"The forest here is getting denser. It's hard for Swellow to fly through here!"
Looking at the endless green sea in front of him, Ash got a headache. At this rate, his Swellow wouldn't be able to scout from the air at all.
"Swa..." In mid-air, a well-known Pokémon that looked like a common barn swallow, with a body of red, white, and ink blue, looked at Ash in a troubled way. This Swellow was the Flying-type Pokémon he had just exchanged with Professor Oak. The other Pokémon he got back was his strongest Grass-type starter, Sceptile.
He had originally wanted to bring Scizor back with him, but Professor Oak told him that the Aerodactyl had only just been revived and was still very wild. It needed special care from a Steel-type Scizor or a Grass-type Sceptile. Considering this, Ash used the Pokémon trading machine at the Pokémon Center to swap for the more powerful Sceptile and Swellow, who would act as his scout.
Then, using the excuse that he needed to train in the forest, he said goodbye to Dawn, who gave him a slightly puzzled look, and Brock, who was in a strange state because of the beautiful Nurse Joy. He and Pikachu then entered the nearby forest. He didn't expect the forest to be so lush. Even the Flying-type Swellow couldn't use its scouting ability effectively and could only fly at a low altitude.
"Swa..." Having just been brought back to help his trainer, Swellow felt guilty about being stuck by the annoying branches.
"It's okay, Swellow. It's not your fault!" Ash softly comforted the strong-willed Swellow. After calming it down, he returned it to its ball.
The trees here were incredibly dense, and the branches were all intertwined. This environment wouldn't even be suitable for Pidgeot.
"Looks like I can't save my remaining gold coins. I can only hope that the profit from defeating Suicune will be enough to break even." Ash opened his inventory's shop and selected the "Other" option from the five choices. As a man with a cheat system, he could also acquire special abilities.
The shop had options for exchanging special abilities, such as:
The psychic abilities of a certain Gym Leader and Elite Four member.
The Aura of the Aura Guardian from the big forest.
The Dragon power of a certain Flying-type Elite Four member in a red cape.
The Aura power of a certain mature woman in a temple in Sinnoh.
And finally, the Aura power of a certain handsome man.
Basically, all the mainstream special abilities in the Pokémon world could be exchanged from the system's shop. So why hadn't he exchanged for them? There was only one reason: they were too damn expensive. One special ability cost a whopping 30,000 gold coins. In the real world, he wasn't sure if a horse-drawn carriage could even hold that much money.
Of course, since he already had Aura power, he didn't need to buy it from the shop. He only needed to buy a catalyst to awaken it. Even so, it still cost 3,000 gold coins. He had planned to wait until he got Sceptile and Scizor back to team up and take on a mid-level boss like Suicune. Unfortunately, due to Aerodactyl, he was temporarily down one "grinding king."
"I hope this Suicune isn't too strong!" In the anime, the Suicune in Sinnoh wasn't particularly powerful. Sceptile, with its type advantage, should have a good chance of winning after it Mega Evolves. If that wasn't enough, he could always have Pikachu and Snorlax gang up on it. He didn't believe that this Suicune was strong enough to beat them in a three-on-one battle. After thinking for a while, he decided to exchange for a catalyst to awaken his Aura power, which cost 3,000 gold coins.
A blue pill instantly appeared in his hand.
"Pika-pi?" The Pikachu on his shoulder had seen Ash with strange things so many times that it was no longer surprised, but it still looked on with curiosity.
"This color is..." He looked at the blue pill and then swallowed it whole. Instantly, the medicine took effect. He felt no pain, and he could clearly feel the unknown energy inside his body begin to respond to his control. As time passed, the control became more and more effortless.
"Pika-pi?" The change in Ash's aura naturally caught the attention of the yellow mouse. It scratched Ash's face with its paws, asking if something was wrong.
Ash quietly felt the Aura inside him. He felt as though he had enough strength to take down a Tauros with a single punch.
"Pikachu, I'm fine! Look!" As soon as he spoke, his whole body began to glow with a deep blue light, and he became a little "blue person."
"Pika-pi~" Pikachu was surprised by this sight. It had seen this before in an ancient city in Kanto when it was helping to save the Tree of Life with Aura power.
"Remember to keep this a secret. The blue pill, that is!" Without waiting for Pikachu to confirm, he closed his eyes and said in a dramatic voice, "The Aura is with me!"
A blue light burst out from Ash, covering the entire area. A certain creature hiding in a nearby bush trembled at the sight of the large blast of energy. As the Aura spread, he could sense every living thing in the forest around him. Whether they were flying in the sky, swimming in the water, or running on the ground, nothing could escape his Aura's detection. A graceful figure hiding in a cave also felt Ash's presence. It stood motionless, its eyes fixed on Ash's location.
"Found you!" Ash said to Pikachu excitedly, opening his eyes after detecting a powerful Aura hidden in the forest.
"Pika-pi~" Feeling Ash's excitement, Pikachu raised its hands and cheered for its trainer. But then, it noticed Ash standing still, his dark eyes staring at the nearby bushes.
"I'm about to leave. Aren't you going to come out?" He said, crossing his arms and talking to the bush. "My dear, Dee Dee!"
"Aah! Don't you call me that!" A girl with blue hair, a white hat, and a pink miniskirt immediately jumped out of the bush. She ran at Ash with her arms out. Ash reacted quickly, trapping her, and asked, "Why are you following me? Aren't you afraid of what I'll do to you?" He then gently picked a leaf off her hat and "viciously" flicked her on the forehead.
"Blech!" Dawn covered her forehead with one hand and stuck out her tongue at him with the other. She knew he wouldn't actually be mad at her and that the worst thing he would do was a small punishment. She was prepared for the most humiliating outcome. She was relieved he wasn't mad.
"You brat!" Ash flicked her forehead again, then grabbed her hand and began to walk towards Suicune's location.
"Hey! That hurts!"
"Pika~ (Oh no, here we go again.)" Pikachu, who had been trying to hide its presence, sighed.