FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Aight, so comments, favs, votes, all much appreciated ^.^

So I'm going to stop talking, and let you get to reading.....

(Author's Note)

=Character thought=

"Human Speech"

'Telepathy between characters'

-Writing, or on Screen Text-

{Pokemon Speech}

example: "Ni nine tai tales ninetales ine?" is what a human would hear.

{What do you mean you can't understand me?} is what other Pokemon, and certain humans would hear.

|| * * * | | | * * * || = End Chapter

* * * = Scene Change

// // = Major Scene/Time Change

Chapter 13:

The smoke from the fires of the burning house filled the cold forest air with its acrid stench. A Lucario was stretched out in the snow, her body covered in burns and cuts. Her wounds tinting the snow around her crimson with her own blood, dark against the shadows being cast by the blaze.

With all her strength, Aura lifted her head, snow sticking to the black fur on her face. A rough paw grabbed the back of her neck though, slamming her back into the snow. Breathing the harsh, crystalline snow, Aura dared not let the tear in her eye escape. She felt a pressure lower down on her, and she did her best to buck her back to kick it off.

The paw slammed her into the snow again, and the smell of her own blood, coppery and bitter, filled her nose. Feeling the pressure bear down on her neck as he leaned in, she snarled. An evil chuckle left the thing that was on top of her, and he spoke for the first time, {I said you'd be mine,} the male Lucario whispered in her ear, {and now you can be.}

Jerking her head back, she tried to catch him in the face. Rain simply dodged to the side, chuckling again. {Still have an attitude I see. Well,} he slammed Aura back into the ground, gripping her by the back of her neck, {I know how we can fix that.} Aura's eyes went wide as he said that, struggling harder against his grip.

* * *

(7 Hours Earlier)

"Aura," someone said, shaking her lightly.

"Aura, hey" she got shaken again, harder this time.

"Oi! Aura!" She heard someone calling her, shaking her hard enough that she felt the truck shake. Mumbling slightly to herself, she turned over in the seat, away from whoever it was that was trying to wake her. She heard him sigh, and felt the truck shake as he audibly scratched his head.

The Lucario grumbled again, lifting her head up slightly. "What?" She asked, head feeling as heavy as a sack of bricks.

A small sigh left the Irishman, followed by a chuckle. "We're here," that made Aura sit up straight, "knew that'd get ya up." The Irishman turned the key off, killing the engine, and grabbed ahold of the door handle. "C'mon, let's get a move on." With that, he threw open his door, the cold outside air rushing into the truck.

Aura shivered at the sudden shock of cold air, exhaling sharply. Leaning over, she grabbed ahold of the handle of her own door, pulling it to open the door. Stepping out, Aura reached to the sky as she arched her back, feeling a satisfying crack as her spine popped back into alignment.

Letting her arms fall back down, Aura took a moment to marvel at the clearing around her. A large log cabin stood tall, its stained wood exterior somehow blending into the surrounding woods. Hearing a crunch, Aura took a quick glance down, and saw the gravel that made up the driveway showing through the snow.

Looking up again, she saw that the Irishman, Spike, and Tina were already walking towards the cabin. Exhaling, she lightly jogged to catch up to them, leaving light paw prints in the snow. Reaching the house, the Irishman paused for a moment, holding the door open for Aura.

With a grateful nod, she stepped into the warm house, taking a moment to look at the large, open interior. There was a wooden staircase directly in front of the door the Lucario had just walked in, leading up to a second level. A short hallway lead down past the stairway, a doorframe led to the rooms to the left, and the right opened into a large living area.

The Irishman walked past Aura, moving to the left, a duffle bag draped over his shoulder. Deciding to follow him, Aura walked through the doorframe as well. She paused for a moment when she saw the Irishman toss his bag onto the wooden counter, holding his arms out as he walked to give a brief, strong hug to someone. Aura unconsciously took a step back, eyeing the man the Irishman was hugging.

The other person gave the Irishman a few good pats on the back, before turning his attention to Aura. "Hello, hello!" he said, looking back at the Irishman, "and who is this beauty of a Lucario?"

"This," the Irishman said, an arm draped over the other man's shoulder, "is Aura." Turning to the Lucario, walking the man over to her, "Aura, this is Carter."

Bowing slightly, Aura's arms were by her sides, "Hello, a pleasure to meet you."

"Well now!" Carter said, laughing, "Last time you brought someone here, they were damned rude." Chuckling richly, "Glad to see your taste in company has gone up."

Laughing, the Irishman clapped Carter on the back. "That was years ago. Still not gonna let me live that down, are ya?"

Chuckling again, Carter turned back to towards the kitchen. "Why would I let you live that down? It's way to much fun," he said over his shoulder, a light bounce in his step.

Aura glance at the Irishman, who simply shrugged his shoulders in response. Sighing, she walked into the kitchen, noticing a faint smell in the air. Tilting her muzzle into the air, she took a deep breath, sighing as the smell flooded her nose. Exhaling, she smiled as she asked "What is that wonderful smell?"

Carter laughed, standing in front of a stove as he held a lid in his hand. "That, my dear lady, is my famous gravy-sauce for my even more famous turkey." He stirred the gravy with a wooden spoon, releasing a wave of steam and more of that wonderful aroma into the air. Taking the spoon out of the gravy, he tapped it on the side of the pan a few times before setting it on a towel that was waiting. "Not quite ready. Oh!" he said suddenly, spinning around, "turkey!"

Carter ran out towards the kitchen door, opening it as he ran out. Aura, almost being driven crazy with curiosity, walked up to the large window, watching as Carter, in his forest-camo clothing, ran out to a large smoker in the back. Tilting her head, she saw him open the door of the smoker, her eyes going wide when a large ball of smoke flew out, making Carter lean back for a moment. Waving his hand, he leaned in closer, checking something inside the hellish looking contraption.

Quickly hopping off the counter when Carter turned around, making his way back to the house, Aura paused when she saw the Irishman standing right behind her. "He's a bit eccentric, but he means well." Aura nodded, looking over as Carter opened the door, stamping the snow off his feet as he came in.

"Damn it's cold!" He said, rubbing his hands together. "On a more pleasant note, dinner should be ready in a three or so hours." Looking around, he slipped his shoes off, "So what do you say we get you guys set up? I have a couple of guest rooms that you might like."

The Irishman chuckled, grabbing his duffle-bag again. "You always treat me like a king. I'll have to find a way to repay ya one of these days."

"Eh," Carter said, waving a hand, "it's the least I can do for you. Especially after you brought Kasha here."

"Hm," the Irishman said, setting a glass of ice water he'd gotten down, "where is the little dancer?"

Carter laughed a little, "Not so little anymore! That's for sure!" Walking towards the stairs, "C'mon up and we'll find you a room." With that, he started up the stairs.

Sighing a little, Aura followed the Irishman up the stairs, looking at the pictures on the walls. Most of them were landscape shots, beautiful sunsets, sprawling valleys, early-morning-fog-covered forests, all amazing. They were so good, that Aura paused, reaching out a paw to touch one. That's when she gasped, feeling the minute ridges that told her they were paintings.

Carter looked back when he didn't hear the soft creak of wood, and smiled broadly when he saw Aura admiring the pictures. "Kasha painted most of these. She's been trying to teach me, but I can't seem to quite do what her magic fingers can."

Aura was in shock at how amazing the paintings were, "I thought they were photos at first!"

Carter gave a wry laugh, gesturing up the stairs with his head, "That's what I thought until I found her painting one day. I'll say this, never have I met a person as talented as she is." Stepping up the stairs, Aura saw that the hallway also looked over the living room.

Pausing again, Aura gapped at the sight before her. The tilted glass roof gave a perfect view of the sky, as well as much of the terrain. The beauty of the sun over the valley made her stop, and marvel. Stepping right up to the bannister, Aura had a perfect view of the valley, and she closed her eyes, taking in the warmth of the sun, letting her awareness spread.

Carter and the Irishman both watched Aura as she stood in the light of the early-afternoon sun, muzzle turned up to the sky. Leaning close to the Irishman, "So what's her story?" he asked in a hushed tone.

The Irishman sighed, also whispering, "Contract gone bad."

That made Carter look at the Irishman, apprehension on his face, "How bad?"

"Bad enough that I had to come here." The Irishman said in a sad tone.

Sighing deeply, Carter ran a hand along the back of his head, shaking it slightly as well. "Any chance that you were followed?"

The Irishman shook his head negative, but said "I don't think so, but I'd not rule it out."

Sighing again, Carter waved a hand, beckoning the Irishman to follow him. "I thought a day like this might come, so I have some safety precautions in place." Curious, the Irishman followed him. Walking up to a door near the end of the hall, Carter opened it up, revealing another stairway. Stepping up, he told the Irishman "Shut the door behind you, if you would."

Doing what he was told, he followed Carter up the stairs, boots clacking slightly against the wooden steps. Reaching the top of the stairs, the Irishman paused as he looked over this third level. "You weren't kidding," was all he was able to say.

On the wall directly opposite the stairs was a rack of weapons, all mounted with care. Several scoped weapons, assault rifle's, pistols, and small caliber automatics graced the wall, and as the Irishman stepped further into the room, gazing around as he did so, he saw even more equipment scattered around. Along the walls directly next to the stairway were boxes upon box of ammunition; a large table that the boxes were being stored under was covered in clips of ammunition for the weapons mounted on the wall.

"Kasha keeps telling me to cut down on my inventory, saying that I don't need such a large arsenal to protect us," Carter said, walking over to a part of the window that stretched the length of the room. "I keep meaning to as well. I just can't seem to part with my past for some reason." Sighing, he leaned an arm against the top of the narrow window, gazing out over the driveway leading up to his house.

The Irishman picked up a clip, looking at it for a few seconds before setting it back on the table. "Our pasts will always haunt us. You're lucky that you have the chance to truly start anew."

Sighing again, Carter's eyes flicked over the field again. "You're right. I should be focusing on what's to come, not what's passed." Turning around, he walked over to the weapon wall, looking at it, "The past dies hard though." Reaching forward, he ran his hand over the MP5 that hung on the wall. "You know that feeling I used to get?"

That made the Irishman look over in concern. "Which one?"

Taking ahold of the submachine-gun, Carter took it off the wall, heading towards the table that had all the clips on it. Picking up the proper clip, he slapped it into place, then threw the butt into his shoulder. "That feeling I got before the Berlin mission, the one that went to hell." Swallowing hard, he brought a hand up, charging the MP5, letting the slide click forward, chambering a round. "I've been getting it ever since you called yesterday."

That made the Irishman sigh, and then laugh, loudly. Clapping a hand on Carter's shoulder, "You worry to much! It's all bullocks anyhow!" Still chuckling slightly, Carter allowed a smile to grace his face again, "Now see! That's good! Smile, old friend! All we can do in the event is prepare anyways!" Clapping him on the shoulder again, he took the gun away from Carter, ejecting the clip and popping out the round in one fluid motion.

Sighing again, Carter walked over to another table, and opened up a laptop. "You're right, as usual." Smiling, he clacked away at the keyboard for a moment, and the Irishman watched over Carter's shoulder. "And we will have plenty of time to prepare, because of," he stepped to the side to allow the Irishman to see, "an early-warning system I have set up." The Irishman's eyebrows shot up as he saw it, and Carter started to explain it. "Motion sensors along these area's here," he pointed on the screen, "here, and here" he moved his hand, showing where he was talking about. "Best part about these areas is that these are the only avenues of attack, except from the air."

The Irishman was surprised, but highly pleased at how secure Carter's home was. "How do you now if there is a hit though?"

"Simple," Carter said, pointing to a cord hooked up to the laptop. "This feed is always active, and a small bell sounds when something activates the sensors." Shrugging his shoulders, "Sure, I've had a few false alarms. But I'd rather have a thousand false alarms than ignore the one that's true."

Nodding, the Irishman was now almost fully convinced of the security of this place. Smiling, he started to walk back down the stairs, "Let's just hope you'll never have to use this room."

"Amen to that, brother. Amen to that." Carter said, closing the laptop, moving to follow the Irishman. "Oh!" he suddenly shouted, pushing past the Irishman on the way down the stairs, "damned gravy! Forgot all about it!" He threw open the door, nearly knocking Aura over, "Sorry 'bout that! Gotta get back to cooking!" He shouted over his shoulder at the stumbling Lucario. "Kasha 'ill set you up!" With that last holler, he jumped back down the stairs, heading into the kitchen.

"What on earth is all this racket about!" A female voice shouted out of a room across the hall. Aura and the Irishman both looked over as the door opened, the Lucario regaining her balance. Standing in the doorway was a Gardevoir, her snow-white dress having a few patches of paint on it. "Oh!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands quietly and doing a small bounce, "You must be the guests Carter was talking about."

Suddenly stopping, she focused on the Irishman, eyes narrowing for a moment. "Ira? Is that you?" Laughing, the Irishman nodded, and the Gardevoir squealed with joy, jumping and throwing her arms around his neck. "Ira! It's been way to long!"

Grunting from the initial show of affection, the Irishman laughed again, returning the hug. "That is has, Kasha. That it has."

Suddenly releasing the Irishman, the Gardevoir turned to Aura, looking her up and down. Aura gave a small bow, saying "A pleasure to meet you."

Kasha smiled broadly, giggling faintly. Doing a small curtsy, "Good to meet you as well. Now then," she abruptly said, lifting her hand, making the Irishman's bag float, "I'll show you to your rooms." Smiling, "They're just over here."

Aura glanced at the Irishman questioningly, and he simply grinned, shrugging in response. Sighing, Aura followed Kasha and the Irishman down the hall, wondering what their rooms would be like.

// //

"Goddamnit! That hurts, damnit!" A male Lucario shouted as a Middle Eastern man tended to his wounds. Saying nothing, the Middle-Easterner held out a hand, and the Kirlia next to him floated another salve into his hands, which he promptly smeared onto another open cut. The stinging burn made the Lucario arch away from the man, shouting "SHIT!!"

A Weavile, who was sitting at the table, brought a hand to her forehead, rubbing her temple. {My god Rain! Take it like a male!} She suddenly shouted, infuriated at the Lucario's incessant shouting and cursing.

Snapping his head towards her, he went to say something when the man attending him shoved a berry into his mouth. Glaring at the man, mouth full of berry, he grumbled as he chewed it. Watching this, the Kirlia let out a small giggle, using the back of her hand to cover her mouth as her shoulders shook with mirth.

Right at that moment, the door to the RV opened, making everyone turn their heads, save the Middle-Eastern man, who was finishing wrapping up Rain's chest. Several men stepped into the RV, taking places around, yet leaving space enough to move about. One of them, dressed in digital-camo pants and with a military hair-cut said "Abdul, how's Rain?"

Standing up, wiping his hands on his pants, the Middle-Eastern man turned to the one that'd spoken. "He's patched up, and should be ata full battle-readiness in an houa or two," he said in a French accent. Turning to Rain, pointing a finger at him, "I used all my full-restores. You need ta be more careful, else you be paying for dem next time! Dey freaking expensive!"

Rain scoffed, waving a dismissive paw as he reclined back in the bunk, a slight wince coming over his face. Abdul threw his hands up in defeat, walking over to the sink; as he got ready to wash his hands, Kirlia hopped up next to him, turning the handle for the water on for him.

"Alright, alright," another man said, pulling out a pack of cigarets. Tapping the carton on the back of his hand, he slipped one out partway, then brought the box to his mouth, gripping the partially exposed cigaret with his teeth. Tugging it out, he then brought a lighter out, flicked it on, and lit his cigaret. Puffing a few times, he slipped the box back into his pocket, and looked around at the gathered humans and Pokemon. "Everyone here? No, Kris ain't here. Where's..?"

Right as he said that, a young man, not even looking like he was in his twenties yet, came in. Stamping his feet, getting the snow off his black boots, he looked around. "Damn, I didn't miss the brief, did I?" Right as he said that, an Umbreon walked in, head held low to the ground, yet trying to stay as far away from the man as possible.

Another man spook up, looking up from his laptop for a moment. "Still getting the connection set up. Gonna take a few more minutes 'till I get a secure signal going."

Taking another deep puff of his cigaret, the man who seemed to be the leader of this group nodded. "Alright Jackson. Get it set up, and I'll start the preliminary briefing."

The man working on the connection nodded. "You got it Craddok." With that, he turned his attention back to his computer, clacking away at the keyboard.

Craddok then turned his attention to the rest of the people in the RV, looking them over. There was Abdul, who'd finished washing the salve off his hands, leaning against the counter, arms crossed and Kirlia sitting on his shoulder. Slowly moving his gaze, he saw a rough looking man dressed in black leather clothing standing by the window, half-smoked cigaret in his hand as he waited. =Smith, why does he always dress in that outfit? Oh yeah, they 'help block knives.'= Continuing to shift his gaze, he saw a Weavile, Violet, the Scyther, and the Grovyle, Liam, all sitting at the table their full attention on him. Giving them an acknowledging nod, he continued to scan to the right, until he came to the bunks; laying in one of the bunks was Rain; a Mightyena and Houndoom both were laying on the ground leading into the bedroom, heads resting on their paws as their ears twitched slightly.

Exhaling slowly, blowing the smoke from his cigaret out, Craddok nodded to himself. =Good group we have. Six proven men, and four, maybe five battle-ready Pokemon.= Sighing deeply, taking another puff, he waited a few more moments before starting. "Well, we should all know why we're here." Reaching behind him, picking up a folder form the counter, "The Irishman botched a contract." Turning to Abdul, he told him "pass this 'round."

Nodding, Abdul took the folder, reading it over briefly before passing it onto the next man. Craddok continued to speak as the folder started to make its rounds, "Had orders to kill some guy, which he did, that's not in doubt. What he didn't do was bring in the Lucario that the guy had with him." Most of the men nodded, a couple of the Pokemon as well, "Instead, he killed Jim and Jordan, and spirited the Lucario away before we could reacquire her."

Craddok took his spent cigaret, dropping it into an ash tray, then started to move back-and-forth slightly. "I shouldn't have to tell you how valuable Lucario are in certain circles. What I will say is that most of us can retire happy souls if we complete this contract."

Suddenly Jackson spoke up, "Got Greyson on the line, secure connection."

Turning on his heel, Craddok nodded. "Good. Video or audio only?"

Jackson clacked on the keyboard quickly. "Video feed," he said, looking back up.

"Alright then, put him up." As he said that, Jackson clicked a cord into his computer, while those by the windows drew them closed, blocking the early-afternoon sun out. Turning towards one of the walls, he stood at attention, hands behind his back as he stood straight. A picture of a man came on, and Craddok gave a small salute, "Greyson, good to see you."

"You can dispense with the pleasantries," the dark-haired man said, leaning back in his chair, "I'm here for business only. If this were pleasure, it'd be in person." Resting his elbows, one on the desk and one on his knee, he pressed the tips of his fingers together. "Jackson, put up the topography map and overlay the GPS imagery." The video feed of Greyson became narrower, now only taking up half the screen, while a map took up the other half.

A single marker was blinking intermittently, right in the middle of the woods.

"What you're seeing is a small tag that," he held out a hand towards the screen, "Rain was able to plant. So despite your failure, you were able to salvage something from the mess." The Lucario growled quietly to himself, still resting in the bunk. "The battery on the tracker died thirty minutes ago, but judging from the last known location, and how little it moved, I have reason to believe that this is where the Irishman will hole up for the night." Suddenly the topography map was overlaid the GPS location.

Several lines were drawn, and three letters were lain out around the house that showed up. "I have taken the liberty of briefing 'A' and 'C' teams, although," Greyson gave a pleased smile that sent chills up Liam and Violet's spines, "they won't have the rest of the plan like you will."

One of the men held up a hand, "Permission to speak?"

Greyson nodded, "What is it Hobbs?"

Shifting his weight slightly, the man stood up from leaning on the wall. "We pulling another Pike?"

Greyson chuckled, nodding again. "Yes we are," chuckling deeply again, "oh yes we are." That made most of the men chuckle, along with a couple of the Pokemon.

While they were laughing at the joke, Liam turned to Violet, asking {What's a 'Pike'?}

The Weavile sighed, running a hand along the frill on the top of her head. {Ever seen the "A-Team"? The newer one, the movie.} Liam shook his head negative, but only slightly. Violet sighed, quietly answering his question. {One of the early scenes of the movie, a CIA agent by the name of Pike gets hired to get some engraving plates, used to make US currency or something. The main 'good-guys' get the plates instead.But when they get back to the base, Pike blows up their cars, steals the plates, and kills his entire team.} Gesturing towards Greyson, {Teams 'A' and 'C' are Pike's team, and we're Pike himself.}

Liam recoiled in shock, horror written on his face. Violet nodded grimly, {I agree. Messy business, and highly unfortunate.} Leaning back slightly, turning her attention back to Greyson, {The name of the proverbial game though.} The Grovyle just stared at Violet for a moment, blinking his eyes in shock as he processed what was going to happen. The sound of Greyson talking drew his attention back to said man though, and Liam flicked his ears so he could hear better.

"What we have, are three avenues of advance," as Greyson said that, the map suddenly became a three-dimensional map on the screen, zooming in on a sharp ravine. "This is the easiest, and most obvious route. Because of this, 'C' team will be advancing here, hopefully distracting the Irishman enough that when 'A' team moves in here," the map shifted, going dizzyingly blurry for a moment, towards a hill, "they might have a small hope of getting close. I am expecting both of these, quite obvious, avenues to be watched or protected in some way; this is why 'A' team is also moving along the third, and final avenue as well.

The map zoomed to another area again, this time a small road. "This is the last avenue, along which, if-and-when the initial attacks fail, you will be moving." The map faded into the corner of the screen when Greyson hit something on the keyboard in front of him, and he looked back up at the group. "Craddok, Smith, I expect you know what to do after the mission is completed?"

Smith, the man in a leather jerkin gave a slight chuckle. "Pull a Pike on the remainder of 'A' and 'C' teams." Taking the cigaret he was smoking out of his mouth for a moment, "Don't worry, it'll be done." He gave an evil chuckle, taking another drag of his cigaret.

Greyson nodded, "Good, then. I shall leave details to you, Craddok, as usual." With that, most everyone stood up, getting ready to leave when Greyson suddenly spoke again. "And Rain, this goes for the rest of you as well," he said in a dangerous tone, "do not touch that Lucario except to capture her. She's more valuable untouched. Do you hear me, Rain?"

Standing up from the bunk, the Lucario waved casually, "Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say, boss." He said, mockery in his voice.

Greyson growled quietly, jerking a finger up, "Do not test me. You are very close to being more trouble than you're worth, and as soon as you cross that very fine line, you shall be disposed of!" With that, Greyson slammed a hand down on his keyboard, the picture being replaced with a -connection lost- message.

// //

Reclining on a bench in the middle of one of the city's 'Battle-Arenas,' a man in a light-brown overcoat watched the battle being broadcasted with a half-hearted interest. Sighing deeply, he slipped on his dark sunglasses, leaning his head against the white-tile wall. His one hand rested lightly on a bag that had a clean-cut strap, a finger idly tapping once in a while as he watched people passing by from under the sunglasses.

A series of excited shouts made him half-sit up, jerking his head in the direction of a crowd that'd gathered around one of the larger monitors. Looking at the screen, he could see the battle that was raging on the screen.

A large Salamence was flying around the arena, roaring its battle cry to the Charizard that lay in a giant crater in the middle of the floor of the arena. Before the dust had even settled, the Charizard was already on his feet, rubbing the top of his head for a moment. When the Salamence saw his foe standing, he roared, diving straight at the Charizard, wings folded tight against his body, the air nigh-visible as it roared past his body. Looking up, the Charizard growled deep in his throat, flames licking the side of his maw.

The corner image on the monitor, which showed his trainer, a guy in his early-thirties and wearing a fedora at such an angle that his left eye was covered. He could be seen pointing, shouting something to the fire type. Nodding briefly, the Charizard opened its maw, an unrelenting torrent of fire shooting up to meet the onrushing dragon.

The flames engulfed the Salamence, the sheer force of the attack making both the trainers cover their faces to protect against the heat. Suddenly flaring his wings, pumping them hard, the Charizard leapt back; and not a moment to soon, as the other dragon plowed into the ground, covering the whole of the arena in dust again.

The cameras flickered for a moment, static flashing across the screen as the shock wave from the attack hit. Image was quickly restored, and everyone was waiting in rapt silence, watching to see what was happening.

Suddenly the Charizard flew up out of the dust cloud, roaring as it carried a thin line with it; a heartbeat later, and the Salamence also erupted from the dust cloud. Both the dragons circled above the arena, wings tilted slightly as they did so, determination in their eyes.

The camera gave a brief close-up of the Salamence's trainer, a woman dressed in jeans, simple teeshirt, and a baseball cap that was on backwards. Pointing, she shouted a command up to her Pokemon; the dragons sensitive hearing picked it up, and he flew up a little higher, before charging the Charizard again, wings folded tightly against his sides.

Not deterred in the slightest, the Charizard roared in defiance, charging the Salamence. Once again, the two dragons clashed above the arena, battle roars coming from the combatants, and wild cheers erupting from both those in the arena and those watching the TV.

Jayden had never really had much interest in the Championships, so with a sigh, he stood up. Arching his back slightly, he felt and heard a small pop as his back cracked. Looking at the bag in his hand, he sighed, closing his eyes as he quickly thought of where he could find a new bag.

With his sunglasses on, and his eyes closed, Jayden allowed his powers to take effect; in a heartbeat, the world took on a bluish tinge, the sheer vastness of life taking a moment to decipher. Looking around, he saw people who simply watched, young kids with their first Pokemon, older veterans reminiscing on their glory days, and the eager trainers who'd been training for a long while.

Taking a step towards the trainer's shop in the Battle Arena, Jayden accidentally got bumped into by a Marshstomp, who looked up at him with surprise. {'cuse me! Didn't see ya walking there,} the Pokemon said quickly, bowing slightly.

Jayden just shrugged it off, walking away from the still apologizing Pokemon. Being more mindful, Jayden slipped through the crowds, making a roundabout way towards the bags that were being sold near the back of the store.

As if breaking from a tide, Jayden was suddenly not surrounded by people anymore, all of them in the medical or beauty areas of the store. Shaking his head slightly, he made his way over to the bags, namely the shoulder bags, so he could find a replacement. He looked them over, hands briefly passing over them as he made a quick estimate of the price to the value of the material.

After just a short time, he picked up a black bag made of a fairly heavy-duty cloth. Giving the strap a bend, he felt the heavy polymer plastic core give, but he could tell it would take more than even a single slash of a knife to cut it. Letting the bag fall limply, holding it by the strap, Jayden started making his way towards the check-out counter.

He paused for a moment though, when he started to pass the adoption area. A large room, filled with toys and younger kids playing, also had a goodly number of younger or smaller Pokemon. Stopping full in his tracks, his eyes passed over a Riolu, who was sitting in the far corner of the room, legs crossed and a look of concentration on his face.

Curious, Jayden looked at the attendant. "Is it alright if I go in?"

The lady at the counter smiled and nodded, but said "Yes, but you'll have to leave your coat and bags out here. We'll keep an eye on them."

Jayden cocked his head in confusion for a moment, before he figured out why. Smiling, he handed the bags, both his and the one he was going to purchase, to the attendant, then working on undoing his coat. Jayden smiled as he handed his coat to her, glad that he'd decided to take his holster off.

Stepping into the room, the first thing he noticed was the noise; the sound of children and younglings playing was enough to make even Jayden smile to himself, mind briefly wandering into the realm of 'what-if.'

Shaking his head, snapping himself out of his reverie, Jayden made his way towards the Riolu. As he got closer, the Riolu growled deep in his throat, eyes squeezing even harder. {Go away,} was the short, slightly-harsh response Jayden got.

In answer, Jayden sat down in front of the Riolu, crossing his legs as well, back mostly straight. The Riolu opened its eyes, crimson-orbs glowing faintly blue as he lost focus, losing what little control of the aura-power he'd garnered. Glaring at Jayden, {I hope you're happy, now that you've broken my concentration.} Jayden said nothing in response, but he did slip off his sunglasses.

As they came off, the Riolu actually recoiled a bit in shock, staring at Jayden's blue-swirling eyes. Grinning at the reaction, "You're trying to hard. Instead of making the Aura come to you, try going the to Aura."

The Riolu scoffed, saying {What does that mean?}

Instead of telling him, Jayden showed him. The Riolu's eyes snapped as wide as they could when he felt a presence touching his mind. Using his own power, Riolu tried to push back, and he heard a mental chuckle. 'You're strong. But you're unfocused. Some might say it is because you are still a Riolu, but I'm thinking.' Jayden said, using only his power.

Now time had no meaning for either of them, sitting less than a meter away from the other, cross-legged both, and eyes closed in concentration. In this state, Jayden taught the young Pokemon how to control, focus, and use his aura-power.

Neither of them noticed the small group of Pokemon that had gathered around Jayden, all of them watching the strange human intently. One of them, a female Nidoran, spoke up, saying {He smells like a Lucario!} When she said that, the whole group of twelve or so Pokemon pushed forward, getting closer to Jayden as they tried to figure out if the smell was coming from him, or a Lucario he'd been in contact with.

Close to an hour passed before both Jayden and the Riolu opened their eyes, sweat dripping of the dark-blue Pokemon's forehead. {I never knew there was so much one could do!} He exclaimed, looking at Jayden, who was still sitting across from him.

Twisting his head, giving a cross between a sigh and a groan when he heard it crack, Jayden just smiled again. That's when he noticed all the young Pokemon around him, several of them having fallen asleep. "Wha?" was the first thing he managed to say, and he started looking around for help.

One of the attendants, who'd been watching him, giggled to herself, walking over. Bending at the waist, she asked quietly if Jayden needed some help getting up. Giving a slightly bashful nod, he started to carefully move the Pokemon off of him, along with the help of the attendant.

After extracting him fully, the two of them made their way towards the exit. As the attendant opened the door, Jayden glanced over his shoulder, and smiled when he saw the Riolu out cold already, a thin line of drool coming out of the corner of his mouth as he rested the side of his head on his paws.

Stepping out, he smiled as he took his coat, slipping it on, shaking it a time or two so that the bottom hem settled near the top of his military boots. Thanking the attendant as he took his bag, and the bag he was going to purchase, Jayden turned on the heel of his foot, glad that the crowds had finally died down enough that he didn't have to constantly maneuver.

After paying for his bag, he simply placed his old bag inside, deciding to wait until he was in the safety of his car to take his files out, and transfer them. With a nod of thanks, Jayden made his way out of the complex, out onto the now-late-afternoon light streets. Slipping his bag over his shoulders, Jayden sighed deeply as he watched trainers and their Pokemon walk around, almost all of them with a destination in mind it seemed.

Looking up just in time, he saw a small flock of Pidgeys, Taillow, and good-old-fashioned doves flying around, looking for dropped food, or even someone throwing seeds or something. He watched them for a moment before dropping his gaze back down to ground level. A sudden idea came to him.

Smiling broadly to himself, Jayden slipped his thumb along the length of the strap, uncurling it. With a purposeful, confident pace, Jayden strode across the cobbled ground, arms moving in time with his steps and his overcoat fluttering slightly at the speed of his steps. He now knew exactly where to go, and who to talk to.

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My, oh my, what is happening? What will happen? I don't know, well, actually, I kinda do :p but you don't ^.^

Now that's just mean of me, so all I will say is that I hope yopu enjoy, and to please leave a comment and vote ^.^

Legal: Pokemon ain't mine, belongs to those who own it, blah, blah, blah, you should no the rest ^.^

Original characters, and this story line are mine! Please, please, please ask me before using them!