UPDATE: Not much changed here. I added the Italian document as one of the things Esteban found on the boat. That's about it.

Hi! This is the second chapter of Aura Guardian. I would like to thank all the people who read my story (Last count: 2) for reading and reviewing it. I hope that those (2) people who have read Ch 1, will like this chapter. Sorry the story starts out a little slow, but it gets better in later chapters. Enjoy!

Usual disclaimer: I don't own pokémon, obviously. I do own my OCs: Esteban, Teacher, and the Red-head (name will be revealed in a later chapter).

Chapter Two: The Guardians of Altomare

I started to wander the city. It is basically a giant maze for anyone who doesn't live here. By giant maze, I mean impossible to navigate. I made lefts and rights and this-a-ways and that-a-ways through the alleyways of the city. In a couple hours, I somehow ended up back at the docks and statues. "What the…?" I said aloud,"How in the world did I get back here?" I sighed and sat on a bench beside the statue of one of the Guardians. I looked at them more closely. At their bases were ornate engravings. There was something about those statues that bothered me, but I couldn't put my finger on it. I wanted to look at them more, but I decided that I better find my way around the city.

It was too early in the day for anyone to be out in the streets, so I couldn't ask for directions. I looked over to the boats tied to the dock. One of them was the black speed boat I saw earlier. I decided to check it out, and it paid off. There were some rolled up papers lying in a bag on the floor of the boat. I pulled out one and looked at it. The title read "volontà e testamento dell'ultimo". I looked at the rest of the paper, and it was all in Italian.

"I can't read Italian," I said aloud. I put it back where I found it. On the passenger seat I found a map of Altomare. It didn't look special or anything so I decided to take it. There were a couple places circled on the map, but I thought that if the Red-head was in such a hurry, then that person would have their own map with them right now.

The map was extremely useful. I was actually able to go somewhere this time. While looking for any sign of these mysterious guardians, I stopped by a local café that just opened for breakfast. I had a freshly made breakfast roll and a cup of Italian style coffee. I was walking down the street taking a sip of my coffee, when someone bumped into me, making me spill a bit of my scalding hot coffee onto myself.

"Sir, out of my way!" said a female voice as I was trying to suppress a yelp of coffee induced agony. I looked up. The speeding Red-head from before was running at breakneck speed. She went up and turned a corner.

"What is her problem?" I thought aloud.

"She probably just wants to use the bathroom or something." I jumped. A man around my age was standing right behind me holding a couple napkins. "Sorry, my name's Ross, and here are some napkins for you coffee. I don't think I have seen you around here before."

I gathered myself back together, wiped my pants dry, and replied, "No, I just got here. Thanks for the napkins. Do you know her?"

"No I don't, she is not from around here either." Ross replied. We started walking around town talking while I was finishing my roll and coffee. I kept an eye out for anything unusual.

"…So, I was this close to winning, but she just beat me by a hair, literally," he said while putting his thumb and index finger a millimeter apart. "It might have been one of the few times I lost the Tour de Altomare, but it was definitely the most fun." Ross was describing a race that happened five years ago. "That Misty was quite the racer. After the race, I showed her and her friends around town and told them about the Guardians."

That caught my interest. I finished my roll and coffee, and I asked, "Guardians? I saw statues near the docks, but I have no idea what they're depicting. All it said was that they were the Eon pokémon and that they were guardians."

"Well it's a good story. Many years ago, an evil trainer resurrected two fossils, an aerodactyl and a kabutops. He terrorized the city."

"Wow, resurrection? How did he manage that?" I asked. That "trainer" sounded pretty powerful to raise the dead.

"No one knows how, but we thought that all was lost. That is, until the Guardians came. Their names are Latios and Latias. They defeated the trainer, but Latios used all his energy to save the city. It was too much for him, and he died. All he left for the city was his two children and the Soul Dew. With the trainer gone, the two pokémon returned to being fossils. It is said that as long as the Soul Dew stays safe, the city is safe as well. They built the DMA, or Defense Mechanism of Altomare, in order to protect the city in the future. Thankfully, it has never been used. I don't know if it's true, but it's a good story."

"Yeah, a very good story," I said. That trainer sounded a lot like some sort of rogue Aura Guardian. How else would he have the power to resurrect the dead? That Soul Dew also sounds interesting. Perhaps Latios and Latias know something?

Ross continued to talk. "I know, a very good story, but five years ago, something really weird happened." That caught my interest. I knew something happened here five years ago. My Teacher and I saw a large column of light many miles away in Hoenn coming from this direction. That was when she said to come to Altomare." I don't really know what happened that night," Ross continued," I was asleep, but I had heard that some people saw a giant tsunami heading straight for the city. Then a large sphere of light ran into the wave, and the wave broke apart and washed up harmlessly into the canals. They also said that there was a large column of light that appeared in the sky afterwards. Two criminal were also caught in the ruins of the DMA. No one knows how they got in, activated it, and destroyed it, but they did. Some say that it was the Guardians that protected the city, but I don't know. Thankfully, the DMA was repaired. I am glad that wave was stopped, if it was real. If it wasn't stopped, I don't know what could've happ…" He stopped mid-word because his watch alarm went off and looked at it. "Crap," he said, "I have to go; I am late for work, nice meeting you!" He ran off.

Evil trainers, giant waves, and magic light, oh my. So that was what happened. I sat down, rested and thought about it for a moment. 'Those pokémon should definitely know something' I thought. I continued to look for Latios and Latias through the city using my map.

By noon, I had almost given up. I looked over most of the city, and I couldn't find them. The streets were also getting crowded. I walked onto a bridge, leaned on the hand rail, and looked down into the canal. There were several schools of fish pokémon swimming and a few gondolas floated by. I then looked up to the bright, blue, cloudless sky and held onto my cross necklace. I then thought out loud, "Do I have to say please?"

Almost instantly, I felt a large gust of air, looked around, and I vaguely saw the lines of distorted light around an invisible being flying under the bridge and continuing ahead of me. It turned a corner. I ran, but once I turned the corner into a mostly empty alleyway, all I saw was a girl with a green shirt and a uniquely crazy hairdo. I didn't know what to do except go up and ask her if she saw anything.

"Excuse me!" I said trying to catch up to her, but I bumped into her instead and she fell down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you." I gave her my hand to help her up. "I was just wondering if you saw…" She grabbed my hand, and then I blanked out for a second and then the only thing I could say was, "…Latias." I saw a red and white dragon like pokémon. She had a long neck and skinny arms, and golden-yellow eyes. She had no legs, but two red "feet" things protruding out from her underside. She had a blue triangle on her belly. She knew I found out who she really was.

When I touch someone, my aura allows me to see their true form. Since most people I shake hands with look just like they how I see them, nothing seems to happen. But Latias had made herself look like a girl, and my aura could see right through that. For that moment while I was touching her hand, I saw a shocked Latias. We made eye-contact and she gasped. She then let go, returning to the shape of a girl, and ran away.

"Wait!" I screamed and started after her. I was following Latias through the maze that was Altomare. I had no idea where I was; I was just following Latias. I was avoiding people, and jumping over pokémon. While running through one alley, I saw the Red-head walk into the alley. I almost hit her, but I was able to just dodge her. It was as if time slowed down a bit as we made eye-contact. She had blue eyes and a shocked expression on her face. She had some cute freckles and smooth, long, flowing red hair. She was cute, and was about my age. She could be a cheerleader if she wanted, or someone's cute younger sister that everyone likes. I started running backwards, stumbled a bit, turned around, and continued my pursuit of Latias.

After a couple more alleys, she disappeared. "She…must be…invisible…or something," I panted out of breath. I rested for a minute. Then, in order to find her, I closed my eyes and opened my aura-sight. When I touched Latias, I got a glimpse of her aura. Aura-sight is a second sight that allows the user to see life forces instead of light. The brightest things I see are the actual people or pokémon. Where there is no aura, I only see darkness. I could still see the contours of the city, but only vaguely. However, aura-sight gives everything a fuzzy, blue-white appearance. With aura-sight, I could see the trails of aura that all forms of life leave behind. Each individual leaves a slightly different trail. The problem is finding Latias' trail out of the dozens I saw. Luckly, when I touched Latias, I saw he unique aura. I was able to pick it out and follow it, but I had to be quick before I forgot it or the trail dissipated. I might never find her again.

The trail eventually ended in a building. I closed my aura-sight and opened my eyes. It looked like some sort of gondola workshop. I read a sign that said Lorenzo's Gondolas. I entered the shop, and inside I saw a short old man who vaguely looked an old video game character I once saw.

"Good morning," said the man who must be Lorenzo. He spoke with a bit of suspicion in his voice. He eyed me in a suspicious manner.

"Morning. Just wondering, have you seen a girl in a green shirt, about say… yay high, and has this funky hairdo?" I asked.

He pulled out what appeared to be a shotgun and aimed it at me. I raised my hands, and I could only think of two words.

Oh Crap.

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