Sarah flew above the trees on Fearow. The large bird Pokemon was keeping a sharp eye on Rapidash and Jean, who was bolting back to the Guardian headquarters at blinding speeds. All knew that they had better hurry before the Elder Guardian of Ho-oh reached the headquarters before they did. She would summon the other Guardians to the base and then they would discuss the future of Cameron Castle and Rota.
"Come on, Fearow! Can't you fly any faster?" Sarah asked. She hated being outrun by Jean's Rapidash, even though the horse was much faster than most Pokemon. Fearow arched her wings and began to flap harder. However, the wind was not on their side. In fact, the wind was blowing them off course slightly. It was indeed a struggle to remain on Rapidash's tail.
Down below, all Jean could see was blurs of green and brown as they raced by the trees at speeds that she never dreamed Rapidash could reach. She could have told him to slow down, but time was of the essence. Reaching the base was key at the moment. The sooner they reached the Council and explained the situation, the sooner they could decide what had to be down.
After a seemingly short run, Rapidash slowed to a stop. In front of him stood a medium sized wooden building. It was modest when considering the fact that some of the most powerful humans in the world were inside. On one side of the building, vines and ivy grew. Moss covered the rocks that were next to the building. Jean sighed. She knew the reason why the Guardians wanted to keep their headquarters so modest. An innocent, or not so innocent, human would not think anything of the building that was out in the middle of the forest. "At least the inside is nice…" Jean muttered to Rapidash as she dismounted from him. She did not tie his reins around anything, but allowed him to roam at will. She knew he would not run off.
Right then, Fearow and Sarah landed. "You could have waited," she grumbled, getting off of the bird. Fearow seemed relieved to have the extra weight off of her back. "Boy, you would think that for such powerful people, we'd have a better looking lair." Sarah placed her hands on her hips and sighed.
"Never mind that. We need to hurry." Jean pointed toward the sky. She could see a rainbow. "The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh is here. We don't want to be late." She reached for the door's handle and pulled the door open. It squeaked badly and dust came down from the ceiling. The duo entered the wooden hallway. Every step they took made the floor moan and groan as it bared their weights.
"I'm always afraid that I'll fall through the floor," Sarah confessed.
Jean chuckled and touched a painting that was hanging in the middle of the hall. Since it was so old, it had yellowed and the paint had begun to peel off. It showed an image of a herd of Tauros that was grazing on a hillside. The sky, although originally a deep shade of blue, had turned into a pale shade of blue that had cracks and chips in it. "I bet that was a nice picture at one time," Jean said, blowing off the dust from her fingers.
"Probably," Sarah said absently. She continued walking down the hall. "In there. See the light? That's where we need to go."
Jean noticed the light that came from torches and candles. "Right," she said, walking toward the door and laying a hand against the handle. Slowly, she twisted the handle and the door creaked open. As Sarah had thought, there were several people inside.
"Well, well, that's the last of us. What took you all so long?" The Guardian of Moltres asked. He folded his arms in front of his chest and watched as Sarah and Jean entered the room.
Jean glared at him and snapped, "It is none of your business." Her and Sarah walked by and sat down in their designated seats.
The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh stepped in front of the group and raised her arms up. "My fellow Guardians, we come to you in the gravest of times. Although Cameron Castle has been saved, I fear that there will be other attacks. And we mustn't forget about Sir Aaron and Lucario. They were in the heart of the battle. We must find them or, at least, find their remains." Jean and Sarah looked at each other as the Elder continued, "I have sent for all of you in order to determine how we should respond to this attack and defense of the castle. As we all know, if Cameron Castle falls, we fall as well."
One of the Guardians, a man named Rudolf, raised his hand. "Excuse me, but how will you determine who will undertake this task?" His brown eyes showed some confusion and concern.
Right then, the Elder Guardian of Lugia stepped forward to take his position next to his wife. "Guardian of Zapdos, we will decide who is most fit to do this." He waved a hand in an expression of unconcern. The Elder Guardian of Lugia wore a white and blue robe that hung down to the floor. His helmet, although open so others could see his face, looked like the head of a Lugia. At his side was a large sword that was very heavy. Everyone knew that he couldn't pick it up now even if he wanted too. The Elder Guardian of Lugia was just too old.
Rudolf leaned back in his chair and sighed. He was sitting a row behind Sarah and Jean. His outfit consisted of a yellow and black tunic. He did not carry a sword with him as he preferred to fight hand-to-hand with his enemies. For most part, Rudolf was the kind of man who remained calm even in battle. However, it was assumed that he also had the ability to become very angry when necessary.
The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh looked at the crowd. "For this dangerous assignment, I will choose five to seven Guardians. The first thing we must do is inform Queen Rin that Sir Aaron and Lucario are either dead or are wounded. If they are wounded, we must find them quickly. Then we must make completely sure that there are no more attacks on Rota and, if there are, put them down quickly and painlessly. Do you all understand?"
Everyone nodded. Then a man dressed in all black spoke up. "What can't we allow the kingdom to fall? We could take over and become rulers of Rota." When the crowd gasped, he muttered, "It would be easy to annihilate the castle guards. Then we could force the Queen into submission."
"Do you hear yourself? You are speaking nonsense!" Another Guardian shouted. She was Bianca, the Guardian of Jirachi. She and Jean were close friends. Bianca stood up. "Damon, have you lost your mind? Didn't you hear what the Elder Guardian said? If the kingdom falls, we fall as well." Her voice was filled with anger.
"Relax," Damon, the Guardian of Darkrai, said. He leaned back his chair on two legs and folded his arms behind his head. "I was just staying that it is possible." Damon's outfit was a black robe that went down to his knees. Under his robe was a red tunic. At his side was a staff that had a long blade sticking out the side of it. It appeared to be a sickle.
Bianca, on the other hand, wore a white and gold dress. Her long blonde hair was tied back into a braid. Her emerald green eyes locked angrily into Damon's hazel eyes. Bianca tended to carry a staff that had a crystal ball on the end. Granted, it was pretty, but it was also a weapon that could be used to hit an enemy very hard. Jean had been on the receiving end of the crystal during sparring matches. It hurt. Badly.
"Now I will choose who will go on this mission," the Elder Guardian of Ho-oh said. Her eyes swept through the crowd. The room became deathly silent. "Guardian of Latias. You are the elder sister of Sir Aaron. You will go."
Sarah stood up and bowed, "I will go."
The Elder Guardian smiled and turned to face Jean. "Guardian of Mew. Since Aaron was going to become your husband, you will also go."
Jean nodded and joined Sarah in standing. "Very well," she said, placing her hand against her sword's hilt.
The Elder looked over at the crowd of men. "We will need a man, yes? Guardian of Latios, you will go as well."
A man dressed in sapphire and gray armor stood up. His shaggy blonde hair was hanging in front of his face, partially hiding his blue eyes. He was Siegfried, the Guardian of Latios and had been chosen to one day become Sarah's husband. There were no engagements though, even though both were of proper age. He looked over at Sarah and smiled, despite the fact that they were on opposite sides of the room. "I will be honored," he answered.
"Good. Guardian of Jirachi, you are known for your good fortune. If things go poorly, I want you to be there," the Elder said to Bianca.
Jean was relieved when Bianca answered, "Yes. I will join."
Sarah counted the number of people that was going to be joining her in the mission. Including her, there were four people. The Elder Guardian said that five to seven would be coming. I wonder who else she will choose.
The Elder glanced at Damon. "We will need the Guardian of Darkrai for his strength. You will be going."
Everyone gasped. No one had been expecting that decision, especially after Damon had wondered why the Guardians didn't take over Rota. "Elder!" The Guardian of Celebi yelped from the back of the room.
She raised her hand to silence the crowd. "I do not wish to discuss this," she said, then the Elder looked at Rudolf. "You, Guardian of Zapdos, will join them. This will even out the male and female ratio."
Rudolf stood up and bowed low. "I will humbly accept," he replied.
The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh turned to the Elder Guardian of Lugia and smiled. Then she turned back to the crowd and said, "All but the six that was chosen are now free to go. The six chosen, I want you to stay behind. I wish to speak to you."
The crowd left the room, leaving behind the band of six. Damon sighed heavily and stood up. "Okay, so what do you want to talk about? Tell us to play nice?" He asked.
The Elder Guardian of Lugia glared at him coldly. "We wanted to tell you that you should not tell anyone about us. Keep in mind that most of Rota, save the Queen, has no idea that we Guardians even exist. We want this lack of knowledge to remain. Keep your true identities secret to everyone except the Queen. Inform her that Sir Aaron is missing, but do not say anything else that might jeopardize our mission. If she asks why you are here, just tell her that until Aaron returns, you will protect her and Rota."
"Why are we going anyway?" Rudolf asked.
The Elder Guardian of Ho-oh answered, "To prevent any further attacks. In a way, you will not be lying to the Queen—you will be serving her and protecting the land at the same time. However, the less she knows, the better."
Her husband nodded, "Right. You are dismissed. We want you to keep in touch with us. Use a carrier Pidgey to relay messages to us. Is that clear?"
"Yes," all answered.
"Very well. Dismissed!"