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

V Lance's P.O.V

I watched from the replay of yesterday's matches on the T.V as Ash's Mawile caught Dusknoir with her fake mouth in a deadly Crunch and then shook him brutally with Play Rough. The combo seemed to be too much for the poor ghost because he soon fainted afterward.

"He is very good," Tobias commented beside me. "Mawile and the Hitmontop he had used against Conway's Lickilicky, were traded to him only a year ago and he has already trained them to this level..."

"Yes, he is," I agreed. "Still you can see the difference between the level of his older pokemon, like Tauros, and the newer ones."

"I do, Conway's Shuckle fainted after only a Surf and Fissure from Ash's Tauros," Tobias answered. "May I know why you summoned me, Champion Lance Wataru?"

"Why so formal? I thought we were allies now," I turned to him with a sharp smile.

"Yet your eyes look as if you are about to eat me alive," Tobias replied with a bemused smile. "Look, I know what I did was not right. I acted like an asshole and almost ruined Sinnoh's opportunity to get rid of Team Galactic."

"You also put Ash's family and friends in danger, not to mention Ash himself!" I snapped, barely being able to contain my contempt towards him.

"I know..." Tobias sighed sadly. "I don't want to give excuses, I know they are useless. However, you need to realize how desperate I am. Team Rocket had been wreaking havoc on my region for decades." I winced at the reminder that my failure to contain Team Rocket had not only affected my region but others too. "We never had a league like yours to protect us from them and keep them in line, they own us! I wanted to stop that and when I heard of The Slayer I could not stop myself. I never thought that The Slayer would be a fifteen years old boy!"

"I wouldn't have either..." I reluctantly agreed with him, hating that I was giving in to the guy that turned my little brother's life upside down. But I was no hypocrite to criticize him about something I would have not known myself. If I had been in Tobias' shoes I would have never dared to think of the infamous and secret Slayer being a fifteen years old boy. "However, our deal still stands. You to stay away from Ash and only interact with him when you battle him, otherwise, you'll have to deal with me."

"Of course, Champion," Tobias agreed. Before we could continue with our conversation, the referee announced the first Top 8 of the day, making us both turn toward the T.V as Ash and Paul stepped onto the main arena. "A battle between mentor and mentee."

"Not really," I replied. "Paul looks up to Ash but he has never mentored a Gym Trainer, the only ones Ash ever mentored full-time were May Maple and Dawn Berlitz."

Why I am telling this guy all this? I exclaimed in my head.

"We are finally having the full battle you promised me," Paul, uncharacteristically, spoke first with a smirk full of barely contained excitement.

"I won't be holding," Ash replied with a smile of his own.

"Aggron!/Kingler!" Both trainers released their pokemon at the same time.

"Aggron, Earthquake!" Paul began, but like most of Ash's pokemon Kingler knew how to render Earthquake useless by ridding a wave from his Surf. However, Paul was not giving up and commanded next: "Rock Slide!" The rocks falling from above destabilized the Surf and forced Kingler to land a few steps away from Aggron. "Do it now!"

"It was all a trap," Tobias murmured next to me, as Kingler landed in front of Ash and was electrocuted by the vicious Thunder Punch he had just received. "He distracted Ash with Earthquake and then forced Kingler to land with Rock Slide, so Aggron could land a Thunder Punch on Kingler. After being soaked in the water from Surf, it worked as a good conduit for the Thunder Punch and made it stronger than it should be." We both winced as Aggron then released a Thunderbolt into the ground, and used the water left by the Surf as a conduit that forced Kingler to receive it at full force. "From what I investigated Ash normally does not fall for a tactic like that, what happened?"