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-PeaceCalmForestTranquility-
Ash glanced around at the forest around him as he and the gang walked down the road towards Snowbelle City. It had been a few days since his discussion with Clemont about his experiences in other regions and the potential of bringing his older Pokemon in to help train his current team.
-CalmCollectedCuriousNewPlaceSceptile-
He chuckled softly as his gaze shifted to the trees where Sceptile was moving through the forest, having been transferred over to help his current team train for the upcoming Kalos League.
He let his focus fade away for the moment, a gentle exhale escaped his lips as his awareness of the surrounding area disappeared along with the wind that blew past them.
“Pika?” Pikachu poked at Ash’s cheek, having noticed his partner fall out of the state of concentration that had gripped him for the past few minutes.
“I’m alright, Pikachu. Still a bit hard for me to focus on my Aura while we’re moving, y’know?” Ash chuckled as he reached up to gently rub at Pikachu’s ears. His oldest partner cooed at the touch as he felt someone place their hand on his shoulder. Serena, by the gentleness.
“It’s only been a few days, Ash. I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it.” Serena smiled reassuringly at Ash as she left her hand on his shoulder for a few moments more before she reluctantly let go.
“Thanks, Serena. I’m a little surprised I’ve been able to pick up the sensing so quickly, but having Greninja help has worked wonders. Aura adepts from Sir Aaron’s age likely didn’t have a direct connection to their partner Pokemon like I do.” Ash chuckled as he glanced over at Greninja, who had been walking beside them to assist Ash with his Aura practice as they moved.
“It’s still so cool that you have that power, Ash! Do you think you can use Aura Sphere like Lucario was able to! That would be awesome!” Bonnie bounced between Ash and Greninja as she ran up from where she had been keeping pace with Clemont.
“Honestly, I doubt it. Not even Sir Aaron had been able to use Aura Sphere from what I saw in Rota. And he had amplification gloves. I don’t know where those ended up, but I don’t have them right now.” Ash hummed as his voice dropped to a thoughtful tone. Since talking about his experiences in Rota and other adventures, he had been able to think and talk about it without falling into a darker mindset. It still hurt, but it was easier.
“Do you think you could get them?” Serena curiously asked, her head tilted slightly.
“I’m not sure. They were left in the Tree, and the only way to safely get them would be to contact the Mew there. And that would require going back to Rota.” Ash tapped his chin with his finger for a moment, before he shrugged. “I wouldn’t use them much anyway. I have no reason to. Not when I have my Pokemon to help me.”
“Aw, but that would’ve been so cool!” Bonnie pouted, before she turned back to shout at Clemont. “Big brother! You have to make Ash a pair of Aura amplification gloves! I want to see him use Aura Sphere!”
“Could you… Wait for me to catch up first?” Clemont panted as he struggled to keep up. While his stamina is leagues better than it was when they first started out, it’s clear that Clemont is still an inventor, not an explorer.
“Might be a good idea to make camp soon. It is getting late, isn’t it?” Serena sheepishly grinned as she hadn’t realized that Clemont had been falling behind.
“Yeah. Might be good to rest before we get started on dinner. Let’s find a clearing off the path to set up in.” Ash chuckled as he held his hand up and snapped his fingers.
In an instant, Sceptile landed next to him and looked over expectantly.
Serena, still not used to Sceptile’s presence, jumped and squeaked even as Bonnie gasped in excitement.
“Mind helping us find a clearing to set up camp in, Sceptile?” Ash grinned, glad to have his old friend back. He should have brought his older Pokemon in sooner.
“Tile.” Sceptile nodded resolutely, before he glanced over at Greninja.
Greninja nodded in return, before they both bounded away into the trees to search together.
“I’m glad they’re getting along well. Sceptile’s blade skills have certainly helped him teach Greninja how to better utilize Cut. At this rate we might discover a water-type variant of Cut or Slash.” Ash chuckled as they stopped to wait for Clemont to catch up.
“There is… Aqua Cutter… But Greninja isn’t one of the Pokemon that can learn that.” Clemont panted as he stopped by the others. He braced his hands on his knees as he worked to catch his breath.
“Then maybe Greninja will be the first one to learn it of his species.” Ash grinned as Pikachu pumped his fist. “Wouldn’t be the first time! My Bulbasaur was able to learn Dig!”
“Your… What? That shouldn’t be… Whatever, your Greninja shouldn’t be able to transform without a Mega Stone either, you might just pull off the impossible again.” Clemont huffed as he straightened up.
Any further conversation halted when Sceptile and Greninja landed beside them and beckoned the group onwards.
“Looks like they found a spot. Come on, let’s go set up camp.” Ash started following his two Pokemon as they led the group into the trees.
It wasn’t long until they made it to the clearing that Sceptile and Greninja had found, and the gang didn’t wait any longer to release their Pokemon and get to work.
Clemont set up the dinner table and stove with the help of Bunnelby and Luxray while Chespin tried to steal a few ingredients. Serena and Bonnie set up the tents with the help of Braixen, Sylveon, Pancham and Dedenne. And Ash searched for fire wood and scavenged for berries with Pikachu, Sceptile, Greninja, Talonflame, Hawlucha and Noibat.
After they returned to the camp, Ash moved over to an open spot for training. His gaze roamed over his team, before he nodded.
“Alright, Sceptile, you’ve been showing Greninja how to improve his blade work. Tonight, we’re going to change things up. You’ll be running the team through evasion drills, since none of them have the bulk to take hits like Charizard, Snorlax, Torterra or Goodra do. Help them improve their evasion and stamina so they can stay in fights longer.” He grinned as he looked over his team. Pikachu had been helping with that in the past, but now with Sceptile, he could run them through a larger variety of drills.
“Tile.” Sceptile nodded, before he turned towards the team.
This had been their routine since Ash brought Sceptile back from the ranch. Sceptile would do group training with the team and then split off to help the others in one-on-one training.
Greninja was being tutored in blade work, as the frog had evolved only recently and had bond-specific training to handle as well.
Talonflame got specialized training in agility - Ash made a note to bring in Swellow or Unfezant to help Talonflame due to the similarities in speed.
Hawlucha got hand-to-hand combat training. Or rather, claw-to-wing combat. Another note added to bring in Infernape.
Noibat hadn’t gotten any special training yet, as Noibat was still young. But Sceptile let the young dragon watch so he could pick up pointers. A bit further down the line Ash would bring someone in to help Noibat.
“Alright Pikachu, go help him out.” Ash looked at his partner with a smile.
“Pika!” Pikachu cheered before he leaped off of Ash’s shoulder and landed beside Sceptile.
The sounds of training echoed through the clearing as Ash called out pointers to his Pokemon throughout the training session. Bonnie watched at a safe distance away with stars in her eyes as Clemont and Serena worked on dinner.
“I still can’t believe that Sceptile took down a Darkrai, and we all saw the footage. Makes me wonder how much of a powerhouse his team will be in the Kalos League, especially since he says his Charizard is stronger.” Clemont glanced up at the training Pokemon as he chopped the vegetables and made sure that the burner was at the correct temperature.
“That’s Ash for you. Pulling off the impossible.” Serena smiled softly as she watched Ash. Her hands worked on auto pilot to fill the pot with noodles for their pasta.
The camp settled into an easy routine afterward. Once dinner was finished, Clemont and Serena called Ash, Bonnie, and the Pokemon over.
Dinner was a quick affair compared to the conversation a few days ago. Bonnie wanted to eat quickly to watch Sceptile in action again, and she refused to let the others slow down the meal with conversation.
Ash just chuckled as he helped clean up the plates afterward. He had something else that he needed to do tonight.
“Alright. Come on Greninja, Pikachu. Time for Aura practice again.” Ash called his starter and his first Kalos capture over as he moved to an open area to sit down in.
He smiled reassuringly as Serena sent him a glance, before he settled down into his spot with his legs crossed. His hands rested upon his knees as Greninja and Pikachu sat across from him. Greninja adopted a similar pose, before the three of them all closed their eyes together.
-PeaceCalmTiredForestTranquility-
It was but a moment before he felt the first source of energy.
-ResoluteDeterminedReassuringGreninja-
Ash slowly exhaled as his eyes remained closed, his focus steady upon the power within him. While it had been a few days since he started practicing with his Aura, he was able to easily fall into an awareness of those around him.
-ExcitedEagerEnergeticBonnie-
-InquisitiveCautiousCleverClemont-
-EncouragingHopefulCreativeSerena-
His companions were easy to read with how long they’d been traveling together. If Brock were here, Ash was sure he wouldn’t even need to fall into a meditation to properly read him.
-LoyalFriendlyPowerfulPikachu-
Without question, the easiest being Ash could feel was Pikachu. While the bond with Greninja meant he could feel the Kalos starter first as a shortcut, without focusing Ash was able to feel Pikachu.
He breathed in and exhaled slowly, before he let himself fall into a deeper meditation.
The world became outlined in blue.
The trees, the rocks, even the folding table Clemont set up.
Dedenne at Bonnie’s feet as the little mouse ran circles around her.
Talonflame and Hawlucha as they helped Noibat with his flight. Sceptile nearby, watching silently from the trees.
Braixen, Sylveon and Pancham as they discussed something, likely a Showcase routine.
Luxray, Bunnelby and Chespin as they watched Clemont tinker with an invention with clear trepidation.
Ash frowned.
He couldn’t-
-CoreEnvironmentBalance-
-Order-
--Zygarde--
-Hello Ash Ketchum-
Ash’s eyes shot open as his gaze snapped towards Squishy.
The small creature stared back up at him with its singular eye.
Greninja and Pikachu turned to look with Ash, concerned at Ash’s sudden reaction.
“You have got to be kidding me.” Ash groaned under his breath as he reached up to rub the bridge of his nose.
“Ash? What’s wrong?” Serena called out, having seen Ash suddenly jolt out of his meditation.
Bonnie and Clemont looked over, alerted by Serena’s concerned call, joined by Sceptile and the rest of Ash’s team.
Ash rubbed at the bridge of his nose for a few more seconds. He didn’t respond to their concern for the moment until his hand dropped and he stared directly at Squishy.
“You want me to tell them?” He tilted his head toward his friends as he kept staring at Squishy.
Pikachu’s eyes narrowed as he very quickly put two and two together thanks to his experience alongside Ash. He stared at Squishy, before he smacked his face with his paw and sighed. “Pika pika….”
“Gre?” Greninja stared at Pikachu incredulously.
Squishy stared back up at Ash, before it nodded once.
“I know what Squishy is now.” Ash looked up at his companions finally, his eyes tired. “Squishy is Zygarde.”