Author's Note: I intended to update this chapter a few days ago, but unforunately, the storms we've been having in our area messed up my Internet for two days, and I had a hard time editing this chapter because of its original length and complexity. Well, I'll finally be explaining the "theme" of my fanfiction in this chapter, so if there's anything you don't understand or something that needs clarifying, please let me know. Thanks! :)

Chapter 17: Answers

"L-Lady Larine!" the man whom Larine had called Sir Abelard stammered again. "W-what're you doing here? I thought you―"

Larine's head suddenly whipped toward his direction, her eyes shooting such a venomous glare that Sir Abelard cringed under it, unable to continue. I wondered what kind of relationship the two of them shared; they obviously knew each other, but not in a friendly way—of that I was sure.

"That's enough out of you for today," Larine said coldly, extending her arm in a familiar gesture that I had only seen once. The pin in her hair glinted, even though there was no sunlight, and then vanished altogether. Looking again, I saw that an ornate, golden staff had appeared in her hand, odd patterns crawling along its length and wrapping themselves around the large, crescent-shaped piece that sat at the top of the rod. It seemed to emanate an air of power and authority that made me want to shrink away from its presence. Sir Abelard backed away abruptly, his entire body quivering with fear.

"N-n-no no no! Please w-wait!"

Ignoring his pleas, Larine stretched out her arm, her irises flashing as a pink sphere of energy coalesced between the prongs of the moon on her staff, expanding so quickly that its light cast shadows on the ground around us. Sir Abelard screamed, too stricken with terror to move as Larine swung, the orb exploding forward and sending up small shockwaves of air that jarred my body. It slammed into its target even as he threw up his arms in self-defense, to my surprise failing to blast him backwards. Instead, it seemed to seep into his body, causing his eyes to dull and roll back into his head before his entire body went limp and he collapsed. I blinked, slightly dazzled at how fast it had all happened.

"What…did you do to him?" I asked, finally finding my voice. Though still a bit awed by the brilliant display and somewhat grateful for Larine's intervention, I hoped by all means that that man wasn't…dead.

"Oh I just put him to sleep for a few good hours," she replied flippantly, waving her staff and acting like nothing unusual had happened. "Nothing difficult."

"Then why the big show?"

Larine chuckled, flashing a mischievous grin in my direction that made me skeptical of her answer.

"Just to give him a little scare." With a more careful motion, she made another sweep with her staff, and suddenly the bodies of the unconscious men around us were hoisted into the air by an unseen force, floating into the branches of the trees nearby where they were laid easily out of sight, seemingly of their own accord. "There," Larine said, looking satisfied. "Now come on, we need to get going."

"We?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow. Savior or not, I wasn't just about to run off with someone I barely knew, especially now that I knew she had "powers". Larine gave me a cautioning, yet questioning look.

"Swift, you need to understand what's going on here. Those people were trying to kill you, even though neither of you knew who you each really were. I think it's about time you found out."

"What do you mean?" I inquired, confused. "I don't get what you're saying."

Larine inclined her head, a shadow creeping over her face as she gazed at me steadily.

"Where's your weapon, Swift?"

I froze. How did she know about my sword, just like Kai had? I tensed, preparing myself to run in case Larine should prove to be an enemy.

"Look, I'm not trying to hurt you," Larine said impatiently, glancing around like she was on edge. "I just want to help you understand what's going on. I can tell you everything you need to know, but if you don't want to believe me, then fine. Right now though, we need to get away in case those guys have any reinforcements hanging around. What do you say?"

She had a point. If I went with her, I would finally know what this whole mess was about, and for once I might not get beat up by wierd men claiming to have the power of aura. It was worth a shot.

Grumbling my consent, the two of us took off down the road and headed toward the western end of the city. The streets were bustling with late-morning rush hour, especially near the more developed parts of the area. We wove our way through the crowds, fortunate enough to avoid mowing any of the other pedestrians down. I found it increasingly difficult to keep up with Larine, whose stride was noticeably longer than mine; my short legs and low stamina forced me to push my body to the limits, which was tiring to say the least. Oh if only I were taller and not so out of shape….

I was relieved when Larine finally slowed to a walk at the outskirts of Celadon. My body ached from the abuse it had just undergone, and my breaths came up in rapid pants of fatigue. I refused to ask if we could rest, though, since Larine looked completely fine and the thought of needing to stop made me feel pathetic. Some Trainer I was if I couldn't even keep myself fit.

We followed the path leading into the scraggly little length of Route 16, which wasn't even a quarter of a mile long. It was populated with thin forests and a few spots of open land, a lone house dotting the countryside in the distance but otherwise housing no other signs of civilization. At the end of the road was a small building, which I recognized as a gate that marked the end of the Route. Even as we approached, I could tell that it sat at the edge of a deep slope, which fell away into an ocean of dark, ominous trees that stretched as far as the eye could see. Extending from the back of the gate was an impossibly long highway whose thick supports were buried in the forest below, keeping it raised high over the treetops.

"We're…not going on Cycling Road, are we?" I asked, talking about the highway that was made for bikes rather than cars.

"What's wrong with Cycling Road?" Larine questioned, not even stopping to turn around. "We can rent bikes and pedal our way across before the day ends."

I stopped dead in my tracks, for that moment not caring to wonder why Larine wanted to go to Fuchsia as much as I originally had. Of course it would be natural for her to assume that we could use Cycling Road, but….

"I can't ride a bike."

Now it was Larine's turn to stop dead. She stood there for a moment before turning to me with disbelief scrawled on her face.

"What do you mean you can't ride a bike?"

"I can't ride one," I repeated, averting my gaze. "Never learned." Thus, one of my most embarrassing secrets was revealed. Not being able to ride the contraption wasn't the thing that was mortifying, but the fact that I hadn't learned because I had been afraid of breaking every bone in my body was what abashed me. Of course, that was a long time ago, but I wasn't about to hop on a bike any time soon and show the whole world that a fifteen year old couldn't to ride it.

"WELL, that was unexpected." Larine crossed her arms and stared off into the distance thoughtfully. Meanwhile I shifted uneasily, trying to focus to my attention on the blanket of clouds overhead. "That sets my plans back, but on the other hand…." Without finishing her sentence, she suddenly faced forward, pointing at the undergrowth that protruded from the side of the gate." Alright then, let's go down there. There's no path, but if we stay under Cycling Road, we should be okay."

Still feeling ashamed, I didn't argue as we continued our walk. I didn't even ask her what her "plans" were.

The foliage was pretty dense, but not unmanageable. The initial part of the trek was the worst, with rugged roots and rocks jutting out from the side of the steep slope as though they were determined to trip us and send us tumbling down to our possible deaths. It was a slow hike, but eventually we were able to pick our way down to the forest floor, which was bare of undergrowth and shadowed by the thick canopy of leaves far above our heads.

We continued through the woods with less difficulty, though every tree trunk and clearing seemed to mirror each other without fault. Our only directional reference was that of the thick, ominous band of Cycling Road looming overhead, darkening the parts of the forest that it passed over. Once, we even passed by one of its supporting pillars, the bottom of which was turning brown with age and soil.

It seemed as though we hadn't gone far when Larine unexpectedly tossed her small backpack (which I hadn't noticed until then) to the ground, seating herself on an old log with a huff. The wood moaned, a sound that seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet atmosphere we had travelled in—if there were Pokémon in the area, we certainly hadn't heard them.

"Why're we stopping?" I asked, puzzled.

"We don't need to go any further for now," she said simply, not meeting my gaze. "Those people won't find us here."

"But wouldn't it be better if we covered more ground anyway?" I argued, not really trusting her judgment. Larine shook her head.

"I want to stay here for a while, to talk about a few things. You probably have a lot of questions...right?"

I nodded, not comprehending how she had read my thoughts. Unburdening myself as well, I lowered myself onto a smooth, flat rock. We were in a small, comfortably-sized clearing—large enough for a Pokémon battle, yet tight enough that I didn't feel exposed to the sky. I stretched my tired limbs, feeling quite at home.

"Who were those people back there?"

"Members of an organization named Clan Seigen," she replied, though that much I had already guessed. "They're a criminal organization operating under the command of Guardians who've betrayed the Legendaries."

"Whoa whoa whoa," I cut in, frowning at what she had just told me. Did she really expect me to believe all that? "Guardians? "Larine gave me a baffled look.

"Don't you know who Guardians are?"

"Well yeah, but…they don't exist anymo―"

I flinched as I suddenly found the pointed hook of Larine's staff not even an inch away from my face, it and Larine's body flaring with a magenta luminescence that radiated waves of pure anger.

"Guardians don't exist anymore? Don't make me laugh, Swift—you are a Guardian! You're looking at one!"

I was too stunned to speak. I was a Guardian? She was a Guardian too? Is that why she had those powers? Is that why I had a sword? No, she had to be kidding! Guardians haven't been around for hundreds of years! There's no way they could exist now...could they? I felt like I was being smothered in Larine's fury, unable to do anything but stare into her rage-filled eyes. Finally, with a sniff, Larine drew back, her staff returning to its alternate state and the glow fading from around her body as she sat back down. I shuddered, trying to shake off the last bits of her anger that seemed to reverberate in the air. Guardians...did they really exist?

"...How?" I managed to say at last, recovering some composure. "How is it that you and I are Guardians?"

Larine gave me a look before proffering her hand, saying, "Show me your weapon."

I was reluctant at first, but I knew there was no point in hiding it from her. Removing the chain from around my neck, I pulled out the miniature sword and handed it to Larine, who took it wordlessly. She seemed fascinated by it as she turned it over numerous times, frowning once as though something troubled her, but then returning to her previous demeanor.

"This, Swift, is an aura weapon—your aura weapon, to be precise. It's a sign that you've been chosen to wield the powers of a Legendary, and that your aura has manifested enough to support your powers."

"What powers?" I asked. "I don't remember ever having any."

Larine gave me a surprised look, as though it should have been obvious.

"The power of aura, Swift. It's the only kind of power the Aura Guardians have." She straightened, returning the miniature sword which I replaced on my neck. "Aura is what you could consider to be your 'life force'—it keeps you alive. Every living thing has an aura, though that doesn't necessarily mean they can use it. What makes Guardians so special is that, by having Legendaries give them additional powers, their aura is capable of growing and changing in ways that normal aura cannot. The...evolution, you could call it, allows their human bodies to exercise Legendary-bestowed powers which they would otherwise be unable to use."

"What do you mean by 'Legendary-bestowed'? Are those the supernatural ones that they were said to have?"

"Yup. Legendaries give powers according to their own type, such as the ability to control water, fire, shadows, etc. How strong their powers are in each Guardian also varies, but that's usually depending on the person."

"What are your powers, then?" I questioned, finding myself more and more eager to learn about the Guardians. I wasn't sure what piqued my sudden interest, since only a moment ago I'd thought they didn't even exist. "And how do I know what my powers are?"

"My innate," she corrected, looking rather proud, "is of the Psychic type. I can affect things with my mind by moving them and inflicting them as I wish. I can't, however, enter people's minds or read their thoughts, though sometimes I can sense their general emotions. As for your powers...it's not something I can simply read off your face. You'll have to discover them for yourself."

Well that explains a lot, I muttered inwardly. Though I still slightly doubted this whole concept of Guardians and whatnot, part of me wondered how I could go about learning to control my powers. It would come in handy...in my opinion.

"In any case," Larine went on, clearing her throat, "Guardians were originally created to serve the Legendaries, and ultimately, Arceus. However, the Guardians in Clan Seigen are planning to catch the Legendaries and release Giratina so that he can take revenge on Arceus for banishing him to the Reverse World."

"Sounds a little...farfetched, don't you think?" I said, raising my eyebrows. I was already having trouble believing the stuff about the Guardians, and here Larine was making everything sound that much more childish. My head was throbbing at that point as she shrugged.

"It doesn't matter what it sounds like; it's simply the truth," she stated. "Whether or not you believe me is up to you; I'm not going to try to convince you to do anything."

I thought about it for a minute. Legendaries had been captured in the past, but usually they had also been released not long after due to the inability to confine them. If we were dealing with Guardians, then maybe we were looking at an entirely different situation. The way Larine put it, though, made it sound as though Clan Seigen intended to capture each and every single Legendary before releasing Giratina. Were they capable of doing that? And how did Larine know all this anyway?

"Larine," I said, looking her in the eye, "who are you?"

Larine averted her suddenly blank gaze. After a pause, she said, "That...isn't something you need to know."

"Then why should I trust you?" I spat.

"Because right now I'm the only one who can help you," she retorted, baring her teeth in frustration. I blinked at her abrupt change in mood. "Swift, you're going to have to learn how to use your aura whether you like it or not. Either way, you're going to get caught up in this mess, and it would be better if you knew how to use it than not."

How am I going to get mixed up in something I have yet to believe in? I growled. I felt like Larine was pushing me now, though not for a bad reason. Still, I didn't like the idea she was impressing on me of not being able to make my own choice. Would it really be better if I knew how to use aura? It would guarantee getting running into Clan Seigen again. Not only that, but it might also mean that I might not be able to find my friends or have time to collect my final four Badges. Those weren't things that I wanted to give up so easily.

But what if Larine was right and I did run into Clan Seigen anyway? I wasn't going to be fortunate enough to survive every encounter I had with them. However, if I could fend them off, maybe I could get them back for meddling in my journey thus far, and keep them from bothering me and my friends again. Maybe then I wouldn't have to make any of the sacrifices mentioned above.

"Fine," I relented. "I'm not saying I believe everything you've said, but if it reallly is better for me, then I guess I don't have a choice."

Larine stared at me for a while, and then smirked.

"Well, I didn't think you'd be so easily convinced," she confessed with a laugh, "but that saves us some time trying to persuade you."

"How long does it take to learn how to use aura?" I inquired. She made it sound like it took years.

"Well, at our rate, you should have all of your basic skills by the end of two weeks."

"That's it?" I couldn't help blurting. Was she serious? Larine chuckled.

"I'm not going to sit here for months on end trying to tutor you. Besides, you look like a sturdy, dedicated person—you should be able to handle it." I raised my eyebrows. Sturdy? I should be able to handle it? That didn't sound good.

A gurgle suddenly found its way into the atmosphere. I looked at Larine.

"Ehehe...guess I'm kind of hungry," she admitted with a nervous laugh. "Why don't we eat, and then we'll get started on your training?"

Come to think of it, I was getting pretty hungry. I wondered how long we had been talking.

As Larine moved to set up a cook fire, I thought back again to the decision I had just made. I felt like slapping my face with my hand.

What on earth did I just get myself into?

Author's Note: I spent two hours editing the second half of this, only to have it all ruined when I pressed backspace to delete something and it sent me back to the previous web page. Dx Therefore, the second half of the chapter might be slightly sloppier than the first, and if it seems unconsistent or rushed, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me.

Well, I'm glad it came out a thousand words shorter than my original draft. I didn't really realize what a complicated concept I had made until I tried explaining it here, and I didn't want to put all of you guys to sleep with redundant conversation between Swift and Larine. Again, if there's something that needs further clarification, please let me know.

I'm a little frustrated with my fanfiction at the moment, so the next chapter will probably take a while to produce. Review as you see fit. ^-^