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

I Paul's P.O.V

At first, all I thought was: This guy is a joke.

Walking carefree through the forest, with a goofy smile, not even having the control to put his pokemon in his Poke Balls and even talking and joking with them as if they... friends. Catching a Starly without even fighting it or looking up the moves it knows.

This guy is a fool.

But then I noticed his gun. My hand went instinctively to Torterra's Poke Ball. It was then that I realized that the guy wasn't as carefree as he seems at first sight. His pokemon were constantly looking out for trouble, it didn't matter that their eyes never left the route or their trainer, they were using their noses and ears to search for any enemy close by.

Smart. I thought, grudgingly. There are many techniques and pokemon that can fool the eye.

Not to mention he had a gun on himself... and the way he walked. This guy is trained, he could defend himself without the need of his pokemon. Must be a police officer or Ranger. There is no way he would be showing off his gun if he wasn't allowed to carry one.

Who would have thought today was going to be my lucky day. Here I thought I would only meet with newbie trainers, but here I find not only a veteran but a and officer of the law at that. He must have been in difficult situations against powerful pokemon or fought poachers. Oh, the possibilities. My blood only kept on bumping with the certainty of a good fight.

As I was about to make my presence known, I noticed his Jolteon turn its head back. For a second I thought that there was danger coming from behind me when I realized that it was looking at me. It then chuckled and turn its back to me, totally dismissing me.

Oh, how I hated that creature at that moment. It didn't even tell its master that someone was following him! As... as if I was not considered important or powerful enough to worry its trainer. How dare it!

Just as I was about to send out Torterra and show it not to mess up with me. A girl's scream rang out throughout the forest. I've never seen someone take action so fast in my life. The guy sprang into action, with both pokemon swiftly following him.

A Ranger or Police Officer for sure. I thought, as I rapidly followed him.

"Pikachu Thunder!" He ordered, and almost blinded me with the show of lights his mouse did.

What greeted me once I finally reached the clearing was a sight to behold. A whole cluster of Ariados fainted because of a single Thunder attack from a Pikachu. He truly will be a worthy opponent. I smirked, impatient to finally face him and prove who is better. The conversation that followed bored me.

Can't he stop wasting time?! I thought glaring.

Just as I was getting impatient, I found out an interesting fact, the guy is an Ace Trainer. One from Kanto, no wonder he did not deal with the Ariados yet. He legally can't. I scoffed at the foolish girl. How can she start her journey without even knowing that?

Foolish.

It doesn't matter. I'll get going and wait for them at the Professor's Lab. In the meanwhile, what pokemon should I use against him? Torterra is a given, so is Nidoking. I'll use Weavile and Ninjsak too. Looking at both Pikachu and Jolteon he seems to favor speed, let's see if he can match my pokemon. I'll also use Elekid and Chimchar, I need to measure if they advanced or not. Chimchar especially, having another regional starter was tempting but my gamble with that monkey isn't paying off, no matter what I do.

"Paul, what a surprise." Professor Rowan exclaimed when he noticed me enter the Lab. "What are you doing here?"

"Waiting for Ace Ranger Ash to get here," I replied, secretly enjoying his stunned expression.