chapter 4 onto Brock's gym

"There you go." Pidgeot flared her wings, dismissing the altered air around her form, and gently glided to alight at Pewter city limits.

"Thanks, Pidgeot." Ash slid off the huge avian's back as she stopped.

Ash's Pidgeot was a marvellous specimen of the species, at least in part due to her years of training and experience having a chance to express right from the get-go in the evolution. It was easy for her to convey Ash and Misty to the outskirts of Pewter City at a mere hundred miles an hour, diverting the wind around them to make for a smooth and comfortable flight.

It had been one of several measures planned to ensure that the timing all worked out.

"Now, onto Brock's Gym! Oh, sorry, guys, I think that in town I'll have to have you in your Poké balls… they won't mind Pikachu, but an eight foot bird of prey is something else. Sorry again."

"We don't mind, Ash. It's good that you do what you can."

"Thanks, that sets my mind at rest."

Pewter city was an interesting place. Largely a mining town at first, it had developed into a centre of culture with its museum of science and nature, it's position on the main route north out of Kanto and, of course, one of the League gyms.

Guess which one Ash was interested in.

"Alright! Time to get started again on becoming a Pokémon master!"

Misty shook her head as Ash charged off towards the Pewter Gym. "Some people…"

Pewter wasn't particularly big – Ash was barely even winded when he reached the home of the Boulderbadge. "All right! I'm here to challenge this gym!"

"You are, are you? Well, hello then. Name's Brock. And I assume that you're not going to fight with that Pikachu?"

"Actually, I am. I feel confident in his abilities." replied Ash, laughter dancing in his eyes.

"Well, it's your choice," Brock said dubiously, "so go ahead."

"Sure thing. Mind if we shake before the match?"

"Not at all, it's nice to see someone with manners for once. That kid with the Squirtle…"

Ash grinned. "Yep, that's Gary alright."

"You know him? Can you explain to me what was with the car?"

Ash shook his head. "Nobody knows."

Brock shrugged. "Oh well, never mind."

They shook, and a spark of blue light flashed in the darkness of the gym.

"Ah… what just happened? Ash? And… what?"

"I'll explain later. For now, we have a battle to get through."

Brock nodded. "Go, Marshtomp!"

Nothing happened. At all. Brock just kept trying to grab a Poké ball that wasn't there. It was actually kind of embarrassing.

"Brock, we've gone back in time." Ash pulled his head back up out of his hands. "You only have the Pokémon that you have now, when we first met, but they should be as strong as you remember."

Brock nodded. "I see… this has interesting implications. Well, go Geodude then!"

"Pikachu?"

The mouse nodded. "I know what to do."

Pikachu squared off against Geodude, the latter hovering gently in the air. Last time, both knew, the battle had been resolved by abuse of Pikachu's Lightningrod ability and a hydroelectric power plant. Not this time.

"Geodude! Sandstorm!"

I was hoping he wouldn't do that… Pikachu flickered into the air, Agility accelerating his speed relative to his already slow foe. A sandstorm couldn't blow in every direction at once, and Pikachu was able to move fast enough to prevent his foe targeting correctly.

Geodude angrily shouted something along the lines of 'stand still so I can hit you'.

"Er, no.

"This isn't getting anywhere. Dig!"

"Dude." The rocky Pokémon disappeared into the floor.

"Heh, won't you have trouble? Pikachu's on the roof."

"Ash, this is bad." Pikachu commented urgently. "Brock isn't an idiot unless women are involved."

"Good point." Ash closed his eyes, and gasped. "Pikachu, the walls are rock too!"

"Sneaky little thing!" Pikachu dropped from the roof just before the rock type burst from it, and had to use Quick Attack to get out from under a Seismic Toss.

"It's a fight you want, it's a fight you get. Iron Tail!"

"Mega punch, Geodude!"

The two clashed, rock arm against metal tail.

Pikachu was sent flying, but managed to recover with another burst of Quick Attack and somersaulted back towards the Rock type.

"Try to catch him in a Seismic Toss!"

"I am so glad Ash released me to act on my own initiative… otherwise this would seem stupid." Pikachu dodged… but not wide enough. He deliberately aimed so he would pass Geodude, but not so he'd be entirely out of reach.

"Pikachu!" Oh, that's right, I forgot to let Ash know. Ah well. Geodude had made a mistake. Pikachu was facing away from the rock type in the grip… and he still had his Iron Tail up.

As the Seismic Toss windup progressed, Pikachu slapped Geodude in the face with his metallic tail as fast as he could. His promptness paid off, as Geodude lost his grip shortly before hitting the floor and Pikachu just managed to escape the falling Pokémon.

"Wow, not bad, Ash. You've really improved."

"It's all Pikachu's improvement, thanks. I trained him, no more."

"So. You did well against Geodude, but how will you manage against Onix! Go!"

Brock's Steelix roared his power to the heavens.

"Yeah, that happens too," Ash called from the side. "They evolve to whatever they were."

"Oh. Well, you're in even more trouble now! Steelix… Dragonbreath!"

"Oh, crap. Well, let's try this thing."

The Counter Shield sprang up around Pikachu, forming a dense net of lightning bolts. It barely slowed the attack, but by then Pikachu was out of the way with Agility and onto the roof again. He dropped down from there into the centre of Steelix' coils.

Brock began to chuckle. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? That's not the smartest move you could do!"

"One…"

The yellow-wreathed punch fizzled out on the steel snake. Brock snorted with laughter. "Hah, no luck with that Thunderpunch!"

"Pikachu doesn't know Thunderpunch." Ash grinned in triumph.

"Two!"

The blue-wreathed Force Palm strike lifted the Steelix bodily into the air and blasted him across the huge artificial cavern, sending the limp body up against the wall and clearly out of the fight.

"He has recently learned Force Palm, though."

Brock looked stunned. "So… the fight with Geodude… it was all an act to make Steelix overconfident?"

"Pre-tty much, yeah." Ash rubbed the back of his head. "I feel sorry for you, actually. I mean, we had to trick you to beat you."

"You probably would have won somehow anyway, Ash." Brock said solemnly. "I remember the Indigo League, and you were the one who competed, not I. And the same later on."

Brock reminisced for a moment, then became more businesslike.

"So, is there a slot still open on your journey?"

"Suppose so… Any idea if your dad is around?"

"I think he is, he said he used to watch me between coming back and admitting it. But we'll never catch him at it…"

Ash smirked, closed his eyes for a second, and pointed out the window. "Pikachu, Thunder Wave!"

"Well," Misty said brightly, "At least that's sorted out. It wasn't very nice of Flint to leave you alone for so long, Brock, but now you get your own chance for adventure!"

Ash nodded, the three friends heading north for the mountains and the town of Rota.

They had picked up the Pokédex uplink that the Professor had sent ahead for them at the Pokémon Centre, and Ash had also found a short message on his rarely-used mail account.

6935164 – JJMAW

The three were still discussing what it meant.

"And now, we have about five days before we're scheduled to go through Mt. Moon. Since, unlike the other cases, a Pokémon could die if we're too late to get to Charmander, I want us to delay as little as possible. In other words, Brock, is Steelix recovered enough for us to ride on him?

"Ah… I think so. We're headed for Cameran?"

"Yes, I have business there. Now, any problems with that?"

"Not at all." Brock's eyes began to glow. "Especially with… Queen Ilene… oh, my sweet-"

BAM!

Misty picked up Brock from where she'd smacked him into the floor… with her Goldeen. "Don't start this again, Brock, or we will make a special trip to Sinnoh to find your Croagunk. He could keep you in line."

"My devotion… is only overshadowed… by my pain…"

This time it was Ash's turn to grin at the bickering.

This, this is what I would never give up. No matter what.

Companions.

Two days later, Ash, Brock and Misty were walking the last mile or so to along the small kingdom's only link with the outside world, a tree lined path through the mountains.

Ash checked their surrounds, and froze. "Guys… trouble. Aura, strong one, coming up on the path ahead… no, not quite." He covered one eye with his palm and opened the other. "The Aura's moving through the trees at crown level, really fast. We could be in major trouble here."

The shape blurred across the woods towards them, stopped for a moment high in a tree a hundred yards away, then flashed towards the group, aimed directly at Ash.

The boy yelped in shock and crossed his arms, the weak flicker of his Protect stopping the assailant from knocking him down, but the force of the blow still left him sliding back into a tree.

The strange form wasn't done yet, disdaining the other humans and batting aside the attack sent its' way by an only now reacting Pikachu, still moving so fast that all anyone could catch was a vague sense of blue and black.

Ash's mind was working faster than it ever had, as he flooded his entire nervous system with Aura to boost it. What the hell? That was one strong blow, and I expect – whoever this is – is going to deliver more... what's going on?

Sir Aaron had taught him one simple tactic for facing faster, more skilled, more powerful opponents. Don't.

Bit late to apply that here… okay, based on the force of that blow I think I can take one if I don't mind a few bad bruises on the hands… and possibly a broken arm. Joy, in both senses of the word. Ah well. Needs must.

As the foe blurred in, Ash's still active Aura Sight revealed to him that the next blow, like the first, was a punch – along with where the overly telegraphed, wound up blow was going.

So he caught it.

Ash's friends heard a sickening crack, not really seeing the source as the entire battle thus far had taken a bare few seconds – they hadn't quite realized what was going on at first.

The pain was intense, and the feel in his arm was that of at least a hairline fracture, but that didn't matter at all. Not at this moment of clarity.

Visible blue Aura arced from the catching left hand, around Ash's back, growing all the time, and flooded the right as Ash swung an even more powerful haymaker at his stalled attacker's side.

Counter!

Something gave slightly at the impact.

The blow seemed to have knocked it for a loop, as it flew off to the side a little before skidding to a halt by braking with both hands, and with the blur of speed from the Agility gone its' identity was clear.

A Lucario.

As Ash steadied himself and everyone else looked on in shock, the Pokémon kneeled to Ash, before gripping its' upper body for a moment.

"Greetings, Chosen One… and ouch." Her voice transposed itself via the basic Aura trick into a comprehensible alto tone, wavering slightly as she prodded her ribs. "I should not have doubted your ability."

Ash was pained and confused – and angry. "Why did you attack me – and for that matter, why aren't you now? What's going on?"

"Yeah, what he said!" Misty weighed in.

"My apologies. I have been given a task, the accomplishment of which requires that I identify the Chosen of Aaron's line. Since the line has been dormant for a millennium, I was sceptical of your ability to handle the task I must now transfer to you… and I was overeager with my test. I forgot, sorry to say, about the frailty of humans.

Nevertheless, what you have done is more than proof that you can accomplish what I will ask of you, on behalf of my kingdom."

"What. The. Hell." Ash cradled his injured left forearm. "Why on earth you thought that was a reasonable test escapes me! You could have killed someone! It could have been me, had I not managed that Protect!"

"You exaggerate. I aimed for extremities, and not to cause too much lasting damage. Besides, the Pokémon centres can heal humans as well, can they not?"

"Rrgh…. I suppose it's excusable, if the task is as important as you imply – and I'm not convinced on that front yet. I still wish you'd waited until this evening though… What is it, then?"

The jackal-like Pokémon flickered over to the tree she had stopped at before, and returned in seconds, holding a small over-the-shoulder bag.

Setting the bag down, she knelt again.

"Ash Ketchum of Pallet, will you accept this charge:

To educate in the ways of Aura.

To keep morality, and to ensure the same of your charge.

To protect those weaker than yourself, with all the breath you have in your body.

If you so swear, then we beg you accept this scion of our noblest line as an apprentice and companion."

While Ash and Misty were looking confused and Brock incredulous – he'd worked it out already – the Lucario drew back the strings of the bag to reveal an egg.

"Wow… I mean, just… wow. I can hardly credit it. That they think this highly of me…"

Ash and his friends had withdrawn a short distance to let Ash get over his shock, deal with his broken arm (They had Butterfree douse it in Sleep Powder as anaesthetic, and then locked up the arm's muscles using a Thunder Wave to hold the break until they could access the services of Rota Pokémon centre) and discuss the next step.

Brock nodded. "She said they heard from the Suicune from these parts. I assume that the Ho-Oh you met has been doing some groundwork in the last week or two."

"Well, you heard the question, Ash. Want to accept?"

"Want to?" Ash raised his head. "Yes, so much it hurts. I'm still, at heart, the little boy who wants to have cool Pokémon, and likely always will be. But I don't know if I can… It's a dangerous life I lead, and not one to accept a baby into lightly. Even a Riolu… I feel like I couldn't guarantee it's safety."

"She didn't ask for safety, just that you do all you can. Ash, stop being like… well, you… and accept. It's a great honour, and I think it's the very reason that Sir Aaron had a Lucario as a companion, why Riley does… probably the reason behind Steven's Metagross, as well." Pikachu then gave a small grin. "Besides, you handled Phanpy, Larvitar and Gible well enough when you looked after them."

"It's not the same. Before, I just blundered into trouble, and now I'm actively seeking it out."

"And ten minutes ago you cracked the rib of a Steel Type! You're not the same either, Ash. Have a little faith in yourself for once."

Ash wasn't sure. Not about something of this magnitude. Things were going to get fast paced… perhaps too fast paced… and it would be too dangerous.

But with every one of his friends encouraging him, Ash relented. He wasn't infallible, after all, and maybe they had more faith in him – rightly – than he was willing to give himself.

And if the members of a society based on honour felt him ready for this, then maybe he should trust their judgement.

Then he thought – hadn't Sir Aaron, hadn't anyone who raised Pokémon before the Meiji for that matter, brought them up in an environment of chaos and war? Compared to that, this was small stuff – and the Lucario kingdom knew it.

Time to take the plunge.

He got up and walked over to the patiently waiting Lucario messenger.

"All right… I'll do it. I so swear."

"Thank you, Chosen." She reverently drew out the egg and handed it to him, making sure he had a good grip. He did, despite the injured left arm – Ash had often carried eggs before.

"Now, it should hatch in a few months, so – what the..?"

A familiar white glow suffused their stretch of path, and when it faded, instead of the egg, a Riolu was cradled in Ash's arms.

Ash, meanwhile, was overwhelmed with a rush of sensation.

Lab attack captured escape hurt friend close friend Aura attacked again frozen stolen-

Rescued.

Ash looked down with tears glistening in the corners of his eyes, and shifted the young Pokémon to a better grip in both hands.

"No. I don't believe it. No way am I this lucky."

"Believe in the evidence of your eyes and the light of our spirits. It's me. Hello again, friend Ash."

Ash's legs gave out and he collapsed to his knees, still holding the Riolu up by the shoulders.

"I think I must have really impressed someone up there."

"Of course you did." Riolu stated, with unshakeable confidence. "It's you."

"Can someone please tell me what is happening?" The Lucario messenger asked, confused.

Ash put his new charge down, wincing at the effect the strain had had on his arm. "As you may or may not have been told, one of the talents I possess, thanks to confusing situations involving time travel-" Ash grimaced; he'd been getting headaches trying to understand it himself," is that if I encounter a human or Pokémon I had some bond with, met often, that sort of thing… I can restore their memories of the future that was. And by the most incredible good fortune, the egg you conveyed to me – had this all not happened – would have hatched into one of the guardians of the kingdom, trained to use Aura while still a Riolu. I would have met him in about… four years, I think, and saved him from Hunter J, a Pokémon kidnapper. Even then, with no training on my part, our Auras resonated enough that I could feel some of his emotions, and find him with the Sight."

"Well… that's both the most unorthodox and fastest way of fulfilling the teaching criterion I've ever heard of."

Ash was grinning, barely visibly, struggling to contain his emotions. "And it puts paid to my thoughts about danger, at least. Right now, he's better than me."

"You know it!"

"Well, I suppose… thanks. Even if I don't approve of your methods in testing me," Ash rubbed his paralyzed forearm again, "at least it's set your mind at rest for the future."

"I thank you for understanding. Fare thee well, Ash Ketchum."

She fell back into her Agility technique and raced off to the north.

"…well, that was strange."

"Strange things happen." Riolu – Ash's Riolu, he thought with a little thrill – was climbing onto his left shoulder.

"True. Now, on to Cameran Castle!"

"Wow, we're going there?" Riolu perked up. "I never got to go there before. That's where Sir Aaron lived, isn't it? He was amazing! He's an inspiration to Riolu and Lucario everywhere, because he was known to wield the powers of Aura as well as any of us despite being a mere human!" He suddenly remembered who he was sitting on. "Uh, no offense meant."

"So long as I can put you in a little red ball whenever I really want to, I won't take any." Ash chuckled.

"Meanie."

"And yes, we are. Though it's for more than one reason. A tournament – I won't ask you to participate if you don't want to – but more than that, there's something I want to collect."

"Ooh! What?"

Pikachu climbed onto the other shoulder. "It's his inheritance, of sorts. Aaron's gloves and staff."

Riolu looked at Ash like he was a ghost.

"You what."

"Uh, what's the problem?"

"You didn't mention that. How can you inherit something from Sir Aaron?"

"Hey, give me a break! I only found out a couple weeks ago that I'm descended from him. Hell, even he didn't mention it!"

The young Pokémon's eyes were spinning. "You… you met him?"

"Time travel, a quest, Legendaries everywhere and by mighty Arceus – and because of him, and his little Dialga too – my life is bizarre. I'll explain on the road."

Meanwhile, somewhere in a really rather nice district of Kanto…

An anguished voice rang out.

"Oh god, NOOOO!"

"Dat's James's voice! What happened?"

"Well, whatever it is it doesn't sound good." Jessie turned to the two Poison types in the basket. "Arbok! Get the balloon ready!"

"Chaa!" The serpent wound up the ropes supporting the basket and began to prepare the burner. (Arbok have very dextrous tails.)

"Good thought, Jessie!" Meowth said. "Now, what's happening down da road?"

Jessie and Meowth squinted. "I think I see something.."

Meowth nodded. "Looks like…"

"There's definitely something coming towards us!" Jessie exclaimed, pleased with her deduction.

"Yeah. And it looks like it's a person, quite tall, running alongside a canine quadrupedal Pokémon-"

"Heeelp! Please!"

"Hey, I recognize dat voice from somewhere!" Meowth muttered.

"I think I do too. Now, who could it be?"

"FOR GOODNESS' SAKE YOU COMPLETE IDIOTS!" The mysterious figure roared, "THROW ME THE DAMN FIRE STONE!"

"Oh, now I remember! It's James!" Jessie thought about that for half a second, blanched upon realizing that Jessiebelle was likely just behind him, and threw the… "liberated"… elemental stone with about at much skill as one could expect from someone in a rocking balloon twenty feet up. Who only threw perfectly round Poké balls little more than a foot or two at a time.

James saw the abysmal toss and pointed at it, calling "Growlie, FETCH!"

James' faithful puppy leapt into the air, swallowed the stone in one gulp… and changed.

The Shisa - the fiery Arcanine that James' little puppy had become - skidded to a halt, crouched to allow it's trainer to climb on, and shot off into the morning mist at ridiculous speed.

Even though she was still convinced that her betrothed was not getting away for long, Jessiebelle had to admit, that took some beating as an exit.

Her backup plan to deal with his friends in the balloon was likewise stymied by the Mist/Haze/Smog/Smokescreen… er, smoke screen James' Weezing was laying down from the basket.

Right, next time screw subtle, it's straight to the helicopters. And if that doesn't work… I think I still have Hunter J's number, and James will do anything for that pet of his.

AN: Riolu is the first really major divergence in the story, but then this particular Riolu is a significant one in Ash's development. Not to mention he opens up some fun avenues for me.

And that's what the little bits at the end of the previous two chapters were, if anyone's wondering.

Ash at this point is still not a match for a proper Pokemon in a fight, mainly due to his low Aura reserves, low durability and low fitness. Basically, because he's a ten year old human. Counter is his only realistic choice to do damage, as it only requires that you survive the blow.

But, of course, since he's sensible (really. Well, sometimes.) he's working on that.