Tempian Tales: Team Aura Guardians - First Edition

Chapter 11

There was something on his mind. I was no mind reader, but the confliction I felt in his aura was overbearing.

After being forced from Spearow Point, my brother and sister-in-law were kind enough to house my parents, Leo, his mother, and I. Leo's mother's income as a rescue team leader was enough for her to buy a small house within a year. She did so. She and Leo moved only a few houses down. Even though we no longer shared a house, Leo and I still trained together almost every day. He was always stronger, taking on the intense training fit for a rescue team member.

One such day, we were headed home after training. Before we could reach town, he took us on a short detour to the beach. The sunset scene was beautiful, but he wasn't focused on it. Instead, on one knee, he asked me a question. It was about time! He had been my love for over three years - there was nothing in Heaven nor Earth that could make me say no!

My sixteenth birthday came and went soon after that, and Leo's seventeenth not long after. It was a month after that that his internal confliction began. He felt as if he had made or would make some big mistake. He was never one to be worried about anything, so I began to worry myself. Whenever I asked him what was wrong, he said that it was simply money problems; we would need a house somewhere soon. I didn't believe him, of course. The huge hole in his lie was all of the money that he had made in human gold so long ago. It was still in the bank. I didn't press the matter any further. It went like this for several days, until one night.

I was awakened by a creaky board in my room. Someone had stepped on it. I opened my eyes, the moonlight shaded my room a dull blue. Motionlessly, I checked the aura of the intruder. It was Leo! He felt slight fear of the possibility that I was awake... Why was he here? He finally reached my bedside. I cleared my brain, acting asleep. He felt conflicted. Very conflicted... I was worried. He kissed my snout. He felt that he might regret whatever he was going to do. I didn't like the feeling. I remained motionless - physically and auricly - until he had exited my room. 

I kept an auric eye on him. He slung quite a large pack onto his back and crept down the hallway. He quietly unlocked, exited, and locked the door. He descended the steps that led up to the door, still deep in thought and walked slowly. When he was out of earshot, I flung the covers off my bed and crept to the window. I opened it and crawled through, shutting it once outside. I searched for his aura; it was headed to the exit of town. I followed at the same pace as he.

It was a short walk. I would've stopped to admire the night time scene, but I was focused on Leo's aura. I could always see auras father than he could, so I could safely keep out of his sight and still see him. Eventually, he reached the town's exit gates. There, I found four other auras: a hakamo-o's, an alakazam's, a heliolisk's, and Carter's! I had to move closer to hear anything.

"Hey... Everyone!" Leo whispered loudly. "Funny story; I know none of your names, except Carter!"

They laughed quietly. They knew that it was true. During  their month long series of raids, they were only volunteers - Leo  hadn't bothered to refer to them by name.

"It's funny how introductions can come six years after meeting," said
the hakamo-o. "I'm Gladas!"

The heliolisk sparked a bit. "I'm Lyal!"

There was one more pokémon whose name we did not know.

"Zyon," said an alakazam, rather than a kadabra. Leo smiled at him.

"You've evolved, I see!"

"Yes, last year," Zyon answered blandly.

"Nice..." He paused. I crept up, only yards from the group. "Okay, so you all probably know why we're here - we're losing. I want us to be not losing."