Pokémon Platinum (Currently being rewritten as Pokémon: Platinum Chapter)

Chapter 23: Riley, the Aura Guardian

[Chris's POV]

We walk through the wet landscape, desperately trying to reach Veilstone City. Eve is sleeping in my backpack, curled up into a ball. Riolu is running through puddles on the path. Dawn is tiredly trudging through the muddy grass. Roark is walking. I think he might be daydreaming. Eve readjusts herself in her sleep as I grab Dawn's hand. She looks at me and smiles. We keep on walking for a few minutes. I see two figures standing on a hilltop. One is a shadow of a Lucario and the other is a man with a cape. I can't make out who he is. Suddenly, they run out of sight. Dawn yawns. "I'm getting tired, Chris."

"Didn't you sleep at all?"

"You and Eve kept me up for a while."

"Leave Eve alone. She went through a lot."

"Like what?"

"Her family was murdered in front of her."

Dawn gasps. "Sorry. I... didn't know."

"It's okay."

She smiles and leans against me. I kiss her head. "I love you, Chris."

"I love you, too."

We walk over the hill and see the city. Barry sighs in relief. "Finally!"

Barry starts running. Roark sighs and follows him. Dawn, Riolu, and I stand on the hilltop still. I feel Eve stirring. She yawns and jumps out of my bag. Dawn tightens her grip on my hand. The clouds start to part. I feel rays of sunlight on my skin. The sun is starting to set, leaving us with a vibrant skyline. Dawn turns to me and kisses me. I chuckle and smile at her. "You made it," I hear behind me.

I let go of Dawn and turn around. The man and Lucario I saw earlier are standing beneath the tree. He is wearing a blue outfit with a brown bag at the waist. The arms and legs of his outfit are grey, with the exception of his hands and feet. He is wearing blue and yellow gloves and boots. His hat is black with a blue and yellow band. His jet black cape waves in the wind. He turns to face me. Lucario follows suit. "Now, I will reveal all you want to know about Aura."

I look at Dawn. "Do you want to go on ahead?"

She shakes her head. "I'm staying with you."

Riolu looks up at me and nods. "I will begin with the Aura Guardians, ancient warriors with a special power that we refer to as Aura. These people protected both man and pokémon from conflict. You can say they succeeded... for the most part. We still have misunderstood people in this world, like this Team Galactic."

"Where are you going with this?"

"My name is Riley. I am an Aura Guardian. I wish to train you in our ways."

"How so?"

"I will teach you to control this power and how to defend yourself and others from harm. I see promise in your Aura. I've watched you throughout a majority of your journey. Ever since Valley Windworks, I have observed you. I've made myself known to your companions, but told them to never reveal that to you."

I turn to Dawn. "Is this true?"

"Yes," she says, softly.

"Now," Riley says. "Follow me to the city. We have much more to discuss."

Riley walks down the path. We follow him. He looks at the wilderness around us. "Look at how peaceful this world is, Chris. It would be a shame if humans were the ones to bring about the end of that."

"Tell me more about the Aura Guardians."

"The Great War. I'm sure you've heard of it, but not about the details. It was a massive conflict between every region I know of. The Aura Guardians went into the conflict to try and create a peaceful resolution. Arceus was on our side. It didn't do much help because, as you can tell, there are so few people with the power to control Aura. Anyway, until the end of the war with the firing of King AZ's weapon, Aura Guardians kept failing to accomplish the impossible task of ending the war."

We keep on walking in silence. I'm still taking this all in. "I accept your offer, Riley. I want to learn how to control my Aura."

He smiles. "First thing tomorrow. We'll meet at the tree. At least bring Riolu."

"Oh, is it normal for Aura users to talk with pokémon through Aura?"

"I don't know. I believe it would be possible. Why?"

"I can talk to me Eevee through telepathy."

"I guess that is possible. You should also be able to talk with Riolu eventually. It's normal with Riolu and Lucario since they're the Aura pokémon."

I take a deep breath, then turn to Dawn. "Want to get going?"

She nods. We start walking towards the city. We both wave to Riley. "See you tomorrow."

Dawn and I walk in silence for a while. "Are you scared, Chris?"

I look at Dawn. "I'm terrified."

"Me too."

I look at my hand and focus. I see a hint of blue light, but it fades quickly. "I don't understand."

"Don't understand what?"

"How was I able to bring it out those other times, but not now, when I know about my power?"

"Riley will teach you tomorrow. I hope that you get a hang of this. Aura may be our only hope against Cyrus."

Riolu runs to Barry and Roark, who are waiting at a bench near the edge of the city. "About time," Barry says. "What were you two doing this time?"

"Riley told me about the Aura Guardians and the Great War. I'm going to start my Aura Guardian training tomorrow."

"Aura Guardians? What the heck are you talking about Chris?" Roark asks.

"I can't really explain it as well as Riley did to me. All you have to know is that they were humans that had Aura that protected both people and pokémon. They tried countless times to bring the war to a close, but to no avail."

"Then what did?" Barry asks.

"King AZ made a weapon that ended the war," Dawn answers.

"Who the hell is AZ and what weapon?"

"I don't think even Riley knew about the weapon. I believe AZ was the king of the Kalos region of the time."

Dawn yawns and stretches. "Let's get going, guys. I'm tired."

"There's a gym here, too!" Barry states.

"I think the gym leader is new," Roark says. "Her name is Maylene."

I yawn. "We can go meet her tomorrow. I need to get some rest before I start training."

Dawn and I go to the Pokémon Center with our pokémon following behind us.

We lay in bed, still awake. Dawn turns to her side and snuggles up next to me. "You need sleep, Chris."

"I don't think I can sleep. There's too much on my mind."

She kisses me and puts her arms around me. I return the kiss and embrace her. She backs away and smiles. "Did that help?" she asks.

"I think you need to do it again."

She grins and kisses me. We keep doing this for several minutes until we both fall asleep in each other's arms.