to be either rescued by passerby trainer, walk on their own to a safe harbor, or be left to suffer alone. There was much to be said and much to be thankful for by traveling with a trainer.

He had seen worse days in his career of being a Pokémon.

[/b][19:45 P.M.] Route 205 (Eterna Tributary), Sinnoh Region – Six Years Ago[/b]

A while ago, he was wild and without a care in the world, but with a disgust he developed towards humans. In his formative years, Buizel ran away from his family and had to cope with being alone early on. One day, he came across a peaceful lake and decided to swim around in it. A loud crack suddenly sounded through the trees and he saw a human training with his Pokémon.

Unfortunately, the loud crack was the sound of a snapping tree. A hoard of Beedrill from a nearby nest heard the sound and flew to fight the aggressor. The trainer saw the oncoming hoard and took evasive action, but Buizel wasn't so lucky. He was the only one in the lake by the time the Beedrill arrived.

The Beedrill looked for the aggressor and upon not finding the true human cause, they targeted Buizel. Realizing that the Beedrill were darting toward him with their sharp twin needles, he swam as fast as he possibly could for his life, winding across twisting streams and fast currents. The Beedrill continued the pursuit until the river led him to a hazardously high and forbidding waterfall. With no room to stop, Buizel fell down to the bottom below as the Beedrill continued on the river path, unknowing that their target was at the waterfall base, in agony.

Buizel was in critical condition. When he impacted the ground, sharp rocks at the bottom of the waterfall had cut a large gash over his belly as he tasted his own blood. Weak and marred, Buizel drifted to the shore and stayed there, lying in brutal pain. Before drifting into unconsciousness, a menacing trainer walking along the shore looked upon Buizel’s torn body in a small pool of crimson on the bank. He turned away as Buizel cried out for help in Pokémon tongue.

The trainer looked back and Buizel locked eye contact, the human with an amused stare and Pokémon with an innocent cry for help. The trainer walked away muttering to himself about a waste of time as Buizel slipped into the darkness.

Buizel lay helpless as the wound healed itself over a period of weeks. Those weeks brewed a storm as his mind began to mull over the indecency and cruelty of humans. He vowed to himself never to show any help to their kind. He also began training relentlessly in solitude and quickly became a legend among the travelers of the area. Training to confront the humans, to beat them at their own game, soon rewarded him with cruel satisfaction. Trainers more arrogant than he showed up to try and capture the elusive Buizel. Each had been defeated, both weak and strong, as he and his abilities grew more powerful.

One day, another set of trainers had come upstream to battle and catch him again. He’d been through this a million times; hook, line, sucker; just another day like any day. But one very particular day changed everything he had thought about humans.

[09:36 A.M.] Route 205 (Eterna Tributary), Sinnoh Region – One Year, Eight Months Ago

First came the Bellsprout trainer—so much easier than a warm-up. Then came the Zigzagoon trainer, also a complete waste of time. He hadn’t come across a decent trainer in a month, and grew very bored with the lack of competent challengers. With mirth he realized it came to the point that he even wished that someone would truly challenge him, possibly enough to try to use a Poké Ball.

More trainers came, unknowingly for the better. A gang of four trainers had evidently heard the rumors, one was a girl with blue hair, Dawn, and another girl had flaming orange hair and a vest, Zoey. One of the boys had dark brown hair, Brock, and the other had black hair and a Pikachu on his shoulder, Ash. They had set up fishing rods and were waiting for a bite until Buizel took Dawn’s line and battled her.

The battle transpired in a matter of minutes. Her Piplup shot out attack after attack, but Buizel dodged each of them. He grew tired of easily dodging each of his opponent’s attacks, and dealt powerful Aqua Jet attack, knocking Piplup out. The match was over and Buizel had just started.

Hopefully the next trainer isn’t such a pushover, Buizel thought savagely. Eyeing Zoey, she accepted his challenge and sent out her Glameow.

Glameow and Zoey were slightly more difficult to take down than Piplup and Dawn were, but easy nonetheless. Eventually, she too was knocked out by his raw Aqua Jet velocity. Then he stepped up. Ash sent out Pikachu, who was an electric type, and Water Pokémon of his nature were often easily defeated by electric moves.

Finally a challenge, Buizel thought, taunting his opponent.

Pikachu was drastically more skilled than either of his previous opponents were, and they exchanged attacks each while dodging an equal number in return. Pikachu eventually took out a lot of Buizel’s energy with a Volt Tackle. Buizel flew in the air and landed with a thud on the shoreline—this was his chance for a catch. His victory streak may have reached an end yet.

The ball had reached its target and Buizel was fighting against the security lock of the Poké Ball. Unbeknownst to Ash, Buizel was just getting started. About halfway to the final wobble, Buizel escaped the Poké Ball and launched an Aqua Jet at Pikachu which sent him into the river. Within a matter of minutes, Buizel had defeated Pikachu on his own ground, mortified Ash, and got a decent battle in return.

All in a day’s work[/], he thought. He swam down the river over to his training place, but insistent as ever, Ash and his crew followed him.

Buizel had been training now for years, and had to come up with extra challenges to train with. So, he smashed rocks, dove off of the water fall, increased his Aqua Jet speed, and so on. And as he did this, every single day he constantly reminded himself of why he was doing this. After all, most wild Pokémon wouldn’t train for long because of the lack of motivation. Buizel on the other hand, had a purpose; to humiliate every human that challenged him, to prove that the past was behind him, and that he now had authority and power.

But really, he trained with all his might to absolve himself of his weak side, and the fear of being unwanted, the fear that he would forever suffer alone.

When the gang of four found Buizel, he had just started training and was not in the mood to be disturbed, but nonetheless, the humans were incessant and stubborn and were determined to impress him so that they may re-challenge him. During the ‘training session’, a gang of bumbling Pokémon thieves named Team Rocket appeared to abduct Buizel away for their own using a rope net.

Ash brought out Turtwig to use Razor Leaf to cut the net attachment and Buizel then came hurtling down to the ground still in the net. Surprisingly, when his net had been cut loose, Dawn dove for Buizel and saved him from a nasty landing. Then, Piplup and Buizel launched Bubblebeam and Water Gun at Team Rocket as they were launched skyward.

Buizel noticed Dawn's brave action and shrugged it off as a plea to reconsider a rematch. However, as a token of good faith, he decided to let her retry her battle. Dawn opened up the same way as before, only to see that he was dodging each attack just as easily.

Then Zoey suggested to Dawn something totally unprecedented. She suggested to battle like a contest. The idea immediately clicked and Piplup fired several combination attacks. Buizel landed hard on the ground, unmoving as Dawn threw another Poké Ball.

The ball hit Buizel as targeted and then applied the security locks. After seconds of held breaths, Buizel emerged from the Poké Ball and threw a wave of Sonic Boom with all of his might. Dawn’s Piplup got swept off of his feet and flew into the river.

But Dawn ordered Piplup to stay there as Buizel fired off an Aqua Jet right into a trap. Piplup then attacked with whirlpool while still in the river and Buizel was caught in the torrent. Dawn then ordered a Bubblebeam attack into the whirlpool and was rewarded with Buizel thrown onto the shore, completely still and exhausted. She attempted a capture for the final time.

Dawn’s Poké Ball made contact with Buizel, and once again the Poké Ball wobbled as Buizel struggled to break free of its stronghold. After several seconds, an audible sigh issued from each member of the group. Buizel had been caught.

Since his capture at the river, he had been traveling with Ash, Brock and Dawn. They had shown him what most humans were like, but still, Buizel had come through very grudgingly. From the very beginning, Buizel expressed as much as possible that he wanted to become powerful in a battle, not graceful in a performance as Dawn wanted him. He showed that in their first battle with Lucian, an Elite Four member.

[14:35 P.M.] Route 205 (Pokémon Center Lodge), Sinnoh Region – One Year, Seven Months, Fifteen Days Ago

Lucian was using Bronzong against Buizel and began the match. Dawn ordered for Buizel to use Aqua Jet—but he didn’t listen. Instead he used Water Gun as Lucian countered with Iron Defense. Bronzong shielded itself with its metallic arms and brushed the attack off easily.

Dawn ordered again for Buizel to use Aqua Jet. Ignoring his trainer again, Buizel used Sonic Boom instead. He was playing by his own rules because he knew Dawn couldn’t grasp the idea of battling as he had done it for years. Lucian ordered an Iron Defense again and the Sonic Boom did nothing. Then Lucian attacked with Gyro Ball on Buizel.

Dawn ordered Buizel to dodge the attack, but it was no use. Buizel had launched a head-on assault with Aqua Jet, was quickly overpowered, and brought to the ground. But Buizel stood up tall again as Lucian marveled at his fighting spirit. Impressed by Buizel’s willpower, Lucian ordered a final assault with Flash Cannon.

Dawn was now begging for Buizel to listen to her as she ordered him to dodge the attack. As had all of her previous orders, her last was ignored as Buizel launched his most powerful Water Gun against the raging silver beam of energy. No match for Flash Cannon, Buizel was enveloped in its raw power and slammed into a tree, landing on the ground. His mind seemed to leave him as he tried to stand up and fight, but he was swallowed by darkness.

Later on, Lucian decided to make amends with Buizel and Dawn to help them discover each other’s style, only to be interrupted and Buizel abducted by none other than Team Rocket once again. Buizel was locked in a spherical cage reinforced with steel. It looked like it was expertly crafted and nearly impossible to break. Down below, Lucian told the others to leave him be, that this would be Buizel’s chance to forget his humiliating defeat.

Buizel then grabbed the bars at the top of the cage, spun his tail in rapid circles like he was swimming. He released a barrage of continuous Sonic Booms. Each shock of forceful water slowly created cracks in the metal gauze until it shattered. He then landed on the ground tired, but unscathed. As the trio of thieves turned their attention to their would-be victim, Lucian stepped forward to demonstrate Buizel’s battle style to Dawn.

Jessie and James ordered their Dustox and Carnivine out into battle as Buizel stood fixed. Jessie ordered a Tackle attack and James ordered a Bite attack. Dawn began to panic slightly as she pleaded for him to dodge it. However, Lucian had already picked up Buizel’s mannerisms and knew how to handle the assault as he directed a Water Gun attack.

Buizel quickly mopped the two Pokémon up with his swift moves and Lucian’s orders, and Dawn was beginning to see that when ordered the way Buizel wanted, he would do it at ease. Lucian ordered one last Water Gun and launched the Team Rocket trio skyward once more.

Buizel, now satisfied that Dawn understood his battle style better, challenged Lucian to another Pokémon battle. Lucian opened up with Bronzong again as he ordered a Gyro Ball attack. Dawn ordered Buizel to dodge that attack, and he followed suit. Dawn ordered two attacks on Buizel’s part and Lucian ordered an Iron Defense both times. Buizel and Dawn had followed each other much more closely than before. However, Lucian recalled his Bronzong saying that they’ve already demonstrated having a closer bond and that there was no need to finish the battle. He thanked them and wished Dawn and Buizel good luck as he took his leave.

Looking on as another decent human went away before him, Buizel thought to himself. Thanks, Lucian. I hope to battle you again for real one day!

Since then, Buizel had just about adjusted to life in a group, a group of friends. He had never been more pleased in all of his life. Ever since the day he had fallen from the waterfall and sworn revenge against all humans, he had lived alone and fearful. He felt that if he was ever accepted into a group, even if he tried, he would be later rejected like he had been at some point, like bleeding almost to the point of death at the feet of a cruel and sadistic human.

However, Buizel found that this was not the case with this group. He stuck with them through all that happened. But one thing still nagged him from the inside out. While it was true that Dawn had used Buizel many times during regular battles in the field, he wasn’t being trained in the same way. He was being trained for contests.

And Buizel hated contests for everything that they were worth. He didn’t like the dressing up dynamic, he didn’t like showing off in a shower of sparkles, and he most definitely didn’t like looking like a haughty princess on a stage. He wanted to be in the thick of a battle for honor, dignity, and old fashioned blood, sweat, and tears—something that Dawn's style severely lacked.

[11:40 P.M.] Route 209 (Pokémon Center), Sinnoh Region – One Year, Five Months Ago

About four months since he was captured, Dawn’s friend and rival Zoey appeared while they had made a stop at the nearest Pokémon Center. All of them had decided to do some training. Ash had just recently acquired a Chimchar from Paul, his rival, and sent out Aipom as well to give her a challenge. In contrast, Zoey sent out her Glameow and Dawn called Buizel out for his contest debut while Brock stood at the sidelines to look for any imperfections. Although seemingly determined on the outside, in his mind he was grumbling.

Buizel mentally scoffed as he listened to Dawn’s contest encouragement. Why can’t she realize that I am not built for this kind of crap?

Dawn had used Buizel relentlessly during training lessons, often against Pikachu. His battle training sessions as far as power and accuracy increases were immensely fun and productive, but when Dawn pitted him against her Pokémon for her upcoming contest, he grew quickly frustrated when his attacks were good, but did nothing to show him off. Buizel thought that if an attack is powerful and deals damage to opponent that would already be showing off enough.

Of course, the idea in a contest is to use attacks, movements, and apparel to glamorize and beautify how a Pokémon looks. In a contest battle, the battle was decided by either time limit, points at the time limit, or battle ready condition of the Pokémon before the time limit. Realistically, most contest battles never ended with a Pokémon defeated. It ended most commonly when one side was outclassed by the amount of points lost and the time had run out. Buizel hated strutting around like that because he got his fame back at the river on raw power and speed.

During the practice battle, Buizel was getting nowhere fast. He could only focus on making an attack powerful. Plus, his attention was diverted away from his own battlefield over to the one with Ash’s training. Ash was exactly the kind of battle trainer that Buizel desperately wanted. But, unfortunately, Dawn had caught him, and with that there was no way he could become Ash’s Pokémon.

Until Zoey stepped in, that is. She had noticed one thing months ago when she, Dawn, and Ash had competed in the same contest. Ash’s Aipom was competing in that contest and showed a remarkable aptitude for it. Her moves were graceful and powerful, two key elements in a contest appeal. Even then, Zoey had suggested that Dawn should take Aipom under her wing to further her contest abilities. Back then though, Ash didn’t think that the idea was necessary. He thought that Aipom was his, after all, and that she would be happy with whatever battle he needed her for.

Now Zoey noticed Buizel and Dawn’s relationship. Buizel did not like contests one bit, while Aipom liked to participate in contests. She figured that the two of them should make a trade, and give Aipom to Dawn and Buizel to Ash. The idea was a pretty radical one, after all, Ash had grown a very close bond to Aipom. Buizel on the other hand was willing to make the transition immediately.

Later on in the day, Buizel paired up with Ash in a practice battle against Brock, and Dawn paired up with Aipom in a practice contest battle against Zoey. Not long after the crew had set up their sides, the insistent Team Rocket trio made their appearance and captured Brock’s Sudowoodo as well as Zoey’s Glameow.

Dawn and Ash knew that this was the perfect opportunity to test their coordination with their new respective Pokémon. Buizel and Ash demonstrated raw power by freeing Sudowoodo with his water gun, while Dawn and Aipom freed Glameow with a combination Swift attack. To finish it off, Buizel re-launched a Water Gun attack, sending the Team Rocket trio into oblivion.

After that ordeal, it was obvious that Aipom and Dawn would be totally compatible with each other in future contests, and Buizel had finally found a worthwhile battle partner in Ash. Both parties headed back to the Pokémon center and imputed their Pokémon into the Trading Machine. Both of them held their breath when they pulled down the lever together, and then the two found new partners.

Ever since that day, Buizel had never felt more at home or in the right place and he felt complete. For the first time, Buizel could travel to other places without the worry of food or transport. He could also gain strength by battling consistently strong opponents. With Ash, he battled only the best, and thus received the best conditioning and seasoning any Pokémon could’ve asked for. And finally, he finally had something that he never knew he could want so much.

Buizel finally made friends.

He found so many while traveling with Ash and it overwhelmed him with a joy he never thought possible. Possibly the greatest Pokémon he had ever met was Pikachu. He had become best friends with him and learned much from their countless battles together.

Even more remarkably to him, Buizel also found a true friend in Ash. Up until his trade, Buizel had actively despised humans. After all, the first human he ever saw ran away and let him take the blame for disturbing the peace, the second one saw his bleeding body and walked away without any compassion, and even to an extent Dawn never let Buizel’s full potential emerge.

However, Ash was in a class of his own. Buizel could sense that if a situation ever came, Ash would trade his own life to save Buizel, instead of abandon him and save his own.

Buizel had never expected Ash to be so open to him, to let his true nature show, and to let his abilities overwhelm opponents and win matches. They connected like magnets, just as Ash and Pikachu had, and they communicated perfectly. Buizel knew though that Pikachu would forever be in a special place in Ash’s soul, but Ash realized Buizel’s aptitude for battling and let him partake in many of the same pivotal battles that Pikachu had fought in. He had even tied with a Lucario from the Veilstone Gym, earning Ash his third badge. Buizel never felt so accomplished in his life. Meanwhile in the Pokémon Center, Buizel never felt so many aches in his life—discounting falling off a waterfall, of course.

[17:20 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Pokémon Center), Sinnoh Region

Agh, this hurts like hell… Buizel thought to himself. I hope it’ll pass by soon.

He heard all of the soft beeps in the room and snapped back into reality. After all, he needed to get out of the stretcher as soon as possible, so he tried to get up and walk but his legs screamed with agony. Suddenly, he felt himself gently pushed back down onto his stretcher. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Pikachu sitting next to him on his stretcher and his trainer and friend, Ash Ketchum, standing beside the stretcher with his hands keeping Buizel down.

“Buizel, please rest! Nurse Joy said you’d be fine by tomorrow!” His face was full of worry as he kept both hands on Buizel. Buizel couldn’t just lay there in the Pokémon Center and do nothing. He knew that Ash had a Gym battle to go to. Buizel tried once again to get up.

“Bui, bui bu—bugh!” Buizel cried out. Buizel had felt his legs exploding in pain as though needles were piercing his skin.

“No, you’re not fine, Buizel.” Ash sternly told his Pokémon. Ash immediately put his hand beneath Buizel’s head and the other on his chest and forced him back down.

Buizel looked at his trainer and said, “Bu bui, bui bah bui!”

“Buizel, don’t even worry about it!” Ash said, still pressing Buizel back down onto the stretcher. Then he spoke with his face full of seriousness and worry. “I would never have any one of my Pokémon injured while I am at a Gym battle, you know that. And besides, I can wait for tomorrow. Just relax.”

Ash then took his hand from under Buizel’s head and began stroking his forehead gently back and forth. Buizel was very surprised.

“Bu… bui?” he asked. The only one who usually got this treatment was Pikachu.

“You were absolutely awesome out there on the battle field today! I can’t even tell you how proud I am to have you on my team!” Ash said while standing next to Buizel. Ash’s expression turned from one of seriousness and worry to one of calm determination and fierce pride. Buizel felt Ash’s hand stroke his head up and down and slowly his heart stopped pounding erratically and it slowed down.

“Believe it or not, you are the first Pokémon I’ve ever had to have been able to beat a Pokémon from an Elite Four member,” Ash stated matter-of-factly as Buizel’s eyes flew wide with surprise and he looked at Ash’s face with a huge smile. Ash returned it with a grin of his own.

“An old friend of mine, Charizard, challenged Prima of the Kanto Elite Four the same way you challenged Lucian. He was so full of arrogance, self-determination, and he didn’t listen to me at all,” Ash said. Buizel grimaced as he remembered that not too long ago he was also a one man show and failed miserably.

“He didn’t do too well, and a lot of it was my fault. I hadn’t trained Charizard very well, and I wasn’t experienced enough to communicate or cooperate with him. We both failed,” Ash said, without much of an afterthought.

“The second time we had a devastating loss,” Ash continued. Buizel looked up at his trainer and saw Ash noticeably ashamed of himself. “Drake was the strongest of the Elite Four of Hoenn, and for good reason. He saw a previous battle of mine and challenged me to take him on. I of course was a little overconfident and accepted.

“He sent out a Shelgon, a Dragon type, and I sent out Pikachu as a safety measure,” Ash sighed. Pikachu was listening contently, and he his ears drooped slightly in remembrance of that day. “I had ordered Pikachu to start out with Thunderbolt to strike at long distance, but it didn’t work. I became so fired up that I ordered an Iron Tail. Of course, Drake was expecting that.

“He saw my weakness when I ordered a physical attack. He ordered a Dragonbreath, which left Pikachu no room to dodge at such a close range. Pikachu was soundly defeated, and then he recalled Shelgon and sent out Altaria. I sent out Grovyle, who’s now a Sceptile. He’s very, very, powerful and has helped me win countless battles at the Battle Frontier later on, but this time his power wasn’t enough.”

Buizel looked at his trainer again and saw that he was really beat down about the whole ordeal.

“I tried every trick I knew, but nothing helped at all. I was too overconfident, and too sure of myself that I couldn’t think straight. Both Pikachu and Grovyle had lost with barely any attacks hitting their target.” Both Buizel and Pikachu noticed Ash's hand balled up into a tight first.

“We lost, and it was entirely my fault,” Ash said through his gritted teeth. “Pikachu and Grovyle performed the best they could, but I failed them.”

Buizel was thoroughly awestruck. He had never seen his trainer speak so badly of himself. He looked over to Pikachu who was nodding solemnly.

“Pikapi, pikachu pi,” Pikachu spoke to Buizel.

Buizel nodded at Pikachu and looked back at Ash who, surprisingly, began relax his body and even carved a smile on his face.

“Then the third time, I was returning back home to Pallet Town, and I came across an old lady on her bicycle bringing back groceries.” Ash chuckled a little at the thought.

“She was about to fall off,” he continued, “And she may have really hurt herself if we hadn’t been there. When I helped her up, I had unknowingly met Agatha of the Kanto Elite Four.”

“A man named Scott had been there talking to me at the time, and he wanted me to battle Agatha to see if I was Battle Frontier material,” Ash grinned to himself. “I didn’t know that Agatha was an Elite Four member at the time, but I accepted anyway.”

“I sent out Pikachu and she sent out a Gengar. We couldn’t have had a better battle that day.” Ash smiled very fondly at his first Pokémon and Pikachu cooed back affectionately.

“That was the first time I took on an Elite Four member and did not regret the way I lost. Pikachu and I worked perfectly together, he at his top form, and I without any thoughts or anger to stop me.” Ash stopped and paused remembering that day how everything was so synchronized and his mind was clear of all thoughts but the battle.

“We lost, though, but we managed to hit Gengar with many attacks. Our attacks didn’t do enough damage to bring him down because his level was so high, but it was still a spectacular battle. That time we didn’t lose because we somehow messed up, Agatha was just better. And…

“That brings us back to you Buizel!” Ash now beamed at him and Buizel looked back at Ash. “You defeated an Elite Four member, and you are the first Pokémon of mine to have ever done so! I am very, very proud of you!”

Buizel’s face turned ecstatic. He had passed out on the battle field and didn’t even realize what the outcome was. Now, it was undeniable, he had beaten member of the Elite Four!

“But I need to apologize, Buizel…” Ash began to talk again. “I definitely drove you way to far today, and you could’ve been even more injured than now. We won, but only very closely, and I could've left the battle with regret.”

Buizel then tried to talk Ash out of his thoughts, “Bui! Bui, bui, bubui!”

“Buizel, I made a mistake. Yeah, we won, but the price was too high,” Ash looked at Buizel and knew exactly what he meant, but continued. “You could've been really seriously injured…”

Buizel then looked at his trainer who was looking back at him with a glint of deep care in his eyes.

“I would never forgive myself if I had gotten you hurt any more than you were today. You could've broken a bone or ruptured something inside. I don’t want to ever face the pain of sending anyone into critical condition. No one, especially a friend.”

And then Buizel felt something he had felt well up in his eyes for a very long time. Tear drops formed in the corners of his eyes.

Ash smiled to his Pokémon, “You’re part of my family, Buizel. I am so proud of you.”

Buizel felt the drop from his own eyes fall onto his cheek as Ash took his hand from Buizel's forehead and held Buizel’s paw with both hands.

A few moments of quiet passed between the trainer and his Pokémon, his friend and ally, his family. Ash kept his hand on Buizel’s paw as he rubbed it gently. Then he dropped it, brought his arm towards Pikachu, and let him climb onto his shoulder.

“I couldn't have asked for a better friend. I’m just glad you’re alright,” Ash spoke softly.

Buizel looked up at Ash and wiped the tears in his eyes with his paw. He felt completely calm and peaceful, even after an intense battle with one of the best trainers in the world.

“Oh yeah, I almost forgot!” Ash began, regaining his cheerfulness. “I don't want to challenge the gym here until you’re up to it. You’ve done such an awesome job today, I think you’ve earned it to battle in the next Gym no matter what type your opponents are. Though, you can say no if you want?”

“Bui, bui! Bu bui!” Buizel instantly told Ash he was up to it and pumped his paw up.

Ash smiled at his partner with a warm grin and pumped his fist in the air as well.

“I thought you might say that!”


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Dear Readers,

Also not much of a chapter to edit, just minor grammatical nuances here and there. For genderless Pokémon it would be more appropriate to use pronouns it or its, but if the Pokémon has a clear gender characteristic like Celebi, it would be appropriate to use gendered pronouns. If I were to ever publish this, I would most definitely shorten up this chapter and focus merely on Buizel’s psyche as opposed to rote history. I intend to have every one of his Pokémon have history and character like he, but right now it is not feasible.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Story Notes:

14 years after – Buizel is captured


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Author’s Notes:
Updated, 09/10/08
| third person stream of consciousness attempt/new human-Pokémon interaction/glorify Buizel/ |
original title, “Reverie”
RE: edit. 08/31/11



Well, sorry if that was a bit of a history lesson, but I felt it was necessary to explain why Buizel is the way he is, and to give him a bit of personality.

To Uzamaki Hinata: Glad to know I'm on the right track, I did make sure that my first one would be very descriptive, so I'm very glad I met that! Thanks!

To midnightmoon: Sorry to burst your bubble, but May won't be introduced for a little while. I need to develop Ash's character and the elites.

To VoltTacklingPika: You are who I would call analytic as your description says. You've got many of the basics down, but I am happy to know that you have no idea what my fundamentals are. MUHAHAH.

To all viewers: Thanks for viewing! Hope I piped your interest!
 
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P

pikakid

jirachi killer
Rips Soul out.......... Aura Arghhhhhhh
Well apart from that I quiet liked the story. It was well thought out and presented nicely. Looking forward to the next installment.
 
VoltTacklingPika

VoltTacklingPika

Well-Known Member
Another great chapter. I personally don't mind history. I love Buizel as well, so it's all good for me.

Since you gave Buizel a personality, I'm guessing it's safe to assume that the other Pokemon are going to have a personality as well. Unless you're planning something with Buizel playing a major role. (Hmm... maybe I should keep my thoughts to myself more.)

It'll be interesting to see what happens next and where the whole Aura concept fits in.

Oh, and don't laugh evilly just yet. ;).

Keep up the good work!
 
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midnightmoon

Banned
To midnightmoon: Sorry to burst your bubble, but May won't be introduced for a little while. I need to develop Ash's character and the elites.
Click to expand...

I understand. ill just keep reading anyway.

Buizel sure dose have lots of determination. Anyway very nice work again. I like your writeing style. hope to see chapter three up soon. ^_^
 
X

XxabridgedgirlyxX

Wielder of Aura
Wow!

I finally found an aura fanfic that's worth reading, I started reading your story on fanfiction.net and kinda got angry 'cause you didn't update, glad to see you're still working on this awesome story!
I don't mind the history lesson very good on showing the inside of Buizel!
Keep up ya good work!
 
L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
XxabridgedgirlyxX said:
I finally found an aura fanfic that's worth reading, I started reading your story on fanfiction.net and kinda got angry 'cause you didn't update, glad to see you're still working on this awesome story!
I don't mind the history lesson very good on showing the inside of Buizel!
Keep up ya good work!
Click to expand...

Yeah, sorry about the lack of updates there, I've had to go back to high school, *throws darts at my textbooks* but thanks for reminding me!

Also, I'm really glad that everyone here seems to be fine with Buizel. I personally don't want him to evolve, so I tried to justify why.

Thanks to all for the reviews! I really appreciate it!
 
VoltTacklingPika

VoltTacklingPika

Well-Known Member
I agree, school sucks but luckily for me, I don't go back for two more weeks. :).

I don't know why, but I think the personality Buizel has wouldn't be right if he was a Floatzel.

Quick question: Are you going to write about the rest of Ash's journey through Sinnoh and throw some twists here and there? I personally don't mind, but I was just curious.
 
L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
VoltTacklingPika said:
I agree, school sucks but luckily for me, I don't go back for two more weeks. :).

Quick question: Are you going to write about the rest of Ash's journey through Sinnoh and throw some twists here and there? I personally don't mind, but I was just curious.
Click to expand...

Firstly,
HAWAT!!!!???? How come you get to go to school later!? GAHHH!!!

And now to your question...
Do you really think I'll tell you? Fat Chance. But I can guarantee that I won't make it just Ash's travels to the Sinnoh League I promise you that...
 
VoltTacklingPika

VoltTacklingPika

Well-Known Member
Heh, England has different holidays. That's why I don't start until later.

Fat chance? I thought as much. Seems like a pretty pointless question now... ah well, I shall remain anitcipant for the next installment and eventual plot development.
 
L

lunarshadow

Hadou Aprentice
Chapter Three: Aquapolis

Ash is a remarkable trainer, Flint Timber thought to himself. He has done so many things that other trainers wouldn't do even in their dreams! He defeated me, Elite Four member! And he wormed out of melting battlefield and he even goes to sit at a Pokémon’s stretcher until him wakes up, just to comfort him, a sign of compassion every trainer should, but not all have…

[17:25 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Pokémon Center), Sinnoh Region[/i]

After the battle, Sunyshore City was a three minute’s run from the charred, blackened, and partially melted battle field. Getting there was a tad chaotic with all of the apologies, congratulations, and small introductions, but with a worn-out Buizel in Ash’s arms they did need to run expediently.

Flint was sitting in the lobby of the Sunyshore City Pokémon Center across from Brock and Dawn. Brock was busy feeding his baby Happiny and Dawn was twiddling her thumbs, sitting idly without Piplup beside her. Brock mentioned that he was still a licensed Gym Leader of Pewter city which impressed Flint greatly, but much of the rest of the small talk was focused on Buizel’s recovery. Dawn recalled how Buizel came to be a member of the group and how he was eventually traded to Ash and Flint followed the story to the letter. But now that all was cleared up, the only thing to do was wait.

Flint may have looked like someone from a comic book at first, considering his red afro and bright yellow mesh shirt, but his battle style and abilities were well known across the Sinnoh land. He was a member of the Elite Four after all, an incredibly young one at twenty-two years old, and his title pretty much spoke for himself. Flint knew that Ash was an impressive trainer beforehand, but he had to find out up close and personal. He might have on his own accord to satisfy his own curiosity, but as fate would have it he was actually given an order to do such.

Cynthia Apologue was the supreme trainer in all of Sinnoh, the Champion of the entire region, and she was without a doubt one of the most beautiful women Flint had ever laid eyes upon. She wore a long, black, silk dress that stretched down to her ankles, a pair of long, black, silk pants underneath, closed toe high heels, and a single golden fastener across the top. Her dress had black, fluffy cuffs around the wrists, a black, fluffy outline at the bottom, and three silver tear drop shaped ornaments at her chest. She also wore two black tear drop shaped ear rings, a black, fluffy choker, and her hair was a fine, sandy blonde that reached as long as her dress in gorgeous curls.

Her semi-conservative looks were deceiving and spoke nothing of her accomplishments at a record breaking age of twenty-three. She had incredible Pokémon each nearly as powerful as the next, and she commanded each one with grace while each replied with stunning attacks and devastating results. Her trump card was definitely her Garchomp, a Ground and Dragon Pokémon that could withstand many of the most powerful attacks ever known including Blizzard, Frenzy Plant, and Giga Impact. She hadn’t lost a single battle in years and hasn’t seen the light of a challenger via the Sinnoh league ever since she assumed the role, courtesy of the Elite Four’s abilities and prowess.

She was also a very odd, yet easily likable character. On the battlefield she was necessarily cold, cunning, and calculating, but off the battlefield was a totally different person. She was extremely outgoing to those she met and greatly knowledgeable about most things Pokémon. Often she would get some ice cream only to have bought it after thinking about which flavor to pick for fifteen minutes. As the general leader of the Elite Four and Sinnoh League, she often invited some of her colleagues to dinner or get-togethers. Flint normally had time for such things and frequently met up with Cynthia. However, the last time they met, Flint was thoroughly surprised; she had asked him to go out on a job, and not on an ice cream hang-out.

[10:52 A.M.] Pokémon League Summit, Sinnoh Region

“Flint, can I ask you something?” Cynthia asked.

“Sure, whatever you want! Go ahead!” Flint asked eagerly.

Cynthia furrowed her brow as she spoke, “I’ve got a job for you, but I don’t really know where to begin.”

“Well, spit it out, whatever it is,” Flint said. I hope I don't have to wait unnecessarily for half a day for her to say it…

“I think you may already know this, but our dear friend Volkner is over-renovating his gym and causing rolling blackouts in Sunyshore City.”

“And I think you already know that he’s just bored out of his wits!” Flint retaliated. “Man, he just needs a real challenger to really heat him up and get his determination back!”

“That’s where I have a suggestion,” Cynthia said as she smiled at her long-time friend and rival. “Have you ever heard of a young man named Ash?”

“I think so… yeah! It was Ketchup! No, wait. Ketchum, that’s the guy!” Flint remembered aloud. “Yeah, I know him. He used a smoking hot Charizard and completely steamed his opponent’s Blastoise the one time I managed to see the Johto League up close!”

“Do I need to remind you that it was Gary Oak, Samuel Oak’s grandson who was defeated?”

“Oh, dude, you’re right! Dang, that kid is good.”

“Last I checked, Ash is headed on his way from Snowpoint City through Veilstone to Sunyshore,” Cynthia continued, knowing that the matter was settled. I think it would be a good idea to recruit him in Volkner’s direction. He does need a final badge after all.”

“Hey, that’s a sure fire idea!” Flint said to the Sinnoh Champion. “But you know, I think I’ll test him out before I get him to go to the gym. I want to see if he’s really got what it takes. My old pal of mine is no push-over.”

Cynthia began egging her friend on, “Really? Well, I bet he could actually beat you! Ash is no pushover either!”

“HA! No way, man,” Flint laughed. I’ll probably incinerate him before he gets to call out his first Pokémon!”

“If you say so, Flint,” Cynthia sighed. Why does he always have to say so many things related to fire in his conversations?

“Oh, and one last thing,” Cynthia added.

“Oh, man, now what do I have to do?”

“Just…call me up when Ash and his friends are at the Pokémon Center,” Cynthia paused for a few moments, thinking about how to go about doing this. “Maybe after you guys had your battle and taken your Pokémon to Nurse Joy? I would like to know when you’ve arrived.”

“Let me guess. You want me to get back to you as soon as possible so we can leave for the ‘secret mission’,” Flint raised both his hands and bunny-eared the secret mission part.

“You know, beneath that fro, you’re pretty smart.”

“I know, I know. It’s what I do,” Flint said as he stuck up his thumb at Cynthia. She rolled her eyes and smiled, but Flint pressed onward. “But something tells me you aren’t just using us in this operation.”

“That’s two right in a row,” Cynthia commended.

“You want Ash to come with us,” Flint continued.

“That’s three.”

“Why?”

Cynthia just chuckled slightly. “I thought you would’ve figured that out by now.”

“But if you need backup, wouldn’t it be a bit easier to get Lance or something? I mean, Johto League Champ and all?”

“No offense, but if I actually needed his caliper of backup, I wouldn’t be asking you and Lucian would I?”

“Hah. None taken. But still, why Ash? Look. I know he’s strong and all, but he hasn’t even placed first in any regional league yet. He’s not exactly an Elite by any stretch of the imagination.”

“From what several people have told me, Ash is a person who doesn’t disappoint. And as far as I’m concerned, he is already an Elite, an Elite at heart. Besides! If he really has to, he can hold his own in battle.”

“Whatever then. If you want him to tag along, I guess I don’t really have a problem with that,” Flint stated. Flint put his hands into his pocket and tried to understand why the heck Cynthia is so fond of this Ash guy, but decided it was easier just to take orders.

Cynthia smiled and slyly said to Flint, “I thought you would. Now head on over to Route 222 and see if Flint of the Elite Four can beat Ash Ketchum of Pallet Town.”

“Is that a challenge?” Flint tauntingly asked.

“Maybe...?” Cynthia coed back.

“A challenge is a challenge,” Flint sighed. Then he spoke with resolution and burning passion, “I accept.”

[17:11 P.M.] Sunyshore City (Pokémon Center), Sinnoh Region[/i]

And now Flint was sitting at the Pokémon Center, contemplating the aftermath of an epic battle he will not soon forget.

I battled a fifteen year old kid, and I got my afro handed to me. Flint thought. Crap. Cynthia’s going to have a ball now knowing I’ve been beat by a kid!

Hah! he chuckled, She’s right, after all. There is something special about him.

“Yo. Brock, Dawn, do you want to check up on Ash? He’s been in there for a while,” Flint asked.

“Yeah, let’s go,” Dawn said as she stood up from the sofa.

“I’ll follow you guys,” Brock conceded as he looked up and slowly heaved himself off of the couch. He then re-called Happiny from his arms back into her ball.

At that very instant, Nurse Joy of Sunyshore City walked through the hallway out of Buizel’s ward. Brock, feeling his hormones kick in, ran over to the young nurse and began his characteristic swoon.

“Oh, Nurse Joy! Your beauty is unmatched throughout all of the land of Sinnoh!” Brock began, grabbing a thoroughly unsuspecting Joy by the hands, he spoke.

“Huh? Uh…” the poor nurse stammered.

“Yo, dude, you feeling alright?” Flint just stood there wide-eyed and rapidly blinking.

“Brock’s always been a lady lover. We can’t really stop him. But…” Dawn said, nervously laughing.

Nurse Joy stayed completely flabbergasted. After all, she had just come out of a room with an exhausted Pokémon inside. But persistent Brock continued his wickedly effective ‘charm’.

“Nurse Joy of Sunyshore City, even the heat of the sun that beats down on the city can’t compare with my heated love for–ACK!” He stopped abruptly. “…you…ACK!”

At that, Brock fell face down on the floor courtesy of his Croagunk.

Dawn continued semi-embarrassedly, “His Croagunk’s on his case for us.”

The Pokémon resembled an upright toad, with large, yellow, bulb-like eyes with a black outline, and blue body. He had feet divided into three black long “toes”, his waist had section of white bands in the middle, and his hands would normally have an orange finger in the middle of his black hand, but now had a bright purple glow—the signature of a Poison Jab attack.

To keep Brock and his raging hormones in check, Croagunk took the liberty of jolt-stabbing his trainer to snap him out of his real-life soap operas. Today, once again, he did his job as he hefted Brock's paralyzed carcass off to the side with a mirthful chuckle.

“Excuse me, Nurse Joy?” Flint regained his composure as he asked the flabbergasted nurse. “Could you please tell me which ward Buizel and the boy are?”

Nurse Joy also quickly regained her senses and pointed, “Oh, why yes, they are in the third room on your right, down this hallway.”

“Thanks,” Flint winked at the Nurse. He saw her blush slightly and thought to himself, You've still got it, stud monkey. He headed to the ward as quietly as possible, Dawn following suit, and Croagunk in their wake dragging his paralyzed trainer with him.

As soon as Flint reached the large glass pane that divided the hallway and the room inside, he stopped. Ash was holding his injured partner's paw and talking his words of encouragement.

Wow, Flint thought. Ash really is in a class of his own.

Flint stood outside the large glass pane waiting for Ash to finish up. Slowly, Brock got up to his feet and recalled his Croagunk, who was satisfied there wasn’t another attractive girl in the area. Brock and Dawn too stopped at the sight of their friend calming his Buizel.

“Hey, Brock, does Ash ever do this regularly?” Flint began to ask.

“Yeah, several times in the past. Why?” he replied, having regained his basic motor skills.

“I’ve never seen another trainer who ever cared for Pokémon as deeply as he does,” Flint then smiled to himself and dropped his gaze slightly. “Especially at this age.”

Brock returned the gesture and replied, “He did so ever since he started his journey.”

“Really?” Flint skeptically asked.

“Really. I first saw it when I had met him in our first battle we had together. It was his first Gym Battle back in Pewter City and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. He tried pitting his Pikachu against my Geodude and Onix but he didn’t realize that he couldn’t win the badge by traditional battling.”

“Really? I thought Ash was some kind of a Gym challenge pro!” Dawn exclaimed, now her turn to be very surprised. “I know when I started my journey I was really awful, but I never thought Ash could’ve also been!”

“Yeah, believe it or not, every trainer starts out a total noob,” Flint chuckled slightly. “You know, spelt with two zeros and everything.”

“I eventually gave him the Boulder Badge, not because he won, but because he showed that he was truly kind to all Pokémon,” Brock continued. “He stubbornly kept using Pikachu against my Pokémon, but his electricity did next to nothing against my Rock and Ground types. The uncontrolled electricity accidentally set off the sprinklers, spraying water all over the Gym and my Onix. He wanted to continue to use the Thundershock, but he decided against it. He knew that all of that water would’ve put Onix in more pain than he was already.”

“So Ash had gotten the Boulder Badge out of pity?” Flint asked, half smiling and half laughing.

“Yeah, but you know what I mean,” Brock also chuckled a bit. “You are a member of the Elite Four after all.”

“Yeah, I understand. Ash deserved the Badge regardless of whether he lost or not, because he showed the care that he had for your Onix.”

“Wait, so as a Gym Leader, you can say whether or not a challenger actually gets the badge, even if they win?” Dawn asked.

“Yep. And now, I think I can safely say that I made a good choice.” Brock replied.

Flint smiled to himself and agreed. “I think you did too.”

The three stood there waiting for Ash to finish up with Buizel. After Ash asked Buizel about his participation in the next gym, Flint lightly tapped on the glass pane. Ash looked up at him and Flint waved his hand to ask if he could come in. Ash waved back as a yes.

Flint, Dawn, and Brock opened the door to see Buizel laying down on the stretcher and Ash standing beside him. Pikachu stood on Ash's shoulder and the three stood against the wall and began to talk

“Congratulations, Ash,” Flint said.

“Aw thanks but it wasn’t really me, it was Buizel!” Ash replied. “He should be taking the credit.”

“In that case, congratulations, Buizel!” Flint said as he approached Buizel in his stretcher with his hand held out. “You’ve defeated a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four and I must say it was one of the best battles I've ever seen!”

Buizel shook Flint’s hand and replied, “Bu, Bui!”

“It was an honor,” Flint said in vague reply. He let go of Buizel’s paw and began to speak again.

“Hey, Buizel? You did an awesome job back there!” Dawn congratulated her former Pokémon. “I know I couldn’t work with you like Ash did back when Lucian came around, but I’m so glad you and Ash worked hand in hand!”

Buizel responded as best he could, “Bubui.”

“Alright, I guess I’ve got a bit of explaining to do,” Flint said slapping his hands together. “Whatever your questions are, just ask”

Ash immediately asked, “How did you know my name?”

“Haha, not to be a stalker or anything but I saw you at the Johto League Silver Conference, and I’ve got to say, it was one of the most incredible battles I have ever seen!” Flint said, looking at the budding trainer. “You must’ve been very proud of your Charizard for defeating Gary Oak’s strongest Pokémon.”

Ash gaped, “You mean you saw that?”

"Pi, pikachu?" Pikachu was also very surprised.

“Of course I did. Dude, you’ve got a seriously hot Charizard there. He probably could stand neck and neck with the rest of my team.”

“Wow, thanks a bunch Flint!”

“Don’t mention it!” Flint replied with a toothy grin.

“One more thing, why did you find me anyways?” Ash asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“Well, I used to live here back when I was a kid, and I grew up next to a very good friend of mine,” Flint then sighed and stared at his shoes thinking about what to say next. “We used to be nothing more than rivals back then, but eventually we settled our differences and became best of friends. Now I’m very worried about him. His name is Volkner.”

“You see, Volkner was one of the best trainers in all of Sunyshore City, but he wasn’t good enough to challenge the Elite Four back in his day,” Flint sighed. “Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t ready either back then, but he chose to stay behind and become the Gym Leader of this city while I traveled all over for months to train for the championship.”

“I don’t see what the problem is,” Brock asked.

“Volkner has now lost the will to stay at the Gym, and regrets his decision of staying behind,” Flint took a seep long sigh trying to sort out how he was going to word the dilemma. “He wants to move on, and possibly take the Elite Four challenge, and abandon his post as Gym Leader. Everyone thinks he’s lazy but I know he’s just bored out of his wits! He hasn’t had anyone good challenge him in so many months, so he’s just renovating his Gym, sucking power from the city reserves, and trying to entertain himself.”

Ash then thought of an idea. “Hey! If Volkner needs a challenger, then why don’t I go on in and challenge him? I need an eighth badge anyway!”

“Yeah, Ash would be perfect for Volkner! No need to worry!” Dawn said.

“That’s exactly why I’m here,” Flint smiled and glanced up at the young teens. I wanted to make sure you were directed to get my friend his burning passion back. Ash, I assume you accept, right?”

“Of course I accept! If there is anyone who should battle a Gym Leader, it’s me!”

"Pikapi! Pi pikachu!” Pikachu agreed.

“I’m glad you said that. Well, now that that’s done, I just need to place a phone call,” Flint said as motioned toward the ward exit.

“Wait, who’re you going to call?” Ash asked.

“Cynthia,” Flint stated simply. “She just told me to call her when we got to the Pokémon Center to make sure you got the message. She’s the one who sent me to get you. It’s a long story.”

“Wow, so Cynthia sent you here? Hey, then can we come too?” Ash asked.

“Yeah, please? I haven’t seen Cynthia in such a long time!” Dawn pleaded.

“Sure! Why not?”

“Alright, great! Come on guys, let’s go!” Ash exclaimed as he lead Brock and Dawn towards the door. Ash turned around towards Buizel before he left. “Hey, Buizel? Just sit tight there and go to sleep. After what you’ve been through, you could use the rest.”

Buizel lay down on his stretcher and closed his eyes. “Bui…”

Ash walked over to his stretcher, leaned over his Pokémon and said, “Good night, Buizel. You've done an awesome job. I’m proud of you.”

He stroked the back of Buizel’s head a last time, got back up, turned off the lights, and then followed Brock, softly closing the door behind him leaving Buizel to rest for the final Sinnoh Gym battle.


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Dear Readers,

I’ve decided to give Cynthia a last name as well, something that fits her personality very well and goes together with her family in a similar way. I feel like Professor Apologue is a science sounding name, right? The way I see it, and the way that Bulbapedia sees it, Cynthia could be a take on the word synthesis, which means to combine or create. An apologue is nothing more than a legend. She has said time and again that her goal is to figure out the Time-Space legend, so Cynthia Apologue is very fitting for her.


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Story Notes:

7 years ago – Cynthia Apologue is born
6 years ago – Flint Timber is born


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Author’s Notes:
Uploaded, 11/27/08
| filler chapter attempt/Flint plot device success/dialogue experimentation |
original title, “Q and A”
RE: edit. 09/01/11
second original title, “Questions and Answers”
| included last name/arranged dialogue to fit Flint |
RE: edit. 10/29/12


Again, I'm really sorry for not uploading this any quicker, but it's been a real strain to get any time to write in because of school. While this is slightly a filler, I am please to tell you peeps that the next two chapters will really be the kicker-upper!

But I'm telling you, this schoolwork is really starting to p*** me off.

To VoltTacklingPika: I absolutely despise your guts for all of this Holiday stuff. Man the Brits get everything!

Happy Reading!
 
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VoltTacklingPika

VoltTacklingPika

Well-Known Member
Well unfortunately, I'm back in school now and since this is my last year, I have to work really really hard and do lots and lots of work. It won't be terrible, but still...

The Brits don't always get everything. We don't have Naruto, Bleach, Tales of the Abyss... amongst others. Hell, I don't even think we have Pokemon Battle Dimension yet! Also WWE fans have to wait until 1am to watch a paper-view.

Moving on.

I've always believed that fanfic authors should take their time when writing stories since they pretty much get nothing out of writing except the good feeling you get when you find out someone enjoyed reading your story. Fanfic authors don't get paid to write, nor are they expected to stick to any type of schedule. They have normal lives and get swamped in school work all the time, so I generally expect slow updates. Se la vie, I'm afriad.

Of course, if the end result is good then the time need to produce that result really doesn't matter. Here, the end result was good. So no worries.

The secret mission mentioned in this chapter has piqued my interest. I'll have to keep my eye on any hints.

I'm always looking forward to updates. Keep up the good work.

These new chapters are needed to cheer me up after long days of school...
 
X

XxabridgedgirlyxX

Wielder of Aura
Nice chapter, a filler nonetheless but still.

Don't worry about updating not enough. If you rush your story to just get the updates fixed you'll completely ruin it. We all have school to hate now don't we ;)

Anyways, the secret mission thing has really picked my interest and I like how you worked out Flint's personallity.

A long wait but it was worth it, keep up the good work! :)
 
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