Entry #4: Protagonist

In all but the most abstract of story-driven media, there exists a Protagonist. The Protagonist is the central figure of which the story revolves around, and the one whose point of view will be presented most often. Normally, they're also intended to be the Hero of the story. That's not to say that the Protagonist of a story has to be a Hero, that's simply the usual direction the story takes. Regardless of taking a Villain or Hero role, the Protagonist can also be presented in a variety of different ways ranging from bleeding heart to complete dickhead. It really doesn't matter, as they are still the central figure of which everything revolves around. Now, some stories are a bit deeper than that and have events continue on without the Protagonist being present, but that's a bit tricky to balance so the most important events will happen around the Protagonist. Shounen anime is well-known for this, and Pokemon falls into that category… Or at least I think it did. My arrival may have caused unintentional waves in the story and only time will tell.

Regarding shounen Protagonists, they often have similar temperaments and personalities. To be a shounen Protagonist is to live a progression fantasy, as they're usually always growing and struggling. They may seem childish and rather dull when it comes to academic subjects, but typically these Protagonists will have a heroic personality and a serious talent regarding their chosen expertise. Like I discussed in my last entry, these people form powerful bonds with their friends and thus benefit from the Power of Friendship in a way few others can. They often have good luck, good looks, incredible charisma, an amazing Fighting Spirit, a sympathetic and merciful personality, and determination to see through impossible situations. Traits can vary wildly, but these are the usual suspects.

But there's another edge to this sword, and it's the presence of The Narrative.

Shounen protags have a lot going for them, but the fact remains that they are always subject to the attention of The Narrative, which ensures that the story that is the protag's life moves forward. Unfortunately, to do this, The Narrative will ██████████ ███ ██████████ ██ █████ ███ ███ ██ █ ███████ █████ ██ ███ ████████ █████ ███ ███████ ███ ██████ ████ ███████ ██████ ███████ ██ ████████ █ █████████ █████ ███ ██████ ████ █████████. The protag will suffer a lot, and there is nothing they can do about it. Perhaps they could try ██ ████████ ████ ███ ███ █████████ ██ ███ ███ █████████ ███ ██████ █████ ██ ██████ █████ ███ ██ █████ █████ ████ ███ ████ ███ ███████ ███████████ ████████ ██ ████ ███ ████ ████ █████ ██████ ███████. A poor outcome if that's the case.

On second thought, let's not, even if this is encoded. Info redacted for safety.

Armed with this knowledge, I'll be doing my best to keep an eye out for metaphysical influences over myself and my team. We'll lean into the helpful ones, and do our best to dodge the not-too-helpful ones.

Emotions swirl in Julian's gut as he looks at the one and only Protagonist of Pokemon. Is it worry? Excitement? Wariness? There are so many that picking a single one is a chore. He's known exactly what he's needed to do and how to work things into his favor so far, but what kind of plan would survive first contact with Ash Ketchum?

Oh lord, just tapping into his 6th sense for aura makes things even more surreal. If Julian's aura is akin to a simple candle, one calmly burning with no smoke, then Ash's aura is a crackling fire that burns hot and messily in its loose ring of stones. Wisps of invisible aura leak out of Ash's skin, saturating the room like a mist and numbing Julian's 6th sense. Envy for Ash's sheer capacity and potential begins to mix itself into the storm of emotions inside of the man-turned-teen. 'Such is the way of the protagonist.'

Pikachu likewise is a well of power, one even deeper than Ash and much more controlled. The electric-type lacks the pinpoint control that would give his aura a mirror-smooth surface like Lulu's at rest, but the crackling aura is dense with raw destructive power. Even Lulu, after years of training under her father, might not win a bout with the fabled electric mouse.

At his side, Lulu gives Julian a concerned stare, no doubt feeling the whirling maelstrom of emotion inside of him just as she does Ash and Pikachu's freakish amounts of aura. She gently nudges her trainer with an elbow, pulling him from his reflections.

Julian takes a breath. 'Calm down. He's a kid. A kid who's gone toe-to-toe with a lot of criminals and legendaries, but a kid nonetheless.' He gives Lulu a smile, and she returns it with a small one of her own.

"Ah!" Ash's face takes on a frown as he lays eyes on Paul. "It's you again!"

Before Paul can reply, Julian snorts, drawing everyone's attention to him. "Making enemies already, Paul?" He teases, smirking at the younger boy. "High-profile enemies at that. You don't do things by halves, do you? Where did you meet these guys?"

Paul's scowl eases into confusion as he processes Julian's words. "I met this loser and his pals out in the woods west of Sandgem. What do you mean by 'high-profile?'"

"You don't know?" Julian raises an eyebrow even if he's unsurprised. "The kid with the Pikachu is Ash Ketchum, a trainer sponsored by Professor Oak and a veteran of three League challenges," He turns his gaze to Ash and Pikachu, who both look befuddled at being recognized. "Four League challenges if you count an unofficial one, and supposedly one of the few people to encounter more than one Legendary pokemon in a lifetime if some reports I've read are correct. The tall guy with him is Brock Harrison, former Gym Leader of Kanto's Pewter City, and another person spotted interacting with Legendary pokemon on the regular."

Both Ash and Brock go from puzzled to openly shocked, eyes wide and jaws dropping. Even Brock's squinted eyes open just enough to reveal his light brown irises.

Dawn looks at her two new friends with surprise and maybe even a bit of awe.

Rowan's expression remains flat. His aura doesn't even flicker.

"How does he know that? Who is this guy?" Julian hears Pikachu's young, boyish voice quietly ask no one.

The attention doesn't bother him, but Julian clears his throat and backs off. "I guess that's kinda rude of me to start spouting stuff off without introducing myself. The name is Julian Angelo. The Lucario here is my partner, Lulu."

Lulu gives the opposite group a polite incline of her head. "A pleasure."

"And you've already met Paul," Julian claps Paul on the back, making the shorter boy stumble. "I'm sure his radiant smile lit up your lives so much you just had to come see it again."

Paul turns and levels a glare so hateful at Julian that the older teen actually feels a tiny prickle of Killing Intent.

Ash, Pikachu, and Brock don't seem to know what to make of the scene in front of them, but Dawn giggles behind her hand and dispels the remaining tension.

"We were actually traveling back to the lab with Professor Rowan to upgrade my pokedex and get a package waiting for me," Ash isn't on the backfoot for long and smiles. That smile takes on a competitive edge as he zeros in on Paul. "Hey, Paul. I caught a Starly earlier and have three pokemon. Do you still want that three-on-three battle?"

Paul smirks right back at Ash. "Did you catch the first little weakling that stumbled into your path? Don't answer, it doesn't matter. Beating you and dashing Angelo's hype in one go is too good to pass up." He takes a pokeball from his belt and enlarges it.

Ash doesn't rise to the bait, his smile not even twitching. Pikachu's cheeks throw little yellow sparks in irritation, however.

Rowan finally speaks with a click of his tongue. "Do have your battle out back, if you boys please," he grumbles. "Ash, we still have the matter of your pokedex and the package from your mother."

"Oh shoot," Ash sheepishly scratches the back of his head. "I almost forgot. I'll see you guys outside!"

Out behind the Sandgem Pokemon Lab in a rolling pasture of green, Julian and Lulu wait along with Dawn, her Piplup, and Brock for Ash and Rowan to finish up inside the laboratory. Standing a dozen yards away with a pokeball in hand, Paul waits away from everyone else.

'How did Paul and Ash's first fight end in the anime?' Julian wonders to himself, crossing his arms and staring up at a passing cloud as he tries to jog his memory. 'Either it was Paul's win or a tie. I don't remember Ash beating Paul much. If Paul trains with Lulu and me, and god forbid, actually takes my advice, I'm not sure Ash can win at all.' The blonde tries to feel bad, but… 'He's a protag, the world will throw him a bone if things look bad.'

Feeling a nudge, Julian looks to Lulu, who flicks an ear as her trainer focuses on her. "You seem like you know Ash," she begins. "I don't recall him being one of the trainers we researched before the League year started." She pauses for a beat. "Do you… know him?"

Julian leans in and whispers in her ear, keenly aware of Dawn, Piplup, and Brock's attention. "He and his Pikachu are the heroes of Pokemon. Higher Powers are watching them, and their friends, so it'll pay to remain a few steps ahead when it comes to dealing with him," he says quietly.

A ripple runs down Lulu's fur as she involuntarily shivers. Her aura twists in a decidedly disturbed manner.

"Excuse me, Julian was it?"

Both Julian and Lulu turn to Dawn, who blinks up at the taller teen. "Is your friend having a bad day? He's been awfully rude so far…" She casts a sidelong glance at Paul.

"Paul?" Julian asks, also looking at the boy in question. "Ah, he's not having a bad day, he's just… What's the phrase?"

"A jerk," Lulu sniffs.

"Not the most social sort," Julian supplies. "We're acquainted, but not exactly friends. We're just traveling together out of convenience. Raising pokemon and traveling is expensive, after all."

"Is it?" Dawn asks with a tilt of her head. When both Julian and Lulu give her odd looks, she flushes in embarrassment and looks at the ground. "Erm, my mom is paying for my journey and today is my first day away from home…"

Julian waves her off. "No worries. I don't think I caught your name miss…"

She smiles brightly, the tiny aura in her chest shining purely. "Dawn Berlitz. It's nice to meet you properly!"

The blonde smiles back. He honestly can't help it. "Same to you." He looks down at Piplup. "Didn't catch yours, either, pal."

Piplup starts, surprised at being included. "Me?" Piplup asks, his 'voice' akin to a young boy. "My name is just Piplup." After a thought, he literally puffs up with bravado, the tuft of feathers on his chest swelling. "I don't really need any other because I'm the best Piplup around," He replies, poking his chest with a flipper.

'Cute. Didn't the DP pokedex say something about the Piplup line all having egos?' Outwardly, Julian nods. "Gotcha," he says, making no indication that he understands the penguin pokemon. "I take it you two are traveling with Ash and Brock?"

Dawn begins a cheery nod, but pauses halfway and nervously looks over her shoulder to Brock.

"We'd be glad to have you, Dawn," Brock assures with a smile of his own. "Ash and I usually travel with a few other people anyway. It'd feel off to break up the formula." The former Gym Leader looks over the ecstatic Dawn to Julian and Lulu. "You guys are welcome to come as well."

'Eh?' Julian feels his brain short out at the offer, and he can feel the conflicted ripple of Lulu's aura. "Don't you need to consult your pal Ash on that?"

Brock shakes his head. "Ash's philosophy is 'the more the merrier.' We've traveled across a couple of regions together, so I already know what he would say."

Ohh. Ohh. The opportunity to use Ash and his friends as a springboard, the opportunity to suck away some of that fabled protag power and be there for fated encounters… Julian was sure that something would get in the way should he and Lulu try to join, but the chance is right here! Hell, they might even be able to become secondary protagonists! That means grand rewards with Ash doing the heavy lifting. Julian's lips twitch as he fights the grin that wants to spring up. Oh, the danger will be constant for certain, but the rewards are just too tempting…

'Sorry, Paul. It sucks to suck because I'm not passing this up!'

At his side, Lulu crosses her arms and lets out a frustrated huff. "You only needed to wait another week to find us pleasant traveling partners, Julian." The Lucario chastises, her ruby eyes unamused and her aura flat. "I can't believe we're going with the purple brat…"

'What?' Julian blinks, then grimaces. 'Oh. Dammit, Lulu. You didn't even consider going back on our word, did you?' For a long second, the blonde teen considers the options available to him to worm out of his agreement with Paul, only to realize there isn't one that spares Lulu's honesty.

Julian can handle being a liar, but he can't, or rather won't force Lulu to break that Lucario honor of hers.

"That's awful kind of you, but we've already agreed to travel with Paul," Julian forces out to Brock, mentally kicking his own ass for being a goody-goody for Paul's pokemon when he's got himself and Lulu to look after. "It wouldn't be fair to just dump him after we already said we would."

Lulu nods along, and no one needs the ability to sense aura to see how reluctant her agreement is.

Brock smiles easily enough. "I understand. Maybe we'll see each other on the road?"

"You have no idea…" Julian murmurs under his breath, watching the back of the lab as Professor Rowan emerges from the rear door. "Here comes the professor."

Rowan approaches with his arms folded behind his back, circling around the group and standing behind everyone so he might keep an eye on all the children on his land. Or so Julian reasons.

"Ash will be along shortly," Rowan rumbles. "Ah, and I have this for you, Miss Berlitz." Rowan reaches into the pocket of his labcoat and withdraws a pokedex, one he hands to a confused Dawn.

"Your mother Johanna speaks highly of you," the professor says quietly. "We'll be watching your progress."

Dawn opens the pokedex up, appearing starstruck. "Wow… My own pokedex." She whispers, scarcely able to believe it.

Julian bites back a growl and looks away from the girl and professor as envy once more gnaws at him. 'Get over yourself, Angelo. Don't be sour because a little girl got a neat gadget and you didn't.'

Dawn fiddles with the 'dex for a moment, each button press making a little beep sound as she sorts through the digital encyclopedia. "So, do I just…" She points the device at Piplup, who gazes curiously at the little blinking light on the pokedex.

"Piplup, The Penguin Pokemon," the pokedex's voice is dull and synthetic. "A poor walker, it often trips, but its pride means it will rise again no matter how often it falls. Piplup are excellent swimmers and can dive deep in frigid water for prey."

Piplup initially puffs up in indignation during the first part of the pokedex blurb, but the mention of his line's swimming skill seems to soothe his pride.

"Wow, look at all this!" Dawn happily scrolls through the info presented to her, and despite only getting a side-long look at the pokedex, Julian can see that there are whole pages on Piplup alone. Dawn then looks over to Julian. "Julian? Is it okay if I scan your pokemon? I've never seen a Lucario in person before."

The blonde shrugs. "Ask her, not me."

"Oh! Uh…" Dawn turns her unsure blue eyes to Lulu. "Is that okay with you, Lulu?"

The Lucario just smiles and nods.

Permission in hand, Dawn returns the smile and holds her pokedex up. The LED on the front blinks and the device beeps.

"Lucario, The Aura Pokemon. Lucario can freely manipulate the mysterious energy known as aura, and can sense the auras of others. They use this skill to read the thoughts and emotions of both friends and foes. Only trainers who have justice in their hearts can earn this pokemon's trust." The pokedex rattles off.

'That last line is clearly bogus,' Julian hides his sardonic smirk.

The insight from the pokedex blurb makes Dawn scroll deeper into the entry for Lucario, her eyes growing wider and wider as she delves deeper.

"Where did you find a Lucario? Or did you raise her from a Riolu?" Brock finally interjects, stepping up to form a loose square of bodies with Julian, Lulu, and Dawn. He looks between Julian and Lulu with crossed arms. "Lucario are rare and powerful pokemon, so they're tough to defeat, let alone catch."

"Catch?" Julian chortles, finding himself amused by the thought that a prideful pokemon like Lulu would ever bow her head like a Starly or Bidoof. He turns his head to his sole pokemon and gives her a light jab to the ribs with his elbow. "You hear that? Catching you?"

She bats his arms away with a paw. "It's not incorrect," Lulu says, her eyes just as mirthful as Julian's voice. "You're the owner of the pokeball tied to me, so you did catch me."

Julian waves her off. "Technicalities, anyway," He looks back to Dawn and Brock, who watch the exchange with perplexed expressions. "Lulu is my first, and for now, only pokemon. We met, became friends, found out that our ambitions in life align nicely, then set out for the Sinnoh gym circuit. Hell, I've only been a licensed trainer for a month or so."

That catches Rowan's attention, as the man turns his eyes and single raised eyebrow to Julian, then the smiling Lucario at his side. Even if his expression is only one step left of neutral, it still speaks more than Brock's open shock or Dawn's uncomprehending stare.

Rowan's gaze travels down to Lulu's gauntlet, then to the pendant around Julian's neck. It takes a moment, and Rowan's expression remains controlled, but the professor can't hide his aura suddenly jumping in surprised realization.

The blonde teen feels his eyes narrow. 'He knows something about the keystone and gauntlet.'

Before the conversation can continue, the back door of the lab opens up once more.

Ash and Pikachu exit the lab and walk over to the group, marching forward with a confident swagger. The hero's travel-worn clothes have been replaced with a fresh set ready for a new adventure, and on his shoulder, Pikachu's smirk mirrors Ash's to a T.

'I wonder if Lulu and I will begin mirroring each other like that?'

Ash takes his place across from Paul, twenty or so yards separating them. Brock steps forward to referee the upcoming battle.

Off to the side of the makeshift arena, Brock raises a fist to his mouth and clears his throat. "This will be a three-on-three match between Ash and Paul, no substitutions allowed! Pick your first pokemon!"

"Get ready, Paul!" Ash smiles and draws a pokeball from his belt, tossing it with no delay. "Starly, I choose you!"

The pokeball pops open with its iconic snap-hiss and out shoots a bolt of white light before the ball zips back down to Ash's hand as if by magic.

The bolt of light, meanwhile, hits the ground and coalesces into the shape of a foot-tall bird. As the light fades, a Starly is left behind.

The Starly is nothing special, being a common pokemon in Sinnoh. With a white face, beady eyes, pointy beak, brown feathers, and a single feather like a fringe of hair on its head, it's unremarkable by pokemon standards.

Ash's Starly trills a challenge at Paul and flares his wings, a frown on his face.

Paul picks his pokemon just as fast, taking a ball from his belt and throwing it in one smooth motion. "Starly, stand-by!"

The ball snaps open and shoots a bolt of white light down just like Ash's did. As the light takes shape and fades away, another Starly is left in the field. When Paul's Starly sees his opponent, he says nothing, but his coat of feathers ruffles up threateningly.

Julian stretches his aura out, feeling both of the pokemon. 'Even if both Starly are identical, Paul's boasts a more potent aura, and the gap isn't exactly small.' He looks over to Lulu, seeing her eyes glowing a dull blue as she scouts both pokemon as well.

"Begin!" Brock chops his arm down.

"In the air!" Both Ash and Paul order as one.

The pair of Starly spread their wings and take to the sky in a flurry of wingbeats, rising high above everyone's heads in just a few seconds.

"Okay Starly, Wing Attack!" Ash calls to his pokemon.

"Right!" Ash's Starly chirps, zipping towards the opposing bird pokemon, wreathing his wings in white energy as he flies.

"Hold steady!" Paul barks.

Paul's Starly just hovers in place, tensing up as the other Starly barrels towards him, Wing Attack beared.

Wham!

Paul's Starly takes a tumble as Wing Attack slams into him, only to flare his wings out and halt his fall as the other Starly flies past.

Down with the spectators, Dawn smiles as she watches Ash's Starly make a wide turn to return back to the battlefield airspace. "It's a hit!" She exclaims excitedly, then another thought seems to occur to her, making her smile morph into a confused frown. "Why didn't Paul make his Starly dodge?"

Rowan hums. "He's likely feeling out the capabilities of Ash's Starly. Taking an attack is risky, but…"

"Now Paul knows how wide the power gap is, and that it's in his favor." Julian continues, less watching the fight and more feeling it with his aura. "Paul's Starly is more rattled than hurt, and Ash doesn't have the synergy needed with his Starly to beat a stronger foe considering they met only today." He feels Paul's aura twist in a vindictive way. "Paul knows this and is going to end the fight."

Back with Ash and Paul, Paul smirks. "That's all?" He taunts Ash, who scowls back. "Starly!" Paul calls to his pokemon. "Aerial Ace!"

Paul's Starly pulls an impossibly high Gturn mid-air and jets towards Ash's Starly with his beak glowing a bright white. Before Ash or his Starly can do anything, Ash's Starly is stabbed right in the stomach by the beak of Paul's.

"Gah!" Ash's Starly cries, unable to stay airborne and crashing into the ground with a plume of grass and dirt. The bird grits his non-existent teeth and shakily rises. "I won't go down that easily!" He taunts the other bird, who doesn't react.

"Starly, hang in there!" Ash clenches his fist. "Get back in the air and use Wing Attack!"

As the battered bird pokemon spreads his wings and takes off, Paul is quick to shatter any hope of a win with another order. "Double Team! Then Aerial Ace!"

Paul's Starly glows briefly, then shadowy, illusionary copies of the bird flood the air, making Ash's Starly pause in surprise. With Ash's Starly frozen and unsure, Paul's zips down from behind, the white glow of Aerial Ace focused into his beak. Ash's Starly is then bowled over by Paul's as if hit by a truck. The brutalized bird falls and rolls across the ground before coming to a stop, out cold.

High above, Paul's Starly hovers on steady wingbeats as the Double Team copies vanish.

"Ash's Starly is unable to battle! The winner is Paul…" Brock raises an arm and reluctantly decares.

Both trainers point their pokeballs out and recall their pokemon with beams of red, each Starly being sucked back into their respective ball.

Ash doesn't seem upset over the loss. In fact, he smiles gently at the ball in his hand. "Don't sweat it, Starly," he says, shrinking the ball and putting it back on his belt. "You did swell, and I know you'll do even better next time."

Paul shakes his head dismissively as he returns his Starly. "I think I've figured you out," he calls out to Ash. "You cover your weaknesses just by pushing the offensive over and over. With a simple, lame-o strategy like that, I feel sorry for any pokemon that ends up stuck with you." He then gives his Starly's ball a disgruntled look. "That's all you can do?" He scowls as he clips the ball back to his hip.

Ash doesn't rise to the taunt and just readies his next pokeball.

After seeing the first battle, Julian's distant memories of the old anime filter back, and the next battle plays out as he remembered. Paul's Chimchar clashes with Ash's Aipom, a cheerful, purple monkey pokemon with a large three-fingered hand on the end of his tail. The fight ends after only a few traded blows, as Aipom lands his Focus Punch attack by unexpectedly jumping over Chimchar's Flame Wheel, piledriving the other primate pokemon into the ground and landing a win for Ash.

The final match, Ash's Pikachu vs Paul's Elekid, is… disappointing.

Paul's pokemon, an Elekid, is a squat little egg of a pokemon with a round body coated in yellow fur with black stripes. His short legs end in toeless feet, and his large, club-like arms ending in a trio of claws are raised in an open challenge. The most striking feature of the pokemon, however, is the pair of horns resembling an electrical plug on his head.

Paul plays it smart from the get-go, letting Elekid absorb a Thunderbolt attack from Pikachu and fire it back with twice the strength. Where Elekid is unharmed, Pikachu somehow suffers a bit of damage under the electrical attack. It's not much, but the fact it happens at all…

Ash then tries to end the battle early with Volt Tackle, seemingly forgetting that Elekid doesn't seem to take any damage from Electric-type moves. Paul responds by ordering Elekid to use Protect, erecting a near-unbreakable shield of green energy around Elekid. Pikachu simply bounces off Protect and suffers recoil damage for the trouble.

Then Pikachu and Elekid meet in the center of the battleground for a furious melee, Pikachu's Iron Tail technique clashing with Elekid's fighting-type move Brick Break.

The entire time, though, Pikachu seemingly can't bring his power to bear and remains toe-to-toe with Elekid despite an unearthly power difference in Pikachu's favor. Julian keeps his 6th sense focused on the most iconic pokemon of all time, but even with Pikachu genuinely struggling and putting in real effort, most of the power put behind his attacks and movements just fizzles out, wasted.

'What in the world is going on?' Julian wonders, watching as Pikachu and Elekid, both exhausted, get ready to engage once more. 'It has to be anime logic at work. Pikachu should be steamrolling Elekid.' He glances over to Lulu, finding her eyes narrowed in confusion. 'She noticed it too.'

Pikachu's Iron Tail clashes with Elekid's fist with a sound like a sword smashing into a wall. Both pokemon struggle mightily against each other with gritted teeth.

"Not… bad," Pikachu huffs out between pants, still pushing back against Elekid's fist. As his stamina flags, his tail begins to lose its metallic luster.

"Pheh," Elekid is all smiles despite the tail cutting into his hand and the sweat soaking his short coat of fur. "Is that… all you have?" He forces out.

"Pikachu!" Ash calls. The young trainer's face is picture-perfect worry, a sharp contrast to Paul's cool visage. "Push Elekid off and try one more time!"

"Brick Break!" Paul's barked order is much more to the point.

Elekid and Pikachu break off from each other, both charging one final attack, then they rush forward.

An iron-hard tail smashes into's Elekid's skull.

A wall-busting fist slugs Pikachu in the jaw.

Both pokemon are blown away from each other by the force of the other's attack, each landing on their feet and skidding back. Elekid and Pikachu stand for only a moment, too exhausted to keep going.

Pikachu falters first and drops to his stomach, Elekid following a second later.

When neither pokemon rise after a few seconds, Brock raises his arm. "Neither pokemon are able to battle. This match, and the battle, is a tie!"

Dawn and Piplup openly clap their hands and flippers for Ash and Pikachu, cheer written on their young faces.

Rowan politely applauds, as does Julian, who frowns as he watches Ash scoop up his Pikachu and Paul return Elekid to his ball. At the same time, Brock makes his way to Ash, and both converse quietly, too quietly for Julian to hear.

After putting Elekid's ball away, Paul takes his Starly's ball out and presses down the button on the ball, holding it for several seconds. Then he lets go and the ball pops open, this time with a flash of blue light signaling a permanent release rather than the standard white.

Starly takes to the sky with a flutter of brown wings and is gone a second later, never looking back.

"Hey!" Ash cradles his battered and bleary Pikachu as he stomps up to Paul. The hero points to the free and now-distant Starly with a scowl. "What was that for?!"

Paul crosses his arms with a snort. "There are a million Starly as strong as that one. If I happen across a better one, I'll catch it." He schools his expression into something less harsh and turns to Professor Rowan. "Thank you for the use of your field, professor," Paul says with a polite bow.

Rowan merely nods.

Paul then turns his attention to Julian and Lulu. "Are you two ready to go?"

"I suppose…" Julian adjusts the straps on his backpack before turning to Ash and co. Ash's frustration with Paul is finally bleeding through his pinched expression, and with Ash's constant output of aura, it's as if the hero is wearing a wailing siren telling every empath for miles what he's feeling. Behind him, Dawn has her hands worriedly clasped, and Brock stands stoically with his arms crossed.

Julian turns his head to Lulu, who sighs and nods, taking up her usual spot on his right. Then he offers a smile to Ash, Dawn, and Brock. "It's been real. Maybe we'll see each other along the way, yeah?" Julian begins to follow after Paul with Lulu falling into step with him, waving over his shoulder then he pauses.

"Hey, Professor Rowan?" Julian looks over his shoulder at the stern man. "I know I'm not one of your sponsored trainers, but do you have a card or something?" The teen purposefully reaches up and rubs a thumb over the worn gold pendant holding his keystone. With warm regards for the Lucario next to him, the brilliant rainbow stone glows faintly. "I get the feeling… that you could help me with something, something you might regard as important."

Rowan's severe stare doesn't falter at all. After a long second, Julian fears that the man might blow him off, but Rowan finally reaches inside his lab coat and rummages for a moment. He pulls out not a business card, but a small pad of paper and a pen. He jots something down, then rips the page from the pad and presents it to Julian.

Stepping forward, Julian takes the paper and looks it over, finding just a simple phone number and nothing else. '(6100)-1220-3928? Sinnoh's region code doesn't start with a 6…' He looks back up to Rowan.

"The number of a colleague of mine," Rowan answers the unspoken question, his white mustache wobbling a bit with his words. "He'll be of more use than I. Call him when you have the time for a lengthy, private conversation."

'Someone more useful than Rowan, huh?' Rather than question it, Julian folds the sheet and inclines his head. "Thank you, professor."

Before Julian can turn back to Paul and Lulu, Rowan reaches out and clasps the blonde's shoulder, halting him.

"Be wary of openly displaying that necklace and that gauntlet," the elderly professor warns, his voice lowered and eyes hard. "If the unscrupulous sort know of them, you may have a problem on your hands."

Julian considers the words, then slowly shrugs off Rowan's hand. "Let 'em come. They won't win."

The professor lets out a long-suffering sigh. "To be young and foolish…"

With a final wave over his shoulder, Julian returns to Lulu and Paul, the latter of whom is impatiently tapping his foot in the grass. "Okay, ready to go."

"About time…" Paul grumbles, turning on his heel and walking off without another word, leaving an amused Julian and irritated Lulu to follow.

As a group, Julian, Lulu, and Paul stop by the pokemon center for a brief twenty minutes for Paul's pokemon to be patched up, and for Julian and Lulu to tell a wistful Nurse Joy goodbye. Once done there, they set off north to the nearest city, Jubilife.

Along route 202, the road connecting Sandgem town to Jubilife city, the group sets a brisk pace with the only conversation being snippets of no consequence between the pair of aura users. Paul seems content to keep his words to himself and walk, limiting the few times he would talk to purely utilitarian communication.

Silently, Julian is glad his aura is as minuscule as it is now that they're on the road. With so little to work with, his control of it is near-perfect, letting him modulate his strength so that the heavy pack on his back seems half its weight. 'Huh. My aura reserves are holding up fine. Maybe I won't have to buy a crazy non-euclidean backpack after all.'

Julian takes a deep breath and shuts his eyes, stretching his senses as far as they'll go.

Lulu is the first thing he feels, naturally. Her ire from earlier has faded like dust in the wind, and it's clear that a return to the nature she was born and raised in has perked up her attitude. Even with his eyes closed, he can feel the bounce in her step and the smile on her muzzle. Using her as an orientation point, Julian keeps his legs moving alongside her. Lulu must feel Julian's aura relaxing to take in his surroundings, because she giggles and bares her bold-faced affection for him in her own aura.

The man-turned-teen smiles gently.

Paul, who is walking a few steps ahead, is next, along with the muted signatures of the pokemon on his belt. The younger boy's aura is as small as any unawakened human's, so reading it is a chore, but at the very least the purple-haired trainer isn't wearing his hostility openly. The pokeballs clipped to his belt radiate a myriad of emotions, each one too muddled by the emotions of their fellows to provide anything but white noise.

Farther out are pokemon. Countless pokemon. The Starly, Pidgey, and even a few Taillow in the trees, the Bidoofs trundling through the shrubs, the slumbering Geodude disguised as a rock just off the road, and many, many more. Even in Julian's limited range of observation, there are so many. None of them feel especially powerful, however.

Paul's aura wrinkles in bemusement. "Are you falling asleep on your feet?"

Julian cracks his eyes open, taking in his traveling partner's questioning and vaguely annoyed face. "No. Just taking everything in."

The Veilstone native gives Julian a flat stare. "Your eyes were closed."

The taller boy responds with a smirk. "You don't necessarily need eyes to see," he replies cryptically.

Paul sighs and slows his pace for a moment, now walking beside Julian so he doesn't have to look over his shoulder. "Let me guess? More hippy mumbo-jumbo?" Paul asks, rolling his eyes.

"It's not hippy mumbo-jumbo, but I forgive your insults, non-believer," Julian lets his smirk widen. "When I told you I was onto something with pokemon, let me be clear that I one-hundred percent meant it. You'll see it before long."

"Yeah, whatever…" Paul looks away, instead turning his attention to the setting sun. "We should make camp soon before the sun goes down. I want to have time to go pokemon hunting before dark."

Julian glances over to Lulu. "Ready to settle for the night?"

"If you are," she agrees.

The trio walk for only a few more minutes, passing the dozing Geodude before turning into the thicket of trees off of the well-trodden dirt road. Within several more minutes, they happen across a small clearing that obviously served as someone else's campsite once upon a time, owing to the ring of stones surrounding a pile of ash.

Julian drops his heavy bag to the forest floor with a thump, then he turns to Lulu. "Can you get some firewood? I'll get things set up here."

The Lucario gives him a small smile. "Of course. I'll be back shortly." Without any other prompting, she tenses her legs and hops up into the trees, jumping from branch to branch in a blur of blue and black.

Julian hums as she leaves the edge of his senses and raises his arms over his head in a stretch. He sighs as the motion pleasantly pops his back. "Alrightly, here we go."

Having forgone a tent to save space, Julian pulls the hammock he bought in the tent's place out of his bag and sets it up hanging almost taut between a pair of trees. His opening sleeping bag is then tossed in, ready to be slept in. Another line is stretched over the hammock, then the folding rain fly is set-up, finishing his shelter for the night. He glances over his shoulder to Paul.

Julian is just in time to watch the younger boy pull an entire folding cot out of his small backpack and begin setting it up in his cozy-looking green tent.

'Okay, maybe I do need one of those bag-of-holding gizmos,' Julian looks back at his hammock, which looks crummy in comparison. 'And a tent.' His thoughts turn to Roark, the Gym Leader in Oreburgh, the town that they'll likely go to after Jubilife. 'Sorry Roark. All my current money is for a rainy day. You're not getting any mercy because I want that prize money for kicking your ass.'

Julian sets out a pair of cans, his and Lulu's dinner for the night, as he sits by the firepit and watches Paul finish setting up his tent.

Paul stands and inspects his side of the campground, doing a thorough check of his tent, the bedding inside, and a lantern preemptively set-out. With a satisfied nod, he zips his tent closed and delves into his bottomless backpack again, this time pulling out a folding camp chair.

'Shit, that's another thing I forgot.' Julian frowns.

The younger boy unfolds the chair and sets it down, then reaches in his bag and pulls out another one that he carelessly tosses at Julian.

"Hey!" Julian snatches the chair out of the air before it can smack him in the face. He stands and levels Paul with a sour look. "What's that for?"

"If you don't want to use it, then give it here and I'll put it back," Paul holds his hand out.

Julian grumbles, but doesn't hand the seat back over. "Thanks," he says, unfolding it and sitting himself down. Even after cheating and using aura to make the last several hours of walking easier, Julian's legs and back thank him for the relaxation. With a sigh, he pulls off his hair-tie and lets his sweaty mane air out. "Mighty kind of you."

"It's a spare that I'm not using," Paul retorts, elaborating no further. He turns away, reaching into his bag and pulling out five cellophane-wrapped boxes of white cardboard, almost like wide take-out boxes. Four are roughly seven inches on each side and maybe three inches deep, while the last one is nearly half again as large.

The boxes are unwrapped and popped open, showing off the brown pokemon kibble inside, then Paul takes all of the pokeballs on his waist and tosses them into the air, where they all pop open with flashes of white.

The clearing quickly becomes more cramped as the flashes fade.

Taking up the most space is Paul's Torterra, Julian idly notes. The large pokemon resembles a tortoise to a degree, with thick legs and an underbelly covered in brown scaly skin, a large beaked mouth, and a stubby tail, but the similarity ends there. A pair of spikes are sprouting from the sides of his head, and his red eyes take in the clearing and its occupants coolly. On the mossy, rock shell on his back is a fully rooted tree with verdant green leaves, making Torterra at least eight feet tall if his tree is counted. The tree is slightly offset to the side, and on the other side of the shell is a trio of rocky spikes, almost looking like jagged peaks.

Lairon, the next unfamiliar pokemon, is also the second-largest. The Steel-type is a reptilian quadruped with a stocky build, standing low on four short legs. He-no. Her body is coated in overlapping plates of shiny steel, from her skull, down her back, and to her tail. Each plate sports a tall ridge in the center, making her roughly three feet tall. Her blue eyes blink and settle on Julian warily.

The last pokemon Julian has yet to meet is heard before he's seen. Ninjask is perhaps the most mundane of Paul's team, looking like a two-foot-long cicada with a gold and black shell. Two forelegs ending in a single hooked claw each dangle from his body, and his wings beat so fast to keep him aloft that the clearing is filled with a dull buzz. Rather than be wary of Julian like Larion, the bug pokemon radiates open curiosity and tilts his head.

The final two Julian saw earlier today, Chimchar and Elekid. Both still sport minor scrapes from their battle earlier, but seem unbothered.

"Your food is set out. Eat up." Paul tells his pokemon curtly, then he turns his back to them and seats himself in his chair.

None of the pokemon seem phased at all by the clear dismissal and instead dig into their food, each one knowing which one goes to who.

Julian feels himself blanch. "You could stand to be a little more polite to your pokemon, Paul."

Paul doesn't even reply, instead reaching into the backpack now resting by his chair and pulling out a simple sandwich that he unwraps and bites into.

A second later, Lulu speedily phases back into the campground like a ninja, making Paul's pokemon tense up.

"I couldn't find much dead hardwood," Lulu's head dips in apology as she sets the wood in her arms down with a clatter. "There were only a few worthwhile logs nearby, so I had to make up the difference with some recently felled softwood."

"Eh, that's fine," Julian waves her off, watching Paul's pokemon from the corner of his eye. He picks up one of the logs. "Spruce burns quick, but-"

"Pine," Lulu interjects.

"Pine burns quick, but hot," Julain corrects himself with a clear of his throat. "We'll just save the good stuff for last so we have a coalbase in the morning."

Behind Paul, his pokemon share quiet glances, most looking towards Torterra, who just shakes his head. "I haven't any idea who this is…" Torterra's voice is deep and gravelly.

Disappointed, Julian looks back at Paul. "You didn't even tell your pokemon of our arrangement?"

"Arrangement?" Elekid's scratchy voice asks through a bite of his dinner. The young Electric-type doesn't seem vexed by the presence of Julian or Lulu, as he carelessly pops a claw in his mouth and licks it clean. "What kinda arrangement?"

"That we'd all be traveling together, both to save money and as a learning experience," Julian replies directly to Elekid.

Now the electric pokemon looks spooked and recoils. Around him, his teammates look on with wide eyes, even Torterra. "How did you…?!" Elekid can't seem to finish his sentence through his shock.

Paul scoffs, halting the conversation. "Are you really doing that 'I can understand pokemon' bull again?" He puts his paltry dinner aside and shakes his head. "Don't try to pass off knowing some body language as being some kind of Doctor Dolittle. I'm already doubting the stuff you told me before because I've yet to see proof of it. For all I know, this is just some kind of elaborate grift."

Lulu bristles, but before she can spit vitriol over the insult leveled at Julian, her trainer raises a hand and stops her short. All the jackal pokemon can do is cross her arms under her chest spike silently and fume.

"Is that how you're rationalizing it?" Julian asks flatly. "After I explained how Lulu no-sold Flame Wheel despite her Steel-typing? After I explained how evil and pokemon don't mix? C'mon, man. Why even agree then? I'm telling you, a willingness to open up to your pokemon will widen the whole world for you. It's not something you learn in a day, though."

Paul looks away, his aura almost screaming doubt. Doubt about Julian's words, and doubt about himself.

Julian hisses to himself. 'Fucking angsty teenagers. Was I this much of a faux tough guy when I was 14?' Outwardly, he sighs. "Okay, look. Let's try this," Julian rests his arms on his knees and steeples his fingers. "Go to one of your pokemon and whisper something to them. Something I can't randomly guess, like a string of numbers, then have them repeat it out loud. I'll then tell you what I heard. Will that tell you that I'm not full of hippy bullshit?"

Paul's scowl eases only slightly as he stands stiffly. He marches over to Torterra and leans over, cupping his mouth as he whispers something to the great tortoise, who listens intently. Paul then stands and crosses his arms. "Torterra… Repeat what I said."

Torterra gives Julian a searching look before speaking. "My young master said the numbers zero, four, five, one, seven, seven, nine."

Julian smirks. "Zero, four, five, one, seven, seven, nine."

At first, Paul uncrosses his arms, a smug smile rising on his face. "Wrong. It was zero…" Then he freezes, visibly replaying what he heard in his head. The smile drops, leaving Paul openly baffled. Once more, Julian is struck by just how young Paul looks when the boy's face isn't twisted into a sneer.

Behind Paul, his pokemon trade looks of worry.

"P-Paul?" Chimchar timidly reaches out and touches his trainer's leg. "Are you okay?"

With a satisfied sigh, Julian leans back in his chair and glances up at the Lucario beside him, who looks all too pleased at Paul's shock.

"Buckle up, buckaroo," Julian stares into Paul's wide eyes. "Over the next few months, I'm going to teach you how friendship wins every time, no matter how much your boyhood aversion to all things lovey-dovey tells you otherwise."