Camp, Ren pov:
It took a bit of maneuvering, but I managed to get Vulpix and myself into the tent without waking it up. Mew assured me it wouldn't mind.
The next morning, we had berries for breakfast. Apparently, berries were incredibly filling for humans—just three could keep you going for half the day.
After a quick meal and packing up our things, we were ready to head out. There was just one problem.
I could hear Mew's silent laughter in the background, but I ignored her. I had more pressing issues. Skitty and Vulpix were squaring off—Skitty's tail tip was puffed out, and Vulpix was growling, its back arched like a cat.
This all started after I tried to pick Skitty up. Vulpix barked—more like screamed—in protest, startling Skitty right out of my arms. And now… well, now they were seconds away from a full-blown scuffle.
Mew's laughter only grew louder as I tried to calm them down.
"Come on, guys," I said to the angry Pokémon, "don't fight." Naturally, my plea was ignored.
Thoughts flew through my head before I came up with an idea. I quickly reached into my bag—things were about to escalate.
Thankfully, I found what I was looking for: a bag of Tamato berries. The moment I shook it, Vulpix's attention snapped to me, drawn by the scent.
"I'm not exactly sure why you're fighting," I said, "but if you stop, you can have everything in here." I gave the bag another shake for emphasis.
Vulpix looked torn. On one hand, it could stop fighting and get the berries. On the other, it would have to give up on its original goal—which I suspected was to be carried by me. That seemed like the only logical explanation for its outburst.
Eventually, the berries won. Vulpix approached, looking slightly ashamed.
I remembered reading that Vulpix were minor empaths—they could sense faint emotional impressions from people. It was likely feeling my disapproval, though that didn't mean much when she gobbled all the berries like she hadn't eaten in days.
With that, the situation was resolved. I didn't carry Skitty this time, but surprisingly, she decided to walk beside me anyway—right alongside Vulpix, who I was now pretty sure wanted to come with us.
I decided to address that before anything else.
"Vulpix, can you come here real quick?" I said, gesturing for her to come closer.
I squatted down to her level. "Do you want to come with me?" I asked.
I could see the relief on the little fox's face when I said that, and she nodded enthusiastically. I think Skitty gave her a smug smile, though that might've been my imagination.
I quickly grabbed a Pokéball and tapped it to Vulpix's head, catching her instantly with no resistance.
Mew walked up to me as I released Vulpix. The fox ran over to Skitty, and the two began chatting in Pokéspeech. Mew held up the map we'd been using.
"So, before we head out any further, I want us to decide if we're going through Mt. Moon or around it," she said, handing me the map.
I stared at the diagram. The map of Kanto was mostly the same as in the games, just massively scaled up. Now there was a road around Mt. Moon that would take about three days to traverse at our current pace—assuming no stops. The cave route was faster, but we'd have to deal with Zubat swarms constantly. That was actually the reason the road was built in the first place. Zubat were annoying as hell—and dangerous too, thanks to their blood-sucking tendencies and the diseases they carried.
I really didn't want to deal with any bloodsuckers today.
"We'll go around," I said firmly.
Mew shrugged in agreement, stuffed the map into my bag, and started walking ahead.
I called to my two partners as we all started down the road.
After a few minutes, Mew casually broke the silence. "You know, I can teach you how to use aura."
I paused, blinking in surprise. "Wait, humans can use aura?"
Mew gave me a knowing smile. "Of course. Not everyone, but it's not that rare. You've seen the movies, right? Some humans can even pull off Pokémon moves with enough training."
I had, actually. I just… forgot. For some reason, the idea of doing it myself hadn't crossed my mind. But now that Mew mentioned it, I couldn't stop the grin that spread across my face.
"Okay, yeah. I want to try."
"Good," Mew said. "Then start by focusing inward. Try to feel a sort of… static. Like a fuzzy, tingly sensation under your skin. That's aura."
We kept walking as I did what she said, eyes narrowed slightly in concentration. Skitty and Vulpix walked alongside me, their heads tilted curiously. Even they seemed interested in the lesson—at least at first.
It took a few minutes, but then I felt it. A strange, tingling current just under my skin, like pins and needles without the numbness. It wasn't painful, just… odd.
"I think I found it," I said slowly. "It's like… electricity."
Mew nodded. "That's it. You're lucky. It's easier to notice if you've never had it before. It's a new sensation, so your brain doesn't ignore it."
Vulpix made a soft noise, and I glanced down. She and Skitty were now chatting quietly in Pokéspeech again. I caught the words "type-neutral energy" and "not as cool as fire" float past my understanding.
Apparently, realizing that aura was basically just a neutral type energy dulled their interest. Still, they listened with half an ear, just in case something interesting came up.
I, on the other hand, was all in.
"Okay," I said eagerly, "what's next?"
Mew gave me a sly look. "You noticed what they said, didn't you?"
I blinked. "Wait… yeah. I did. I understood part of it. Something about… type-neutral energy and fire?"
"Exactly," Mew said, looking pleased. "Aura enhances awareness. If you train it right, it'll let you understand Pokémon speech. Not just through tone or body language—actual words."
I stared down at Skitty and Vulpix, who had both stopped walking and were now staring back at me. Skitty tilted her head, looking both curious and suspicious. Vulpix's ears twitched.
"You guys know I could hear that?" I asked.
Skitty chirped in surprise and muttered something that sounded like "No way."
I blinked again. "Okay… that I definitely understood."
Mew laughed. "Told you. The connection is just starting to open. With time, you'll understand them clearly."
"This is… crazy," I said, a smile spreading across my face.
"It gets better," Mew said, walking ahead of us. "Let's see how far you can push it before lunch."
■■■SAVING■■■
I soon learned that just because I could feel aura didn't mean I could actually use it.
"Understanding Pokémon is one of the most basic abilities an aura user can have," Mew lectured as we walked. "Though few go beyond that, as I'm sure you can see."
Skitty and Vulpix had both grown tired partway through and were now resting comfortably in their Poké Balls, leaving just Mew and me on the trail.
I could see what she meant. Controlling aura was like trying to stir a cup of tea with a toothpick. Technically possible, but frustratingly slow and inefficient. It took all my focus just to nudge it, and even then, it felt like the energy was slipping through my fingers.
Mew smirked, clearly enjoying the explanation. "Your aura type is what I'd call adaptive. It reacts to stress and adapts fast, which is rare, it was just waiting for a spark."
I raised an eyebrow. "So… what now? I just keep messing with it until something clicks?"
"Not exactly," she said, turning around to walk backward. "Now that you can sense it, you need to learn to shape it. Think of it like trying to breathe through a straw while underwater—you have to focus, stay calm, and guide the flow without forcing it."
I gave a dry laugh. "Sounds easy."
"It's not," she agreed with a shrug. "But you'll get there. Your aura is loud, Ren. Not in a bad way—it's just… untamed. Raw. Which is perfect for growth."
I mulled that over in silence, trying again to nudge the strange static-like feeling. It slipped away at first, but as I kept walking, I focused harder, narrowing in on the sensation. After a few minutes, something shifted.
For just a second, I felt the air around my hand hum, like the space itself was responding. It faded immediately, but it was there.
Mew's eyes sparkled. "There. That was it. Do it again."
I blinked. "You saw that?"
"I felt it," she said. "You're getting it. It'll come much faster in a high-stress situation—like a Pokémon battle."
I nodded at that, a small smile forming on my lips as I clenched my fist, feeling the static run through it.