[Edited]

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It was the morning after the unforgettable night, and you had just finished getting dressed in your tent. Aaron and you ended up extending your shift at guarding for quite a bit yesterday, and even though it was sort of hard to separate yourselves from each other at the end, both of you managed to get a good amount of sleep.

"So, you're telling me you were with Doni last night?" You asked while fixing your hair a little after the chestnut brown eyed girl had told you about her evening with the blond knight. Camilla nodded, soon putting her hands on your shoulders and shaking you lightly. "Yeah sure, but you're telling me that the two of you made out? Like, Aaron and you?!"

"Shh!~ Don't be so loud about it!" You stuttered, your face soon turning a darker shade of red. The female laughed at your reaction before releasing you, both of you stepping out of your tent together. What you didn't expect was Aaron waiting there for you, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Camilla wiggled her brows at you before rushing off, probably to Doni as she hummed: "Well then, I'll be waiting for you over there!~"

You nervously pushed a strand of your hair behind your ear, avoiding eye contact at first until you decided you should stop being shy at this point. "Good morning..." Aaron flashed you an innocent smile before wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer. The dark blue haired knight leaned his face down a little and pecked your lips. A good morning kiss, huh... It sounded like something you would like to get used to, especially if it came from Aaron.

"Is it really okay if we're like this?" You asked, referring to the fact that now were actually considered working hours. The dark haired young man wore a sheepish smile before he whispered something in your ear, sending shivers down your spine. "It's fine as long as we don't get caught, right?"

"I hate to interrupt - actually no, I don't - but Doni has something to announce. Also, I would appreciate if you got off my master, brat." Aaron's Lucario growled at you, glaring at you suspiciously as he caused both you and his owner to turn around a bit flustered. The blue eyed male let go of you slowly and the two of you soon followed his Pokémon to where everyone else had already gathered.

"Good morning. Now that everyone is here, we can proceed with the mission." The blond knight said, occasionally glancing to the side where the vice captain and Kai stood. Aaron, his Lucario and you went to stand next to the princess candidates and Myron. "We have been invited to dinner by the prince of Grona, but there is still much time left until evening."

"Due to certain circumstances, we won't go to the Grona kingdom until then, so we'll need to spend the day out here." Doni continued. The reason you were staying here was probably because of Rouen's warning yesterday. The other girls weren't aware of it of course, and Doni did a good job at not acting suspicious about the matter. "You are free to do whatever you want as long as you don't get too close to the Grona gates."

The princess candidates started to whisper among themselves. Loraine seemed especially relieved while the others were a bit more unsure of what they could do to pass time. Camilla suggested a few things like training their Pokémon, finding berries and other nutrition and things like those which immediately made the blond knight's job easier. "You are dismissed for now, but please return to this exact spot at six."

You would have liked to spend the day with Rota's most talented knight, but it seemed like fate had something different in store for you. It became obvious the moment Doni approached him: "Aaron, could you come with me for a second?" The dark haired knight glanced over at you as if he was asking for permission. You hoped you didn't look too disappointed, so you waved your hands defensively, telling the male he should go on ahead.

He did just that, his Lucario immediately following the two knights as you were left sighing. Camilla seemed to be having a good time with Fotula and Liliana while Myron obviously hung out with his girlfriend. The last couple your eyes landed on was Rouen and Kai who seemed to be conversing about something. You felt a bit left out and didn't know what exactly you should do.

You assumed you could go on a ride with your Mudsdale, but before you could leave to get it, you were called out by the one-eyed man who didn't stand too far away from you: "Y/N, would you like to join us?" Even though you tried to hide it, your eyes started sparkling as a smile crept up your face. "O-Of course! If you don't mind."

"We wouldn't have asked you if we minded, genius." Kai retorted somewhat cheekily, making your expression change to a more sheepish one. The three of you then walked to an area where the grass was greener and where there were more trees. Once there you all sat down, you feeling a bit tense since you were alone with these rather skilled and experienced knights.

"We didn't get much time to bond properly in Rota nor on the way here, so I figured this right now wouldn't be a bad thing as long as you're alright with it." The ravenet spoke, somehow immediately managing to make you feel more at ease. He seemed like the opposite of his partner: Rouen is very kind and gentle to the people around him while Kai seems to be rather hostile. You thanked them both again for having invited you, and assuming they had already made plans for today, you asked: "What do you usually do at times like these? Exercise?"

"We would have peacefully minded our businesses, but since you're here now that won't be the case." The dark skinned male rolled his eyes at you, causing you to frown at his snarky comment. And here you thought Aaron's Lucario had the worst personality possible. Rouen hit his partner's arm with his elbow as if to ask him not to behave that way.

"Do you really need to be so rude? I don't recall ever doing anything to you." You pouted, your expression made Rouen chuckle slightly. He didn't let you notice by bringing his hand up to his face as the other man sighed. "Whatever newbie, it's not my fault your boyfriend left with the other dude."

"W-What does that even have to do with anything?!" You stuttered, your face immediately heating up at how Kai referred to Aaron. Rouen felt like things would escalate if he wouldn't step in, so he tried by talking you two out of the conversation. "Now, now, weren't we talking about training? How about something that has to do with aura? I could give you some advice if needed."

Now that he mentioned that, Rouen was originally an aura expert, a person who is very capable and has knowledge of all sorts of things about auras. May they be about the different techniques, simple facts or even stories and tales. "I've heard that aura experts can figure out someone's aura by just looking at the person in question. Is that true?"

"It's not necessarily wrong, but it differs depending on the expert and on the other person. It's easier to understand if I start by pointing out that there are two types of auras: The common ones and the mythical ones." The one eyed male replied, looking at you directly. Kai had already heard all of what Rouen was about to say already, so he made himself comfortable. The brunet lied down and placed his head on Rouen's lap. Your attention was directed at him for a brief moment, but once you saw his pokerface you immediately turned to the older male again. "The mythical auras include those of mythical Pokémon and the legendary ones. It's also very rare to meet people who have that sort of aura."

"Kai here for example has Darkrai aura which belongs to the mythical category." The man with the eyepatch said proudly, surprising you a little. You had seen the dark skinned male use a Honchkrow sacred weapon before, so you didn't expect him to have a completely different aura. "Back to your question: Not all experts are equally skilled, but those of my rank can usually tell the aura of a person who wields one of the common category ones just by looking at them."

"Really?" You were amazed at what the ravenet was telling, since everything he said was new to you. The man nodded, his lips curling up in a smirk. "Yes, I can tell you the auras of the three young ladies over there to prove it to you." He added, nodding in the direction where Camilla, Liliana and Fotula were training their Pokémon. "The lady with the light brown hair possesses Bouffalant aura, the one with the black hair Tangrowth and the silver haired one has Garchomp aura."

You knew about Camilla's and Fotula's auras since they had both told you theirs personally, so you were sure Liliana's had been guessed correctly as well. "That's amazing! What about mythical auras, how do you recognise those?" You asked. Your eyes couldn't help but trail off to Rouen's lap for a moment, the movement of him bringing his hand to Kai's head attracting your attention. The older started openly running his fingers through the dark skinned man's brown hair while talking: "That is a bit more difficult to do. Especially if the person possessing the aura doesn't want you knowing what type it is. Which is a rather common thing when one has such a rare aura."

"There is a way though: We experts can tell what aura the person wields as soon as they use it consciously." The male with the eyepatch added, you switching your sitting position a little. "So, like, if they use their aura to summon a sacred weapon?" You questioned, not too sure if you were getting this right. "That's correct, but aura can be used in many other, different ways as well."

"Have you ever tried aura-equipped close combat?" Rouen asked, you soon shaking your head at his question. "I haven't. It's actually the first time I hear about it." You replied, watching as a smile made its way on the older's face. "Alright then, I'll teach you something practical." He added and tried standing up, failing to do so since Kai wasn't planning on budging from his spot.

"Is it really necessary? I was so comfortable..." The dark skinned male grumbled more to himself than to his partner as he lifted his head and allowed the other to get up. You stood up as well, shaking dirt off your clothes just like Rouen was. Kai went back to lying in the grass this time as the ravenet proceeded to explain this new technique to you: "Just like the name implies, it is a method of using aura in close-ranged battles."

"The objective is to cloak your body, especially the parts with which you plan on landing your hits with, with your aura. Almost like an armor." The golden eyed knight added, leading you a few steps away from the relaxing Kai, so that neither of you would accidentally hurt him. "I advise you to chose your fists, arms, legs or feet. They are the most effective when attacking. But you shouldn't try to cloak all of them at the same time, it's really hard to do."

"We'll start with fists, alright? You do it similarly to how you usually summon a sacred weapon." Rouen stated, holding out his hand to you. "You need to let your aura flow all the way into your hands without calling out a sacred weapon summoning." The man added, clenching his fist. With that movement you were able to see a faint black-purplish stream of aura for a second or two. "That's already it for the basics."

The ravenet then slammed his still cloaked fist against the tree next to him as demonstration of what a hit like that was capable of. The result was rather astonishing: There had been left a large hole where Rouen stroke. It became visible after the man pulled his hand away. "Why don't you try it now?"

You nodded and imitated the one eyed male by holding out your hand as well, staring at it intensely as you focused your aura to flow through your arm and into your palms and fingers. It worked, and really fast at that. This technique was probably the easiest thing you've been taught ever since becoming a knight apprentice. "Feel free to hit the tree as well, but I'm warning you, it isn't painless."

You took the knight's word and slammed your clenched fist against the wood. It did hurt a little, but not as much as it would if your hand hadn't been cloaked with aura. You removed your hand from the tree, eager to see if the outcome was the same as when Rouen did it. It wasn't identical, but the hole was present even if it was considerably smaller than the ravenet's. "Nicely done."

"Now a tip for when you use that technique against others. I mean, it wasn't thought for usage on trees to begin with." The golden eyed man cleared his throat before continuing. "This method will come in handy when you're faced against enemies or even Pokémon. But you must be very careful on where you strike if you want to avoid inflicting lethal injuries to the other party."

"Never go for a person's head or chest. The damage that can be dealt near those areas by such attacks can lead directly to death. Going for someone's gut is the safest option: Depending on the force, the hit can lead to either pain, temporary paralysis or even unconsciousness." Rouen concluded his explanation, satisfied with the results the two of you achieved. Well, mostly you, actually.

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you very much for teaching me." You flashed the older a smile, bowing your head in a gesture of gratitude. Rouen felt the need to ruffle your hair just like he had done to students many years ago. That didn't go unnoticed by Kai who immediately furrowed his brows.

"I have one last question. It's a little personal, so there's no need for you to answer, but..." You started, rubbing the back of your head a little nervously. Kai also didn't like the sound of 'personal questions', but before he was able to worry about anything, he was put at ease by the very question you posed: "What aura do you have? You're an aura expert, so I'm sure you can manipulate them all, but I'm curious about your own."

"I wasn't expecting this, to be honest, but since you asked; My aura happens to be an unidentified one. I'm not certain if it even belongs to a Pokémon." Rouen answered, surprising you quite a bit. You had never heard of unidentified auras, nor did it cross your mind that such things existed. "I've decided to name it myself, since it also responds well when I summon its sacred weapon. The name I've given it is Missingno aura."

"Hold on, I'll show you what the weapon looks like." The ravenet said a bit hurriedly, raising one of his arms into the air before pronouncing the necessary summoning. The black-purplish aura you had witnessed earlier surrounded the knight's arm all the way up to his hand until it slowly started merging into an object.

Even though Kai had seen that weapon multiple times before, he still sat up and carefully observed. What Rouen was holding now seemed to be a mostly grey and purple spear, but the design made it appear as if it were some sort of glitch. At first you thought your vision was blurry, but you saw the man with the eyepatch perfectly fine which made you aware that the weapon was in its best state as well.

"After trying out a few things and experimenting, I figured out a way to change my sacred weapons's appearance. I decided to call it 'alternative ghost form', but I'm pretty sure the principle is similar to when someone changes their common-stage form weapon into the mega-stage form of it." The ravenet added, manipulating his aura so that his weapon would achieve the so-called alternative ghost form.

The spear indeed changed appearances and took after a scythe now. The design of this one was sort of intimidating but intriguing at the same time: The color of it was mostly white, but at one end of it seemed to be a skull that reminded you a lot of the Pokémon Cubone and Marowak. That skull gave one the impression that it was exhaling purple gas which led to the blade.

"That's amazing... You discovered all that on your own?" You couldn't help but be even more impressed when the older knight nodded. All of this had boosted up your motivation; It made you want to work hard too, so you exhaled deeply before pointing your finger at Kai who was still comfortably sitting: "I challenge you to a match. Aura-equipped close combat!"

"Huh?" The dark skinned male furrowed his brows at you once again, playing as if he had misheard you. "You? Challenge me? Newbie, are you nuts?" A laugh then escaped the brunet's lips. It was the first time you had seen Kai laughing, so you couldn't help but get a feeling of accomplishment even if his gesture was meant to insult you. "I suppose I can try to go easy on you."

"I'll make you regret saying that!" You smirked confidently even though you were certain you would lose a match against a skilled and experienced knight such as him. You didn't stand a chance, actually, but it was good training and a great opportunity to try and make this rude guy warm up to you.

It was slowly but surely getting late and while you were throwing aura-cloaked punches at Kai - which he gracefully dodged without much effort - Doni and Aaron were returning from their small 'journey' which actually consisted of a walk through the nearest forest while talking about work- and non-work related things.

Aaron was showed the sight of you and the other two knights spending time together. More specifically the few moments when Kai completely shut down your attacks by holding both of your wrists up in the air. He eventually started making fun of your height, and how none of your kicks affected him either; he was dodging everything while holding you. What was unusual though was that he was laughing, genuinely.

Kai noticed that you two were being stared at and turned his head in the direction he thought the people looking at you were, only to lock with Aaron's blue eyes despite the distance. The dark skinned man's smile crawled back into a more emotionless expression before he released your wrists. "Okay newbie, playtime's over. We should go meet up with the rest of the group, it's probably six already."

You were a little disappointed. Even though Kai seemed gloomy on the outside, he was rather fun and alright to be around, just like Fotula somehow. There was no strange flirting this time either, so you could totally be yourself around those two even though they were older than you by ten and six years. "Alright... Thanks anyway. You too, Rouen! Thank you very much, again." After having said that, you bowed your head again, soon getting told by the ravenet that there was no need to be so polite.

The three of you made your way back to where you had originally met up late this morning. On your way there you saw Doni, Aaron and his Lucario. You let the other two older knights go ahead and waited until the blond left as well. Lucario didn't seem to be wanting to leave his master's side, but the words of your Pokémon echoed inside his mind. In the end he went ahead as well, leaving the two of you completely alone.

This time it was you who initiated this exchange of affection: You stepped closer to the dark blue haired knight and wrapped your arms around him, resting your hands on his back. You were soon embraced by the taller, his body warmth spreading to you as well. "Sorry I couldn't be with you today."

"It's no big deal. It was work, right?" You mumbled into his mostly red robe. It came out a bit muffled but clear enough for the knight to understand. Aaron started gently patting your head, slowly intertwining his fingers with the strands of your hair. "Most of it was, yeah. You know Doni."

"Anyways, you were with Rouen and Kai?" The young man asked, sounding a bit cautious or was it suspicious? You couldn't tell by his tone nor by his behavior, but our knight here was actually a bit jealous. "Yeah, they taught me some things about auras and other techniques."

"Allow me to teach you some things too next time." Aaron said a bit more silently, almost as if he whispered those words in your ear as he pulled you away from him only slightly. That only slightly was the distance he needed in order to place a soft and innocent kiss on your lips. Your cheeks reddened ever so slightly as you reciprocated the gesture, bringing your hand up to his cheek.

Aaron pulled his lips away from yours and lovingly stared down at you, chuckling in the end. "We should really get going before the others start fussing."

* * *

The small meeting which was held by Doni went well and after having made the last preparations, all ten of you left on your Mudsdale, riding on it for those last thirty minutes before reaching the entrance gates of the Grona kingdom. There were two guards stationed there who requested some sort of invitation or certificate. Doni being the leader, was in possession of the mentioned paper and showed it to the men, soon receiving permission to enter.

The blond still led the way through what appeared to be the main village with the help of Rouen who knew his way around here. None of you descended from your equine creatures, so it attracted a bit of unnecessary attention from the people who were simply passing by.

Rouen had warned you about it, but you didn't expect this sort of thing when he said that Grona was different than Rota: The street you were currently on wasn't only filled with poorly built houses and other buildings, but there were elderly and children sitting and laying around, most probably starving. It hurt you to see more wealthy-looking people simply ignoring those in need. There wasn't much you could do, so you simply remained silent all the way.

And finally you had arrived. The ten of you found yourselves inside the castle gates where even more guards were stationed. They offered to bring your Mudsdale to their stables, so that you all could proceed without wasting more time.

"Do I really have to come too?" Loraine was the first one to lament while you were all being led inside the humongous building. Kai was sick and tired of her complaining, but he refrained from saying anything inappropriate since Rouen was counting on him. Everyone was stopped once you reached a very large door which probably led to the dining hall.

"Please enter, the young mistress awaits you." The guard said monotonously before stepping to the side, allowing Doni to open the door and stepping inside. If only you had known what awaited you in there...

"I see you have all arrived safely. Welcome to Grona, I will-..." A young woman with long, curly red hair and crystal blue eyes was there to greet you. She wore a somewhat fancy dress as well as a faint pink lipstick. She couldn't help but cut herself off when she was greeted by the sight of two rather familiar faces. "Aaron? I can't believe it, it's really you!"

The red haired female came running toward you all and jumped onto Aaron, wrapping her arms around his neck as she hugged him tightly. The dark haired male was equally surprised and didn't hesitate to embrace the girl back. "Catherine? It's been so long!"

You unconsciously frowned at the two of them hugging for so long, feeling very irritated and jealous. You glanced over at Doni, hoping to get an explanation out of him, but your eyelids flew wide when you saw the expression he wore: He stared at the red haired female wide-eyed in a way that made you believe he saw a ghost. You noticed that he had clenched his fist and that he was trembling slightly. You stepped closer to the blond and tugged his sleeve, gaining his attention.

"Are you alright?" You whispered, immediately shaking him out of his thoughts and the mental crisis he was having. He cleared his throat and managed to compose himself. "Y-Yeah." He then turned around and requested to get to business instead of stalling here. "Sorry for interrupting your reunion, but we should get started."

Finally the red haired girl released Aaron and got away from him properly, letting her gaze land on the blond knight instead. "Doni? It's been so long, but you sure haven't changed! You're right." The female then fixed her hair and took the effort to look at the rest of you. "Please take your seats at the table."

Just like she had instructed, you all went to sit down. The red-head went to sit at the head of the table and the rest of you took your seats; knights on one side and princess candidates and Myron on the other side. Aaron sat closest to this young woman you were wary of, you sat next to him, Kai next to you, Rouen next to his partner and Doni was last. Aaron's Lucario simply stood behind the chair of his master.

Myron was the one who sat closest to the red haired female on the other side, his girlfriend next to him. Fotula had seated herself next to Loraine which the rest of the girls appreciated, Liliana on her right and Camilla last and across Doni.

There were empty plates in front of you which waited to be filled with all sorts of meals that were exposed on the table. There seemed to be many different types of meat, fish and salads accompanied by a whole lot of bread and beverage. The woman sitting at the head of the table cleared her throat and gave her welcoming speech another go: "Forgive my sudden outburst earlier."

"My name is Catherine Fletcher and I am the prince's royal advisor. That means we can skip the formalities for now." The female said, smiling at everyone around the table. Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all. You were expecting a conversation about work to take place after she had finished her introduction, but instead it seemed to be something more casual. "I would have never thought you were one of the knights paying us a visit, Aaron!"

"I'm surprised to see you, too." The dark haired young man grinned at the female. You were dying to know just who this Catherine was and why she seemed to know Aaron so well. Even though that was the case, you didn't want to show your jealousy and act like those obnoxious girls, so you kept quiet. The knight next to you didn't want to leave you in the dark though, and explained his relationship with the red-head.

"Catherine is my childhood friend. She used to live in Rota a long time ago, and we often played together at the castle when we were children. Me, her and Doni." Aaron said, flashing you a kind smile which you quickly yet a bit awkwardly returned. You weren't sure if you were supposed to feel more at ease now or not.

Catherine was curious why there was a need to tell you that specifically, so she asked: "And who might you be? I was told that there were only going to be four princess candidates and yet there's five girls?" You didn't know why it didn't seem to be obvious for her that you were a knight, given the fact that you were wearing the attire like the others were. "I'm Y/N L/N, a knight apprentice and currently under the supervision of Aaron."

"A knight? You?" The red haired girl looked at you as if she was looking at some sort of alien before she erupted in laughter. "You're quite the humorous one, aren't you. A girl becoming a knight? I'm laughing too hard!" You took back what you said about her being a nice person. This woman already seemed annoying.

"I don't see the problem." You commented coldly, gaining a few surprised looks from the others. Catherine stopped laughing and gazed at you like a snake - or well, Ekans - would at its prey. "You were serious? Sorry, I thought you were joking."

Catherine then let her crystal blue orbs travel to Doni who tried so hard not to be spoken to by her, nor to look at her. His efforts were for nothing though: "Doni, how come you're all the way down there? Aren't we best buddies?" Even though the female sounded genuine, something seemed off. And you soon found out what exactly seemed off. "How have you been? What about your love life?"

"Still pretending to be straight even though you're actually gay? How pitiful and gross."

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A/N: Ah my beloved Catherine^^ I couldn't wait to introduce her next~ She wasn't part of the story in the first book, and this is also where this story takes a different turn than the original one :3 Even though she's like this, I'm sure she'll make things interesting~

Catherine Fletcher:

Missingno weapon (Common-stage form):

Missingno weapon (Alternative ghost form):

Thank you for Reading!