And the actual first chapter. Be afraid. :)

Disclaimer-Don't own pokemon, own plot and characters. Read now.

Of the Aura-Start at the Bottom

Cari sighed. She knew she should have checked the contour lines on that map better, but it was just one thick line.

She looked up at the cliff face in front of her.
"Oo-kay. I think I brought climbing equipment…" she said.
"Or not. No way." she said, thinking. If she fell from that…

She checked the map again. There was a way round, but it would take ages... She'd already been out here for days, and carrying a bag almost as big as her did not help.

She looked at the map again.

To her left, the thick line separated out into smaller ones, just for a tiny space. To scale, it was probably about fifty metres across, and a mile or so away.

Cari sighed, and started walking along the bottom of the cliff.

* * *

She stood before the anomaly. It wasn't particularly promising. It was a lot less steep, maybe an eighty degree slope. If you fell you could probably stop yourself.

She stopped. Was she really so impatient that she'd climb a dangerous cliffside rather than waste a day or so?

After some deliberation, she reached for the first handhold.

* * *

"I hate climbing." thought Cari aloud. She'd got maybe halfway up, and found a cave. It had been dark for maybe a quarter of an hour by then.
Cari had been climbing before, but never on a real cliff. And never without safety lines. And never on her own… she really had no idea why she'd done it.

But she had to admit, she felt proud at managing it.

Only halfway to go…

…come the morning, Cari had managed to sleep a little. She woke up when the sun started to shine in. Probably about seven am.

She groaned. This was waaay earlier than she wanted to be awake.

Oh well.

Better get going.

She opened the bag she had, packing away her things back into it, and taking out some chocolate. She'd read somewhere, once, that chocolate is great to eat when you're working hard.

Doesn't sound right, but hey, any excuse to eat chocolate.

* * *

She had almost reached the top of the cliff. That was the worst part. One handhold away from the top.

She missed it, and screamed.

A hand caught her. No, not a hand, a paw. A blue paw.

It pulled her up, onto the top of the cliff.

"Who are you?" said the Lucario.
"I'm… Cari." she said, slightly out of breath.
"Ruca." he said. "Why are you here?"

"Well… I've been looking for a Lucario clan." she said. "I want to find out if it's possible for a human to learn how to use Aura."

He stared at her, with unfathomable blue eyes.

"It might be possible. I would be interested to find out if it is."

She bowed slightly.

"Do you know anyone who could teach me?"
"I would be honoured if you would consider me." said Ruca, returning the bow. "I am considered a good teacher amongst my clan."

"I thank you." she said. "It is very kind of you."
"Not at all. This will make legends." he said.

"What do you want me to do first?" she asked, eager to get started.
"To get the most exposure to aura, you need to have your skin open to the air." he said, gently.
Cari sighed.
And I thought Rica was just trying to scare me.

Yep. That's the first actual chapter. Cari has found a coach! Will she succeed? Find out-next time.