Into The Unown

The First Battle

The wind of winter blew violently across the cliffside of Orre. As the smoke cleared, Ash saw Karma down on his knees, his body smoking from the after effect of Ash's Aura attack.

Though the attack had taken a tool on Ash, he stood firm. "Take Serena and leave," he told Gary, "Now."

The brunet obliged, quickly picking his sister up and running out of the clash.

Ash watched as Karma got up, exuding an unnatural body odour and robotic like calmness.

Karma cocked his head sideways. "A Raider with Aura? Is this perhaps Eiran standing in front of me."

Ash let out a scoff. "I believe that the last time we met was face to face in a Pokemon battle."

"I believe you are correct. I had heard you were a formidable opponent, I wanted to see for myself."

The raven haired's brows furrowed. There was something odd about the way Karma spoke and carried himself. It seemed almost... robotic. He spoke without any emotions or feelings.

"Who are you?" Ash asked, his fingers wrapped around his beaded bracelet. "What are you?"

"Why don't you find out?"

Without warning, Karma raised his hand, and a wave of black Aura shot toward Ash like a spear. Ash barely managed to react, in a split second decision he summoned a shield of blue Aura that clashed violently with the attack. The impact sent shockwaves rippling through the air, blowing tons of ice off the road.

"We can avoid this clash if you hand over Serena to me," he said, "I have ways of making her speak."

Ash grinned his teeth, the ground cracking beneath his feet as he channeled his energy. "You're not taking her!" he shouted, unleashing an Aura that was so big that it lit up the night sky.

The Aura hit Karma like shooting stars, he bend down on the ground, using his hand has a shield. Almost immediately Ash blasted a precise spear of Aura towards Karma, catching him off-guard and sending him skidding across the icy ground.

Ash watched in horror as Karma took a dive into the cliffside, using the tall pine trees and dark as a cover to camouflage himself. Ash dove after him, using his Aura as a rope to hold on to the trees.

Ash looked frantically around the darkness, but nothing was visible. His breaths rose and fell as tried to find Karma. The glow from his bracelet intensifying. In the end he closed his eyes, his mind focusing on Karma, letting the Aura guide him. His vision sharpened, and for the first time, he saw it—Karma's energy. Unlike others' his didn't have a pulse, it was just there. Like a fuel tank in a car.

"You're not as untouchable as you think," Ash muttered, sprinting toward him.

It didn't take long for Karma to realise that Ash found him. He moved towards him, shooting another Aura blast, closing the gap between them.

His fists ignited with blue energy as he landed a solid punch to Karma's chest, sending the man stumbling back, leaving silhouette of his body in trees as he fell down. Ash jumped through the trees following the trail left behind by him.

Ash found Karma on the ground, his face mask cracking from Ash's slaughter. "Impressive," he said, "but you're still out of your league, Raider."

Soon enough Karma released a shockwave of energy, forcing Ash to leap back. The two stared at each other, Ash's breath became visible in the freezing air, but strangely, Karma's didn't.

Ash wasn't done. He lunged forward, dodging Karma's defenses with newfound precision. His hand shot out, gripping Karma's mask.

"This ends now!" Ash shouted, yanking at the mask.

Ash's fingers curled around the edge of the mask, ready to tear it away when a deafening sound tore through the air. The Apocalypse jet.

Ash's head snapped up as the jet's cannons lit up the night, raining down a hail of gunfire. He threw himself to the ground, narrowly avoiding the bullets.

Ash rolled to cover, his breathing ragged. He glanced at Karma, who had retreated several paces, his mask still intact.

"You're good, Raider," Karma said with the same robotic overtone. "But you've got bigger problems now."

The jet circled back, its weapons charging for another round. Ash's mind raced. He could fight Karma, or he could live.

Ash summoned a massive shield of Aura. The bullets slammed into it, each impact sending tremors up his arms. He gritted his teeth, holding his ground.

When the smoke cleared, Karma was gone, the jet disappearing into the distance.

Ash's knees buckled, and he collapsed on the snowy hill, the Aura fading from his bracelet. His chest heaved as exhaustion overwhelmed him, suddenly his vision blurred, and darkness closed in before he could act.