Aura Heart Journey Chapter 1 (Patreon)

All right friends and fans, Kairomaru is here with my first foray into the Pokémon series. I’ve had this idea for a Pokémon story in my head for a couple years slowly building up how I’d like the anime to have been. To give something to the world that I spent the better part of my childhood in; I’ve tried to make this Alternate Universe tale something that was distinct enough from the anime to be interesting and entertaining, while also being faithful to established Pokémon lore. 

As always Patrons get all chapters a month early and all one-shots are Pat re on exclusive.

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Thank you; Lu Bane Na, Thomas E Nellis, Patrick Ayres, Lukas Kusché, Jacob Ward, Evgeniy Kazanin, Daniel Williams, CC100, Brody Meech, Benjamin, Victor Garrett, Michael Greene, Kyle Anderson, Kaymann, John Smith, and Frimorigo.

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So without further delay, please enjoy.

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Chapter 1 – The Journey Begins

The world of Pokémon is a vast place filled with many mysterious and powerful creatures. They roam the land, swim in the sea, and fly high through the sky. Pokémon are truly amazing creatures and it is no surprise that humans live and work alongside them; the friendships and bonds they share enriching the lives of people and Pokémon alike. The Pokémon world is often peaceful and balanced, living in harmony with nature. However this is not always the case, powerful Pokémon dubbed Legendary or Mythical for their rarity and power can sometimes be disturbed from their peaceful lives and go on to cause destruction in the form of rampages, battles between each other, battles against humans that seek to control their immense power, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms and all manner of other catastrophes can rage across the Pokémon world when these Legendary and Mythical Pokémon are disturbed.

The highest, most powerful Pokémon, Arceus is credited for the creation of existence. It is said to have emerged from an egg in the void before the universe began. This Pokémon, according to legend, created three other god-like Pokémon with its incomprehensible power. The Ruler of Time Dialga, the Ruler of Space Palkia, and the Ruler of Gravity Giratina; with the creation of these three Pokémon time began to flow and space began to expand while gravity brought the tiniest of particles together slowly forming the first stars to light up the empty dark universe. Over time as eons passed and stars began to die in supernova explosions creating more complex elements, with gravity bringing these elements that would make up rocks and water together to form planets, Arceus began to create life once more. Its first creatures were simple and capable of surviving anywhere, the bacteria. Eons later with more planets formed Arceus tried to create more life only for Giratina’s power and renegade attitude to end most attempts before they could truly begin. Thus led to Giratina’s banishment from the normal Universe to what would later be known as the Distortion World, a separate realm of existence where Giratina’s massive gravitational powers could not only be allowed to run wild but would in turn support the stability of the regular Universe.

With Giratina safely in the Distortion world, Arceus was free to continue creating more life in the universe. No one knows for sure when or how long it took for the first Pokémon or the first Humans to appear nor which came first. Only that Pokémon were born with powerful abilities, capable of controlling the elements themselves, as well as powerful bodies capable of surviving even in harsh conditions. It is said that Arceus, seeing the disparity in abilities between the Pokémon and Humans, created three new Pokémon to give the Humans abilities of their own. Thus Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit where created and sent out into the world to bring forth the potential of humanity. When Uxie flew over the Humans of the ancient world it granted them knowledge and the ability to solve problems, it was revered as the Being of Knowledge. When Azelf flew over the ancient Humans it bestowed upon them Willpower, the drive to do things and face any of life’s difficulties. It was hailed as the Being of Willpower. When Mesprit flew over the Humans it instilled Emotion into their hearts. Every feeling from joy to sorrow, from love to hatred was born in the hearts of Humans. It was praised as the Being of Emotion.

From this, Humans began to form into various tribes, hunting for food and building shelters for long term habitation. Villages began to appear throughout the world and Arceus was pleased. But it soon came to be that the humans could not match the vast power of Pokémon. Whenever a powerful Pokémon fought against the human tribes and villages it was always the humans that lost their lives and had their villages destroyed. Arceus could not deign to tell its creations how to live their lives, without their free will even its direct creations that controlled the land, Groudon, and controlled the sea, Kyogre, wouldn’t be able to perform the necessary tasks that kept the world balanced and ever changing. Arceus called out to its many Legendary children, asking them what could be done so that the Humans might have a chance to truly understand and bond with Pokémon.

It is said that Arceus’ newest Legendary creation offered up the answer; Meloetta the Melody Pokémon a Legendary created from Arceus after Humans had begun to make primitive music and instruments. Meloetta could make Pokémon feel any emotion through her voice and songs but could not do the same for humans. It was because humans lacked the same power that Pokémon had, the power that let them survive against even the harshest of environments and generate their attacks and abilities. Arceus saw the truth of Meloetta’s answer and so endowed the humans with the same power as Pokémon, thus Humans were born with the capability to harness Aura. With the latent power within humans they now could not only have a chance to survive against wild Pokémon; but come to understand and bond with them as friends. Arceus, seeing all of its creations finally able to understand one another , was pleased and made for itself a separate dimension in which to rest. Arceus would make physical visits to the Pokémon world every few decades or centuries; but mostly kept watch over its favorite world from within its own dimension.

As the millennia passed and human technology progressed better villages were made; soon agriculture took hold and humans had more food than they could often eat. This led to them offering it to nearby wild Pokémon. The free meal got many Pokémon to stay closer to the villages in hopes of more food. These Pokémon would therefore encounter and interact with more humans than they regularly would. Bonds of friendship began to develop between human and Pokémon and soon some wild Pokémon weren’t wild anymore; they’d become friends and members of the human families. These Pokémon would offer their help and power to their human friends and companions and over the years villages became towns, towns became cities, and eventually the first countries were formed. During this time of change the now partnered Pokémon would fight to protect their human companions from violent wild Pokémon; showing both the inclination and enjoyment of battle between their various species. As Pokémon Battling became the main way to protect settlements from wild Pokémon attacks, humans began to slowly use their own latent Aura abilities less and less. Eventually only a very small percentage of humans continued to practice their abilities through the generations.

-Present Day-

It was night time in Pallet Town. Stores had started to close, and most children had already gone to sleep for the night. There were only gentle sounds of nature all throughout the small town. It was a very tranquil and peaceful place at the southwest coast of the Kanto Region. A light was still on in one house, it showed from a second story bedroom window. The bedroom in question belonged to Ash Ketchum. It had been three days since his graduation from Pallet Junior High and he finally had his Pokémon Trainer License. Now that he had finished his compulsory education he would finally be able to begin his journey to be a Pokémon Master. It had been the only thing he had thought about, aside from graduation exams, the last three months.

Ash currently had the TV on and was watching a Pokémon battle between a Gengar and a Nidorino. The Pokémon belonged to members of the Kanto Elite Four, Gengar belonged to Agatha the Ghost Master, and Nidorino belonged to Bruno the Fighting Master. Many would think it odd that a Fighting Type Expert like Bruno would have a non-Fighting Type Pokémon; that was pure folly, being an Expert only meant that you specialized in a Type and knew the ins and outs of that Type better than most other trainers. Elite trainers like Bruno and Agatha trained varieties of Pokémon to gain skill and experience with all Types. Ash had to study these things during his three years in Junior High in order to pass the tests to get his Trainer License.

However, despite the intensity of the battle, Ash wasn't paying it his full attention. He was mainly focusing on his plans for tomorrow. Ash's mother had bought him a few new sets of travel clothes for his journey earlier that week, which he was currently packing into his bag for his journey. Ash didn’t think he’d use every pocket in the slightly large bag but it could hold pretty much everything a travelling trainer could need. It had enough space for a small one person tent, a sleeping bag, a large canteen for water, matches, flashlight, cordage, a winter jacket for cold weather, a small set of pots and a small skillet for cooking, eating utensils, a short machete for cutting through overgrown paths, his trusty survival knife his father had given him, and a tarp to put up in case it rained. His mother had also contributed a book on camp cooking recipes so that Ash could catch and cook some of his own food out in the field instead of always spending his money at restaurants in towns.

After getting his clothes packed Ash looked back towards the TV seeing Bruno recalling his Nidorino and sending out an Onix. The large, even for its species, rock snake roared loudly at the Ghost Type Pokémon before launching a Stone Edge attack at the Gengar. Agatha obviously gave her Pokémon some kind of command as Gengar grinned wickedly before dodging the Stone Edge and launching a large Energy Ball attack at the Rock Type.

“Oh, that’s not gonna be good!” Ash exclaimed as he watched Onix move its tail to intercept the attack; the rock snake simply to slow to try and dodge the incoming Grass Type attack. The explosion from the impact of the Energy Ball with Onix’s tail was large, but before the smoke could begin to clear Onix launched itself through the smoke with a metallic sheen covering its body and slamming Gengar into the ground.

“Onix’s Ability must be Sturdy to not faint from a four times effective attack. Gengar probably won’t be much better after taking that Heavy Slam attack either. That Onix is almost double the size of an average Onix so its weight is probably close to double as well. That would mean that it weighs almost ten times what Gengar does, so Heavy Slam will do a large amount of damage.” Ash said to himself as he watched Onix pull itself back up and Gengar struggle to get off the ground.

“Ash, you should get to bed soon.” Delia Ketchum, Ash’s mother, advised her son, while standing in the doorway to his room. “It's late, Ash.” she continued. “Tomorrow is the day you start your Pokémon Trainer journey. You need your rest otherwise you might oversleep and get a late start.”

"I know, Mom, I'm just really excited for tomorrow. I'll go to bed as soon as this battle is over.” Ash replied as he turned towards the TV.

"Alright, I’m recording this match too. Just make sure you get up on time.” Delia instructed as she left her son’s room.

“Sure thing, Mom.” Ash replied as he watched Bruno’s Onix get taken down by another Energy Ball from Gengar.

-The Next Morning-

“Today is the day; I just need to get to the lab.” Ash said to himself as he finished tying his hiking shoes, hiking boots would be murder to walk long distances in but he’d be out in the wild for extended periods of time so tennis shoes wouldn’t be the best footwear option either, the hiking shoes he had were a best of both worlds option. He walked out of his room, down the stairs, and then entered the kitchen. His mother had just finished cooking him a large breakfast.

“Since this is the last meal I'm going to cook for you for a while, I made extra, I hope you’re hungry.” Delia said as she set the plate of food down on the table. Ash looked hungrily at the plate of food in front of him. It consisted of pancakes, bacon, rolled egg omelets, rice, and a bowl of miso soup there was also a small bowl of berries on the side.

“Thanks, Mom!” Ash said as he began to dig in. It tasted amazing as always, it really was great to have a mother that owned her own restaurant. He would definitely miss his mom's cooking while he was on his journey.

“Oh, my little man is going on his Pokémon Trainer journey. You’re growing up so fast!” Delia said as she pretended to wipe a tear from her eye as Ash finished his breakfast.

“Mom…come on…really?” Ash muttered embarrassed.

“Alright, alright, I’m just teasing you, silly. Professor Oak is waiting for you, so you should go ahead and get to the lab. You don't want to be late, do you?" Delia asked.

“Ok, I’m heading out, shouldn’t have any trouble getting there on time.” Ash stated as he headed out the front door and down the road towards Professor Oak’s lab.

“Make sure to stop by the house again before you leave!” Delia called after him.

"Sure thing!" Ash shouted back.

After a short walk, about ten minutes in all, Ash arrived at Professor Oak’s Pokémon Lab. He quickly walked up the steps and rang the bell beside the door. It was quickly opened by one of the Professor’s aides and Ash was led back into the lab to the room where Professor Oak gave out starter Pokémon to new trainers. Gary Oak, Ash’s friend/rival, and a girl named Leaf, who treated both Gary and him like her little brothers, were already there. Both of them were waiting for Ash along with someone Ash hadn’t seen before. The young man had brown hair and wore grey jeans with a white long sleeve shirt with a red Pokeball printed on the front. He seemed to be here to get a starter Pokémon as well.

Behind all of them stood Professor Samuel Oak with a table, on which three Pokeballs rested, between him and the now four teenagers. He was an older man in his early sixties. He wore a white lab coat over a red polo shirt securely tucked into khaki pants with a belt.

“Well, well, it seems all of you are here a little early," Professor Oak said, giving the four a smile. "I know all of you are excited. A new adventure awaits you all! The start of your very own journey with Pokémon is very important. Just remember, Pokémon are our friends and partners, treat them with love and care and they’ll respond in kind. Do you four understand?” All four nodded their heads causing the Professor to smile.

"Very well, in that case, please pick your first Pokémon." Professor Oak said as he gestured towards the three Pokeballs on the table.

“Ladies first applies here, I think.” Ash said with a smile and nod towards Leaf. Gary and the other boy both nodded in agreement at Ash’s offer making Leaf smile at all three.

“Thanks guys! I already know which one I want!” Leaf said as she walked towards the table and picked up the Pokeball with a small green leaf sticker on it.

“Bulbasaur, is it? They’re very easy to raise since most of them have a gentle disposition.” Oak said with a grin as Leaf let out her new Bulbasaur; the new trainer and Pokémon quickly getting along with Leaf holding Bulbasaur in her arms with a smile.

“Zane, why don't you go ahead and choose your Pokémon next?” Professor Oak suggested while motioning the new guy towards the table.

“Thank you, Professor.” Zane replied, giving Oak a smile. Zane walked up to the table and studied the remaining two Pokeballs. He seemed to be thinking for a moment before he reached out and took one of the balls.

“Charmander, I choose you!” Zane called out as he opened the Pokeball to reveal Charmander. The orange Fire Type Pokémon stood on two legs and had a flame burning at the end of its tail.

“Char! Char!” it cried as it walked over and sniffed at Zane's outstretched hand.

“Oh, it's adorable!” Leaf cooed, causing Zane, Ash, and Professor Oak to laugh. Gary just rolled his eyes with a grin.

“Well, you’re certainly a friendly little guy, aren't you?” Zane asked getting Charmander to nuzzle into his hand. He then picked up Charmander and held it out in front of him. “Would you like to come along with me, buddy?” he asked. Charmander nodded happily, it then blew out a small stream of embers into the air.

“Haha! Happy are you?” Zane chuckled as he stepped back from the table with his new Pokémon so that someone else could pick. Gary decided he would go next. He walked up to the table and looked at the remaining Pokeball. 

“Well, I guess that leaves this one for me,” Gary stated as he grabbed the Pokeball and opened it. “Come on out, Squirtle!” The Pokeball opened to reveal Squirtle. It was a small, light blue turtle Pokémon that stood on two legs and had a curly tail coming out of its shell. It appeared with its arms crossed and had a confident smirk on its face.

“Well, you look like a tough guy. Why don't you travel with me, Squirtle? We'll beat everyone in our path. Soon enough, everyone will know how strong we are!” Gary offered as he looked down at Squirtle.

"Squirtle!" the Water Type replied; then they both began to laugh. Everyone else in the room couldn’t help but chuckle it seemed these two were very much alike.

“I guess that means I’m up.” Ash said as he walked up to the table. It was then that he noticed that the Professor hadn’t put out any replacement Pokémon. There had only been three Pokeballs on the table, and four trainers had shown up. Everyone else in the room realized this as well as they looked towards the Professor.

“Uh, Professor Oak? You did have at least four Pokémon prepared for today, right? There is one more Pokémon for me, isn't there?” Ash asked confused. Zane, Leaf, and Gary looked at Professor Oak as they were wondering the same thing.

Professor Oak nodded in response. “There is one Pokémon I wanted to give today. It isn’t one of the traditional three Starters. But I had planned for either you or Gary to take it depending on who chose first.” Oak explained causing Gary and Ash to glance at each other; both knowing this could only mean their ability would be needed for this Pokémon.

“I’ll take care of it, if it’ll let me.” Ash replied with no hesitation. He didn’t mind what kind of Pokémon he got and if he could help it out with his abilities he’d happily do so.

“Alright then, I’ll have you come to the back. This Pokémon is skittish around people still and a large group would probably frighten it,” Professor Oak stated as he led Ash through a door at the back of the room. In the room was a small table with a single Pokeball sitting on it. The Pokeball had a small lightning bolt sticker on it. Professor Oak picked up the Pokeball and gave Ash a serious expression. “Ash, this Pokémon hasn’t been around humans much so it's very distrustful with people. I had to use Aura for it to even let me come near it. I’d like to see if you can bond with it and give it a place in your family,” Professor Oak said. “Will you try to do this for me?”

“I will Professor. You can count on me, this Pokémon and I will definitely be the best of friends!" Ash proclaimed with utmost conviction.

“Very good Ash, just let him out when you’re ready.” Professor Oak said as he handed Ash the Pokeball.

“You were going to give this Pokémon to either me or Gary because, aside from you, my mom and dad, and Daisy, we’re the only people in Pallet Town that know about and can use Aura, right?” Ash asked as he looked at the Pokeball in his hand. Whatever Pokémon was in this Pokeball would probably become a lifelong partner. 

“Correct. I suspect that this Pokémon wouldn’t be able to be handled by any regular beginning trainer.” Oak replied with a nod.

“Alright then, come on out!” Ash called out as he opened the Pokeball. In a flash of white energy a shape formed on top of the table. The Pokémon was yellow in color and looked a bit like a mouse. It had pointy ears that were tipped with black and one red circular mark on each of its cheeks. It also had a lightning bolt shaped tail. It was a Pikachu. The Pikachu looked around before spotting the two humans; it instantly moved back and sparked its cheeks at them in warning.

“As you can see Pikachu is very skittish around humans. I’m hoping you can help by using your Aura to bond with it.” Oak said as he took a few steps back from the table.

“I’ll try, Professor.” Ash replied as he smiled at the Pikachu on the table. Ash slowly raised his hand up so that Pikachu could see he meant no harm. “Hey there Pikachu, I’m Ash. If I remember right, you’re species greets each other with small sparks from your cheeks and tails. I’d like to greet you properly if you’d let me.”

“Chu?” Pikachu sounded confused as it tilted its head while looking at the human. Slowly a pale blue light manifested around Ash’s outstretched hand, Pikachu looked at the glow warily before it turned yellow and began letting off small sparks. “Pika?!” Pikachu exclaimed as it saw a human producing electricity like an Electric Type Pokémon.

“It’s ok, Pikachu, I can produce electricity with my Aura just like you.” Ash calmly explained as he slowly moved his hand closer to Pikachu; stopping when he was close enough for Pikachu to touch his hand if it wanted to. Pikachu looked at the sparking hand carefully before leaning forward and rubbing one of its own sparking cheeks against the human’s hand. The small sparks that briefly connected the two together were definitely effective at calming Pikachu down. Pikachu pulled back from the human’s hand only to turn slightly and bring its tail forward. With a small spark from the tip of its tail connecting to Ash’s hand Pikachu waited for Ash to send a return spark. Ash smiled as he gave Pikachu’s tail a spark back, the Electric Type making a happy sound before turning back towards Ash and climbing up his outstretched arm before settling on his shoulder.

“Pika!” Pikachu called out happily as Ash slowly stood up as Pikachu examined the rest of the room’s surroundings.

“Amazing! You earned his trust so easily, Ash. I’m impressed.” Oak smiled at the young man and his new Pikachu. 

“Naw, me and Pikachu just got to know each other a bit. We’re buddies now right, Pikachu?” Ash asked the Pokémon on his shoulder.

“Pikapi!” Pikachu responded with one of its paws raised up.

“Well, I guess we should be getting back to the others. You can show them your new friend.” Oak said with a grin as he led Ash back to the others.

“Aww, another cutie.” Leaf cooed again when she saw Ash return with a Pikachu on his shoulder. This caused Zane, Ash, and Professor Oak to laugh again at the girl’s reaction, Gary once again rolling his eyes with a grin.

“Ok Pikachu, would you like to get inside your Pokeball? I want to take you home and introduce you to my Mom.” Ash asked his new partner.

“Pika! Pikachu!” Pikachu shook its head and waved its arms back and forth. It didn’t like being in Pokeballs, they felt weird to Pikachu.

"Huh? You don't like Pokeballs, Pikachu?" Ash asked concerned for his Pokémon. Pikachu shook its head before crouching down in a tight ball and shaking back and forth slightly, letting Ash know that Pokeballs felt weird to it.

"Alright then, Pikachu, then you can just stay outside with me! How does that sound?" Ash asked giving Pikachu a smile.

“Pika!” Pikachu exclaimed happily nuzzling Ash’s cheek.

“Well, Ash, I will trust your judgement on this. Pikachu certainly seems happy about it,” Professor Oak said. He then turned towards a different table off to the side of the room. On it were four red, rectangular devices a bit bigger than a calculator with many different buttons and a three inch screen. “I would like to give you all your Pokedexes now.”

Professor Oak picked up the devices and handed one to each of the four new trainers. “These devices are your Pokedexes. They can be used to record and give you any information about the Pokémon you may encounter during your journey. If you see one you haven't come across yet, just open up the Pokedex to get information on it. I have spent many years studying Pokémon, but I'm getting up there in years and can't do field research like I used to. This is where your Pokedexes help me out; they’ll send me information on the Pokémon you scan with them and any Pokémon you catch as well. I wish you all luck on your journeys.” Oak finished with a smile which all four teenagers returned.

“Mom, I'm back!” Ash called as he and Pikachu entered the house.

“I'm in the kitchen, Ash! I'm just finishing the dishes!” Delia answered back. Ash walked into the kitchen with Pikachu on his shoulder. She was hanging up her white apron and putting away her yellow rubber gloves and had her back turned to him. “So which Pokémon did you choose?”

“I got a new electric buddy, Mom!” Ash stated proudly. “Meet Pikachu, he’s my first Pokémon.”

"You got a Pikachu?” Delia questioned in confusion before turning around to face Ash and Pikachu.

“Professor Oak decided to give me Pikachu. He told me that he hasn’t been around humans much and trusted me to be able to bond with it using my Aura.” Ash replied as Pikachu hopped off his shoulder and onto the kitchen table.

“Oh, I see, well it looks like you made a new friend,” Delia said as she walked towards the kitchen table and knelt down. “Hello, Pikachu, I’m Ash’s mother it’s nice to meet you.” she greeted giving Pikachu a kind smile. Pikachu tilted his head to the side and stared curiously at Delia. She had a very kind and caring wave around her, the same one Pikachu had felt from Ash. The light blue glow coming from the woman was the same as well. He finally gave a smile back at Delia. 

"Pikachu!" Pikachu replied, waving at Delia with one of its small arms.

"Aww, you’re a sweetie, aren't you?" Delia said happily as she reached out to rub Pikachu's head. Delia began to rub his head and Pikachu definitely seemed to be enjoying it!

"Chaaaaa." Pikachu cooed under Delia's touch the light blue glow of Aura not dimming from around the woman’s body.

"Hmm, you’re so cute." Delia chuckled softly as she finished and pulled back. She stood and turned to face her son.

"Alright, Ash, I've already got your pack set out on the couch. I just want to go over it and make sure you have everything packed.” Delia stated as she walked out of the kitchen into the living room, Ash and Pikachu following after her. Once Delia and Ash had gone over the contents of his pack she had one more thing to say. “Your father is going to see you off at the edge of town by Route One.”

“Really? Dad is going to be there?” Ash asked having not expected his father to be able to make it today to see him off.

“Of course, sweetie, didn’t you think he would be here to see his son start his own journey? You know he wouldn’t miss it.” Delia said with a giggle. Her husband had his moments of being a goof but was often serious and was a rather doting husband and father. His personality was one of the reasons she’d married the man after all.

“Cool! I’ll head out to meet him then!” Ash exclaimed in excitement. “Hear that Pikachu? You get to meet my dad too!”

“Pika!” Pikachu responded with cheer.

“Alright, sweetie, you go meet your father. I’m sure he’ll have something to give you to start your journey.” Delia said as she pulled Ash in for a hug. Ash hugged his mother back before pulling away and heading out the door with his pack on his back. 

“I’ll call you when I get to Viridian City, mom! I’ll show you any Pokémon I catch then!” Ash called as he waved back at his mother while walking down the road towards Route One.

“I’ll be waiting, sweetie!” Delia called back as she watched her son disappear over the hill at the end of the road. She was so proud of her little Guardian.

Ash continued his trek towards Route One, keeping an eye out for his father. He knew that his father often spent long periods of time in the wilderness to train with his Pokémon so there was no guarantee that he’d used the Route One path to get back to Pallet Town. Knowing his father the man might have walked right through the forest along the Silver Mountain Range that separated Kanto and Johto. 

“Well now, I believe I’ve spotted a brand new Pokémon Trainer!” called a voice from off to the side of the path. Ash turned to look at the one who spoke with a grin on his face. Sitting on a large rock on the side of the path was a large black-haired man, his long hair tied back into a wild ponytail with a red band. He was wearing a white martial arts gi with black studded wristbands and a black belt around his waist. This was Bruno Siba of the Elite Four.

“Hey Dad!” Ash called out happily at seeing his father in person for the first time in almost five months.

“Hey kiddo! How’s my favorite son doing today?” Bruno asked with a laugh. Ash stopped running to stand before his father with a bright smile on his face.

“Dad, I’m your only son. At least you should hope so, imagine what mom would say otherwise!” Ash chuckled while Bruno’s face paled slightly, his wife could be VERY scary when she wanted to be.

“Regardless my point remains that you’re my favorite!” Bruno laughed as he pulled his son in for a one-armed hug. Ash happily returned the one-armed hug before separating.

“So you came to see me off?” Ash asked with a bright smile as Pikachu looked at Bruno from Ash’s shoulder.

“Of course, I wouldn’t miss your first day as a trainer for anything.” Bruno replied with a grin. “Plus I wanted to give you something to start your journey with!” he finished as he pulled a Pokeball out of the rucksack that had been left next to the rock he’d been sitting on. “Go on, let him out. You’ll definitely be surprised.”

“Alright! Come one out!” Ash called as he opened the Pokeball. In a flash of white light a form emerged and took the shape of a bipedal blue and black Pokémon with jackal like features.

“Rio!” called out the Pokémon with a smile.

“No way! A Riolu! You’re really giving me a Riolu?!” Ash questioned completely ecstatic at seeing the small Fighting Type Pokémon. Bruno laughed happily seeing his son’s reaction to his gift.

“Of course, kiddo! My two Lucario had an egg and they were more than happy to let you be their son’s trainer after he was old enough.” Bruno replied seeing Riolu raise a paw and sense his son’s Aura. Ash noticed what Riolu was doing and raised his own hand causing a light blue glow to envelop it. Trainer and Pokémon both began to sense one another’s Aura. Riolu sensed a large amount of Aura from his new trainer and at least a small affinity for all eighteen Types. Riolu realized that his new trainer was an Aura Guardian and couldn’t be happier. Ash sensed a good amount of Aura from Riolu, far higher than the average for most young Pokémon, and noticed that while most of Riolu’s Aura was aligned with the Fighting Type it also had a decent alignment with Steel Type and Fire Type, which was surprising and led Ash to ask his father a question.

“Does Riolu already know Blaze Kick?” Ash asked as he lowered his hand and looked towards his father.

“Yep! I figured you’d be able to sense it. Riolu inherited that move from his father, it’s an Egg Move. I also had his mother teach him how to use the move Bulk Up before I brought him to you. He’ll definitely help you out during your journey. Plus you can help each other with Aura training; after all Pokémon will always be the true masters when it comes to Aura. Learning from them is a good practice for an Aura user.” Bruno replied with a grin before offering a suggestion. “Why don’t you scan both Pikachu and Riolu with your new Pokedex? You’ll be able to find out all of their moves that way.”

“Oh right, I almost forgot about that. Let’s see…” Ash said as he took out his Pokedex and pointed it towards Pikachu, who had hopped down from Ash’s shoulder to meet Riolu.

“Pikachu, the Mouse Pokémon, It has small electric sacs on both its cheeks, if threatened, it lets loose electric charges from the sacs. When several of these Pokémon gather, their electricity can build and cause lightning storms. This Pikachu is Male, Type Electric; known moves are Thundershock, Tail Whip, Growl and Volt Tackle.” The Pokedex listed off in a robotic voice.

“That’s cool! Pikachu you have an Egg Move!” Ash called out excitedly to his Starter.

“Pika!” Pikachu replied pumping a paw in the air.

“Can you use Volt Tackle, buddy?” Ash questioned only to see Pikachu shake its head in the negative.

“Hmm, I wonder why you can’t?” Ash mused as he watched Riolu pat Pikachu on the back.

“I’m not an expert on Electric Types but my guess is that Pikachu’s voltage and amperage aren’t high enough yet to form the move.” Bruno said as he leaned down to pat Pikachu’s head.

“That makes sense; Electric Types do need to build up their electric capacity over time before they can learn more powerful moves.” Ash mused before turning back to Pikachu. “Don’t worry, buddy, we’ll get you strong enough to use that move one day without a doubt!”

“PiPika!” Pikachu nodded happily.

“Alright, now it’s Riolu’s turn.” Ash stated as he turned his Pokedex towards the Fighting Type.

“Riolu, the Emanation Pokémon, It can discern the physical and emotional states of people, Pokémon, and other natural things from the shape of their aura waves. It knows how people and Pokémon feel by looking at their auras. It doesn’t approach dangerous opponents. This Riolu is Male, Type Fighting; known moves are Foresight, Quick Attack, Blaze Kick and Bulk Up.” The Pokedex listed off in a robotic voice again.

“That’s nice Riolu, with some battle experience and learning a good Fighting Type move you’ll definitely be a terror at the Pewter City Gym.” Ash remarked as Riolu let out a happy bark.

“Alright kiddo, before I send you off and head home to see your mother, I think it’s time for another challenge.” Bruno said with a grin causing Ash to sigh. His father always gave him either a physical or mental challenge when he was home. Bruno called it training his mind and body; Ash called it his dad being way to into training. Though he knew that his father often did the same types of tests with anyone that wanted to train under him as a student or apprentice; most applicants were turned away for giving up on the physical challenges or not being mentally sharp enough to answer Bruno’s questions. 

“Sure dad, mental or physical this time?” Ash asked while Pikachu and Riolu looked on curiously.

“A mental challenge this time, wouldn’t want to exhaust you before you even started your journey!” Bruno laughed before asking his son the first question. “What is Aura?”

“Aura is the life force present in all living things. It is strongly linked to a beings emotions as well as its mental and physical health.” Ash replied; he’d been having these lessons with Gary since they were five.

“Good. Next question, what is the difference between human Aura users and Pokémon?” Bruno questioned.

“While Pokémon can use the majority of the eighteen Types and can focus on both Physical attacks and Special attacks; humans are limited in that they are either aligned with Physical Aura or Special Aura. This is known as the Physical/Special Split to Aura users.” Ash answered.

“What is the only known exception to the Physical/Special Split among Aura users?” Bruno continued his questioning.

“Those known as Aura Guardians, members of certain families that have an affinity to all eighteen Types; both Physical and Special.” Ash stated.

“Name four Aura Guardian families and where they reside.” Bruno asked with a grin proud of his son for remembering his lessons so well.

“The Shirona Family, they currently reside in Celestic Town in the Sinnoh Region. Their most notable member being Cynthia Shirona; the current Sinnoh League Champion. There is also the Gen Family; most of them reside in various villages and towns throughout the Sinnoh Region. The most notable being the Aura Guardian Riley, who achieved Full Guardian status at nineteen years of age. Then you have the Draconids of the Hoenn Region. They mostly keep to themselves and often focus on the Dragon Type while mixing other Types in as they age. They’re known to revere the Sky Guardian Rayquaza as their patron Legendary Pokémon.” Ash stopped for a moment to draw in a couple of breaths.

“You’ve got one more.” Bruno smiled.

“The Ketchum Family, all currently in Pallet Town in Kanto, since it’s just me and mom left. Last well known member was my great-grandfather who won the Indigo League and held the title of Champion for sixteen years before being defeated and retiring.” Ash finished with a sigh. He was always saddened that his family had become so small; the other families had a few dozen members each. Both his father and mother had told him he could grow the family as much or as little as he wanted when he was old enough without pressure from them. Though the fact that Delia and Bruno were trying for another child was no secret to anyone who knew the Ketchum Family.

“Correct kiddo; though don’t feel so down about our family. I’ve got the next six months off from work, barring any major emergency, so me and your mother might be able to get you a sibling soon!” Bruno finished with a laugh when he saw Ash’s face turn shocked and a bit creeped out.

“Dad! I don’t want to hear that! Ugh! I don’t want that image in my head!” Ash complained while Bruno continued to chuckle at him.

“Alright, alright, I won’t go into your mother and I’s plans for my time off. But what are your plans until you get to Viridian City?” Bruno questioned his son.

“Probably stay on the path for a while just to get some distance; mom gave me enough prepared food to make a single meal a day for about five days. I could use that up and make two meals a day out of it if I make really good time through Route One.” Ash started to explain.

“Yeah, it took me a week to get from Pallet to Viridian when I first started out. The Route was still full of cliffs and boulders back when I started.” Bruno commented on his own experience with the path between the two locations.

“After I get some distance I’ll probably head into the forest and find the river. Maybe I’ll see a Water Type Pokémon I can catch, though it would be easier if I had a rod. I’m pretty sure it is mostly Magikarp and maybe a couple Poliwag in that river though.” Ash mused.

“There are definitely Poliwag in that river. My Poliwrath evolved from the Poliwag I caught there. Though the rest are mostly Magikarp; any that evolve into Gyarados don’t stay around for very long, there just isn’t enough food for them to survive.” Bruno nodded as he looked towards some of the plants around them and off to the side of the path.

“After that I’ll probably get back on the path and make my way towards Viridian City. Stock up there on supplies and then head towards Viridian Forest and Pewter City.” Ash finished with a nod at his plans.

“I see, that’s not a bad plan kiddo. But let me help you out with your fishing dilemma.” Bruno said with a grin as he walked off the path and towards the tree line. Bruno looked through some of the trees before finding what he was looking for, a stalk of bamboo that was a good thickness. With almost no effort Bruno snapped the stalk off near the base and started removing the leaves from the almost six foot stalk. Bruno reached into his rucksack and pulled out woven cordage before winding it around the thin end of the stalk and tightly securing it. He then took all of the remaining cordage that was hanging off the end and gently wound it around the length of the pole before tying it loosely so that it could be untied when Ash wanted to use it.

“Here you go, kiddo, and Old Style Rod. You probably won’t catch too many Water Types with this before it snaps but you should be able to snag a Magikarp or a Poliwag with it.” Bruno smiled as Ash took the makeshift rod from his dad and strapped it to the side of his pack.

“Thanks dad, I really appreciate it. This’ll definitely come in handy for a while.” Ash thanked his father before giving him a hug. Bruno smiled at his son before ruffling his cap covered head.

“Alright kiddo, you better get started, don’t want to burn too much daylight on your first day as a trainer.” Bruno advised as he picked up his rucksack and headed towards Pallet Town. “I can’t wait to have some of your mom’s cooking again! I wonder what she’s making for lunch?” he queried while waving to his son as the two went their separate ways.

“Alright guys, we best get started. Riolu, return!” Ash said as he called Riolu back into his Pokeball and Pikachu jumped up onto his shoulder. “We’re heading out to be the best Pokémon Master and best Pokémon team ever! Right Pikachu?!”

“Pikachu!” Pikachu cried out as Ash started walking down Route One his journey finally beginning.

-End Chapter-

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So I hope you’ve all enjoyed the first chapter. Let me know what you thought with a review. How did you like what I did with Ash and his family? Are you interested in how I’m making Aura work? Let me know!

Until next time, later!