Going forward and beyond {Path of the Aura Ranger: Book I}

VI Ash's P.O.V

I sighed tiredly, the last couple of days were hard. Looking down at the orb in my hand just made it worse. I rapidly looked away, not wanting my anger to cloud my judgment, and inspected the training session.

My Nidoking, Nidoqueen, Zangoose, and Grandbull, were training my new squad's pokemon, while Pikachu gave them pointers and guided them through the chaos of a battlefield. Fighting various pokemon coming from all sides is not the same, like the gym and tournament battles, they are used to. Something that my pokemon learned the hard way, after fighting against Legendaries on various occasions.

The pokemon had to learn to fight on their own. Otherwise, they'll end up dead if they get separated from their trainers or if, like happens a lot on a battlefield, because of all the noise they aren't able to hear the commands from their trainers.

My Espeon, Slowbro, and Slowking raised a barrier around them, to make sure no stray attack would hit the humans and another one around us all, to make sure no one outside us will notice the fight going on this deep into the forest.

"Great place," Josh commented, stepping by my side, Sarah by his side, like always. "How did you find it?"

"I didn't, but a couple of friends of mine were born and raised here, they offered me the place," I answered, smiling at the memory of Bianca and her grandfather. I'll have to visit them, before teleporting back to Sinnoh. "Not to mention, that Alto Mare owes me for helping them a couple of years back. They don't mind me coming here to practice from time to time."

"Is that what your other pokemon are doing?" Just as Sarah asked me curiously, noises from a Draco Meteor being fired deeper into the trees could be heard. Thankfully, within my pokemon's sound concealment barrier.

"Something like that," I replied, smiling at my fellow rangers.

As much as I trusted them, this was a secret I had to keep from everyone else... but the Champions and the ones that had followed me during my adventure here. It's not like I can just go and tell them: 'Hey, you see, even since I failed into saving her brother, I've been coming here to pay monthly training visits to the legendary Latias, guardian of Alto Mare. So, that she can reach the level of other Legendaries. And those noises are her training against my Vibrava, Altaria, and Charizard. Dragons going all out in a fight to tend to make a lot of noise.'

"Do you tend to do this a lot?" Sarah changed the topic, seeing as she would not get a clear answer from me.

"Squad training sessions?" I asked, just to be sure. When I saw her nod her head, I replied: "I do. I normally have Dawn continue the journey for the day and teleport back to join her during the night. The thing is, that it doesn't matter how good the members of a squad are if they can't fight alongside each other on the battlefield. They need to get used to each other, to know when to release an attack or when to guard their partners' back, even those from another team. Teamwork is in the essence, that's why it's called a squad."

"Is this why your Indigo Squad had the least injuries and zero casualties? Even zero Rocket casualties." Josh asked. "I've heard that they've even beat various records while apprehending Rocket cells."

"Most grunts have weak pokemon... no, not weak. But untrained pokemon." I rapidly corrected myself, while shaking my head. "They count on quantity over quality."

"The total opposite of you," Sarah commented.

"Exactly," I replied. "It doesn't matter how many untrained pokemon they send towards them, my squad will work together to put them to sleep or paralyze them, or even poison them, and rapidly capture them. If they meet someone stronger than them, which hasn't happened without me being present yet, they'll work together to bring them down. I won't be having another dying on me or losing their pokemon."

"You are truly the best Ash," Josh sighed, looking at me with a strange look in his eyes. A look I could not place. It wasn't quite admiration, but something more. "Do you know why Sarah and I decided to join the rangers?"

"No," I answered cautiously. "But I can guess by your clear anger against Team Galactic."

"We were coming back from Kanto, I had just won my second Grand Festival and Josh having finished first at the Indigo Plateau Conference, having won the Silver the previous year." Sarah started to explain, with a proud smile on her face, one that soon vanished as she continued her tale. "We were heading back home when we came across Commander Jupiter. Though at the time, we didn't know it was her." I internally cursed, not liking where this was heading, even if I was expecting it. "She was poaching pokemon and we thought we could help... if it hadn't been for a couple of Ace Rangers, who had been alerted by the noise our fight caused, we would have lost our whole team that day."

"Coming from such a big victory, only to find that it was all for nothing... that fights against criminals aren't like what you train for gyms or contests. I've never felt so helpless in my entire life." Josh growled, clenching my fists.

"You did lose someone that day, didn't you?" I asked, as gentle as someone can ask a question like that.

"Not exactly," Sarah replied. "My Minun and Josh's Plusle survived the fight, but they were so hurt that they can no longer fight or use electricity."

"Arceus," I swore, my eyes widening.

An electric pokemon incapable of using electricity, just the thought of it sent shivers down my spine. If something like that happened to my Minum and Plusle... or arceusdamn, Pikachu...

"Yeah," Josh chuckled humorlessly, shaking his head. "So, we promised never again. We will not allow ourselves to be placed in such a situation again, we forgot our plans to take down the Sinnoh League and Grand Conference and joined the ranger force."

"Our parents were beyond themselves, but we did not care. We needed to do something. At first, we wanted to avenge Minum and Plusle, then we just wanted to protect others from Team Galactic." Sarah explained. "Though, sometimes it wasn't easy. It did not matter how fast we climbed the ranger ladder of success if Sinnoh had no idea of how to deal with them."

"Then we began hearing whispers of The Ghost, The Slayer, this young trainer that had taken criminal organizations by storm. Slaying Team Magma and Team Aqua, crippling Team Rocket in a way no one else had been able to." Josh turned to look at me, that same look as before in his eyes. "For the first time since joining the Rangers, we had hope. Hope that someone will finally be able to finish them off, this time for good."

I wanted to look away, I could not stand being looked at that way. As if I was a hero and destined warrior sent to slay all evil in the world. As if that was my job and not my choice to help... and in a way now it is. But they both had opened themselves to me, showed me their vulnerable sides, turning away would be an insult to their brave gesture.

As such, I kept my eyes on them, until they decided that it was enough and turned to return to their pokemon. Pokemon that were now taking a break. Pikachu skipped towards me and jumped on my shoulder. He nuzzled my cheek and looked at me in concern.

I simply sighed and scratched his cheek gently. My eyes not leaving the Adamant Orb in my hand. The same orb that Team Galactic had tried to rob back in Eterna City and the one Nando almost was arrested for.

Really, someone must teach those Officer Jenny's to stop capturing the first guy they find. I already launched a formal protest at the station, let's hope that will work somewhat. I absentmindedly thought.

The same orb that one had a perfect replica back in the museum. Something only Lucius, Cynthia, and I knew about. I know what these orbs are for, even if Lucius and Cynthia don't.

Arceusdamn these criminals! I cursed in my head. Always playing with things beyond their power. Legendaries should be left alone, the result is never good for anyone.

"Ah," I sighed.

It doesn't matter now, I tried to calm myself. I hope Latias won't mind keeping this hidden and protected alongside the Soul Dew. I hope that things go according to my plan. Sinnoh's survival is counting on that.