Chapter 58: Is that you, Mr. Ketchum?
In a penthouse of a high-rise building a young girl who was decorating her hair with colourful shiny trinkets, suddenly winced as she felt pain on her finger.
"Tch!" she examined her finger, the reason for her sudden pain was easy to guess.
A small cut with marred her otherwise perfectly manicured finger with a small amount of blood.
The girl pushed a single bracelet, to her forearm, from the congregate of many that were dangling on her hand and closed her eyes ignoring the twinkling sounds of the bracelets made as they clashed against each other.
A single gem on the bracelet lost its lustre as the wound on her finger magically closed.
Huffing, the girl threw away the bracelet and started to dismantle her entire attire.
"Why gift me high-grade bracelets and then forbid me from using them?"
"Now I have to change my whole attire because the dull gem messes up my whole attire." She grumbled.
"At least, my uncle sneaked me many low-grade bracelets to match my dresses," she murmured admiring her new dress in the mirror. Satisfied, she remembered the person who didn't seem to notice how she glowed in her dresses.
"If one of these days the big lug doesn't say I look beautiful, I am going to castrate him," she huffed before doing one last spin in front of the mirror.
The numerous bracelets that decorated her hands and the mesmerising gems on her hair clip beautifully meshed together, creating a picture of otherworldly beauty, of a fairy deigning to walk among mortals.
She got into a lift and descended from her penthouse which will always be empty waiting for her.
The bracelet's dull gem glinted in the sunlight, beautifully contrasting with the rest of the colourful gems on the bracelet as it lay on the ground.
The low-grade item, worth more than a mansion, was tossed aside and forgotten as the girl marched to find her friends.
She hurried towards her childhood friend's favourite pastime place.
"Seriously! I can understand uncovering beautiful gems but why does he always have to be in that dull place."
She turned many heads as she walked, men and women alike admired her bringing a small spring into her steps.
The Lapidary Lottery was a bust.
"That guy is definitely in Pokemon centre battling or training but why is Titus not present in his favourite place?" she muttered before opening her Dex, only to see his message.
"Why is he in a café? Didn't I bring personal chefs after quarrelling with Mother?" she huffed and walked towards the café, dreading what was becoming a bad start to the day.
She entered the café only to see Titus sharing a table with a strange boy.
"Here you are!" She exclaimed ignoring something niggling in the back of her mind.
As she walked towards them, it took a moment for her to truly register the other boy's presence, he felt wrong and exuded something that was messing with her perception.
'What in the.. what is he wearing?' she wondered, her mind focusing on more important things than whatever her instincts were telling her- she zeroed in on his dress.
'He could have at least tried to make himself presentable. Even if he is poor, nothing is an excuse for his sorry excuse of an attire.'
She took a deeper look at him and grew more irritated.
'Who is this beggar?' she thought harshly, glaring at him.
...…
'Who is this bitch?' I thought harshly, irritated at her presence.
'Wow! Where did that come from?' I wondered at my sudden irritation. After all, most things don't affect me much.
Taking a deep breath, I shook off the irritation and looked at her again.
Something about her presence was irritating me, setting me on edge.
"Leo meet Lumina. Lumi meet Leo." Titus introduced us.
"She knows right?" I whispered.
"Yes, we have one more friend and he too is initiated."
"What are you doing in the café? Did you forget I bought a personal chef?" Lumi sat beside Titus leaning onto him.
"I remember, but it's good to eat out sometimes."
Three servers came with our orders and laid down everything on the table.
The food made me ignore the niggling sensation on the back of my head due to the girl and I challenged Titus, eyeing the food.
"Up for a competition."
He boomed out a laugh and lightly pushed Lumina away.
"Of course. But I doubt that you can even finish your food."
"Let's start on 3 .. 2..1 go!"
The girl huffed and glared at me as we ignored her and started stuffing ourselves with food.
Our glasses thumped the table as we both finished our last drink at the same time.
Titus let out a booming laugh again and spoke.
"You exceeded my expectations. But it is a draw."
"Maybe next time it won't be," I smirked and waved my hand for the bill.
"Let me take care of the bill. After all, the information you were sharing would be out of my reach without your help." I said, using the last of my online pokes to pay for our food.
'I should convert the berries to money sometime soon.' I noted the money I am going to get for the berries makes the amount I spent on my whole journey until now look like a chump change.
Titus stood up and gestured for me to follow.
"Come, we are going to the Pokemon Centre for battles, my other friend is there and I didn't get to answer your earlier question."
I followed Titus, the girl huffed before following us.
I think I adapted to her presence. Her presence wasn't bothering me as it did at start.
But she kept glaring at me.
"Is your friend here a Fairy-type aura user?" I asked Titus.
"The friend can talk, where are your manners?" The girl barked, making Titus frown.
He slapped his forehead.
"Right! You are an Anarch, I forgot. Yes, she is. Fairy-type aura users are called Vanitas or Vanit's for short."
"Reign in your aura, Lumi. His aura is making you irritated."
"You have good control or is it just talent?" Titus said giving me a once over as I wasn't as irritated as her.
"Yes, it is his aura that is making me irritated." The girl muttered, but Titus ignored her and I followed his example.
"Does every opposite type aura users-" I was interrupted when I was going to ask about how the irritation thing works.
"Hello guys who is this?"
A grinning trainer with a Pikachu on his shoulders interrupted Titus.
But before Titus could speak, the new trainer extended his hand towards me.
"Hi, I am Asher Goldhart, you can call me Ash and this is my partner Pikachu."
"Pika" The yellow mouse greeted me.
"Leo." I mechanically blurted out, shocked at the MC Ash look alike.
"What type of Aura user are you, Ash?" I asked coming out of my shock, Titus did say his friend was initiated. I think my brain would have been fried if he wore a cap and dressed like anime Ash.
From what I searched on Pokenet, there was a Trainer named Red but not Ash, and Brock, Misty are middle-aged now. I did a thorough check, there was no Ash.
"None! I didn't show any talent when I was tested." He said the grin never leaving his face.
"I think he has affinity undiscovered aura type." Titus chimed.
"Really! Why?"
"You will know after you battle him."
"Up for a battle, Ash," I asked, searching Titus for any hints.
"You bet."
"Pika." His Pikachu jumped into Lumina's arms as we made our way to the battlefield.
"I will be the referee- Pika Pika," Lumina and Pikachu interjected and made themselves the referee's.
Our battle started with the yellow mouse Pokemon mimicking Lumina's movements like it was controlling the glittering girl.
"It's a 2vs2 battle, no recalls. Choose your Pokeball. 3..2..1 Go." Lumina signalled the start of the match.
Cet took to the air; my clothes fluttered in the wind he generated as he observed his surroundings.
"Ratt."
A purple rat shimmered with a barrier as it took in its opponent.
The cat-sized rat was the opponent of the gigantic bat.
I really wanted to fall onto the ground like an anime character looking at the rat Pokemon, but I shook myself and took the match seriously.
'A Rattata, so no pesky Endeavor move. No range attacks. Hm….Let's do some tests.' I decided and shouted.
"Quick Attack."
Cet disappeared and crashed into the Rattata sending it skidding.
"Quick-"Again"- Attack."
The Golbat and Rattata clashed in mid-air both flashing with white outlines.
The Rattata crashed onto the ground, giving rise to a dust cloud while Cet lazily flapped his wings. The difference in the stats made its presence known.
'I didn't expect anything different.' I nodded satisfied with the practical demonstration of stats power.
Ash stared at me unable to do anything. He truly has no options other than to just wait as even starting a buff move can give me an opening to finish the match.
At least I think he didn't have another choice, but the small smirk on his face gave a bad feeling.
"Swagger."
"Quick Attack! don't let up," I yelled. Cet can use 3 three consecutive Quick Attacks with little time required between them.
Cet successfully tackled the Rattata, cutting off the Swagger move.
I don't need Cet to be confused, no thank you.
I think Swagger is Ash's answer to flying types and I agree with his TM Choice. Instead of going for moves like a thunderbolt which has horrendous power and accuracy, not to mention learning time for a non-electric type Pokemon, concentrating on their type moves is better for a Pokemon in the long run, especially learning attack moves of different types was a waste.
"Rise" Ash yelled as Cet crashed into the Rattata for the second time.
The Rattata dug in the ground and bore the brunt of the Quick Attack and slammed into Cet as he finished his attack, tossing him back.
The Rattata didn't let up and pounced onto the Golbat again sending it into the air.
"Gol."
Cet righted himself quickly not showing any signs of the damage he took.
"What combo is that?" I asked intrigued as the answer could reveal how much gap between stats like defence, and special defence between the Pokemon can reduce the attack power of Pokemon.
"Counter and Double Edge," Ash answered with an easy-going grin.
'Wow, with Cet's high defence and his hp, he is like a steel wall to the Rattata.' I grinned. Ash copied me and his grin suddenly gave me goosebumps.
'Maybe he has confidence in his second Pokemon.' I wondered.
"Agility, Cet" I whispered, instead of shouting to not let the Rattata perform Swagger while Cet's getting prepped for Ash's second Pokemon.
Cet was halfway done before the Rattata shook off the recoil.
Though Ash caught on quickly as a bat with only a head and wings shining is hard to miss and shouted for a move I dismissed at the start of the match, pumping his arm up.
"Endeavor."
The Rattata jumped towards Cet with ferocity belying its size and crashed into him just as he finished buffing his speed.
Cet suddenly looked like he aged a century.
I shook off my shock and shouted.
"Mega Drain."
"Endure."
Green orbs of vitality filled Cet, but the health he recovered was just of drop in the bucket.
"Poison sting. Finish it" I said, gritting my teeth.
The Rattata dodged the stings with Quick Attack.
"Again."
The same thing repeated.
"Fine! Use Gust." I snapped and decided to use the more powerful area attack-gust- to the end willy rat.
As if sensing its doom, the Rattata glowed brightly, taking away the breath of reality.
Cet aborted the gust, as he is a good boy.
"Raticate." The newly evolved Raticate stood up on its hind legs and announced its name.
"Awesome" "Awesome" Me and Ash exclaimed at the same time and grinned at each other.
But this time it seems my grin was sinister as Ash shivered.
"Mega Drain." The reason for my happiness became apparent as Cet's barrier regained some of its lustre.
Not happy being an HP supplement, Ash commanded.
"Swap Swagger."
"Quick Attack" I yelled not needing to hear more than 'swa' to decide on the move.
Both Pokemon shone with the telltale white of Quick Attack.
The Rattata jumped to meet Cet in the air. But with Cet's speed buffed up, he crashed into the spine of Raticate knocking it out.
"Double Team," I commanded Cet.
4 Golbats flew circled the battlefield instead of the normal two, surprising me.
I didn't like how the match went as I could I ended in 1st minute if I wanted to.
'Well, now at least I saw the practical demonstration of the stats importance and Cet improved his Double team move." I consoled myself. Even though I knew Cet improving his double team didn't have anything to with the match. No questions! Let a guy cope! Would you?
"Skar! Mory!"
An apex Predator of the sky announced itself, dimming my hopes of defeating Ash by only using Cet.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
soul_words
soul_words Chapters are going to be released on alternate days. 3 chaps a week.
I don't think I am going to talk about stats after the next chapter. What do you think? Should i ignore babbling about stats in future battles or do it in moderation?
And guys throw some powerstones to show your support
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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