Three weeks passed as Xan, Antonio and Liz lived in the Indigo stronghold. Living in caves deep under a mountain unnerved Xan slightly. He was always used to sleeping under a thin roof of leaves with the night sky above him, not a whole geographical feature being held up above his head by a few wooden beams. But he got used to it, and the cave he was sharing with Antonio and Liz wasn't that far from the exit. Antonio was having a rough time in the caves as he was claustrophobic slightly, and Liz just missed the freedom of the forest.
The Pokémon seemed to be affected too. Infernape became dulled down, and not pulling as many practical jokes as normal, whilst Lucario seemed to spend most of the days meditating. Having not gained the title of Aura Guardian yet, there was little the three friends could do apart from helping out with the cave.
The cave system was huge, with about a thousand Aura Guardians living in it with their Pokémon, and the system still felt empty. Each area of the system were for specific people; the Aura Guardians had the front to protect the cave entrance, the woman and children had the centre of the cave systems to have maximum protection, whilst the further caves held the Aura Council members and Cult leaders, whilst beyond that was storage of food, money, cloth and weapons.
"Damn these caves!" Antonio yelled out loud as he sat bolt upright from his hammock. His shout caused Xan to wake with a start. His instincts took over and he was out of his hammock and on the floor, his dagger out and in his hand.
"What's going on?" Xan asked, looking around, expecting to see intruders charging into the cavern which was their home.
"Nothing, you hyperactive idiot," Antonio muttered, as he rubbed his bed hair, "You're always on edge, can't you just learn to relax?"
"I am relaxed," Xan said, his eyes still darting around the sign of an intruder and he continued to hold is Dagger backhand, "This is the most relaxed I've ever been."
"Yeah right," Antonio muttered as he slid out of his Hammock and changed into his day clothes, "I need some air, I can't handle these caves anymore."
"I'll be right behind you," Xan said, still feeling very jumpy, "I think they're starting to play tricks on my mind." Antonio rolled his eyes at the comment. It wasn't like the two of them to be like this. Antonio was normally a lot more tolerant, and Xan was the most relaxed person of the group. It was almost if these caves were changing them into their opposites.
The two boys made their way out of the cave system, and after a quick chat with the Aura Guardians in duty, they slipped out under the clear night sky.
"What's the time anyway?" Antonio asked Xan as the climbed down the mountain toward the valley below. Antonio's Pikachu and Gallade had joined them along with Xan's Lucario and Infernape having seen them walking out past the entrance to their respective caves.
"Well, I'm guessing some time after midnight," Xan said, "because have you ever heard the forest this quiet? Even the night dwellers have hit the rack."
The group reached the valley and continued in silence until they reached the banks of the crystal clear river at the bottom, all of them enjoying the freedom of the forest. It seemed to increase everyone's spirits, as Antonio began to become less crabby by the minute, and Xan began to feel himself relaxing to his normal state, which was on the border line of Relaxed and Lazy.
"I was wondering," Antonio said suddenly after a long time of star gazing, which had been interrupted by Infernape finally making Gallade snap after taunting him for so long, and the two teenagers had to step in to calm them both down, "How much longer do we have to stay in those damn caves?"
"I don't know," Xan sighed, resting back on the grass and staring at the full moon above them, "I'm guessing until they figure out the next best place to set up camp."
"Maybe Liz was right," Antonio said out loud suddenly. Xan looked over at him, an eyebrow raised.
"What do you mean?"
"That we, us, the Aura Guardians are on the way out," Antonio sighed, "Every great civilization has to fall, I mean look at the Romans and the Greeks; massive empires and then they fell."
"But we're not a civilization," Xan said, looking back at the sky, "We're the connection between the three 'elements' of the world; Nature, Pokémon and Man. We're like the stabilizing pole like in a large tent; take us away, and the world collapses. Haven't you noticed that with each passing year as more and more of us are hunted down, the environment is getting harsher and harsher, that Pokémon are now starting to become withdrawn and more violent, with them even starting to attack humans without reason, and that Mankind is becoming more and more bent on wiping us Aura Guardians out?"
"Wow, since when were you good at this thinking stuff?" Antonio chuckled, "You sound like Liz back there."
"Did not," Xan retorted, "I know about it because I'm observant."
"Come on Xan," Antonio said, propping himself up on his elbows, "No one, even you, is that observant, not even a Keen eyed Ferrow."
Xan remained silent. Truth be told, he didn't know how he knew it, he just had a gut feeling that all these things were connected, and the fact that they were constantly told that the Aura Guardians were the connection between everything, it seemed logical that this was the explanation.
Suddenly there was a column of flame that shot through the night sky, up towards the moon. Xan and Antonio leapt to their feet and looked around.
"That flame looks familiar," Xan said, feeling a pulse of friendly Aura from the direction of the flame column.
"All fire looks the same," Antonio growled as his Pikachu and Gallade came over to him, positioning themselves into attack stances.
"No, that pulse of Aura," Xan said. His Lucario and Infernape made their way over.
"Master," Lucario's voice said inside his head, "I've scanned the area, and there are no Hostiles in the vicinity."
"Dude," Infernape sighed, "You don't need to call him master. He is your buddy you know."
"He can call me Master if he wishes to," Xan cut in quickly as he saw a flame of aggression flicker in Lucario's eyes, "He's just being respectful."
"Plan of action?" Antonio called out loud as another column of fire ripped through the sky.
"We investigate." Xan replied, and ran off downstream toward the source.
"Alright Ninetales, that's enough!" Liz called out and Ninetales stopped its flamethrower attack into the night sky. It lowered its cream head to look at Liz with its red eyes, the moon causing its fur to become almost silver. Sceptile was at the edge of the clearing, dozing off against a tree.
Liz had needed to escape the closed feeling of the cave. She had snuck past the guards with Ninetales and Sceptile for a bit of late night training, and had felt the raw excitement as the wind blew against her face as she made her way down the mountain.
The training had gone well; she had successfully blocked all of Sceptile's moves, and she had managed to absorb so much flamethrower that she wouldn't be surprised if her aura was permanently red now. She sat down on a rock in the middle of the clearing and looked into the night sky, trying to count all of the stars up there. She only looked down when Ninetales settled down next to her, and Sceptile joined them.
"You know guys," Liz said softly, "I wish we could be like the stars, they seem to have the ultimate freedom." They continued to look into the sky, with Ninetales nuzzling her slightly. Suddenly a flicker of movement caught her eye. She turned her head to the part of the sky where she thought she had seen the shadow, but saw nothing.
Suddenly Ninetales was up and growling, with Sceptile extending his leafblades.
"Intruders," Sceptile growled,
"Heading from the north, running speed," Ninetales growled, pointing her head in that direction, "Their scent is on the wind."
Liz stood up and prepared herself to pulse her aura, but there was no need, because a figure tripped over a low bush and slid on its face up to her feet.
"Call yourself an Assassin," Liz giggled as she pulled Xan to his feet, his front and face covered with mud and grass stains.
"I would have been fine if it wasn't for that bush," he was cut off in mid sentence as two more shadows crashed down on top of him. Liz leapt back slightly and then realised it was Lucario and Infernape, both of them trying to pull Xan back up.
"You know," Xan said to the two Pokémon, "If I'm in a dangerous situation, don't try to rescue me." Infernape laughed and Lucario simply grunted as they pulled him up. Ninetales gave the three intruders a hard stare, whilst Sceptile shook his head sadly. Infernape saw Ninetales looking and gave her his normal jokester grin.
"Xan!" another voice yelled out from the forest, and Antonio appeared, followed by Gallade and Pikachu, "you okay? What happened?" he asked as he say Xan standing between Lucario and Infernape with a mud covered front.
"Tripped," Xan muttered quietly, "Anyway, was that you producing that column of fire just now Liz?"
"Well, it was Ninetales actually," Liz said, "Just a bit of late night training really."
Suddenly there was a burst of flames in the direction of Infernape, and the Pokémon dodged out of the way. He glared over at Ninetales, who was now on her feet and growling at him.
"Jees, whats wrong with her," Infernape mumbled, "All I did was smile at her,"
"You obviously have the way with the ladies," Lucario chuckled,
"Shut up," Infernape growled.
"Ninetales, what was that for," Liz and Xan said at the same time. The Pokémon remained silent and just continued to glare at Infernape.
"She could just want a battle," Antonio shrugged his shoulders, "I'd love to see that actually, fire verses fire, what a showdown!"
"You up for that Infernape?" Xan asked, and Infernape grinned at him
"I was born ready"
"How about you Liz and Ninetales," Xan asked, "You recon you can try and take us down?"
"What do you mean try," Liz called back, "We will take you down!"
The two humans ran to either end of the clearing, and turned to face each other. Infernape stood in his offense position, the fire on his head large and intense. Ninetales took a intimidating stance in front of Liz, her nine tails fluffed out to the max and raised out behind her like a fan, obscuring Liz from view.
"Looks like I'm going to be the judge here," Antonio sighed and stepped forward, "This is a one on one Pokémon Battle, no substitutes. And begin."
"Alright Infernape, lets show her what skills we've been learning," Xan said with a smirk, his hair falling so it covered his eyes with shadow. Infernape aknowlaged with a short nod. "Remember, the Aura is with you."
"Lets get this moving," Liz said calmly, "Ninetales, Flamethrower please." A large trunk of flame shot toward Infernape.
"Wait for it," Xan said quietly, watching the fire shoot towards them, "Wait for the moment, Alright, Now! Mach punch into close combat, let's go!" Xan yelled and Infernape disappeared from view into a blur as he shot towards Ninetales with a flowing fist, using it to split the flamethrower around him. He reached her in seconds, and was soon using close combat, the blows lightening fast from the speed of the mach punch.
"Upper cut at the end," Xan called out, and Infernape obeyed and Ninetales was sent flying into the air with a swift and powerful blow under her jaw. This strategy prevented any counter-attacks at close range when Infernape would be left wide open.
"Ninetales!" Liz called out, "Iron tail on the fall," Ninetales brought herself over in a flip and all her tails suddenly glowed with the Iron tail.
"Flamethrower," Xan said calmly, and Infernape responded with a white hot flamethrower, hitting Ninetales' tail. It began to glow red as it cut through the flame, but Ninetales was losing speed on the fall. As soon as the iron tail was about to hit Infernape on the head, Ninetales broke off the attack, the iron tail becoming too hot for her to handle.
"And time out," Antonio called from the side. Xan and Liz looked over to see him walking towards them with the other Pokémon.
"Aw, come on ref," Xan said, holding up his hands, "I was about to win this!"
"Exactly," Antonio said, "Thus why should we have an injury just to gain a pointless victory?"
"Wow, since when did you get smart?" Liz asked, looking up from checking Ninetales injuries.
"He didn't," Xan replied as Infernape and Lucario began talking to each other about Infernape's performance, "he got that from the teacher. But it does still hold truth. We need these guys to be in top condition. We should be getting a mission any day soon."
"You wish," Liz said, "We've been here for ages, and nothing has happened, nothing. Sometimes I wonder if we'll ever get accepted as Aura Guardians."
"We will," Xan said, looking over at her, "It's Aura law; we've passed the test, and now we must be given the rank of Guardian. They're probably just seeing where it is best to send us."
"Great deduction," A voice came from behind them. They spun to see a tall and very muscular man with his face hidden under a cloak and hood walking out of the forest towards them.
"I'm Charles," He said in a very deep but clear Southern English accent, "I have been sent by the council to give you your assignment. I see you are still keeping in fighting conditions." He nodded toward the scarred earth where the attacks from the Pokémon battle had hit the ground. "I must ask you to come with me now, as it is a most important mission, and we wouldn't want the details getting in the wrong hands."