Chapter 12 - Knowing

Umbreon's eyes scanned the empty room with a mixture of excitement, malice, and an itch to find the kid already instead of stalling like this. He didn't know why specifically, but moving around the castle like how a predator would track its prey sounded fun, and so he was doing just that. Deep down, he didn't want to admit that he couldn't seem to find Ash in the first place. For some odd reason, his usual flickering aura had disappeared. The only one that he could sense that was similar was that man's aura, which he knew was at the entrance gate of the palace along with a certain someone he knew, but he disregarded it and deemed the fact worthless.

At that moment, he was standing in front of a small library. Two tiny windows were carved out of the stone walls and were the only source of light in the room. Shelves of books stood beside each other and seemed to have been doing so for ages. Some of the pieces in there looked faded and worn, while others barely had any dirt on them as if they were never taken out. He noted that there was one book that poking out of the rest of them, and the title written on its side made him even more curious despite it sounding too common...or not really thought out.

'The History of Aura'

Umbreon debated on whether to check out the book or resume his search for the sacrifice, and in the end he decided that he had a few minutes to kill, so why not? As long as no one would notice him there, he should be fine.

-o-

In all honesty, Sir Aaron wasn't really listening to whatever his good friend was blabbering about at that moment. The man couldn't help but feel a little on edge after the recent events that had just happened. The feeling of anxiousness was still hanging around him. He wondered if it was because of his student nearly drowning that day...

"Aaron, hey!" Trevor shouted while already in the position to violently shake the guy if he had to. "Uh-oh, sorry, what were you saying?"

The older brunette sighed as he let go off his friend's shoulders. "Eric was asking where your other student was. Man, you alright? You seem really out of it."

"No, I'm fine. Don't worry." Sir Aaron replied calmly. It seemed that he had been saying that a lot lately since the words came so easily out of his lips. The Aura Guardian mulled over whether he should really tell Eevee or not where his apprentice's location was, yet in the end he decided to simply be vague about it. That way it wouldn't attract too much suspicion. "He's resting in a room upstairs. Something had gone wrong while we were training, you see." the last part was obviously a lie, and all of them knew it except Trevor. Still, that was the only person that Aaron was hoping the fib would work on. "An accident? That's the first I've heard of it."

"It wasn't too severe, but the boy will have to stay bedridden to recover from the injury."

"Hm, I hope he recovers soon then." by the tone of his voice, it was as if he bought it. The man felt a tiny feeling of relief wash around his mind. The last thing he needed to deal with was more questions-

Out of the blue, the Aura Guardian sensed something that he didn't expect. It was quick, like a heartbeat, but despite its swift entrance and exit, there was no mistaking whose aura it belonged to. He glanced at Lucario, and it looked like the pokémon didn't catch it. Now, he wasn't sure whether it was real, or he was just being paranoid. Either way, it never hurt to be sure. He still remembered where he felt it. "Lucario, a moment, please." moving away from the other two (and telling them that he'll be back soon), he ushered his other student to a nearby corner where they won't be heard by the other party. "What is it, Master?" he asked in a whisper.

"I want you to go to Aiden's room. Now."

The steel/fighting type looked displeased. "How come? Is there something wrong?"

"I am not too sure, but I have a grave feeling that we have an unwanted guest."

"Then let me track him."

"No, just protect Aiden. I also need some questions out of this intruder." the jackal pokémon growled in annoyance. "Alright, I will proceed to the room immediately." and with that, he ran off to the other hallway, leaving his teacher alone. With a sharp exhale, he walked out and approached the other two who were waiting for him. "Where's Lucario?" the older brunette asked.

"I sent him to do a little favor of mine." he replied. "Trevor, I apologize, but I must do something important now. Can I ask you to take Eric back to the village?"

"Uh, sure, I guess..." the man knew by the way his friend was speaking that he was serious, and also it was something very important. That also meant no other questions. "Come, Eric, we better leave." Eevee seemed a little confused about them suddenly departing, but he didn't refuse and followed the guy back to the gate. Once their auras were a bit far from Aaron, he rushed to the stairs and headed straight for the library.

-o-

"Deep breathes..." the young trainer let out another shaky exhale as one of his hands was on top of his chest, feeling his heartbeat beginning to finally settle a little. Opening his eyes, he turned to the door, expecting someone to come in at that very moment. Surprisingly, nothing happened. It meant that he was successful in masking his aura. Either that or Umbreon was simply toying with him and waiting for panic to engulf him. No, he wouldn't let that happen.

"Just...calm down..." he kept on muttering to himself. The boy didn't bother to lie down anymore. It would put him at a disadvantage if ever he had to stand up quickly. Nevertheless, when he let his Aura Sense become his eyesight for the time being, he could see that the intruder's aura was moving farther and farther away. It almost made him believe that he was already safe, though he knew he wasn't out of the woods yet.

Out of the blue, a bright blue aura appeared right in front of the door. It shocked him so much that he broke his concentration and let fear take over with the worst possible case scenarios. When the door opened and revealed a serious-looking Lucario, he couldn't help but sigh loudly in relief. "Oh man, you really scared me, you know?" Ash told the pokémon while breaking a small smile.

Said creature didn't appear amused. "You're not hurt, right?"

The ravenette was a bit surprised with the sudden show of concern. "No...I'm fine. Just a bit nervous, that's all."

"Nervous?" don't tell me this boy sensed what Master was worrying about? How come I didn't feel it? "Care to tell me why?"

"Uhm, well, there's..." the teen fidgeted with his fingers, trying to pick his words carefully. "I dunno...I just feel like something's watching me."

Lucario nodded silently, yet he didn't believe that what he said was the whole thing-"Hey, uhm..." the trainer suddenly mumbled. "I never got to thank you properly when you saved me from Umbreon. So...uh, thanks."

"Hmph, I did it for Master. I doubt he would've forgiven me if I left you there."

The boy suddenly looked troubled. "Lucario, is that the only way you see Sir Aaron?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you always say that he's your master. Don't you see him as a friend too?"

"...being a friend to Sir Aaron would only hinder the both of us, just like what you're doing." the ravenette reacted as if offended by the statement. "Friendship doesn't hinder people, it makes them stronger! How could you say that, Lucario?"

"Because I believe it is true. Have you not noticed what has been going on ever since you came along? You are putting others in danger because you stay here-"

"I'm here to save Sir Aaron, not hurt him."

"You've only hurt him so far." he said bluntly. And despite the child's heart screaming to object, he chose to stay quiet and avoid the gaze that was directed at him. Saying something else would only make it worse, he was sure. In time, the pokémon would understand. Ash just wished that he would realize it sooner. Maybe something bad could be prevented if he was aware of it.

"Lucario," he uttered under his breath to be sure that his companion wouldn't hear it. "you've been doing the same thing."

-o-

"So I was right." the voice made Umbreon jump, dropping the book he was reading in the process. In truth, said intruder was so focused on what he was reading that his senses grew dull and weren't able to see Sir Aaron approaching him. It was already too late to escape without creating a huge commotion. "I wasn't imagining things after all."

"Tch." the teen put up a calm and cool front, but inside he was honestly a little scared and angry at himself for being so careless. "And I was getting to the interesting part."

"You're here for Aiden, correct?"

"Why else would I be here?" he followed the man's gaze at the open book on the floor. "Oh, that? I have leisure times too, you know." while saying that, the ravenette was readying an attack; his hand suddenly glowing a mix of black and purple forming in to a sharp claw. "Can't you let someone read in peace?"

"Why do you want Aiden?" the Aura Guardian pressed, ignoring anything else he had said.

"Jumping straight to the point, eh? Well, let's just say that I need him for something. Something really important." Umbreon's eyes glowed brighter before he quickly disappeared. Aaron didn't waste any time to dodge the Shadow Claw that came behind him. The man moved deeper in to the room, and when he was in a farther distance, he swiftly created and shot an Aura Sphere directly at his opponent. He evaded it as well, leading the attack to hit the door. Aaron cringed at the damage he made, and that was enough time for his enemy to lunge at him for another move. "Faint Attack." his voice was the only thing for the man to tell that he was still in the room. A split second later, a hard punch on his chest connected, sending him to a nearby pile of books. The sound of them falling made Aaron hope that no one was going to enter the room to see what was going on.

"Looks like I win this one." Umbreon said with a visible sneer.

The pain made him groan, but he wasn't going to give up now. "Not yet." the Aura Guardian grabbed one of the books and threw it right at his opponent's face. The teen effortlessly caught it with his hand. "Is that all-?" out of the blue, he was pinned down to the hard stone floor; his arms rendered useless because the man was clenching them so he wouldn't be able to do anything. "Let go off me!" he shouted as he tried to kick himself free. Aaron got a good grip on him though, and so it wasn't before long when he realized that he couldn't escape until he saw an opportunity.

"Now answer my question completely. Why do you want Aiden?"

"...I told you, I need Ash for something important."

"Ash?"

Umbreon laughed at Aaron's confusion. "Don't you know? Aiden is just a fake name he used. His real name's Ash. He came from the future to destroy you with the help of Dialga's power."

"I don't believe you."

"Oh really? My father has power that rivals legendary pokémon. He could easily kill you in seconds, and he can clearly see the actions that another legendary takes without them knowing. He saw Ash falling from the sky, and how he went all the way here as if he knew where he was going. He's here for you, Aaron. That's the real reason I'm here. I've been tasked to take your precious student away so that you won't die. I'm not the bad guy here, he is." at this point, the man's hands were already trembling. "As-Aiden would never do such a thing."

"Why don't you ask him yourself? If he truly looks up to you as a teacher, then there are no secrets to hide, right? Do you even know where he came from?"

He gritted his teeth. "No, I do not."

At that moment, Umbreon felt the grip on his arms weaken. Without further delay, he landed a blow on his gut and was able to push him back. "Sorry for using force, but I must be going now. Remember what I said, Aura Guardian. I wasn't lying on a single thing I said." and with that, he jumped out of the window and fled to the forests away from the village. The man was panting as he clutched his chest, but the fact that he didn't really know much about Aiden hurt him much more than the throbbing pain.

He knew he was going against his trust for the boy, but sooner or later, he would need to know if Umbreon was lying or not.

A/N: Hell yeah, updated right on the deadline! /shot

Okay, I terribly, terribly apologize for taking so long. Busy and all that blah. And no, I never intended for Umbreon to tell Aaron about Ash's true identity. The story just kind of wrote itself. I was planning on Umbreon to spill it, yet I guess he's more deceitful than I gave him credit for. o_O

Guys, thanks so much for all the reviews, favs, and story alerts. You have no idea how much that means to me, and how surprised I am that this story gathered so much (I swear, I thought this story was going to fade somewhere in the thousands of fanfics in this fandom or something.)

Err, review please? :3 I'll love you forever if you do. Including criticisms.