The soft rustle of wind passed through the tall grass as the sun began to dip behind the trees. In a small clearing, far from the eyes of his classmates or even the adults in Pallet Town, Aiden sat cross-legged on a flat stone.
He closed his eyes, breathing in slowly.
The old memories of aura control — knowledge from a past life where he'd studied fictional concepts, now real — helped guide him. But in this world, it wasn't fantasy. It was discipline.
He focused.
Inhale. Feel the world around you.
Exhale. Filter the noise.
His aura slowly stirred to life — a faint shimmer around his body, flickering like heat waves on the edge of a fire. It was weak but growing more stable. A few weeks ago, it would have flickered out in seconds.
Now it held.
Ten seconds.
Fifteen.
He winced as a sharp pain jabbed at his temple — psychic energy flaring erratically.
"Too much…" he muttered and let it go. The shimmer faded. His shoulders slumped, sweat beading on his forehead.
But he didn't stop.
Aiden stood, moving into a stance he'd crafted himself — a blend of slow Tai Chi-style movements and battle-ready footwork. He moved with purpose, calling forth aura energy into his limbs.
This time, instead of trying to glow or "power up," he focused on extending his senses.
He turned toward the tree line.
There — a Pidgey, asleep in its nest.
He felt it through aura. A warm, flickering light in his mind's eye. Alive, calm.
Next, psychic focus.
Aiden reached out mentally — not to control, but to "touch." The way he imagined a psychic would brush against another mind without breaking it.
The Pidgey stirred in its sleep. He pulled back immediately.
Too forceful, he thought. Still clumsy.
But it was better than last time. Then, he'd triggered a panic.
Today, it stayed asleep.
⸻
Later: Journaling in Secret
Aiden returned to a small notebook hidden in his backpack.
Aura Control: Stable up to 17 seconds. Can now "sense" living beings clearly up to 15 meters. Emotional reading still inconsistent.
Psychic Progress: Can "reach out" to small minds. Accidentally triggered fear last week — avoided this time. Cannot maintain mental contact for longer than 4 seconds without strain.
Goal: Control aura for 30 seconds. Read Pokémon intent during battle. Touch multiple minds without backlash.
He stopped writing for a moment, looking up at the stars.
In his past life, these things were science fiction.
Now they were his future.
And the world didn't even know what he was becoming.