A Journey's Link

Chapter 63 - Fueled

Aaron ran towards where the core would land, pushing away distracted people in his way. He knew that he was going to come into contact with Team Rocket grunts, which only fueled him more knowing that he was going to be able to stop Giovanni once and for all.

Getting ever closer to the location, Aaron saw three individuals that stood out from the rest of the village. It was a boy, a younger girl, and a man all talking to each other while the boy was tinkering on a machine. Aaron walked over to the three, realizing that they were most likely involved in the event somehow.

He stayed far away and watched curiously as the boy constantly asked the young girl for tools, to which she would hand them to him every time. The man, who seemed to be a professor to Aaron based on his white lab coat, was reviewing something on a device that seemed to be related to the machine the boy was working on.

Aaron went behind a nearby building and inched his way over to the three, attempting to eavesdrop on their conversation. "...if we can get this done, it might be of some help," The man said, his face stuck in the device's screen. The young girl, who was just now handing the boy a screwdriver, remarked, "I know Clemont can build this machine! I have faith in him!"

The boy, presumably Clemont, muttered something to himself that Aaron simply couldn't make out. Sycamore nodded and said, "It should enhance Ash and his Pokemon safely this time." There was a hint of guilt in his voice as if he had done something prior that related to this machine.

What stood out most to Aaron, however, was the name that the man had dropped. He knows Ash! Aaron thought to himself as he looked around to try to find the raven-haired trainer. Unfortunately, he couldn't see him and decided to keep on listening in secret, as since they knew Ash, they most likely knew about himself.

"Ash still never told us about that man that was calling his name," the blonde-haired boy working in the machine remarked. "The one that we saw at the portal?" The young girl asked, handing the boy a wrench. He nodded and added, "He seemed pretty angry when he heard that this guy was here, so I'm curious about who he is."

Aaron was upset that Ash was bothered by his presence but also understood it. I kept myself from his life for so many years, he reminded himself. But I am glad to see that Delia raised him well. The thought of meeting Ash's mother, his wife, once more both excited and terrified Aaron, a confusing combination of emotions.

"That should be the last screw, Clement," The man remarked, bringing his head up from the device. The boy got up from under the machine and nodded at the man, saying, "Looks like it." The man grabbed the machine and began walking away from the spot and towards the Zygarde core, the two blonde kids not far behind.

Aaron decided to follow, as he recalled that they said the machine was for Ash. As he continued keeping a low profile while following the three, he noticed that fewer and fewer people were crowding the streets, presumably going into their homes. He looked over at one group of villagers and saw a large frog-like Pokemon escorting them into a building.

That Pokemon looks powerful, Aaron thought to himself, crouching as he stared at it. He quickly looked away and tried to act unsuspecting as it looked over at him with intense interest. He tried to get out of its line of sight before he lost the group of three. He looked over where it stood before and saw that it wasn't there anymore, leading him to believe he was safe.

This made it all the more startling when he looked back towards the group and saw the ninja frog standing in front of him. "What the-!" Aaron exclaimed, falling back onto the ground and staring up at the menacing Pokemon. "I wasn't trying to do anything, I swear!" Aaron exclaimed, putting his hands up to his face.

Greninja extended its arm and softly said, "Gren." Aaron looked at Greninja's webbed hand and took it, allowing Greninja to lift Aaron off the ground and into his feet again. "Thank you," Aaron said gratefully. Greninja nodded and continued staring at Aaron, almost as if he was studying him.

"What's going on?" Aaron asked the Greninja, who said nothing and continued to stare. For some odd reason, Aaron found it much more reasonable to stay with this random Pokemon than continue pursuing the group that would most likely lead to Ash. Greninja looked Aaron up and down and suddenly had a surprised expression.

Aaron looked at Greninja inquisitively as the ninja frog raised its hand and gestured for him to follow along. Aaron stared at Greninja, who turned around and again beckoned Aaron to follow him. "Alright, if you say so," he said, walking behind the Pokemon, which was coincidentally going in the direction of the group of three.

Over at the incoming Zygarde core, Ash stood alongside Pikachu, Lucario, and everyone else, waiting for its arrival and anyone else that would try to capture it. "Keep a lookout, you guys," Ash had said to everyone before. "For all we know, anyone could try to get this core." They were all now waiting for something or someone to appear, expecting the worse.

"Ash!" A young girl's voice exclaimed. Ash looked over and saw Sycamore walking alongside the Lumiose siblings. "The machine is ready!" Sycamore yelled, grunting as he walked over to Ash and set it down, its bulkiness weighing him down. "What exactly is it supposed to do again?" Ash asked the group, having flashbacks to the scary incident in Sycamore's lab.

"It's supposed to enhance you and your Pokémon's strength using your aura," Sycamore explained. He saw the face of caution on Ash's face and quickly added, "I promise this time is safe to use." Ash smiled and nodded, agreeing to this. "We will need Greninja for this," Sycamore added, setting up the machine hastily as there was no telling when an enemy would approach them.

Ash scratched the back of his head. "I sent him to help out villagers, but for some reason, I can't understand what he's feeling right now," Ash explained, looking for any sign of Greninja. "You can't understand Greninja?" Serena said, walking over to Ash. "I thought you and him were emotionally bonded?"

Ash stared at Serena and nodded. "Right," he responded, frowning. "But for some reason, it's almost like there's someone else that's connecting with him right now," he explained, unsure of what he was trying to say. "Another person?" Serena repeated, feeling guilty that she couldn't help Ash at this moment. "How could another person be connected to Greninja?"

"It is possible," Sycamore said, his face full of thought. "But the other person would have to be extremely similar to the original owner. So similar that they would have to be-!"

"Family." Sycamore was cut off by a voice coming from the main village road. Everyone looked over in confusion, except for A, who loudly gasped. "They would have to be family, am I right?" Said a man who was walking right behind Greninja, who was right beside him.

"I-I suppose so," Sycamore responded cautiously, unsure of how to approach this person. Ash walked forward towards Greninja and asked, "What did you do to Greninja?!" in an angry tone. The man chuckled and said, "Don't be alarmed, Ash. I did nothing to Greninja."

"How do you know my name?" Ash retorted. Again, the man chuckled. "I think you know the answer," he said, directing his statement towards A. Ash turned around and asked A, "Do you know this man?" A nodded and gulped out of fear."That's Aaron," A explained, pointing at Aaron. "Your father." Ash, hearing the word, slowly turned back towards Aaron, who had a grin on his face. There was silence amongst the entire group as Ash tried desperately to process what he had just heard.

Unfortunately, his thoughts were cut off as a huge explosion was heard from behind them. "What the-!" Ash exclaimed, turning around to see a large impact being made into the stone wall that separated Ninja Village from the outside world. "What was that?!" Sycamore exclaimed, trying to keep the hair out of his face as the wind from the impact met the group.

The dust settled after the explosion and revealed something that instilled many different emotions. For Ash, it was an annoyance. For Goh, it was fear. For Aaron, it was pure, unbridled hatred that caused him to begin running directly at the person who caused the explosion.

It was Giovanni, mounted on top of Mewtwo with a power-hungry look in his eyes. "I'll kill you, Giovanni!!!" Aaron angrily roared with a guttural scream. Ash watched in horror as Aaron released an Aerodactyl from a Pokeball and began flying straight towards Giovanni, a clash that would surely cause more damage than the Zygarde core itself.