Ash's Aura Training

After leaving Pallet Town, Ash was on his way to Rota. This time he wasn't just going to visit it. He was going there with the intention of training his aura. Ash had no idea what he going to do to train his aura, but he did know it would be serious training. 
"I need to prepare once I arrive." Ash said to himself.
Soon he reached the town of Rota and made his way over to the Pokemon Center. Once he entered the Pokemon Center, a young woman came up to him.
"Excuse me." She said. "Are you Ash Ketchum?"
"Yes I am." Ash answered.
"Oh thank goodness." The woman said. "My name is Annie and I work at the palace. I had received instructions to bring you to the palace as soon as you arrived."
"So we're going to Cameran Palace?" Ash asked.
"Yes and her majesty is waiting for you." Annie said.
Ash couldn't believe it. He was going to Cameran Palace to see Queen Ilene again. 
"It's been a while since my last visit to the palace." Ash said.
So Ash went to the palace with Annie. Once they got there and entered the throne room they were greeted by Queen Ilene and Jenny.
"It's nice to see you again Ash." Queen Ilene said.
"It's been a long time Ilene." Ash replied. "Thanks for inviting me here." 
He bowed to the queen.
"Ah so you are Ash." A voice said.
There was a man in the throne room with a Lucario by his side. He had black hair and blue eyes and he wore brown trousers, a black jumper, a blue jacket and hat and black shoes. He also nearly looked like a reincarnation of Sir Aaron. 
"You must be Riley." Ash guessed.
"Yes I am." Riley said. "I had heard about you Ash and Prof. Oak was right about you having the power of aura. I can feel it emanating from you."
Ash stared for a second. 
"Me too." He said. "I feel it emanating from you as well. I was told that aura users can sense other aura users." 
"That is true Ash." Riley said. "And I'm happy to know about you using aura."
"I must ask Riley." Ash said. "Training my aura won't stop me from being a Pokemon trainer, will it?"
"Normally it takes years for someone to master their aura." Riley said. "But your aura has already developed. So this training may not take as long as a year or so."
Ash was relieved because he didn't want to give up his journeys for a long time. Riley explained to Ash that they were going to stay at Cameran Palace to train Ash's aura. Ash was amazed that he would be living in the palace; it was almost like he was royalty. Jenny told the men that she had two bedrooms ready for them, but she also warned them not to mess up the rooms and no battling either. Ash and Riley promised to be good while they stayed in the palace.
That evening, Ash and Riley had dinner with Queen Ilene. The training was going to start tomorrow.
"Ash, Queen Ilene told me that you have psychic powers as well as aura." Riley said.
"It's true." Ash said.
He explained that his ancestor Celeste and about how he discovered his psychic powers at the Saffron Gym.
"It felt weird when I first used my psychic and aura power because I never knew I had these powers before then." Ash said.
"I understand Ash." Riley replied. "Because I also didn't realize I had aura power when I was a little kid either. It was after I had grown up more that I realized I had aura power. Sometimes it takes a while for people to unleash the power they had been born with."
Through the rest of dinner Ash told Riley and Queen Ilene how helpful his psychic powers were at identifying bad people in disguise, stopping bad people from getting away and other things like that. He also told them how his aura power had helped him whenever he was lost. Riley thought that Ash had done very well with using his power.
After dinner was finished everyone went to bed. Ash was happy to be sleeping in a big room; it was living like royalty. 
"Time for me to get a good night's sleep." Ash said. "Tomorrow's going to be a long day."
The next day...
Ash's aura training was about to begin. Queen Ilene had allowed him and Riley to use the castle grounds and the forest for their training. Ash wasn't wearing his hat and hoodie.
"Okay Ash, the first thing we are going to do is meditate." Riley said. "Meditating will help connect you more with your inner aura."
So Ash, Riley and Lucario sat cross-legged on the grass to meditate. 
"Concentrate Ash." Riley said. "Do not let anything, even the slightest noise distract you." 
Ash did as he was told; he had meditated before and he knew how important it was to concentrate while meditating. 
"Good Ash." Riley said.
After the meditating was finished Riley decided to test Ash and his aura. 
"Okay Ash, what you'll be doing is walking your way through the forest to where there is a rock in the shape of a Pidgey and coming back again." He said. "But you will be doing it blindfolded and you have to use your aura to see where you are going." 
This was to test to see how good Ash was using his aura to see where he was going. Riley placed a blindfold over Ash's eyes and then he went off into the forest himself. 
So Ash started to walk into the forest alone. With the blindfold over his eyes he couldn't see where he was going, so he concentrated to use his aura.
"I can do this." Ash said. "I know I can because the aura is with me."
It was then Ash saw his surroundings, thanks to the aura and made his way to the Pidgey shaped rock and then back to Riley and Lucario.
"Phew." Ash sighed. "That was quite a challenge, especially since I was blindfolded."
"It's for a good cause Ash." Riley said. "If you get lost in the dark or in the fog, your aura will show you the way." 
Ash understood. After all, his aura helped him in a cave and a building before.
"Now Ash I will be doing more tests with you and something else." Riley said. "Are you willing to go through with them?"
"I am." Ash said. "I made a promise to an old friend before he died that I would train my aura, and I will do it no matter how long it takes and no matter what it takes."
Riley liked Ash's determination and promised him that they would be working hard.
So Ash got through his first day of aura training, but he still had more work to go through.
Over the next few days Ash worked hard on his aura training. After meditating with Riley and Lucario, Ash would be doing more practicing with aura. Riley still tested him with having to use aura to see where he was going blindfolded and he even had him use it to see where he was going at night time when it got pitch black outside with no moon to light the way. And when the foggy days came Riley also had Ash use his aura to find his way through the mists and fog. Ash was happy to be practicing this; he knew that this would be very helpful in the future like it had been in the past. 
One day, Ash and Riley were meditating again.
"Today Ash, you will be learning something very difficult for aura users." Riley said.
"What is it?" Ash asked.
Before Riley could say anything, Ash's ears picked up on something.
"We'll have to wait." He stood up and went into the forest. "I think a Pokemon's in trouble."
Riley and Lucario followed him.
They came to a river, which was rampaging dangerously. Ash noticed a Pokemon clinging to a rock in the middle of the river. It was black, blue and yellow and it resembled a lion cub.
"That's a Shinx." Riley said. "It must have fallen into the river."
The river was too deep and dangerous to get to Shinx by foot.
"In that case."
If entering the river to get Shinx wasn't a option, he would do it from the air and changed forms. Shinx was picked up out of the water. 
"That was unbelievable." Riley said.
Shinx was cold after being in the river for so long and shivered in his arms.
"We need to get this little guy warm, fast." Ash said.
So Riley, Ash and their Pokemon went back to the palace bringing Shinx with them to take care of it. The maids started a warm fire in one of the rooms and Jenny gave Ash a small, warm blanket. Ash sat down by the fire and wrapped Shinx up in the blanket.
"There we are now." Ash said, gently rubbing Shinx's head.
"You have a real way with Pokemon Ash." Riley said. 
"I would never leave a Pokemon behind if it's in danger or hurt." He said.
Riley and Lucario could see how selfless Ash was when it came to Pokemon and it made them happy. Ash stayed with Shinx until it was warm and better again. Shinx felt safe and happy being comforted by Ash and it liked it when Ash stroked it's head.
After two days passed Ash took it outside.
"Now that you are better, you can go home again." He said.
Shinx sadly shook it's head.
"What's wrong Shinx?" Ash asked.
Shinx told him in it's language that it and two other Pokemon lived with a old man who was their caretaker. But then the old man became seriously ill and died, so Shinx and the other two Pokemon no longer had a home. Ash and Pikachu felt sorry for the Shinx.
"Wait, you said two other Pokemon." Ash said. "Where are the other Pokemon?"
Shinx tugged at his jeans, telling him to follow it. 
"Sorry Riley, I know this is interrupting the training, but I must go and see the Pokemon immediately." Ash said.
Riley nodded in understanding. 
"Go follow Shinx." He told him.
Ash and Pikachu went off with Shinx to find it's friends.
Shinx led him to the same river he had been found in; apparently Shinx and the other two Pokemon lived near the river, but Shinx fell in and ended up where Pikachu found him. Ash hoped the other two Pokemon were alright because Shinx had left them alone for two years. The group ran and ran until they came to a abandoned cottage. 
"Is that where you lived with the old man, Shinx?" Ash asked.
Shinx nodded yes.
Suddenly a blue penguin Pokemon and a green Pokemon that resembled a plant bulb came out of the house. They were a Piplup and Budew.
"So they are Shinx's friends." Ash whispered.
The Piplup and Budew saw Shinx and ran over to him, happy he was alright. Ash was right about them being worried about Shinx. Just then the two Pokemon saw Ash and Pikachu. Shinx told them that Ash saved him from the river and nursed him back to health. Piplup and Budew were grateful; they had been worried about Shinx, and knowing Ash was nice made them even happier.
Since the mission to bring Shinx back to his friends was complete, Ash and Pikachu returned to the palace. 
"Well Shinx, I'm glad we found your friends." He said. "But Pikachu and I have to get back to the palace now. You three take care of yourselves and I hope you'll find a trainer who cared for you like the old man did."
He and Pikachu soon said their goodbyes to the three Pokemon, then took their leave. But then Shinx ran in front of them to make them stop and Piplup and Budew followed.
"What's wrong?" Ash asked. "Do you guys want to stay with me?"
He thought this was the case because he had been in this situation before and he was right because they did want to stay with him. Ash smiled and held his arms out.
"I'm your trainer now." He said.
The three Pokemon were delighted and they hugged Ash; they wanted to have a new home and trainer ever since the old man died.
"How do you like that Pikachu?" Ash laughed. "We haven't started a new journey and we already have three new Pokemon."
Pikachu happily laughed.
Ash and Pikachu returned to Cameran Palace with Shinx, Piplup and Budew. 
"Meet Piplup and Budew." He introduced them to Riley, Lucario, Queen Ilene and Jenny. "I found them in a abandoned house."
"Well I'll be." Jenny said.
"You're something Ash." Queen Ilene said.
"Shinx, Piplup and Budew are Pokemon native to the Sinnoh region." Riley explained. "Piplup is one of the starter Pokemon there."
"How funny. I have three Pokemon from Sinnoh and I haven't set foot there yet." Ash said.
The only issue was Ash didn't bring any of his Poke Balls with him; he didn't expect to capture any new Pokemon while he was training his aura. Fortunately, Queen Ilene had plenty of empty Poke Balls that weren't being used so she let Ash borrow them. Ash didn't bring his Pokedex either, so he couldn't scan them. 
Since he stopped training to help Shinx and capture the three Pokemon, Riley gave Ash the rest of the day off. For the rest of the day Ash thought about his travels through the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn regions as well as the Battle Frontier, until it was time for bed. Tomorrow they had to resume training.
The next day
Ash resumed his training. 
"I'm going to be busy." He told Shinx, Piplup and Budew.
They were going to spend the day with Pikachu in the forest so they wouldn't disturb them. 
"Okay Ash, now it's time for you to learn what's most difficult for aura users." Riley said.
"Aura users can convert it into a weapon and a shield." He explained.
Ash was surprised; he had never heard that before. Riley demonstrated it by producing aura and throwing it at a rock. Lucario did the same thing.
"That's called Aura Sphere." He explained.
Then Riley demonstrated the aura shield while Lucario tried to attack him with Metal Claw; it was just a demonstration, not the real thing. 
"I can protect myself with my psychic powers." Ash said.
"Can you attack me with Metal Claw?" He asked Lucario.
When Lucario did, Ash protected himself with a barrier. Riley was impressed.
"I have to admit, this is just like using the move Protect." Ash said.
Before they continued, Riley had a request.
"Can you show me what you can do with your psychic power?" He asked.
Apart from using it to hold objects, Pokemon and humans in place as well as moving them around like Confusion and Disable, he could also communicate telepathically with psychic type Pokemon and erect barriers to protect himself. Ash also knew how to teleport from one spot to another.
"Wow Ash, when did you learn that?" Riley asked.
"It's a long story." He replied.
Flashback
Ash was training Charizard, Venusaur, Blastoise and Pikachu before his third battle with Brandon. He was watching Charizard fly from on top of a cliff. The ground he was standing on then crumbled and Ash fell off the cliff. He was falling so fast that Charizard wouldn't be able to catch him in time. Ash feared this was the end and wished Gardevoir was with him to use Teleport. Then he suddenly disappeared and reappeared on top of the cliff. This made him realize he was able to teleport.
End flashback
"Wow Ash, you were lucky you learned how to teleport otherwise you might have died after falling off that cliff." Riley said.
"I might have indeed." Ash agreed. "But it felt weird when that happened because it was like my psychic power read my mind and then did it. Before I started my journey, I had never even heard of psychics or aura users and thought only Pokemon could do amazing stuff." 
"Now you better put the same concentration you have while using psychic powers into this aura attacking and defending training because it won't be easy." Riley advised.
He was right; when Ash tried to form a ball of aura or create a shield made out of it, nothing worked. This was definitely going to be hard for him.
Weeks and weeks passed and Ash went through hell to master using Aura Sphere and the aura shield. He ended up exhausting most of his time trying to create balls of aura and when Riley threw tennis balls for him to practice the aura shield, Ash was hit and bruised by them. This caused Pikachu, Piplup, Shinx and Budew to worry about him because of how tough the training was. Even Queen Ilene and Jenny were worried; he may be fourteen but he's still a kid. By the time four months had passed since Ash and Pikachu came to Rota, he had finally completed his aura training. He was finally able to use the aura sphere, aura shield, see things in the dark and communicate telepathically with Riley. Aura users were able to communicate with each other telepathically, and they could also communicate with Lucario telepathically thanks to aura.
Ash was relieved he had finally mastered aura, despite going through hell. He felt very happy as well as very exhausted.
"Well Ash you've done it." Riley said. "You completed your aura training and I'm proud to have had you as my student. But don't stop practicing your aura even while you're traveling on a journey."
"I didn't stop practicing my psychic powers, so I have no intention of stopping practice with my aura." Ash responded.
"Now Ash, I have something for you." Riley said.
His Lucario presented a blue and black Pokemon egg to him.
"Ash, this is a Riolu egg. Riolu is the pre-evolved form of Lucario. It was left for me to take care of, but I already have a Lucario so I'm giving it to you. I know you'll take good care of it." 
Ash was left speechless that he was getting a Pokemon that evolved into Lucario, but he immediately accepted the egg.
Suddenly, as soon as he held the egg, it glowed and hatched. A small black and blue Pokemon with floppy ears and a small yellow collar appeared in Ash's arms; this was a Riolu. The baby Pokemon woke up and saw him.
"Hi." Ash smiled.
The baby Riolu huddled in his arms.
'Papa.' It said. 
It spoke to Ash telepathically. 
'My name is Ash, Riolu and I'm your trainer.' Ash telepathically replied.
He and Riolu had quickly bonded because of their aura. Pikachu, Shinx, Piplup and Budew were happy they had a new Pokemon friend. Ash had a spare empty Poke Ball he received from Queen Ilene and used it to catch Riolu. So Ash now had four Pokemon from the Sinnoh region.
Now that Ash's aura training was over, he could return to Kanto. 
"Thanks for letting me stay in the castle and training me." He told Queen Ilene, Jenny and Riley. 
"Well Ash, I'll be returning to Sinnoh." Riley said. "And since you're going to Sinnoh shortly, I'll see you there."
"I have a feeling we will." Ash said.
"See you later." Riley said goodbye to everyone. 
He and Lucario then left to head back to Sinnoh.
"Later." Ash said goodbye as well.
He and Pikachu got ready to return to Kanto.
Now there was nothing stopping him from continuing his journey.