The Journey of Aura was my first ever attempt at proper writing and the beginning chapters have gone through multiple revisions because my writing would continue to improve as I went. Seeing as I was only 17 and had never done writing to this degree before, I had literally no experience with even the most basic writing techniques. This lack of knowledge inevitably caused issues with consistency and even character development.

Long story short: I was a dumbass.

Time for the journey to begin.

Chapter 1

The morning sun shined bright as the beautiful sounds of chirping birds filled the air. It was a peaceful day and the perfect day for one young boy's destiny to finally come to light.

In the quaint little town of Vaniville, a seventeen year old boy slept soundly in his bed. His bedroom door opened wide as a tall woman stepped inside. She approached the boy and cleared her throat.

"Aura. It's time to get up." Darlene said. Aura just groaned and rolled over. Darlene huffed with her hands on her hips. She grabbed hold of the blankets and gave it a forceful tug. "Come on! Get out of bed!" Aside from making him let out another tired groan, removing the blanket had no effect on her sleeping son. Pinching the bridge of her nose, the woman sighed. "Aura, I told you not to stay up so late. Get up now or you'll miss your bus to Lumiose City."

Aura let out one more tired groan before slowly rising from the sheets with a loud yawn. "Okay, okay, Mom. I'm getting up." He groggily told her as he rubbed his eyes.

Darlene crossed her arms. "Good. Now hurry up and get ready. Your breakfast is waiting for you downstairs." She affirmed before turning around and leaving her son to get ready.

Once his mom was out of the room, Aura reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his glasses. He got out of bed and walked to the nearby dresser to retrieve the clothes he prepared last night before heading down the hallway to the bathroom.

As Aura entered the clean white room and closed the door behind himself, he set his clothes down near the sink and glanced at himself in the mirror. His light brown hair was a mess and could certainly use a wash while his deep, vibrant blue eyes had faint bags underneath from his often fluctuating sleep schedule. "Gonna have to change my habits while on the road." He muttered as he turned to the bathtub and began the shower. Only wearing his boxers to bed, Aura set his glasses on the counter before dropping his shorts and stepping into the water to wash up.

With his shower out of the way and fresh clothes on his back, Aura quickly went back to his room to grab his backpack and shoes. On his way out though, he took one last look at his room before sighing contently and closing the door. Aura hurried back down the hall and quickly descended the stairs to the wide open room containing the living room, dining room and the kitchen where his mother stood by the counters. Next to the dinner table Aura snickered as their Growlithe sat happily crunching on some Pokefood.

As he approached, the dog flicked her ears and turned her head. She finished the food in her maw and greeted the boy with a short bark and a swish of her fluffly tail. "Good morning~!"

Aura dropped his bag behind one of the chairs and crouched down before the Growlithe. "Morning to you too, Kibbs." He greeted happily whilst scratching the dog's chin and behind her left ear, feeling her push her head farther into his hand from the affection. Aura laughed and moved to sit at the table where his mother had set a plate for him. "Thank you, Mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie." She replied while coming to sit down with a plate of her own. "So do you have any thoughts on which Pokemon you'll be choosing as your starter? There are a lot of strong Pokemon here in Kalos that could do well in the League Challenge."

Aura paused with his fork at his mouth. "What kind of Pokemon I get as my partner doesn't matter. I can't really plan for that kind of stuff when we might not even click together. How many times have I said why I'm even entering the League? When I'm picking out my partner for this, I want to actually feel like we can connect."

"Like how you connected with the wild Pokemon back in Johto?" Kibbs asked. As Aura turned to face the dog, Darlene gave an uncertain look towards the puppy that her son couldn't see.

An odd feeling of relief came over the woman as Aura just shrugged in response. "Almost. But I'm talking about the bond between a trainer and their Pokemon more than just as a kid with a few special friends." He laughed. "No, I plan to use my talent of understanding Pokemon to actually talk with the Pokemon at the lab and see if any of them want to go with me."

Darlene sighed deeply and caught her son's attention. "Aura, I know how you feel about catching Pokemon by force and all because we can understand them better than other people. But even you know how dangerous it can be out there. Not all Pokemon will want to just talk over a dispute."

Aura sulked a little and nodded. "Yeah, I know. I'm not ignorant to the way nature works." He shoveled the last bit of food into his mouth before bringing his plate to the sink. "Unlike the games and cartoons, Pokemon can be a lot more dangerous out in the wild if you aren't willing to fight back. Survival of the fittest out there."

Both Kibbs and Darlene nodded. "I can vouch for that personally." Kibbs said. "Although the territory I lived in was a lot more peaceful because of how close it was to town, we still had our fair share of incidents. I was never too happy with having to hunt other Pokemon to survive on occasions, but it was necessary. At least unlike other pack Pokemon like Houndour, my kind has some honour when we hunt."

Aura jokingly rolled his eyes. "Again, I know. Never pick on those who can't defend themselves." Kibbs nodded in approval. "How many times do we have to go over this stuff anyways? Should I just start listing off everything else you taught me about surviving in the wild or do you have enough faith in me?" He asked sarcastically with a smirk.

"Don't sass me, boy." Kibbs retorted in a similar manner. "You know we trust that you understand. We just want you to be safe out there is all, and actually think about your actions before you run recklessly into the middle of a pack war."

He nodded seriously. "I know. I've been preparing for this day for years." He ducked down and embraced the caring Pokemon he's seen as his second mother for many years. Kibbs sighed quietly and lifted one of her paws against his side in her own way of returning the hug. "I need to get going now. I'll call you guys once I have officially become a trainer." He told them reassuringly.

Aura pulled away from Kibbs and slung his bag over his shoulder. "I wish you would have bought a new phone at least with the money you saved up." Darlene told her son while giving him a farewell hug as well.

"I know, Mom. But who knows how long a normal cellphone would last on the road."

She rubbed his head before the two separated. "Well if you save up enough from your Trainer Allowance then be sure to at least look into it." Aura assured her he would keep an eye out and started towards the front door with Kibbs and Darlene following him outside. They watched as the boy they raised was finally heading out on his own to take on one of their world's greatest tests of skill. As Aura traveled down the road towards the gates of town, he was unaware of the true test that awaited him, a test of great importance to the world around him.

"Good luck my child." A woman dressed in a silver robe whispered from behind a nearby tree. "Let us all hope you are truly ready to finally follow and accept your destiny." A sudden breeze blew through the surrounding forest with the strange woman vanishing without a trace while the boy she spoke of continued along none the wiser.

The distance between Vaniville Town and Aquacorde Town was significantly shorter than any other route across the entire Kalos Region, taking only around twenty to thirty minutes when traveling on foot. You could easily see the neighboring town across the straight path while standing at the other's gates.

Despite his leisurely pace, it didn't take Aura much longer than expected to arrive in Aquacorde, and to then find himself stood at the top of a wide set of stairs overlooking the town's bustling plaza. All along the edges, Aura could see dozens of shops and stalls set up selling various kinds products. Across the plaza stood the large bridge connecting the town to the nearby forest where many new trainers go to train, and the areas near the main roads through the dense foliage were home to almost exclusively weaker Pokemon such as Caterpie and Scatterbug. Although the Pokemon living closer to these roads had shown countless times they have no intention of attacking people unprovoked, there have been some reports of Pokemon who had wandered in from the more dense areas attacked people traveling through the woods.

Aura took a deep breath and hoisted his bag up. "Alright, I've come here to go shopping quite a few times but never really explored much." Aura headed down to the plaza and approached a large board stood up near the fountain displaying a full map of the town and all of it's facilities. "Let's see… Ah, that's why I never noticed the bus station, it's farther down the river." Now that he knew where he was going, Aura made haste in the direction of the bus station.

Just as he was about to round a corner, he could hear things clattering against the sidewalk followed by someone cursing loudly. Aura slowed his pace and looked around curiously, spotting a boy no older than himself wearing an orange shirt and brown shorts crouched down on the sidewalk picking up items that seemed to have been spilled out everywhere. He could faintly hear the boy swearing under his breath as he frantically gathered the items.

Aura bit his lip for a second in sympathy for the stranger's accident. "Hey?" Aura decided to call out as he noticed a Pokeball rolling towards him. The boy turned around and watched Aura approach with the empty ball in his hand. "Need some help here?"

The stranger sighed in relief and nodded. "Yeah, thanks." Aura handed the boy his Pokeball back and started to help retrieve the dropped items safely.

"I'm guessing you're a trainer?" Aura asked as he noticed the assortment of standard supplies needed for such a thing. The boy sighed and explained he was actually just about to start his own journey when a wild Zigzagoon had rushed under his foot and tripped him. Aura didn't know if it was a just coincidence or not that the two of them had crossed paths, but Aura was quick to add in his own status as a new trainer too. "So I assume you were also heading to the bus station?"

He nodded while returning the last few bottles of medicine to his satchel and snapping it shut. "Yeah. Anyway, I really appreciate the help here." The boy slung the satchel over his shoulders and double checked it was secured properly this time.

"No problem. Lucky for you I'm not an asshole." Aura joked.

The boy snickered as Aura picked up his backpack. "Hey," he said, "since we're both heading to Lumiose City, it wouldn't hurt to travel together for a while. Honestly I could probably use the company." He chuckled awkwardly.

Aura shrugged and gestured for him to follow, "Well then let's get going." He received a nod from the stranger and they hurried down the road to catch their bus. On the way, the stranger had introduced himself as Daniel Sanlow, noting he had just turned sixteen a few weeks prior and only recently had his Trainer License approved.

In the distance they heard a light ping as an announcement came from the bus station. "Attention all passengers. The last bus for Lumiose City will be departing in five minutes. Please make sure your tickets are ready for boarding." Panic rose within the boys as they both realized neither of them had pre-purchased a ticket.

"Shit. I didn't think it took us that long to pick up my stuff!" Dan exclaimed as they both raced towards the station.

"We can make it! Let's just hope there's not a huge line at the ticket booths!" Aura said as the blue building came into view.

They rushed through the doors and cursed as every ticket booth had a line in front of them, so practically tripping over themselves while rushing to the shortest line, Aura and Dan anxiously waited for their turn worried the bus would leave before they even got their tickets. However, with a major stroke of luck they both managed to purchase their tickets and sprint out to their bus with less than a minute to spare.

The two of them slumped into an open seat breathing heavily as the bus's engine roared to life. "I think I dropped a lung back there." Dan wheezed. He looked over to his new companion curiously. "You don't look very worn out."

Aura huffed heavily. "I am a little, but I spent time exercising for when I started traveling. Hahh~ Looks like it paid off a little." He panted. Aura wiped his bangs off his sweaty forehead and took off his glasses for a moment to wipe them clean.

As they took off down the road, a quiet intercom pinged on throughout the compartment. The voice explained the trip would be roughly eight hours with a short rest stop in Santalune City so they should be arriving in Lumiose around early evening. Once the voice cut off, Dan figured they may as well become better acquainted if they intend to travel together, problem was they seemed to be having trouble breaking the ice.

The silence between them eventually ended as Dan dug through his disorganized bag and pulled out a textbook and held it up. "You interested in medical stuff at all?" He asked.

Aura took the textbook and flipped it open to find it was full of medical remedies and procedures all focused around Pokemon. "So you're studying to be a Pokemon Doctor?" Dan scratched his cheek and nodded.

"Yeah. My uncle runs a pharmacy and sells a lot of his remedies to the nearby PokeCenter. His garden is full of different kinds of berries and herbs." Dan flipped through a few pages enthusiastically and stopped with his finger pressed hard against the page. "You know about Revival Herbs? They're really rare and pretty hard to actually grow efficiently." A proud grin spread across his face. "Well, my uncle found a way to properly cultivate them and can grow enough to keep his pharmacy almost fully stocked all year!"

"Whoa, even when I found some growing in the wild it was never more than one or two hands full." Aura said in amazement. Really he didn't fully understand much of what Dan had just explained, but it was commonly known the potent herb was in fact very valuable in large quantities and most pharmacies would run out of stock every couple weeks. Aura closed and returned the textbook to Dan. "Probably safe to assume he got you started on wanting to become a doctor?"

Dan shrugged and glanced away somberly. "Sort of. But I'm doing it because of someone else…" He shook his head and perked up. "Sorry, just kind of a difficult subject. Anyway, now I'm curious about your reason. You taking on the Gym Challenge?"

Brushing off the previous subject, Aura nodded with a small grin. "Yeah, but it's kind of for an absurdly cliche reason though." Dan snickered and ushered for Aura to continue. "I obviously want to enter and win the Kalos League, but really I couldn't care less for the fame or the prizes. It's not easy to explain without a random monologue, but I just want to show the world that Pokemon are so much smarter than people give them credit for."

Dan crossed his arms and nodded. "Oh I can believe that. Too many people refuse to acknowledge their Pokemon's own needs and stuff."

"And not only that some people treat them like they're nothing more than a dumb animal or just a tool." Aura clenched his fist as he recalled all the Pokemon he had witnessed being beaten and tossed aside for reasons they couldn't control. "So many Pokemon are pushed too much and aren't even treated well, so when they lose a battle or two they just get abandoned because of their trainer's own damn stupidity." Aura's voice slightly grew in volume. "So many of them aren't even given a proper chance to show off their true potential because some people are too ignorant or self-centered to realize it…"

Dan urged for Aura to calm down a little. "I couldn't agree with you more, but at least the League has made laws to punish a lot of that kind of stuff."

Aura sighed. "I know, but it still happens too often… People are so obsessed with being at the top so much that if their Pokemon make one simple mistake then they'd just abandon it for something immediately stronger. But for fuck sake, they don't even give them a chance!" He nearly shouted. "I've seen a Weedle fend off against a Pidgeot for crying out loud! But would anyone give that Weedle a chance to prove itself? Probably not… So many Pokemon go unappreciated because everyone is too focused on picking only the highest tier Pokemon…" Aura took a few breaths to calm himself before having another breakdown over his personal ideals. "Sorry… Anyway, I just… I really want to show how wrong it is to neglect Pokemon just because of their stats or something. And I believe that by even making it far enough into the League to earn a little recognition then maybe I can get my point across."

Finished with his over-the-top ranting, Aura looked over to see Dan looking back at him surprised. Aura forced an awkward smile and chuckled, thinking he went overboard and ruined his new friendship already. However he was stunned to find Dan show a fire in his eyes and a serious expression took over. "You've got so much passion for this it's actually almost inspiring."

Aura turned away shyly. "Really? Honestly I never hung out with people much as a kid. I spent most of my time with the wild Pokemon living in the area."

Dan pumped his fist. "Dude you make me envy your determination. Now I'm even more grateful for that Zigzagoon." Dan's excitement radiated onto Aura with both of them beaming with anticipation. "I'm really looking forward to our journey together. So let's make it worthwhile." With another determined pump of his fist, Dan and Aura solidified their new companionship with a quick fist bump.

With many more hours until they arrive in Lumiose, Aura and Dan passed the time with some more small talk and discussing more of their interests, almost all of which revolved around their love for Pokemon.

As predicted, their bus finally arrived in Lumiose City that evening with the sun nearing the horizon. During the trip Dan had mentioned he needed to stop by his uncle's pharmacy once they reached the city, so as they stepped off the bus the two had parted ways for now with plans to meet up at the Pokemon Center.

Thankfully the bus station was only a ten minute walk from the lab, so Aura made good time reaching the expansive structure and walked up to the entrance. Unbeknownst to him; however, this was not only where his destiny would finally align with its other half, but their very souls would share a special bond unforeseen by destiny and by themselves.

As he approached the tall wooden doors polished to a reflective sheen, Aura noticed a brass plate engraved on the left door welcoming visitors to enter as they please. Below that, however, a comedic little sign was laminated and hung from a small brass hook to inform those same visitors to please remain within the lobby until a member of staff would see to them.

Taking word for the sign engraved within the door itself, Aura pushed his way inside and shut the doors behind him. The moment he stepped into the massive foyer he heard a small ping that he assumed would let someone know he was there, following context from the second sign outside. Just as expected, a woman with dark indigo hair quickly walked in from one of the left-side hallways. "Ah, might I assume you are here to see the Professor?" She asked while taking a phone out of her lab coat pocket. Before Aura could respond, the woman had pulled up a file showing all the new trainers planning to arrive during the week. "Aura Borealis, is it?" He nodded, not hearing her jokingly mutter to herself how it sounds oddly similar to the northern lights. The lab assistant put her phone away briskly headed back through the hall she came from, informing Aura to wait here for the Professor.

Now standing alone in the well decorated room, Aura noticed a large window along one of the walls. Following his curiosity, he approached the window to find an enormous habitat thriving, with many different species of Pokemon living within. As he stood in awe at the majesty of such a variety of different Pokemon coexisting together so peacefully, his gaze had soon become almost magnetized to a nearby bush that had no distinctive features that would ever draw his attention so strongly; but in actuality, his eyes had been draw to the barely visible Pokemon quietly sitting under the leaves with a few Pecha berries next to it.

As if the Pokemon somehow new he was looking at it, the Fennekin stopped mid bite of its snack and very shyly turned to face him directly. The instant their gazes met, Aura swore on his life he notices a very subtle purple hue flash over its left eye, with the colour quickly fading into a vibrant blue like that of his own eyes. Meanwhile, Fennekin had seen the same thing occur over the strange human's right eye, except when the purple faded away it had left a scarlet red gloss instead. Although this odd occurrence felt much longer to them, it barely lasted for more than a second in reality and their eyes faded back to their normal colours almost instantly. Either way, it didn't matter how long their eyes had changed colour, because the moment their eyes met one another, they both felt something deep within themselves like never before. They were stunned in awe and shock from the indescribable sensation that sparked to life within their very souls. Neither of them had yet realized what this all meant, nor what effects it had on their futures, but none of that concerned them at all as they felt more reassured and secure than ever before in their lives.

Both sides had snapped out of their stupor simultaneously. Fennekin stepped closer to the glass separating the two while Aura kneeled down in turn. In unison, they both slowly reached out to touch the glass, but as footsteps could be heard coming from the hallway, Fennekin froze in place with its large ears suddenly perking up before quickly flattening back timidly.

With the footsteps growing louder, Fennekin gingerly retreated away from the glass, however it didn't go far and wasn't actually trying to hide itself. It was strange, but despite its outward appearance showing fear, Aura could sense it still felt somewhat safe. Aura finally looked to the source of the footsteps and saw a man with wavy black hair, wearing an open lab coat over his dark blue dress shit and black slacks. The man appeared to be at least in his mid-forties, yet still had the complexion of a young adult aside from some scruff on his chin and a few very faint wrinkles under his eyes. He greeted Aura enthusiastically with his arms outstretched.

"Ah! Bonjour, good sir! I'm sure you already know, but I am Professor Augustine Sycamore." Professor Sycamore place a hand on his chest and briefly bowed. "And you are mister Aura Borealis, no? Here to get your first Pokemon?"

Aura nodded. "Yeah. Sorry for being so late though. I had to take the bus from Aquacorde Town."

Sycamore waved his hand. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. Many new trainers arrive in the evening due to long travels." He rubbed his chin for a moment. "Speaking of Aquacorde, however, did you by chance happen to meet a young boy by the name of Daniel Sanlow on your way here? He is scheduled to arrive today as well." Aura explained the two had ridden the bus together, although Dan had something else to do first once they reached the city. "Ah, understandable. Now, perhaps we should get down to business and let you choose your new partner?"

"I've already decided on who I would like." Aura immediately said and looked back towards the timid Fennekin. "That Fennekin. I would like for them to be my partner."

Sycamore cocked his head for a moment then looked at the fox a bit unsure. "Well, that Fennekin in particular has some... difficulties, so to speak. She refuses to go near any humans and only lets other Pokemon come close to it on very rare occasions."

Aura gazed at the timid fox somberly. "Do you know why?"

Sycamore frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's an unpleasant story, really. You see, she was found a few years ago by some of our field workers out in a nearby forest." He bit his lip with a heavy sigh. "When they brought her back, they explained hearing gunshots in the distance and by the time they got to where they heard them, they found this little one crying beside a pair of Delphox, a female and an oddly coloured male. Both had taken gunshots to their chests and were dead by the time they were discovered…" Aura felt a horrible knot form in is stomach as his expression froze in shock. Sycamore hesitantly continued the story. "After they managed to get Fennekin off of them and under some control, they brought her back along with the bodies. We spent years trying to rehabilitate and help Fennekin cope with her loss, but we couldn't do much ourselves. She's made plenty of progress, but to this day she doesn't let anyone come close." Sycamore glanced over to Aura and saw him staring intensely at Fennekin with the Pokemon staring right back. "This, however, is quite the anomaly…" He muttered.

"Professor." Aura said sternly. "If you think I can just sit here and pick any other Pokemon after knowing what Fennekin had to go through, then think again." He turned to face Sycamore with more determination and will than any trainer he'd ever seen in his many years as a professor. "Before you came, Fennekin and I, we… we both felt something the moment we saw each other. I think- no, I know that Fennekin and I are meant to be partners."

Sycamore recoiled in surprise from the sudden burst of passion shown by the young trainer. Taking a moment to compose himself, Sycamore took a glance at Fennekin and almost lost his composure once again as he saw a similar, yet very faint determination to be with this trainer in her own eyes. "An anomaly…" He whispered again. Resting his hands in his coat pockets, Sycamore signed. "You and her really belong together?" He turned and placed a keycard against a scanner beside a nearby door that instantly slid open. "Then I wish you the best of luck. Both of you." Aura nodded as his expression softened again. He walked into the expansive habitat and approached Fennekin slowly. To Sycamore's surprise, Fennekin actually began to approach Aura, although she still showed much hesitation in her movements, it was obvious that she felt the need to be with this trainer just as well. "Perhaps they really were meant for each other." He muttered as he walked towards a nearby room, leaving Aura and Fennekin to finally come together at last.

Aura reached down to pick up the fox, and despite her moment of hesitation, she allowed him to place his hands under her forelegs and hoist her into his arms. She shivered fearfully despite finally feeling truly safe secure around a human for the first time in years. As she gazed into Aura's vibrant blue eyes, something clicked within the back of her subconscious, she didn't understand what it was, but it made her happy to just be in his arms as if she had been waiting for him, and only him, for all these years.

As Aura carried his new Pokemon back out of the enclosure, Sycamore began to approach them with a metallic tray in his hands. Seeing the Professor coming closer, Fennekin suddenly began pushing her face further into Aura's chest to hide, surprising the trainer carrying her. "It seems you two really must be meant for each other if you're able to carry Fennekin so easily." Sycamore commented as he briefly shut the door with his keycard before holding out the small tray with a Pokedex and five Pokeballs on it. "Since you already had your Trainer ID registered back in Johto, I was able to link your data to your Pokedex and the Pokeballs for you. But when you buy more you will have to link them yourself." As Aura took the Pokeballs and clipped them to his belt while stuffing the Pokedex into his pocket, Sycamore pulled another Pokeball from his lab coat and placed it into the trainer's hand. "And since she seems more comfortable with you then anyone here at the lab. Here's Fennekin's Pokeball. Also linked to your ID. She is now officially your Pokemon."

Aura glanced down at Fennekin. "She'll never by my Pokemon. She's her own Pokemon. But she is my partner, and now, a member of my family." Sycamore smirked at the cliche line but kept his composure, glad that telling him of Fennekin's past didn't ruin the mood. "Thank you, Professor. Fennekin and I will do our best in the Gym Challenge." With a cheerful farewell, Aura and Fennekin left the lab and headed down the streets of Lumiose City to the nearest Pokemon Center. As he walked, Aura pet the back of Fennekin's head as she kept her face hidden from the city noise. "Don't worry, Fennekin. I know you've had a hard life, but I'll do whatever I can to help you feel better. I know I said we'd do our best in the Gym Challenge, but I want you to know that I will never force you to battle if you don't want to." Fennekin peeked up at him to see him facing down with a warm smile.

As if something had suddenly clicked in the back of her subconscious, the small vixen saw her new trainer in a whole new light. She began to feel confused by these sudden thoughts pushing into her mind, but honestly she wasn't bothered by them as she enjoyed the affection he gave her. She truly felt safe in his grasp and finally felt alive again. Fennekin has seen many trainers come and go at the lab, but none ever had the same appeal as he did. As her thoughts began to overload with various emotions she wasn't used to, Fennekin let out a long sigh before gently closing her eyes and relaxing in his arms, whispering just under her breath…

"Thank you."

Before continuing, I want to give credit to two of my earliest sources of inspiration to begin writing in the first place.

Tale of the Guardian Master on furaffinity and inkbunny, and Flame of Life by Krimson Kane here on Fanfiction. Both of their works are deserving of praise for great stories and how attached you become towards their characters and the world they live in. I am grateful for their inspiring work and hope it can create the same feelings of joy for many others.