The Aura - Ch. V: Classroom Demonstration

Leaves were swaying in the trees. Bird-types were chirping their songs to the skies. The sound of a small creek echoed across the small clearing. The Pokémon laying on the ground in the middle of it opened its eyes. Everything was blurry and out of focus. "Where...?" it said, shutting its eyes again and rubbing its throbbing head. Resting for another minute or so, the headache went away, and the Pokémon was able to keep its eyes open with clear vision.

It saw the blue sky and the leaves on the trees. "Where am I?" it said aloud. The Pokémon tried to remember how it'd gotten to be on the ground, but its memory seemed to be failing it.

"Why... why can't I remember anything?!" it shouted, sitting up a little too quickly. Dots popped in the Pokémon's eyes. It rubbed its eyes with its hands for just a few moments before it stopped. I moved its hands away from its face and stared. They were small, orange, and had claws.

The Pokémon quickly looked itself over. Clawed feet, flaming tail, all orange and scaled. There was no doubt - it was a Charmander.

"I'm a Pokémon," it said, starting to freak out. "But why?! I can't remember anything... Oh, no, what now?!" The Charmander started breathing deeply to calm itself.

<I need to move,> the Charmander thought. <Towards some civilization.>

The Charmander stood. "Man, I can't even remember my name... What is going on?" It looked around.

It looked like there was a very large and menacing-looking mountain to its left. It definitely wouldn't be going that way. The Charmander turned its head to the right instead, where there was a sign hanging on a tree. The Charmander moved closer and read it.

"Serene Village - Three hours to the right! Come visit our quiet scenery and have a stop at our branch of Café Connection!"

"Three whole hours?!" it exclaimed. "I've got to make it on my own with no memory of where I am or who I am for three hours before I can reach a village?!" The Charmander sighed. "Guess I'd better get going." It turned to the right of the sign and began walking. "Maybe I can get some help in the village or-"

The Charmander was tackled to the ground by a sudden force from the left. "Ow..." it said. "What's going-"

The Charmander looked up and saw a blue body standing over him. It had a large snout, bright turquoise eyes, and plenty of sharp teeth. "Sorry!" it said, extending its claws to help the Charmander up. The Charmander took the new creature's hand and stood up. The Charmander stared in awe. It was a Pokémon! A Pokémon was talking to it!

"Look, I need to get back to Serene Village," the blue Pokémon said. "You wanna help me?"

"Yeah," the Charmander said. "I was just heading there myself, as a matter of fact."

"Great! Let's go," the blue Pokémon replied. "I'm Dilus. A Totodile, obviously. You're a Charmander by the looks of you... what's your name?"

"I..." the Charmander struggled for a second. <What do I do?! I can't just outright tell him I'm a human who can't remember their name, can I?!> Eventually the Charmander decided to tell the truth. It wouldn't help to lie, anyway.

"Well, actually, I don't-"

A loud branch snap from behind the pair shook them with fear. "Never mind! Introductions later! We have to get out of here!" Dilus cried.

"What?!" the Charmander cried.

"Just follow me! Quickly!" Dilus shouted back, sprinting in one direction. The Charmander followed, not daring to look behind it.

Eventually, the stomping faded, and the pair stopped to catch their breath. "What... was... that?!" the Charmander asked between breathes.

"Oh... just an Emboar whose Berry trees I may have tried to steal from," Dilus replied. "He won't bother us. He can't stand to be a hundred feet from his fields." Dilus waited a few seconds before speaking again. "So, anyway... what were you going to tell me?"

The Charmander froze, still drawing breath intensely. "Uh, well... I'm not sure you'd believe me."

"Aw, don't give me that!" chuckled Dilus. "I've seen lots of weird things in my time! This can't be that crazy."

<Just you wait,> the Charmander thought. "Well... Okay. I am not a Pokémon."

"What do you mean?" Dilus asked. "You look like a Charmander."

"Well, I wasn't always this way," the Charmander replied. "I used to be a human, but I can't remember anything about my human life. It's like my mind's been erased. I don't know where I am or why I'm here."

Dilus stared at the Charmander. "Really?!" he said.

"Yeah. I know it's pretty hard to believe."

"Yeah, it is, but... not really now that I think about it!"

"Wait, seriously?!"

"Uh-huh! Like I said, this world is weird as it is! It's pretty easy to accept something like this! Did you have a name as a human?"

"Actually, I..." the Charmander began, but stopped. Something came into its mind then - a single word repeated over and over. Could that be its name? HIS name? Now that the Charmander thought about it, its voice DID sound more male...

"My name..." he said, "my name... is Julius."





Apparently the Pokémon world has fashion trends as well.

There were several hats on display when we entered the clothing store. Val looked like she was in heaven. Her black cap did look pretty old and worn-out, so I could see why she was excited to get a new one.

"Which one looks good on me?" Val asked, grabbing two different hats and putting them on. Athena pointed to the first one - an aquamarine one with a wave pattern on it - and said, "that one!"

I actually liked the second hat better. It was blue in the back, with white on the front and a blue Pokéball drawing on it. -<I think the second one looks really good on you,> I told Val.

"The second one does seem more my style... and these kind of Pokéball patterns are totally trending right now."

"That's true!" Athena exclaimed, "Pick that one!" She had forgotten all about the wave-patterned one.

"Alright, I'm getting this one!" said Val, digging into her bag for some Poké. "Woah, I'm running out of cash," she said. "Maybe we need to battle some trainers to earn some more."

"Yeah!" Athena cried.

<Great idea,> I said.

After Val had paid for her new hat, stuffed the old one away and put the new one on, she said, "Alright, let's find some people who want to battle! Where should we start looking?"

<I think the Trainers' School is probably a good place to start,> I suggested.

<The Trainers' School, huh?> Val replied. <Works for me.>

"How about the Trainers' School, Athena?" Val asked.

"Yeah!" Athena answered, radiating with excitement.

Out of the hat store, we passed the Pokémon Center and turned right, walking around the giant stone Roselia fountain, which was pouring water out of the flowers on its arms. Looking in the fountain, I saw several coins of varying sizes.

The Trainers' School was a large, white building, much like the other buildings in Santalune City. It had a maroon roof and two large, green doors. There was a sign posted to the right of the doors that read, "Welcome to the Trainers' School! Brush up on Pokémon basics!"

"Pokémon basics?" Val asked. "What could that mean?" Turning away from the sign she entered the building, Athena jumping on her shoulder and me following behind.

There were shelves of books on either side of us, and further into the school we saw several children walking around what appeared to be a classroom. There was a whiteboard on the other side of the room with lots of notes on it.

"'Status Changes That Occur in Battle'," Val read. "Looks like there's five... Poison, Paralysis, Sleep, Burned, and Frozen. All those can happen to a Pokémon in a single battle?!"

"Well, once another one is added, the previous one is healed," said a small boy about five feet away. He had sandy-blond hair and was dressed in all green. "At least, that's what teacher wants us to remember! It was our lesson today!"

"What do all of them do, specifically? Val asked. I was starting to tune myself out of the conversation. Having played Pokémon extensively, I had memorized all the status conditions and changes, and what moves caused them. I decided to interrupt Val before she got too deep into the conversation.

<Hey, I know all of the status conditions,> I said to her. <I'll teach you about them later.>

<Oh!> she told me back. <How convenient.> "Actually, kid, I've got it covered. Anyway," she spoke louder so everyone could hear, "who wants to battle?"

Everyone in the school turned from Val, to me, then back at Val. The teacher, who I hadn't noticed until then, looked up from his desk. "Battle?" he asked. "I don't think anyone could win against your Lucario you've got there!"

<Say you're training Athena,> I told Val.

"Apollo," she said, gesturing to me, "isn't the one competing today. Instead, we have Athena!"

Athena jumped from Val's shoulder and landed on the ground, twirling around and giving a "ta-da" pose. Everyone clapped, and Athena gave a smug look back at Val, who was smiling broadly.

"Well, in that case," the teacher stood. "Who would like to volunteer to battle this young lady's Froakie here?"

About half the class raised their hands and cried, "Me!" or "I do!" The teacher seemed a bit overwhelmed, but after a little while he said, "Alright, alright, calm yourselves. Kevin, how about you?"

"Really?! Sweet!" the little boy named Kevin cried. He walked to the other side of the room. The other kids moved the desks out of the way to make room for the coming battle. "Good luck, whatever your name is!" Kevin said, reaching in his back pocket for a Poké ball.

"Same to you, Kevin," Val said. "And the name's Val. Now Athena, show 'em what you're made of!"

Athena sprinted towards the center of the room. Several cheers echoed across the room as she did so. "This is going to be great!" Athena cried, standing about ten feet away from Val. I had to remind myself that everyone else in the room would hear "Kie! Froa-kie!"

Kevin thrust the fist that held the Poké ball up in the air, exclaiming, "Alright, Espurr! You've got this!" He tossed the Poké ball at the ground, which exploded in blue light to reveal a small, gray Pokémon. It had large ears that covered its head and pink eyes.

"Let's do this!" the Espurr said. Man, hearing other Pokémon talk wasn't going to be easy to get used to.

"So what rules are we using?" Val asked.

"Standard single-battle," Kevin said. "Wager?"

"You're asking me to make a wager?" Val said, surprised. She quickly checked her money pouch. "Um... let's say 400 Poké!"

The class 'ooh'ed.

"If I win?" Kevin asked. "Alright. I'll wager... 650. If you can win."

The class 'ooh'ed even louder. The teacher looked extremely surprised that a child would bring that much money to school.

"Deal," Val said, also shocked. "You can move first."

"Alright. Let's go!" Kevin cried. I could almost imagine the Kalos trainer battle music starting to play. It began playing in my head. It took me a while to realize that it wasn't just in my head - someone had started playing the song on a mini-speaker.

"Espurr, use Confusion!"

"On it!" the Espurr cried, its eyes beginning to glow. A wave of Psychic energy blasted across the room, striking Athena and sending her flying. She hit the wall and landed on the ground. She got up, wounded, but still able to fight.

Val pointed at the Espurr. "Water Gun, Athena!" she yelled. Athena immediately complied, shooting a small torrent of water that moved too quickly for the Espurr to dodge. It was knocked to the ground and didn't get up for a few seconds, and when it did, it looked absolutely winded. There were cheers and clapping all around the room.

I smiled to myself. Athena had actually used my tip!

Kevin seemed unfazed. "Hypnosis, Espurr!" he called. Espurr's eyes once again glowed, and circles of Psychic energy came at Athena.

"Dodge!" Val cried. Athena jumped out of the way just in time. "Counter with Tackle!"

Athena bounded over to Espurr and slammed into her, sending her flying back into Kevin's arms. They both fell onto the ground. There was silence in the room as everyone looked over at Kevin and his defeated Pokémon.

"Urgh..." Kevin said, setting Espurr down on the ground. She got up, obviously too tired to use another move. "Man, what a rush..." continued Kevin as he stood.

<You did it,> I told Val. <Congratulations!>

<I know! I'm so excited!> Val replied. "Great job, Athena! We did it!"

"Hurray!" Athena cried, out of breath. Val bent down and caught Athena as she flew into her arms.

The teacher stepped into the center of the room. "That was an amazing battle, you two!" he said. "Now Kevin, I believe you owe this young lady some money."

"Yeah," Kevin said. He reached into his pocket and withdrew six large coins and five small ones. Walking up to Val, he said, "That was a fair battle. You did awesome! I wish I could train my Pokémon like you!"

Val accepted the money, putting it in her bag. "Thanks!" she replied. "Your Espurr is really great too!"

"Well, you'd better get to a Pokémon Center," the teacher said to Val. "Your Froakie looks in need of healing."

Val put Athena on her shoulder. "Yeah, thanks. We'll be going now."

"Wait!" Kevin yelled. "Can... can I see what your Lucario can do?"

I stopped my exit from the building and turned around. Kevin was beaming up at me in amazement. "He looks so strong!" he added. "I'd bet his moves are just as powerful!"

Val turned around as well. "Yeah, they are!" she exclaimed. "Do you have a target we could use?"

"Here, use one of the desks," the teacher said, dragging a smaller desk into the middle of the class. "We're getting replacements in a few days anyway."

"Wow..." Val remarked. "O-okay, um... Apollo, you ready?"

I turned to Val and nodded. <What move? I'm thinking Aura Sphere.>

<That sounds great,> Val replied. "Alright, Apollo, show them what you've got! Aura Sphere!"

Once again I put my palms together and drew them apart slowly, letting the aura channel through my paws. I charged my Aura Sphere for a bit longer than I normally did, mostly just for style. The blue light from the ball filled the whole room with a bright glow. After a few more seconds I released the ball of aura, throwing it at the desk. As soon as it made contact the desk blew apart, flying back into the whiteboard.

The room erupted in claps and cheers once again. "That was brilliant!" the teacher exclaimed. "You've got a marvelous Lucario!"

"Thanks so much," Val said, smiling timidly. "We've really got to get going."

"Thanks for demonstrating your Pokémon," the teacher replied. "You'll have no problem taking on the gym here. Have a wonderful day!"

"You too!" Val turned, and I followed her out of the school.

<That was interesting,> I said to Val.

<Yeah,> she replied. <At least you got to blow up a desk.>

<That WAS pretty fun.>

"Well," Val said, turning towards me. "How about we head over to the Pokémon Center?"

"I need it..." Athena said, grimacing as she touched what I assumed was a sore spot on her left arm.

Val looked at Athena and nodded. "Let's get you there, then." She started to jog towards the large, blue Pokémon Center. We went around towards the front of the building and passed through the automatic sliding glass doors.

Inside, the layout was exactly the same as in the video games. There was a waiting area to the left with black couches and magazines. The entrance to a changing room was close by there, I knew. On the right were a few tables, bookshelves, and the entrance to the Poké Mart. In the very center sat a counter, with a nurse behind it, and a gigantic TV display above her. She was trying to repair a machine that was connected to the TV. I recognized it as the one you could place Poké balls on top of and have the Pokémon inside of them healed.

The nurse looked up as we walked in. "Welcome to the Pokémon Center!" she said, as happily as I could've imagined a Pokémon nurse being. "Are your Pokémon in need of care?"

"Just Athena here," Val said, lowering her shoulder and letting Athena step down onto the countertop. The nurse looked her over for a second. "Just some typical battle wounds," she explained. "A Potion and a Max Elixir should do the trick."

She reached under the counter and grabbed a purple spray bottle and a tan jar of liquid. She set the jar on the counter and sprayed Athena with the potion. Athena immediately relaxed. The nurse tossed the Potion away and grabbed the Max Elixir. She handed the huge jar to Athena, who popped off the top with ease and drank the contents.

"She's all healed up," the nurse said, throwing the jar away. "Thanks for coming! We hope to see you again!" She turned back to the machine again.

"Have a nice day," Val replied, letting Athena, who looked completely rested, jump onto her shoulder.

By the time we were out of the Pokémon Center, the sun was high in the sky, almost directly above Santalune City. "You think we have time to challenge the Gym?" Val asked us.

"Yeah!" Athena answered.

<It shouldn't take very long,> I replied.

"Great, let's go! To the Gym!" Val said, throwing a fist into the air.

I was seriously loving the strategy I had come up with - Val would ask a question aloud, Athena would respond, I'd respond back in thought, and everyone around us would think that Athena was the only one who would answer. It was a brilliant way to disguise my identity. Complicated, but brilliant.

<You know where the Gym is?> Val asked me.

<It's to the right of the Trainers' School,> I replied.

Val began to walk back towards the Trainers' School, but turned right before she got to it. As soon as I saw the building down the road, I could tell it was the Pokémon Gym. It was yellow and black, just like I remember in Pokémon X. There was a girl, dressed in the same colors, standing there. She was wearing a helmet and a pair of roller skates that matched her outfit.

"Hey!" Val shouted to her. "This is the Gym, right?"

"Yeah!" Roller-skate-girl shouted back. "Gym leader's inside! She'll be happy to have a challenger for once!"

<She hasn't had a challenger for a while?> I said to myself. <That's a bit... odd.>

<Hey Apollo?> Val asked me. <Can you explain status effects to me real quick? Let's go behind a building so no one can hear us talking.>

<Alright.>

We walked behind the building on the right of the Gym. We were in a quiet spot, so we wouldn't be heard. I explained as quickly as possible - I was as excited to enter the Gym as Val was. Both she and Athena listened intently.

"Okay... there are five. Poisoned, Paralyzed, Burned, Asleep, and Frozen. I'll give a brief summary of each," I began.

"Poisoned. A Pokémon that's Poisoned takes damage over time. It can be cured with an Antidote or Pecha Berry.

"When a Pokémon is Paralyzed, its Speed stat is lowered, and it may not be able to use moves. Use a Cheri Berry or Paralyze Heal to reverse it.

"In the Burned status, a Pokémon will take damage over time. Their Attack is lowered as well. Rawst Berries or Burn Heals will cure a Burn.

"If a Pokémon falls Asleep, it can't use moves. It'll wake up after a while, but you should probably heal it with a Chesto Berry or an Awakening.

"Getting Frozen is probably the worst out of all of these and is also the most uncommon - a Pokémon can't use moves or held items. It's pretty much helpless. It will thaw out on its own eventually or after a Fire-Type move is used on it. You can also use an Ice Heal or an Aspear Berry to quickly thaw it out."

Val looked stunned. "Wow... I'm really surprised you know all of that!"

"Yeah," I replied, also surprised. I couldn't believe I remembered all of that. "Me too."

"Let's get going," Val suggested. "Our first Gym battle... are we ready?"

"Totally!" Athena replied.

"Whenever you are," I answered.

"Great," Val said, stepping away from me and walking out from behind the building. "Let's go meet the Gym leader!"





"Did you see the report we got from our field agents, sir?! Her Lucario talks!"

"Yes, you dolt, I did see it. There's no question about it now... the Lucario is definitely not native to our world."

"But what do we do? What brought him here?!"

"Patience, friend. It's too well guarded by that girl. Our agents reported that, also. We need to separate them, somehow. I'll have someone start to work on that. As for who brought it here, well... I have some idea. Meanwhile, all we can do is wait."

"Yes, sir... waiting is what I've trained to do... that, and assassination."