"THE FOLLOWING IS AN ORIGINAL FAN MADE STORY"

POKÉMON IS A MEDIA FRANCHISE OWNED BY THE JAPANESE GAMING COMPANY NINTENDO, OWNED BY THE POKÉMON COMPANY, AND CREATED BY SATOSHI TAJIRI. I DO NOT LEGALLY OWN ANY OF THE POKÉMON, BUT I USE THEM FOR THIS STORY.

"PLEASE SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL CREATORS AND THE SERIES. THANK YOU"

Pokémon: The Aura Adventures

Season 1, Episode 1: The Journey Begins

-Somewhere in the mountains of Kalos, Morning Time-

In the Kalos region, deep in the mountains, a strange man wearing a grey jacket with brown straps across his chest, a red scarf around his neck, black finger-less gloves with a black wristband on his left wrist with a mysterious rainbow color gemstone with a strange symbol in the center, long dark green pants, and black boots was standing along the edge. He appeared to be middle aged with hazel eyes, and spiky grey hair. He stood there with his hands in his pocket as the sun rose over the horizon.

He grinned as the he sun revealed the vast green forest, and the Pokémon living in them. Eventually, the sun hit the mountains, showing their large formation on the land. Even as the sun was in his face, he kept his eyes wide open. He then slowly took his hands out and reached for one of the Poké Balls on his belt.

"The curtain rises on a new day in Kalos," the strange man said as he clipped a Poké Ball off his belt and then clicked the button on it, expanding it in size. "Hmm... I wonder if I'll find that worthy opponent soon? Of course, who would be strong enough to face me?"

The man brought the Poké Ball to his face and his grin grew bigger. But as he gazed at it, he got a glimpse in his head of another strange man, but he was hiding under a black cloak. "Hmm... I wonder if I'll run into him again? He was a good challenge, but not exactly a worthy opponent."

"I need to find someone who can push me and my Pokémon to the absolute limit," the strange man stated as he turned around and threw the Poké Ball in the air. "Come on out, Salamence!"

The Poké Ball opened up and out came the dragon Pokémon known as Salamence, who made a loud thud upon its entrance.

Salamence is a quadruped, draconic Pokémon with a long tapering tail. Its primarily blue with a gray lower jaw and thickly scaled underside. There are red markings on its throat, the underside of its tail, stripes on the inner surface of its legs, and it has large red wings.

Salamence let out a roar toward the sky, signalling its release. But this Salamence was wearing a strange brown strap around its front left leg with a large stone resembling its colors on it. As it roared, the strange man made his way over to his Pokémon and placed his hand on Salamence's neck, calming the dragon Pokémon down and causing it to look at him.

"My, we sure are eager today," the strange man said as he rubbed Salamence's neck. "I can tell you're itching to find that opponent too."

Salamence nod its head in agreement, and then the man stopped rubbing his Pokémon and then jumped on Salamence's back. The man stood up on top of Salamence as the dragon Pokémon flapped both its wings and gazed up at the sky.

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" the man asked as he crossed his arms and gazed toward the sky. "Our worthy opponent is out there somewhere, and we are going to find 'em no matter what! Let's go, Salamence!"

The man then uncrossed his arms and pointed toward the sky. When he did, Salamence let out another roar and it flapped its wings and took off into the sky with the man balanced on its back. They flew towards the rising sun, hoping to find the opponent that will truly challenge them. But who?

-Aquacorde Town, Someone's House, Morning Time-

In a small town called Aquacorde Town, near the river that separated the town from Route 2, in a small two-story house, a young boy was sleeping as the sun had risen over his hometown. He was under his bed covers and was silently snoring, but he was woken by the sound of Fletchling flying over his house.

He slowly opened his eyes and rubbed them as he took his covers off, revealing that he was wearing light blue pajamas with Poke Balls around them. The boy appeared to have short blonde hair and light blue eyes. As he got out of bed, he slowly walked over to his bedroom window and gazed out at the river and smiled. He opened the window and look up to see the flock of Fletchling coming back and fly off into Route 2.

"Ah those Fletchling... They never change," the boy said to himself. He always sees those Fletchling fly pass his house about once a week. He then turned his head toward his calender that had today's date circled. When he saw what day it was, his smile grew. "Alright! Today's the day at last!"

The young boy jumped with joy as he made his way to his closet and started rummaging through it. Today was the day after his 10th birthday, so that meant he was now eligible to become a Pokémon Trainer and get his first Pokémon, which he dreamed so long for. When he was done rummaging his closet, he came out wearing a blue shirt with a Poké Ball logo on the back, black finger-less gloves with red straps around the wrists, long brown pants, and black and red sneakers.

"This is gonna be great. I've been looking forward to this since... forever!" he stated as he headed to the bathroom in his bedroom and closed the door. He brushed his teeth, fixed his hair, and did the usual morning flush. When he was done, he burst out and went back to his closet. "Okay, let's see if I got everything I need. This is so exciting."

As he went through his closet again, his window was still open, and the only person who noticed was a young spiky black haired boy with green eyes. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt with red on the upper half and black on the lower half, dark blue jeans, and black sneakers. He was also wearing black goggles on his head. He crossed his arms and smiled as he gazed at the open window. "Wow, he never changes."

"Hey...! Luke...! You up there...?!" the boy shouted, "You left your window open again!"

Just as the boy known as Luke was finished rummaging his closet, he heard the black haired boy and then hit his head on the way out. The boy didn't see it happen, but he heard it. Luke was carrying a grey and black backpack in his hand as he made his way toward his window. When he did, he looked out and saw the black haired boy waving at him, which made him smile.

"Kevin...! Hey...!" Luke shouted, waving hello down at the boy called Kevin. "What are you doing here so early?!"

"Waiting for you of course!" Kevin responded, putting his arm down. "Remember, we'd promised we go on a journey at the same time. You do remember, right?"

"Yeah, I remember," Luke answered, "Don't worry, it won't be long now. Once I get my first Pokémon, everything begins."

"Good. I'll be looking forward to it." Kevin replied with a smile as he walked off.

Luke and Kevin were close friends. Despite the fact that Kevin lives in Vaniville Town, which was close to Aquacorde Town. Kevin is three months older than Luke, so he got his first Pokémon already. But he wanted to wait for Luke to get his first Pokémon so they could go on their journeys at the same time.

As Luke watched as Kevin went around the corner, he closed his window and put his backpack on and walked over to his bedroom door and smiled to himself. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it too, Kevin."

He opened the door and burst out. He zoomed down the hallway and down the stairs and into the living room. The house was nice and clean with all the necessities for living. As Luke entered the living room, he was surprised when he saw his little sister on the couch.

His sister was four years younger than him. She too was blonde, but with long hair and brown eyes, and she had the most adorable face. Right now she was wearing her pink pajamas with yellow flowers around them. When she heard Luke coming into the living room, she turned around and smiled at him.

"Good morning, big brother." She said as Luke walked over toward her with a confused expression.

"Morning, Lily," he responded, "What are you doing up so early? You don't normally wake up this early."

"I know, but I wanted to see my big brother leave for his Pokémon journey," she answered, "You're really lucky, Luke."

Luke's then grew an embarrassed smile and he rubbed the back of his head. He and Lily have a good brother and sister relationship. Whenever she was in trouble or needed help, Luke was always there. That's why Lily looks up to him. But as Luke finished rubbing the back of his head, he heard footsteps coming behind him. He turned around to see his mother coming into the room.

Like them, she was also blonde with long hair, but longer than Lily's, and brighter then theirs. She also has light blue eyes like Luke, and her face was quite similar to Lily's, but more adult-like. She was wearing a white housewife dress with a blue apron and had white socks that almost reached up to her knees and green slippers.

"Well, looks like someone remembered to wake up this morning," she said with a smile to her son. "Good morning, Luke."

"Morning, Mom." Luke replied as he walked over toward her and looked up at her as she placed her hand on his hair and started rubbing it.

"Look at you, all grown up and ready for your own Pokémon journey." She said, while Luke was feeling embarrassed, but his sister giggled at him.

"Mom, stop that... I just did my hair." Luke said, pulling away from his mother's constant rubbing. When he did, she kept smiling at him as she retracted her hand.

"I'm sorry, Luke, but I'm just so glad for you," she said with a warm smile, "Seeing you go off on your own journey reminds me when I left for mine at your age."

Back when Luke's mother was his age, she too went on a Pokémon journey, and she did exceptionally well. And it was also how she met Luke's father. His father is actually from the Hoenn region, while she was from Kalos. After he met her, his father eventually settled down in Kalos and married his mother.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You and Dad were Pokémon Trainers too." Luke said with a smile, while his mother nod in reply.

"That's right. It was a great time." She said, looking down at Luke. But then, Lily jumped off the couch and walked over toward them. When she was near them, she too gazed up at her mother.

"Do you think I'll be able to go on a Pokémon journey someday, mommy?" Lily asked with a big smile and her eyes open wide at her mother in a adorable way. Seeing her like this, Luke just smiled and rolled his eyes, while his mother giggled at her.

"Of course you can, Lily," she answered, "But you gotta be patient, okay sweetie?"

"Okay, mommy. I will." Lily replied with a smile.

Seeing his little sister smile always made Luke smile too. But he then turned his attention toward the living room shelf that was displaying five trophies on top, and three below them. The five on top were his father's Pokémon League trophies, while the ones below were his mother's. Every time he looked at them, he wished one day that he would have one of his own, and now he might just get that chance.

"Well, I better get going," Luke said, slowly walking away from his mother and sister and head toward the front door. "If I don't hurry I'll miss my chance to get to Lumiose City and get my first Pokémon."

Luke knew it wasn't safe to travel in the wild without a Pokémon to protect him, so he had to take the next bus to Lumiose City. But as he was about to reach for the doorknob, his mother approached behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder, surprising him.

"Hold on there, Luke," she said as he turned and faced her. "You can't go just yet."

"But why?" Luke asked in confusion. "If I don't go now I'll lose my chance to get to Lumiose City, and if that happens I won't be able to get my first Pokémon."

"Well, that's just it," she replied as she started walking toward the shelf with the trophies on them. "Before your father left, we decided that you're not gonna get one of the starting Pokémon."

"What?!" Luke asked with a shout, surprising Lily in the process. "What do you mean?! I thought...!"

"Now calm down, Luke," she said, placing her hand out at him. "Before you start yelling, let me finish first."

Hearing that, Luke took a deep breath and calmed himself down and then looked back at his mother, who was taking an old cardboard box on the bottom shelf out and she slowly walked back into the living room with it. Seeing their mother do so, Luke and Lily followed. When all three of them were in the living room, Luke's mother placed the box on the table and slide it over to Luke.

"This is a little something me and your father wanted to give you after your birthday." She said with a smile and placing her hands together. Luke was a bit confused though, but he decided to slowly open the box, and when he did he reached inside and to his surprise... he was holding a Poké Ball in his hand.

"A-A Poké Ball...?" Luke asked in shock. It was a nice and shiny new Poké Ball, so shiny he could see his reflection on its red surface.

"That's right," she answered, "Your father wanted to give you something special for your journey. He wanted you to have not just any Pokémon, but a Pokémon that you'll really become friends with."

When Luke heard this, he was shocked. He'd dreamed of having his first Pokémon someday, but he always thought it was gonna be one of the Kalos starter Pokémon, but now he was holding a Poké Ball with a Pokémon he didn't know.

"Wow... So what Pokémon is it?" Luke asked, looking back at his mother.

"Why don't you find out," she answered as she and Lily stepped back from Luke. "You may wanna stand back, Lily."

"Oh... Okay, mommy." Lily answered, hiding behind her mother's legs.

There was a moment of silence as Luke gazed back at the Poké Ball. He was curious to find out what Pokémon his father had gotten him, but he was hesitant for some reason. He didn't know what Pokémon it was gonna be, but he needed to know. His father went through this much trouble for him, so he took a deep breath and he threw the Poké Ball into the air.

"Alright, here goes! Come on out...!" Luke shouted as he, his mother, and sister gazed at the Poké Ball in the air and it opened up and out came the Pokémon Luke's father got him. The stream from the Poké Ball hit the living room table and out came a small blue canine Pokémon known as... Riolu.

Riolu is a small, blue, canine Pokémon with black legs and torso, a blue tail, and a yellow collar. It has rounded bumps on the backs of its forepaws. It has a black "mask" and red eyes, and it stands on its toes instead of its entire foot.

Luke was in shock and surprised as Riolu smiled and got up on its toes and let out a shout, signalling its release from its Poké Ball. As Luke gazed at Riolu, his sister mouth dropped, but his mother was still smiling. Being a former Trainer herself, she was use to this kind of thing.

"N-No way...! A Riolu!" Luke shouted in surprise, but that got Riolu's attention as it turned around and gazed up at Luke. It was at that moment the two gazed into each others eyes. When they did, Luke's shocked expression faded.

"Wow...! A real Riolu!" Lily exclaimed with a big smile as she got out behind her mother's legs and ran towards Luke and Riolu. They stopped gazing at each other and noticed Lily coming toward them. She stopped at the end of the table and gazed up at Riolu and smiled. "I can't believe I'm seeing a Riolu in person! It looks so much cuter than it does in the pictures."

When Riolu heard that comment, it showed a little red on its cheeks and started rubbing the back of its head in embarrassment. It was the first time it heard that. And judging by the way it was reacting, this Riolu is a boy.

"Um... By cute you mean cool, right?" Luke asked her as she continued gazing at Riolu. But then his mother walked towards them and looked down at her son.

"Oh don't mind her, Luke. She's still young." She said with a smile, but Luke was just confused. But soon he turned his attention back on Riolu, who also turned away from Lily and stared back at him.

For a moment, they looked at one another in the eyes, but then Luke's mother put her hand on his shoulder and got his attention.

"Luke, Riolu here is gonna be your starting Pokémon for your journey." She said to Luke, which surprised him.

"What? Me and... Riolu?" Luke asked her with his eyes wide open, but she only nod in reply. He then turned his eyes back on Riolu, who was still looking at him. But suddenly, Riolu took a step closer towards Luke, surprising him a little. "Um... What's he doing?"

"Relax, Luke. Riolu is only feeling out your aura." His mother answered with a comforting smile, catching both Luke and Lily's attention.

"What?" Luke asked.

"You see, Riolu is a Pokémon capable of feeling out a person's aura," she answered, taking her hand off Luke's shoulder. "So this little one just wants to know how yours is."

Now Luke was staring to understand, but his sister was still confused. Then they turned their attention back on Riolu, who only took another step closer towards Luke. Riolu gazed deep into Luke's eyes and then started to feel out his aura. When he did, he was shocked. What he was seeing was a big light blue aura admitting around him.

At first, Luke was a bit nervous by Riolu's reaction. But then, Riolu calmed down and grew a big smile on his face and he suddenly jumped towards Luke, shocking him. Riolu jumped right on Luke like a dog would and Luke grabbed Riolu with his arms. His mother just giggled, and his sister was in awe.

"H-Hey, what's the big idea?" Luke asked the cheerful Riolu with a smile. He soon found himself holding Riolu close and Riolu gazing at his eyes with a big smile and then rubbed the side of his head on him with excitement. At first, Luke was surprised by the sudden affection, but then his smile returned. Then, his mother walked closer towards him and he looked at her.

"Well, looks like Riolu really seems to like your aura very much. And I mean really much." She said with a smile, surprising Luke.

"What...? Is that what this is about?" Luke asked, but only got a nod from her. Then he turned his sight back on Riolu in his arms, but all he got was smile and a cheerful yip from him.

"Wow big brother, your aura must be really big for Riolu to jump on you like that." Lily said with a smile as she walked towards Luke and Riolu, who only looked down at her.

Yet, looking at the smile on her face, Luke couldn't believe that his father went through so much trouble to catch him a Riolu and having it end up liking him already. He turned his sight back on Riolu, who was still smiling at him, and he smiled too.

"So Luke, what do you say? You and Riolu starting a journey together?" His mother asked, causing Luke and Riolu to look back at her. Of course, Luke smiled even bigger when he heard the question.

"You bet!" Luke exclaimed, and then he turned his sight back on Riolu, who turned back toward him. "What do you say, Riolu? You and me on an adventure. What do you think of that?"

When Riolu heard Luke's question, the little canine Pokémon smiled even bigger and yipped in excitement and raised his arm in the air. Just like Luke, he too was overcome with joy about the idea. When Luke got his answer, he did the same thing.

"Alright!" Luke shouted in joy, and Riolu let out another cheerful yip. Hearing this, his sister couldn't help but jump in joy for her big brother. However, his mother remembered something she needed to tell Luke.

"Oh Luke, I almost forgot to tell you," she said, catching both Luke and Riolu's attention. "Your father told me that this Riolu is only a few weeks old."

When Luke heard that, he was surprised. He looked back at Riolu again, but still the young Pokémon smiled at his new Trainer. Seeing the smile on the Riolu's face, Luke couldn't help but smile again.

"Well no wonder you seem so energetic," Luke said to Riolu, "I bet you're just itching to go on an adventure as I am."

Again, Riolu yipped cheerfully, giving him a yes. Once Luke knew a little more about Riolu, he put him down on the floor and the little canine Pokémon got on his toes and looked back up at him. Then Lily walked over and looked down at Riolu.

"Hey Riolu, you and Luke don't get into any trouble out there, okay," Lily said to Riolu with a smile, who responded with a yip, a smile, and a salute, making her giggle. "Hehehe... You're funny, Riolu."

"Don't worry about us, Lily," Luke said, looking down at his little sister with a confident smile. "I got this all under control."

Of course, Lily had her doubts about that. She remembers how Luke can sometimes be a bit of a troublemaker, but that's just who he is. She looked up at him and smiled with her eyes closed. Then Luke, along with Riolu, turned back towards his mother, who was getting something out of the supply closet nearby. She walked back with another box, but was a bigger than the one Riolu's Poké Ball was in.

"Well Luke, if you're going on an adventure, you're gonna need these," she said as she placed the box on the couch. Luke, Lily, and Riolu watched as she pulled out five empty Poké Balls from the box and handed them to Luke. "First, you're gonna need some Poké Balls to catch any wild Pokémon you encounter."

"Figured as much." Luke said as he took the Poké Balls from his mother and placed them in the side pocket of his backpack.

"Next, your gonna need this map of Kalos, and a Holo Caster, just in case you make any new friends," she said as she took out a map of the Kalos region and a blue Holo Caster and handed them to Luke.

"Definitely need those." Luke said as he took the map and Holo Caster from her and put them in his backpack.

"And don't forget Riolu's Poké Ball." She said as she handed Luke Riolu's Poké Ball.

"Of course." Luke stated as he took the Poké Ball from his mother's hand.

As he took the Poké Ball from her, Riolu gazed up at him and smiled as Luke looked down at his new Pokémon partner with the Poké Ball in his hand and pointed it at him.

"Well Riolu, you ready to go?" Luke asked him with a smile. In response, Riolu yipped out a yes in excitement. "Alright, then let's get this show on the road!"

Luke then aimed the Poké Ball at Riolu and a small red beam shot out and hit Riolu and sucked the little canine Pokémon back inside the Poké Ball. Luke took one more look at the Poké Ball with his new partner inside and smiled. His little sister then walked towards his side and gazed at the Poké Ball too.

"You must be really excited, big brother." Lily said with a smile, catching Luke's attention. He looked down at his little sister and smiled at her with his eyes closed.

"Lily, you have no idea how I'm feeling right now." Luke said with a warm smile to her as he put the Poké Ball on his black Trainer belt. Then they turned back towards their mother as she was getting one last thing out of the box.

"And one last thing I need to give you before you go." She said as she pulled out a Kalos style Pokédex and handed it to Luke.

Luke was a bit surprised though. He thought he get his Pokédex in Lumiose City. He slowly reached for it and took it out of his mother's hands and gazed at it for a moment.

"A... Pokédex?" Luke asked as he gazed back at his mother. "But I thought I had to get one of these in Lumiose City?"

"Well, your father went the extra mile before he left," his mother answered, "He stopped and picked up your Pokédex for you. So really, that's another gift from him."

"Wow..." Luke said as he turned his sight back on the Pokedex. Not only did he get a Riolu, but now a Pokédex from his father. He smiled and put it in his pocket and gazed back at his mother. "First my own Pokémon, and now my own Pokédex. You and Dad really planned this out."

"Well, your father only got you Riolu and your Pokédex. I just had it all organized for him," she stated with a smile. Luke only smiled. He knew how his parents worked, but he never expected them to go this far for him. "Besides, we just wanted you to have a good start on your journey. So we had all this planned out just for you."

Hearing this, Luke looked at the floor and smiled. He never would've imagined his parents would do this for him. His mother was confused by his reaction at first, but she was then surprised when Luke ran and hugged her.

"Thank you, Mom," Luke said as the side of his head was on his mother's apron. "You and Dad are the best."

Seeing the smile on his face, she couldn't help but smile again as she placed her hand on his hair and rub it like before, causing Luke to look up at her with a smile.

"Thank you, Luke. Hearing you say that means so much." She said to her son. Seeing her brother and mother like this, Lily smiled too.

Once everything was set for Luke's journey, outside, the front door opened and Luke burst out into the streets. Luke took a deep breath and gazed up at the sky. Then, his mother and sister walked out a step from the front door and then Luke turned around toward them.

"Alright, wish me luck!" Luke shouted in excitement at his mother and sister.

"Good luck, big brother! You and Riolu come back soon!" Lily shouted to him, waving good-bye.

"Be careful out there, son! And don't forget to call us whenever you can!" His mother shouted as she waved good-bye to him. Luke also waved good-bye as he started heading down the street.

"Don't worry, I will!" Luke shouted back, "See ya, Mom! And you too, Lily! Next time you see me, I'll be as strong as Dad!"

To hear her son say that, his mother couldn't help but show a small tear in her eye. To think that her son was going off on his own journey and wanting to be as strong as his father made her very proud. She wiped the tear off her face, and Lily smiled at her as they held each others hands and watched Luke set off on his journey.

"Be strong, Luke," she thought to herself, "Make me and your father proud."

Seeing the smile on her mother's face, Lily looked up at her and smiled, catching her attention.

"By the way, mommy, will you and daddy be doing this for me when I go on a Pokémon journey too?" She asked, but her mother only giggled at her as they head back inside.

"Hehe... Well since you asked, of course we will, sweetie," she answered with a warm smile, "But remember, you gotta be patient, okay?"

"Okay!" Lily exclaimed in joy as the door closed behind them.

-Aquacorde Town, Morning Time-

After leaving his mother and sister, Luke raced down the streets, smiling with joy. He got more than he wanted at the start of his journey. He got a Riolu, a Pokédex, and everything he needed from his mother and father. As he ran through the streets, some of the townsfolk waved to him as he passed by.

The people knew Luke very well, and his mother and father. Despite the fact that they didn't like his mischief when he was younger. But now he was grown up and mature enough to set off on an adventure.

"Morning, Luke!" A store keeper greeted as he was putting boxes away.

"Good morning!" Luke shouted back, waving as he passed by.

"Hey Luke, good luck out there!" Said a teenage boy with two friends behind him as Luke passed them too.

"Thanks!" Luke shouted back, waving to them as well.

Everyone in town knew he was going on an adventure, because Luke told them about it, and they were glad to see a new Trainer entering the world. Especially a Trainer who's mother and father were great Trainers back in the day.

Once he got his hellos and good mornings from the townsfolk, Luke stopped in front of the bridge that connects the town to Route 2. He could hear the sound of the river below and he could see the path ahead. All he had to do was cross the bridge and into an adventure.

"Alright, here I go," Luke said to himself as he gazed at the road ahead, and then looked at the Poké Ball on his belt with Riolu inside. He smiled and then turned back ahead and slowly started walking down the bridge. "Okay, this is it... Adventure here I...!"

"Luke...! Wait up...!" Said a familiar voice, cutting Luke from his sentence and making him stop.

In shock, Luke turned around to see his friend Kevin running towards him, now had a yellow backpack on him.

"Kevin..." Luke said in surprise. He completely forgotten about the promise he made to Kevin for a moment.

"Yo," Kevin greeted as he stopped in front of Luke. "You seem eager to get going. But I thought we were gonna take the bus to Lumiose City and get your Pokémon. Why you going off on your own already? Its not safe."

"Well, that's not a problem," Luke said with a grin, making Kevin a little confused. "You see, I don't have to worry about that, because I already got my first Pokémon. And its right in this Poké Ball."

To Kevin's surprise, Luke clipped the Poke Ball off his belt and clicked the button on it and it expanded in size and he showed it off to him. When Kevin saw the Poké Ball, he couldn't believe his eyes.

"What? You have a Pokémon already?" Kevin asked in disbelief. In response, Luke nod and brought the Poké Ball back to him.

"You bet I do." Luke answered.

"How is that possible?" Kevin asked.

"Well, let's just say my Mom and Dad made some arrangements. Now I got a Pokémon that isn't any of the starters." Luke answered with a big smile and his eyes closed, feeling a little cocky. Of course, this got Kevin curious.

"Really? Well then, what kind of Pokémon is it? Can I see?" Kevin asked.

"Sure..." Luke replied as he threw the Poké Ball in the air. "Come on out, Riolu!"

They watched as the Poké Ball opened up and out came a stream of light that impacted the ground and out came Riolu. Riolu shouted the moment of his release and crossed his arms and smiled. When Kevin saw Riolu, he was surprised. He took a step back while Luke turned towards him and grinned.

"T-That's... That's a... Riolu." Kevin said nervously and hesitant.

"Yeah, you bet it is," Luke responded with a grin, "My Dad caught him for me."

Kevin was still in shock, but Riolu turned and faced toward them and walked over towards them, surprising Kevin in the process. Riolu stopped in front of them and then Luke pointed at Kevin.

"Riolu, this is my friend Kevin. Say hello." Luke said to Riolu, who responded with a cheerful yip at Kevin, saying hello. Hearing this, Kevin started to calm down and gaze down at Riolu.

"I... I can't believe this," Kevin responded, "Of all the Pokémon, you got one that's so cool."

"Yeah, I'm pretty lucky aren't I?" Luke said, giving another grin. But it went away when he remembered something. "Oh yeah, I should tell you that this Riolu is still young."

"Really?" Kevin asked, gazing back at Luke in confusion.

"Yeah, really," Luke answered with a smile, "This little guy is only a few weeks old."

They then looked down at Riolu, and little canine Pokémon yipped in agreement to what Luke said and rubbed the back of his head with his paw and smiled. But as Kevin was gazing down at Riolu, he started to wonder.

"Hmm... Only a few weeks, huh." Kevin said.

"Yep." Luke replied. But then, Kevin turned his attention back to Luke and gave a grin of his own, confusing Luke a little.

"Is he strong?" Kevin asked, surprising Luke in the process. "They say a Riolu is pretty strong, even if they're young."

"Well, I'm not sure." Luke answered, scratching the side of his head as he looked back down at Riolu, who was confused too. "I mean, I just got Riolu. So I don't know."

"Wanna find out?" Kevin asked, causing Luke to look back at him in shock.

"W-What? What do you mean?" Luke asked.

"Oh come on, Luke. Think about it," Kevin replied, "We're both Trainers, and we both have Pokémon, so what do you think I'm talking about?"

At first, Luke was still confused, but then he started to realize what Kevin was talking about.

"Oh... I get what you're saying," Luke responded with a grin. "You wanna have a battle?"

"You bet I do." Kevin answered with a big grin.

The two gazed at one another in the eyes for a moment, knowing they were gonna have a battle at last after knowing each other for so long. However, Riolu had no idea what was going on. But then, Luke turned his attention back to Riolu and kneel down to him.

"What do you say, Riolu? You up for your first battle?" Luke asked Riolu with a smile. Riolu looked up at his Trainer and was a bit hesitant at first. But seeing the smile on Luke's face brought him confidence. So, the little canine Pokémon yipped in joy and made a fist with his paw, signalling he was eager to battle. "Alright!"

"Well in that case, why don't we battle over there." Kevin suggested as he pointed back to the wide open street. Luke got up and he and Riolu looked over to where Kevin was pointing, and they smiled at him.

"Sounds good." Luke replied, feeling ready, and so was Riolu.

A few moments later, Luke and Kevin were off the bridge and gazed at each other from separate sides of the street, ready to go for a Pokémon battle.

"Alright, Riolu, let's go!" Luke exclaimed down to Riolu, who yipped in agreement and ran in front of Luke and prepared himself for battle.

"Okay then," Kevin said as he reached for the Poké Ball on his blue Trainer belt and clipped it off. He then clicked the button on the Poké Ball and he threw it into the air. "Come on out, Chespin!"

Luke and Riolu watched as the Poké Ball opened up out came a stream of light and it impacted the ground, and out came the Pokémon known as Chespin, who shouted upon release.

Chespin is a bipedal, mammalian Pokémon. It has a light brown front with dark brown arms and three triangular markings on its face, and wears a tough green shell on its back, which extends from its head to halfway down its tail.

When Luke and Riolu got a look at Chespin, they were surprised. Luke had seen a Chespin before, but not one up close, and this is the first time seeing Kevin's Pokémon.

"So that's the Pokémon you got at Lumiose City." Luke stated.

"Yep," Kevin answered with a grin, "Luke, meet my partner Chespin. A grass-type Pokémon."

Chespin let out a shout with a confident look on its face, causing Riolu to look more serious. But, Luke slowly pulled out his Pokédex and held it in front of him.

"So, Chespin... Let's see what the Pokédex has to say." Luke said as the Pokédex opened up and the holographic screen displayed Chespin and its information.

Luke's Pokédex: Chespin, the Spiny Nut Pokémon. The quills on its head are usually soft. When it flexes them, the points become so hard and sharp that they can pierce rock.

"Chespin sounds tough all right, but I think you can take it, Riolu," Luke said to Riolu, who replied with a smile, a yip, and made a fist with his paw. But, Luke realized something. "Although, I don't know what moves you have."

That shocked Riolu out of his smile. How can Luke use Riolu without knowing any of his moves?

"That's not a problem," Kevin said aloud, catching Luke's attention. "Just use your Pokédex. It'll tell you Riolu's moves."

"Oh..." Luke said as he looked at his Pokédex and pointed it at Riolu. Soon it displayed Riolu's move set, which brought a smile back to his face. "Ah, here we go. Let's see... Riolu knows Quick Attack, Force Palm, Copycat, and Counter. Sounds good to me."

Once Luke had that problem fixed, he put the Pokédex away and gave Riolu a confident smile, which gave the little canine Pokémon his confidence back as he gazed back at his opponent. There was a moment of silence around the Trainers and their Pokémon, but it was broken when Riolu and Chespin looked back at them.

"Okay, you ready, Chespin?" Kevin asked Chespin, who shouted back and noded its head in reply, meaning yes.

"You ready to do this, Riolu?" Luke asked Riolu, who did the same thing as Chespin and replied with a yip and nod. "Alright!"

With both Pokémon ready for battle, they gazed at each other with confidence in their eyes as they took their battle stances. While Luke and Kevin showed the fire in their eyes, ready for the battle to begin!

LUKE AND RIOLU V.S. KEVIN AND CHESPIN

"Just so you know, Luke, we're not holding anything back," Kevin said with a grin, "This is me and Chespin's first battle after all."

"Yeah well, this is me and Riolu's first battle too!" Luke said, smiling and making fists with his hands, and Riolu shouted in agreement. "So we're not holding back either! Riolu, use Quick Attack!"

Listening to Luke's command, Riolu started to glow and he instantly charged towards Chespin. Riolu sprinted so fast, he was already in front of Chespin, surprising the grass-type Pokémon and Kevin.

"So fast...!" Kevin exclaimed as Riolu hit Chespin in the stomach and sent 'em flying back in pain. But Chespin was able to regain its balance and land back on the ground, but still slid back towards Kevin, who was surprised by the sudden attack. "Whoa, that Riolu is faster than I thought."

"I won't lie, I'm kinda surprised too." Luke said honestly as he gazed at Riolu.

"Well, since you showed me your Pokémon's power, I'll show you mine's!" Kevin exclaimed as his face changed from surprise to serious. "Chespin, use Vine Whip!"

Responding to Kevin's command, Chespin jumped in the air and released two green vines from its shoulders and sent them towards Riolu.

"Riolu, dodge it!" Luke shouted to Riolu, who immediately reacted by doing a back flip at the last second and continued until he was close to Luke. Seeing Riolu do such amazing back flips, Luke was quite surprised, and so was Kevin. "Whoa...! Riolu...! That was...!"

"Incredible..." Kevin stated as Chepsin landed back on the ground and was also surprised. "I thought that Riolu was a few weeks old. How can it do that already?"

"Honestly, I don't know." Luke answered, looking at Riolu in surprise, causing him to look back at him in confusion. "Riolu, how do you know how to do that?"

Truth be told, Riolu didn't understand how he did it either. He just shrugged in uncertainty at Luke. But to see a Riolu do that, Kevin and Chespin were fascinated.

"Well this is certainly interesting. Don't you think, Chespin?" Kevin asked his partner, who responded by looking back and shout joyfully and nod.

"It sure is. But enough of that." Luke stated as he got serious again, and so did Riolu, along with Kevin and Chespin.

"You're right. Let's get back to business!" Kevin shouted, and Chespin charged towards Riolu. "Chespin, Rollout, now!"

Then, Chespin started rolling like a ball and headed straight for Riolu, who was preparing for the attack.

"No you don't! Riolu, Counter!" Luke commanded as Riolu took a stance and started to glow blue. He stood there as Chespin impacted on him, but was easily sent flying back.

"Chespin...!" Kevin shouted as Chespin landed on its back in pain, but it slowly got back up.

"Oh yeah, worked like a charm. Now Riolu, use Quick Attack!" Luke commanded as Riolu glowed again and sprinted towards Chespin.

"Chespin, counter with your Tackle attack!" Kevin command as Chespin faced the charging Riolu and charged back at him. The two Pokémon collided heads, and they seemed to be equally matched as they struggled to push one another back. "That's it! Keep up the pressure!"

"I don't think so! Riolu, Force Palm, now!" Luke shouted. In response, Riolu manage to move his arm and forced it towards Chespin's stomach and his paw started to glow, catching Chespin and Kevin's attention.

"Oh no!" Kevin shouted along with Chespin as Riolu's palm exploded in front of Chespin and sent the grass-type Pokémon flying back towards Kevin in a lot of pain and landed on its back. "Chespin!"

But refusing to quit, Chespin slowly got back up, but was reaching its limit. Meanwhile, Riolu assumed its fighting stance again. Yet, Luke was surprised by how strong Riolu is. Being only a few weeks old, this Pokémon sure knows how to fight, which made Luke smile. "Wow... I never imagined Riolu was this strong. Dad, I really can't thank you enough."

"No, I won't lose this! Chespin, lets show them your best attack!" Kevin shouted to Chespin, who immediately agreed with him. "Use Pin Missile, now!"

Following Kevin's command, Chespin jumped and the spiky quills on its head glowed and they shot out a beams with sharp tips right towards Riolu. Riolu saw the attack coming, and gazed in shock.

"No! Riolu, quick, dodge it!" Luke shouted to Riolu. Doing as he said, Riolu started moving around to avoid being hit by the Pin Missiles, but it proved to be quite difficult due to the number of shots coming at him. But Riolu kept on dodging as best he could, and eventually the attack subsided. After constantly dodging, Riolu was panting hard. "Whoa, that was insane. What was that?"

"That was Chespin's best attack; Pin Missile," Kevin stated with a grin, "No matter how fast Riolu is, even he can't keep dodging forever! Chespin, use Pin Missile, again!"

Listening to its Trainer, Chespin again fired a barrage of sharp tipped beams from its spiky quills and sent them towards Riolu.

"Dodge it again, Riolu! Hurry!" Luke shouted. Responding to his command, Riolu started dodging again. But as he was dodging, he got slower and slower until the Pin Missile eventually hit him and he yelped in pain. "Riolu, no!"

But Riolu was able to break out of the smoke caused by the attack that hit him and skid across the ground back towards Luke. However, Riolu took some damage from the attack, due to the bruises and heavy panting, making Luke worry.

"Riolu, are you okay?" Luke asked Riolu, who responded with a nod.

"See, you can dodge all you want, but you can't out run Chespin's Pin Missile forever." Kevin stated, and Chespin shouted in agreement. But just then, Luke got an idea.

"Is that so? Well in that case, watch this!" Luke exclaimed, catching Kevin and Chespin's attention again. "Riolu, concentrate and use Copycat!"

When Kevin heard the attack, he was surprised. Riolu then took a deep breath and gazed at Chespin while his body started glowing red. Riolu was rewinding and replaying Chespin's last attack in its eyes. Eventually, Riolu grit his teeth and aimed both his arms at Chespin and they started to glow and they fired out a barrage of sharp tipped beams. Riolu was using Pin Missile, shocking Kevin and Chespin.

"What...?!" Kevin shouted as Chespin saw the incoming attack. The little grass-type Pokémon tried to avoid the attack, but the number of beams were to great and Chespin was caught and blasted repeatedly, and it screamed in pain. "No! Chespin!"

Chespin continued screaming as the attacks kept coming. When the attack was finished, Chespin landed on the ground on its back. The little Pokémon tried to get back up, but it took to much damage. So in the end, Chespin fainted back towards the ground, showing it was knocked out.

"Chespin..." Kevin said in shock, while Riolu put his arms down and got down on his knees, due to the effort he put into that last attack. To see Chespin down for the count, Luke was surprised. He won.

"I-I can't believe it. We won...?" Luke asked himself, but he soon grew a big smile on his face. "Alright! We won, Riolu!"

Luke jumped in joy, catching Riolu's attention. He too was overcome with joy by their first victory. He got back up on his toes and ran towards Luke with joy and he jumped up and landed right on Luke like a dog would to its owner, and Luke caught Riolu with his arms and the two laughed in joy.

As they were overcome with joy, Kevin was a bit disappointed, but he couldn't help but smile for his friend. He then walked towards the injured Chespin, who got back up and was disappointed in itself for losing. However, Chespin's face soon changed when Kevin picked 'em up from behind and turned 'em toward him.

"You okay, Chespin?" Kevin asked with a small smile. Seeing Kevin's smile, Chespin smiled, nod, and shouted in reply and was soon riding on Kevin's shoulder. "Don't worry, will get them next time. This was only the beginning."

Soon, Luke approached Kevin and Chespin while holding Riolu in his arms and they smiled at them. But then, Luke extended his hand out to Kevin for a friendly hand shake.

"That was a great battle. Don't you think, Kevin?" Luke asked his friend, who responded with a smile too and they shook hands.

"Yeah, it sure was." Kevin answered with a smile on his and Chespin's face. For a moment, they gazed at one another until they eventually broke off the hand shake. "But don't think I'm not gonna try again. Next time, I'll win."

"Yeah well, don't think I'll make it easy for ya." Luke stated as he smiled and made a fist along with Riolu, who agreed with him and yipped.

"Good. We'll be looking forward to it, right Chespin?" Kevin asked Chespin, who quickly agreed.

Once the battle was over, Luke put Riolu down and the young Pokémon got on his toes and looked back up at his Trainer with a smile.

"So Riolu, you gonna be okay?" Luke asked, looking down at him with a smile, but Riolu replied with a yip and nod, which made Luke relieved. "Alright, then let's get going!"

For a couple seconds, they shouted with joy, and then they started sprinting towards the bridge leading to Route 2. Kevin and Chespin watched as they ran across the bridge with smiles on their faces. However, Kevin couldn't help but think back about that battle. Looking back, that Riolu displayed capabilities in battle beyond what it should know at its young age. Yet, Kevin kept smiling.

"Hmm... You know Chespin, that Riolu is something else," Kevin said to Chespin, who responded back. "The way it battled was impressive, especially since its young. Of course, you were great too, pal"

Hearing the complement from Kevin, Chespin showed a little affection by rubbing his head on the side of Kevin's, and he smiled and laughed. Eventually, Chespin stopped and they gazed back at Luke and Riolu heading off in the distance. "Looks like we got a lot of work ahead of us. Special or not, we'll beat them."

-Aquacorde Town, Luke's House, Morning Time-

Back at Luke's house, Lily and her mother were watching the morning news. But then, the phone rang in the kitchen, catching their attention.

"Mommy, the phones ringing." Lily said.

"I know, sweetie," her mother replied as she got off the couch and walked towards the kitchen phone. "Don't worry, I'll get it."

She slowly walked towards the phone and answered it.

"Hello?" She asked into the phone.

"Hey honey, its me." Said a strange man's voice, which appeared to be her husbands voice. When she heard his voice, she made a big smile.

"Why hello, dear. Good to hear from you again." She replied, but she soon got Lily attention. The little girl peaked over the couch in curiosity.

"Mommy, who's that you're talking to?" Lily asked, catching her mother's attention.

"Its your father, sweetie." She answered. When Lily heard who it was, she made a big smile.

"It is?!" Lily asked in excitement, and her mother responded with a nod. "Hi, daddy!"

"Is that Lily?" Said her father through the phone, catching his wife's attention.

"Yes it is. She says hi." She told him.

"Well then, tell her I said hi back." He said, causing his wife to giggle a little. She then turned back to Lily for a second.

"He says hello, sweetie." She said to Lily, causing her to smile again and jump in joy and then she jumped off the couch and ran towards her mother.

Lily enjoys being around her father, much more than Luke does. She has quite an attachment to him for some reason, but that's what he liked about her. When her father left a week ago, she was a bit upset about it, but every now and then she would hear her father's voice through the phone whenever he was gone, so it made her feel better.

"Mommy, can I talk to daddy too? Please..." Lily asked, looking up at her mother with a puppy dog look. This made her smile and leaned down to her daughter with the phone in her hand.

"Sure, sweetie. We can both talk to him." She answered Lily, who let out a big smile as she grabbed the phone with her mother.

"Hi, daddy." Lily said into the phone with joy.

"Hey, sweetie. Are you being good?" He asked.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" She said to him in a cheerful tone, which only made him laugh a little.

"By the way, dear, I gave Luke your present this morning." She said to him.

"Oh that's great to hear. Did he like it?" He asked, but he couldn't see the nod and smile his wife made.

"He sure did. He was very excited to go on his journey with Riolu." She replied.

"Well that's good to hear. I knew he would like Riolu as his first Pokémon." He said back to her.

"He did, and that Riolu really liked him too. So it worked out nicely." She said.

"Hey daddy, will you get me a Riolu when I go on my Pokémon journey someday?" Lily asked.

"Sure... I'd be happy to find a Riolu for you too, sweetie. I mean, I won't lie, they are good Pokémon to have." He answered, causing her to grow a big smile on her face. She even twirled around a little in joy.

"Thank you, daddy!" Lily exclaimed to her father. But then, he remembered something.

"Oh yeah, that reminds me. There's something I forgot to tell you about that Riolu. Its important." He said, catching Lily and his wife attention.

"What do you mean, dear?" she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, no, nothing like that. Its actually quite an interesting story. Now where do I start?" He asked himself as Lily and his wife listened closely.

A couple minute went by as Lily and her mother listened to his story about Riolu. Meanwhile, Luke and Riolu were walking down Route 2. Yet, the focus was mainly on Riolu, who was slowly recovering after the battle with Chespin. Once Luke's father was finished telling the story to his wife and daughter, they were shocked.

"W-What?" She asked.

"Oh yeah... That's the truth." He answered.

"No way!" Lily exclaimed.

-Lumiose City, Techno Enterprise, Morning Time-

Far from where Luke and Riolu are, in the biggest city in Kalos, Lumiose City, was a building forty-stories high known as Techno Enterprise, one of the most popular technological research companies in Kalos. But on the top floor, a man got off the elevator and walked down a dark hall.

His face wasn't seen, but he was wearing a black long sleeve shirt with long black pants and black boots. But the shirt and pants had diamond shaped markings on the sides that were in lime green color, and on the back of the shirt was the letter "N" also in bright lime green.

The mysterious man made his way down the hallway until he reached the end to a double door and he opened them. He then entered a large room where he saw a man sitting on a leather chair behind a dark brown desk and looking out the window that showed a large portion of Lumiose City. The strange man was wearing the same style clothing, but didn't have the letter "N" on his back or the diamond markings and was wearing a more business style suite. He didn't turn around, but he heard the man enter.

"Is everything ready?" He asked.

"Yes, sir. Everything is just about ready," the man answered, "We're ready to move out with the plans. Just give us the word, sir."

"Aw, good," he replied. He didn't turn around, but he was showing a grin on his face. "Tell them to move out as soon as possible."

"Understood, sir." The man answered as he turned around and headed out of the office.

Once he was gone, the man turned around and looked at his desk. He made a wicked smile as he looked at the side of his desk, which had a small chest board with all the pieces on their starting points. He grinned as he moved the white pawn two squares.

"Everything falls into place," he said as he took his hand off the pawn. "Everything... Begins..."

TO BE CONTINUED...