The Guardian's Curse || Pokemon Platinum

I.

~*~

Aaron takes a slow, deep breath. He has to concentrate or else every thing he worked for would be for nothing. He's told to advance, so he takes a clumsy step forward, ignoring the way his heart pounds when the other knights shout a battle cry in unison. Sweat drips down his forehead as he breathes heavily. They've been at this for over an hour now, going over what they learned during their training, hoping it would be enough to make the Royal family proud.

Every so often he'd find his eyes drifting over to the princess of Rota. He wouldn't deny her beauty. He's noticed it ever since they were children. And even since then, she is a mystery to him. Her blue eyes lock on to his and he jumps back, startled by the sudden contact.

"Aaron!" one of his friends brings him back to reality.

He jumps and glances over at his mentor in confusion. His friend had a bit of stubble on his chin, icy blue eyes, and a stern expression.

"Pay attention!" the older man hisses.

His face flushes in embarrassment at his friend's knowing look.

There are a few chuckles from the crowd behind him. His cheeks and neck heat up as he smiles sheepishly at the princess who winks at him. The king raises his hand with a stern glare which makes the laughter immediately stop. Aaron watches with rapt attention when she gets up from her seat and glances at her father. The king nods his head as if giving her approval and gestures to the row of anxious men waiting to be knighted. Lady Rin's pink dress trails behind her as she approaches him with a sword in her hands.

"Aaron, do you hereby swear to protect Rota and the royal family with your life?" Lady Rin asks, gently tapping a sword on both his shoulders. "No matter how dire the consequences may be?"

"I do hereby swear," he answers automatically with a grin.

"Then may Arceus bless you and may Mew protect you on your journey," Lady Rin returns his smile. "Rise, Sir Aaron, knight of Rota!"

His smile turns into a lopsided grin as he does as he's told, nearly tripping over his cape but not enough that the crowd notices, and there's thunderous applause behind him. Despite his embarrassment from earlier, he's thrilled that he finally achieved his goal. A few of his friends were throwing kissy faces at him, mocking him, but he knew it was all in good jest. He wouldn't let that moment taint his happiness because it would be their turn soon. They'd understand how nervous he felt.

Finally.

All his hard work wouldn't be for nothing.

☆☆☆☆

'Is everything alright on your side, Lucario?' Riley thought as he sprints through the caves of Iron Island.

'Affirmative,' Lucario's gruff voice answers back.

'Let's head back for the day,' he suggests to his partner. He wipes a bead of sweat from his brow as he slides to a stop by the stone wall to catch his breath. There isn't anything out of the ordinary. Nothing he could tell with his aura powers. But the Pokemon were acting skittish more than usual as if someone has disturbed their territory and it made him uneasy.

'As you wish, Riley,' the Pokemon replies and their connection abruptly cuts off.

Riley cries out in surprise as a giant Pokemon made of steel roars and bursts out of the rocks. Its roar shakes the cave around them and dirt falls from the ceiling like rain. Riley loses his balance and his back collides against the sharp stones behind him. He winces at a burst of pain in his lower back.

'Riley!'

'I'm fine!' Riley reassures his partner. 'The Onix just startled me is all.'

"I'm so sorry, mister!" A little boy, no older than ten he believes, comes rushing up to him. There were a few bandages spread on the boy's face. "My Onix is usually more behaved than this! Bad Onix! You should know better!"

"It's no trouble at all," Riley says with a polite smile. "Please be more careful. It's dangerous in the caves."

"We will!" The boy exclaims.

He drops the smile as the two run off. Riley grunts as he tries to get back up on his feet but a throb of pain stops him. He winces. That's going to bruise tomorrow. As soon as he gets up and places his palm against the wall, it comes crumbling down; taking him with it. He shouts in surprise as he falls backward, into a small opening. He groans and coughs as dirt enters his lungs. He swats it away and opens his eyes.

He finds himself staring at a large, bright blue crystal.

What the-? The energy surrounding it startles him. He's never seen this crystal before. He gently places a hand on it and a bright white lights bursts at his touch. He yelps as the light engulfs him. When he opens his eyes again, he's not in the caves anymore. He's standing in a lush green forest and there's a large group of Pokemon marching in his direction. What in the name of Arceus?!

To his relief, when he touches the crystal again, he's back in the caves. He's never been so happy to see it in his life.

"You've found it, I see."

Riley jumps at the unfamiliar, deep voice and whirls around.

A man with teal hair and grey eyes stands before him, eyeing the blue crystal with interest. He wore a strange grey uniform. Riley stiffens as the man's aura surrounds him in shades of blue and purple. How'd that man manage to sneak behind him? He's usually more careful and alert!

"The flow of time is a remarkable thing, isn't it?" The man questions. He brushes past Riley, gazing at the crystal. "In one part of the world, it's night time. Everyone would be asleep in their beds, dreaming. In another part, it's daytime. Everyone is up, going about their daily business. But in some cases..."

He gives Riley a knowing look.

"Who are you?" Riley asks hesitantly.

The man closes his eyes and touches the blue crystal. Just what did that man know? Did he experience the same thing he did? Riley jumps as the man moves away from the crystal, towards him.

"Answer my question," Riley says impatiently, bringing his staff closer to him for protection.

"I'm merely a scientist studying about other worlds," the man replies with a shrug of his shoulders. "Don't worry. I've seen all that I needed to see."

Riley stares at him. He releases a short breath of relief when the man becomes nothing but a silhouette in the distance. He smiles when a blur of blue passes him.

'Riley, what's wrong?' Riley relaxes his shoulders when he recognizes his partner.

"I'm fine, Lucario," he reassures out loud now that the aura Pokemon was near his side. "What can you sense from this crystal?"

Lucario narrows his red eyes as he stares at the blue crystal embodied between the stone walls. 'There's an odd energy around it.'

Riley nods his head and a small smile appears on his face. There's a swirl of pride in his chest. He can always count on the Pokemon to be alert and aware at all the times.

"I'm not sure what it is," he tells Lucario, "but it took me back in time."

'What?' Lucario gasps. He can hear the disbelief in the Pokemon's gruff voice. 'How is that possible?'

He shakes his head. He's not entirely sure himself. He's read about all kinds of crystals and their energies. But he's never experienced something like this before.

He needs to contact Bryon.

~*~