Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon. Sapphire X Ruby forever.
Max woke up inside his bedroom, his heart racing. Looking around, he calmed himself. He was in familiar territory now, there was nothing that can trigger his paranoia here. Nothing to cause his heart to explode from fear and worry. Here, he can be calm, he can sleep without worry, he can be peaceful here.
"Like hell that's possible!" He was just given news that said people were killing Aura Guardians, and if not for his lucky stars he would have been dead as well. He raced downstairs to find his mother having fun feeding a Ralts berries. When the Pokemon sensed him, it dropped the Pecha berry it was eating and tackled him.
"You're awake, thank Arceus." His mother followed in piling over him. "What were you doing, sleeping outside the Sanctum?" She propped herself up and offered him a hand, which he took gladly. "When I found you after I picked some berries and vegetables, this little fella was holding on to you tight. Is it your partner Pokemon? Oh, here, have some sweetened Pecha Berries. I'll get you some tap water."
He smiled at Ralts, whose crest glowed in return. "No, not yet anyway. Thanks." He let the sweet crunch of the freshly sweetened berries fill his mouth and calm him down. "I need to go to Grandmaster Zwei. There's something wrong happening in this region, with the Aura Guardians." Ralts hopped onto his shoulder and snacked on another berry.
His mother sat down across him, and he found his emerald eyes mirroring hers. Vanessa. His mother's name was Vanessa. A retired Aura Guardian herself, however she had relinquished such a life to raise a family. Her husband, Max's father, was duty bound, and lost his life before Max was 2. "Max, Grandmaster Zwei was found dead yesterday in Fallous Cavern."
Max's eyes widened in shock. Such a powerful man in the world of Aura Guardians, killed. "What happened?"
"Nobody knows. His autopsy revealed..." Vanessa chose her next words carefully. As a trainee under his wing, Max was extremely close to the old Guardian. "...burns all over his body." Even if she was retired, she had connections with others across the region. Grandmaster Zwei was found charred with flecks of hardened magma on his body. His staff was the only thing recovered that can be tied to him. He was unrecognizable.
Max curled his fist. Aside from those inside the Sanctum, Grandmaster Zwei was the only Guardian from Sierra Village. Without him, the village was defenseless. "What of the other Masters?" To combat the rising paranoia within him, he began to eat faster. She shook her head. "No reports. Normally, no news is good news, but not this time."
The Ralts could feel fear and hopelessness from the two Failnaughts. She stared at the berry she was eating. She also had something to do, but she understood that what was happening was far more pressing than her own desire.
Max reached a decision. "Mom, I can't become an official Aura Guardian if I'm not initiated by a Master or the Grandmaster. I'll seek them out. Whatever is happening, other cities and villages need as much help as they can get."
"It's dangerous, Max. If far more powerful people can't win, then you can't either." His mother warned. "I'll go."
"No mom. You said it yourself. More powerful men than me have died. You need to stay here to protect Sierra Village, since Grandmaster Zwei is gone." He turned to Ralts. "Will you go with me? As my partner?"
Ralts' crest glowed, and she nodded. If she joined this human, she would grow stronger, putting her closer to her goal.
"I have my partner now, mom. I'll be fine." He said that with conviction, betraying his shaking knees at the thought of leaving. Max the coward, finally growing a pair. "I'll send reports via Pidgey every now and then."
"Max..."
"Mom... Someone has to." Right. He was doing this because someone has to. The thought of what might be if he doesn't go was worse than what will happen if he did. Sooner or later, he was going to become an Aura Guardian, to be targeted by the people he encountered last time. Targeted for death.
"You're right." His mother finally surrendered. "I can't believe I lost an argument against my own son, but statistically it had to happen someday." She chuckled. With a heave, she opened a cabinet she never opened before. "You know, I was going to give you this when you became initiated, but this is as good a time as any."
She placed a tall staff with a sizeable crystal at the top tip in his hand. "This was mine. I know it's a hand-me-down but..."
"You're giving me your Guardian staff?" He stared in wonder at the item he held. The signs of wear were apparent, but the wood was solid. The crystal at the tip, the Capture Crystal reserved for the Aura Guardian's partner Pokemon, shone with the light inside the house. "Thanks mom." He didn't know what to say. There's an expression for this... Right, he was tongue-tied.
"Get some more rest. You and I, we have some preparations to do. I'll ready a travel bag for you." She smiled at her son, and Vanessa was gone, delving deeper inside the house. She was afraid for her son, but all birds leave the nest. Then again, the outside of the nest has never been tinged with such dangerous uncertainty before.
"Touch this crystal, Ralts." He pointed to the tip of the staff. "Once you do, my fate becomes yours, and your fate intertwines with mine." That's right, he thought. We'll be as one.
Bound to a human forever. In Death and in Strength. Ralts contemplated for a moment, but decided that all her hesitation should have evaporated when she was saved by this boy. She touched the crystal.
The crystal shone with a blinding light for a split second, then it was gone. Ralts and Max were covered in a blue aura as they were bound by destiny and fate. Such was the power and responsibilities held by Aura Guardians, protectors of Life. Aura Guardians were both Pokemon and human, not just human or Pokemon.
Max smiled at Ralts, who smiled back. "I'll call you... Luna." Ralts accepted the name. Luna. Together, they rested for the journey ahead.