{Many years ago, during the Great War}
Lucario leapt from boulder to boulder until he reached a high outcrop overlooking a vast, open valley. He paused, a chill running through him, and let his Aura expand outward, until he saw it.
On one side of the valley, a massive army clad in red armor surged forward, Pokémon and human soldiers moving as one. On the opposite side, an equally immense force in green advanced to meet them, their Pokémon just as powerful, just as numerous. Both armies were charging toward the valley's center.
Lucario's breath caught. The scale of it, of the impending collision, made his chest tighten.
Suddenly, three Houndoom from the red army broke away and lunged toward him. Lucario reacted instantly, twisting aside and leaping from the rocks. He sprinted toward a cluster of crystal formations embedded in the ground, pressed his paw against one, and channeled his Aura through it.
"Sir Aaron," he called.
Far away, upon a palace balcony overlooking the land, Sir Aaron stood beside Queen Rin. A crystal formation at the balcony's edge glowed, carrying Lucario's voice to them. The situation was dire, the palace itself was close to being overrun. Peace between the warring sides was no longer possible.
The Houndoom found Lucario again.
They attacked without hesitation. Cornered, Lucario had no choice but to fight. Dirt was kicked into his eyes, blinding him, but he closed them, he didn't need his eyes to see. He defeated his pursuers, allowing himself to keep moving.
Back at the palace, Aaron realized what had to be done.
Queen Rin told him she would remain behind. As queen, she was bound to share the fate of the castle and her people. After a final exchange of words, Aaron mounted his Pidgeot and took flight toward the valley below.
When he found Lucario, Aaron spoke the words that shattered him.
He said he was abandoning the palace. Abandoning the Queen. He said he would not return.
Lucario pleaded with him to stop, to wait, but Aaron only raised his scepter and cast it down. The jewel at its crown flared, drawing Lucario inside. Trapped within the crystal, Lucario watched as Aaron turned away and flew off.
And that is where Lucario's side of the story ends, but the story continued.
From the palace, Rin sensed the Tree of Beginning crying out
The two armies finally collided in the heart of the valley.
Outside the Tree of Beginning, Pidgeot flew onward, alone.
And then Ho-Oh appeared before the tree...only for its form to shift, revealing itself to be Mew again.
Pidgeot returned to the palace with the scepter clutched in its beak. Queen Rin took it just as the Tree of Beginning began to glow with brilliant green light. One by one, crystal formations across the land answered the call, each releasing a beam of the same radiant energy.
As the light spread across the valley, the armies halted mid-battle, struck silent in awe of the miracle unfolding before them.
But Sir Aaron never came back, and Queen Rin could only hug his staff, the last thing she had left of him, well, that…and the little life in her stomach.
—
Back in the present
It didn't take long for other Aura Guardians to step in and help Ash hold down Lucario. Lucario himself looked shocked that he was being grabbed and confused about everything as he was carried out into another room.
Of course, after this, Ash couldn't stay hidden. He had literally overpowered a Lucario, and anyone with functioning eyes could see the glow in his palms and eyes.
Lucario was taken to Sir Aaron's old room, which he immediately recognized based on its appearance. He calmed down, finally allowing the two Aura Guardians holding him to let go and walk out of the room.
Once they left, Lucario was alone. He looked around at everything, clenching his fist at a painting of Sir Aaron, then jumping when he heard an explosion. Thinking it was an attack, he quickly got into a stance, but saw that it was a firework.
Lucario was left speechless. Remember, he had just been in the middle of a great war, and he didn't know he had gone into the future and that the war was over. Right now, he thought the people were celebrating while in the middle of an invasion.
As he was thinking, the door opened and Ilene walked in with Ash, Riley, and Jenny.
As soon as Lucario saw Ilene, he looked almost relieved and dropped to one knee, "Lady Rin!"
But Ilene shook her head, "I'm afraid I'm not who you think I am. You see, my name is Ilene, and Rin was my ancestor."
"W-what...but…" Lucario stuttered. It also hadn't been brought up yet, because of the shock of everything, but Lucario was speaking by using Aura as a form of psychic connection. It was complicated and convoluted, but the point was that people could hear Lucario, even people without Aura.
Riley stepped forward slowly, palms open in a non-threatening gesture, "Lucario...you've been asleep for a very long time."
"That crystal in the staff," Ilene added, pointing to the staff Riley currently had, "kept you in suspended animation. To you, no time passed. But out here...years did. Generations."
Lucario's eyes widened, "No...that's not possible. Sir Aaron had just—" he said, taking a step back in shock, like his world was falling apart, "The war...Queen Rin...the castle was under threat…"
Ilene nodded, "Queen Rin lived a full life. She ruled in peace after the war ended and passed away from old age. I am her descendant. This kingdom has known peace for many, many years now."
Lucario stared at her, searching her face for any sign of deception. He tried to find any excuse not to believe her, even using Aura to check her heart rate, but he saw it was normal. He had to admit it, she wasn't lying.
His breathing grew heavier as he turned to look at the glass containers holding old items, things he himself recognized but that were now rusty.
"No…" he whispered, "No, that can't be right. I would have known. I would have been there."
"The war is...over?" he asked quietly.
Ilene nodded, "Long over."
Lucario's ears lowered slightly, "…And Queen Rin...is truly gone?"
"Yes," Ilene said softly.
Lucario closed his eyes and slid down onto the floor, clutching his head as if all of this were giving him a headache.
"I understand if this is a lot for you to take in...would you like some time to process things?" Ilene said, walking closer and kneeling down beside him.
Lucario looked at her and took a breath before getting up, "My era is gone. My friends are dead. My family is dead. The kingdom I knew is dead. But a knight will always protect the castle and the kingdom, so from now on, I shall serve you, my Queen." Lucario bowed to Ilene.
Jenny, seeing this, clapped approvingly, "Ah, excellent! How dignified! You could teach all the others some of your manners!"
Lucario slowly rose from his bow and turned his head toward her. He studied her carefully, looking at her in confusion more than anything.
He looked from Jenny...to Ilene...and back to Jenny again.
"…Forgive me," Lucario said carefully, "but by what order does a servant stand so near the sovereign...and speak so freely?"
Jenny blinked, "Servant—? I'm the head maid."
Lucario's confusion only deepened.
"A maid…?" he repeated, as if trying to understand the word itself, "In my day, such folk were kept to the shadows of the hall and watched closer than the silverware. Yet you stand beside the Queen as though you were a court advisor."
Jenny frowned slightly, "Well, yes. I run the household. I speak with Her Majesty every day."
Lucario looked genuinely unsettled by this, "…Times truly have changed," he muttered.
Riley had to turn away to hide a smile. Ash was trying not to laugh when he suddenly stopped, looked at the door, sighed, and raised his hand, "You know, eavesdropping is rude."
The door practically fell open, and everyone could see Brock, Max, May, and Sorrel standing there, very obviously caught.
"O-oh, uhhhh, we just wanted to make sure you were safe, Ash," Max quickly said, rubbing the back of his head.
"Yeah, you know, after you got attacked, we all got worried about you. Especially Lucario," Sorrel said (meanwhile, Sorrel's Lucario was chugging punch with Pikachu and Vee).
"Are they friends of yours?" Riley leaned over to Ash and whispered.
Ash put a finger on his chin, "Hmmmm, depends…"
"ASH!!" they all yelled.
"Okay, I think they are today, but I might have to check my calendar later," Ash shrugged playfully.
Brock sighed, realizing he should really be used to this by now. Then he looked over, "So, why did Ash get attacked?"
"That was...my mistake…" Lucario said. He was still looking at Ash, narrowing his eyes, but then he looked at Riley. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought Sir Aaron had been split into two different people, "I confused your comrade with S—" he realized he was about to use Aaron's title and stopped himself, "Aaron."
"Really...why? Is it because he's wearing that costume?" May asked.
"No...it's his Aura," Lucario explained. The only one confused about that was Sorrel, since he was the only one there who didn't know Ash was an Aura user, "It's so similar to Aaron's."
"What did you say?" Riley asked in shock. He knew Auras were like fingerprints, each person had a unique one.
"Yes, his Aura is very similar to Aaron's," Lucario repeated. As he got a better look at Riley, his hands clenched slightly. He sighed, reminding himself that this was not Aaron, so he shouldn't attack anyone else.
"And now that I take a closer look, your Aura also seems similar to Aaron's, but not completely. If I had to guess...are you one of his descendants?"
"I am," Riley nodded, "At least, that's what I've been told. They say I'm the direct descendant of Sir Aaron."
"While I do see the resemblance in your Aura and your face," Lucario said, turning from Riley to Ash, "his Aura is much more similar to Aaron's."
"Eh?" Riley blinked. Until now, he had only believed he was Sir Aaron's descendant because everyone in the castle believed it and because he apparently had a similar Aura. What Lucario said confirmed that, but it also suggested Ash was in the same situation.
"So...what am I, like Sir Aaron's reincarnation or something?" Ash asked, pointing at himself.
"I don't believe so?" Lucario said, sounding more like he was questioning himself than answering, "You seem much more like his direct descendant."
"…..Eh?" everyone said in unison, except Ash, since part of him already had his theories.
Max's jaw dropped, "So like...that Sir Aaron guy...he's Ash's great-great-great-great-great—"
"It wasn't that long ago…" Ilene clarified, though she still looked a bit taken aback by this.
Riley tapped his chin, "So I guess that would technically make us cousins." A small smile appeared on his face, "Well, sounds great to me. I've always wanted someone I could treat like a younger brother."
He wasn't even remotely upset. Why would he be? So he was no longer 'the direct descendant', so what? It was an honor, sure, but the expectations and stress that came with it? Yeah, no thanks. And now he had found another long-lost family member.
Ilene was also happy. She stepped between Ash and Riley and pulled them into a hug, completely ignoring her so-called royal professionalism and instead acting like a girl pulling her two brothers into an embrace. After all, this meant they were technically related too, and now she had someone she could treat like a younger brother to spoil and bully as she pleased.
Ilene held the hug a moment longer than strictly necessary, grinning brightly, "Well then," she said, finally releasing them, "it seems this family reunion just got a lot bigger."
Lucario had to take a step back, as if he couldn't believe his eyes, "…This era is strange," he muttered quietly.
Ilene realized what she was doing and quickly cleared her throat, "Oh, right, you wouldn't know. Well, it's a bit of a long story. Would you like to follow me to the throne room so we can talk more?"
—
A few minutes later, back in the throne room, after Lucario did his thing, Ilene instructed everyone to clear the room and continue the party down in the plaza. She sat on her throne, with Sir Riley on her right and Head Maid Jenny to her left.
She explained the history of their family tree, how, technically, Queen Rin gave birth to Sir Aaron's child after his death. Following that, however, the Queen had to remarry for the sake of the royal lineage and gave birth to another child who would go on to be Queen Ilene's ancestor.
That explained to Lucario why he didn't sense any of Aaron's lineage in her Aura. It also meant Ash and Riley technically had royal blood.
Lucario looked conflicted. After all, he still believed Sir Aaron was a traitor who had abandoned the kingdom. Hearing that his descendants held such high status troubled him. Before, he might have dropped to one knee and pledged his loyalty to them, swearing to serve them as he had served Sir Aaron. But now, he was trying to convince himself that it was not their fault they were born into Sir Aaron's bloodline, so he shouldn't lash out at them, even if that Ash kid had given him a harsh reality check.
"Huh...guess all those things Morty said make more sense now," Ash mumbled under his breath.
Meanwhile, in the back, Max leaned toward the others, "Wait, does this mean Ash is, like...a prince?"
"I wouldn't say prince," Sorrel clarified, "According to some ancient books I've read here in Rota, Sir Aaron was a Viscount, so Ash would probably fall somewhere around there, I guess."
Max's eyes sparkled like he had just uncovered the greatest secret in history, "So Ash is, like...noble."
May leaned in close, lowering her voice, "If he finds out he can order people around, we're never hearing the end of it."
Ash didn't even look back, "I can hear you."
May flinched, "—You weren't supposed to hear that."
Brock snorted quietly. Sorrel looked away and pretended to fill out information on his tablet.
Ilene cleared her throat, the sound sharp but gentle, and the room settled immediately.
"Lucario," she said, rising slightly from the throne, her expression turning serious, "there is something important I would like to ask of you."
Lucario straightened at once, his posture snapping into something rigid and formal, "Command me, Your Majesty."
She shook her head, "Not a command. A request." She gestured toward the stained-glass windows depicting the ancient war, blurred shapes of Pokémon and soldiers frozen in eternal motion, "According to our legends, you vanished during the final battle. The records say Sir Aaron sacrificed himself to stop the war...and that his partner, Lucario, was lost soon after."
Lucario's ears twitched.
"I would like to hear it from you. May I ask you to share what happened?"
Lucario bowed further, "Of course." Then he looked up and began, "There were two huge armies on the move. Each side had sworn to destroy the other. The castle was trapped in the middle. I went out to see if there was any way to stop the fighting, but it was hopeless."
Then he looked up at the castle. Outside, people were still shooting off fireworks, "And yet...even after all my time sealed in the crystal, the palace stands. Why? What happened to the war?"
"Our legend says that Sir Aaron found a way to end the battle and save the palace."
"What?" Lucario said in shock.
"Isn't that what happened, though? He was a hero, right?" Max asked, looking around.
Lucario looked down and trembled with quiet anger, "Aaron deserted the Queen. He fled and trapped me inside the staff."
"So, you're saying the legend is wrong?" Riley asked. It was hard to believe, considering the castle was still standing and they held this celebration in honor of Sir Aaron's sacrifice.
Lucario's jaw tightened, "Your legend is wrong," he said at last.
"He told me he would not return," Lucario continued, "He said he was abandoning the Queen and the castle, and that he was no longer my Master. Then he sealed me away so I could not stop him," he said, gritting his teeth slightly.
Everyone could see how hard Lucario was holding back the urge to yell, so no one immediately argued with him.
Ilene frowned and sighed, "We will look into it. I'll ask the scholars to try to find what is truth and what is fiction."
"I will help in any way I can, my Queen." Lucario managed to calm down a bit and lowered his head again.
"Lucario, many things may have changed, but one thing has not. This palace is still your home. Please feel free to stay as long as you want. If you'd like, you can even help train the young Riolu," Ilene offered.
Lucario looked up at her in shock before bowing again, "Of course, my Queen. It would be an honor to train the next generation."
"Well, now that we have your situation figured out, I think we have another anomaly to talk about," Riley said with a smirk as he turned his attention to Ash.
"Ah...I was kinda hoping you forgot about me…" Ash said helplessly.
"It's hard to forget about you, considering everything," Riley explained, "With that monstrous Aura of yours, and you're so young, who was your teacher?"
"Um, well, I'm actually self-trained," Ash said, scratching his cheek.
Both Riley and especially Lucario looked at Ash like he was crazy. Ash looked back and forth between the two of them and gently pushed them away from his face, "Hey, in my defense, I didn't have a teacher. I started training when I was a baby."
"You know that training Aura on your own is extremely dangerous," Riley said, looking Ash up and down.
"Oh yeah, sure, it's nice hearing that, you know, ten years too late. Where were you when I was in my crib?" Ash asked, crossing his arms. Of course, he was making things up as he went, he knew full well what he was doing, but they didn't need to know that he pretty much started training as soon as he opened his eyes.
"But why did you not seek out any instructors then?" Lucario asked, momentarily forgetting the matter of Sir Aaron.
"Ahhh, yes," Ash said, looking like he was reminiscing, "The Aura Guardians, the super-secret organization that is only in Rota, that I had no idea existed and only thought were story heroes. Yes, I'm sure my baby self was thinking all that."
"I mean...he has a point," Brock muttered, "But out of curiosity, what would happen if things went wrong? Ash talked about training his Aura a lot when I traveled with him, and he seemed to know what he was doing."
"Ehh...I don't think we need to get into that," Ash said, trying to change the topic.
But Lucario, not knowing a thing about subtlety, answered plainly, "Well, best-case scenario, he would have simply lost his Aura. The worst would have been that his Aura grew corrupted and slowly started poisoning him, eventually leading to his death in about five to ten years."
"..."
For a moment, Ash's friends said nothing. Then, collectively:
"WHAT!!!"
"Ahhh, I really hoped we didn't have to talk about that part…" Ash muttered.
"Wha—Ash, you could have died as a BABY!" May screamed.
"Again, in my defense, I didn't know that!" Ash explained, again, lying, "Literally, how would I have known? I had no teachers, no scale. I just woke up one day and could see my mom's emotions, and all I did was try to make sure she was always happy," Ash said, using his best excuse for this situation.
He knew something like this might come up, so he had prepared an excuse: that when he was little, he only ever used Aura to try to make his mom happy. A perfect excuse, believable for any child.
"That's...kinda an adorable image to imagine, actually," May said thoughtfully.
"I mean, it makes sense, considering Ash did say he gave his mom massages with Aura…" Brock muttered.
Sorrel looked around like it was his turn to talk, "I...don't really have anything to say. I have no context here…"
Lucario, meanwhile, looked at Ash, "So you used your Aura to protect?"
"I guess you could say that," Ash replied.
"Then that might explain it," Lucario sighed, "Aura becomes corrupted when someone tries to grow stronger for selfish reasons. But if he only trained his Aura naturally over time and used it for empathy, that may explain why he was never corrupted."
"Hey, you're making it sound fancier than it is. I mean, I just got lucky," Ash said. In truth, Lucario was technically right. When he was little, his focus had been on sensing with Aura and trying to make barriers. He hadn't started training to use it for fighting until he was like eight.
"Lucky?" Brock echoed weakly, "That's one word for it."
May crossed her arms, eyes narrowed, "You are never allowed to say 'it'll probably be fine' ever again."
Ash raised his hands, "Duly noted."
Ilene watched Lucario closely, "Then there is no corruption?"
Lucario closed his eyes and examined Ash's Aura. After a moment, he opened them again, "…No," he said, "His Aura is surprisingly pure."
"Hey, what do you mean by 'surprisingly'?" Ash asked in mock offense.
"No, no, he has a point," May, Brock, and Sorrel said in unison, earning a side-eye from Ash.
"Okay, so you didn't get corrupted. How good are you at Aura?" Riley asked, smiling. After all, this was his plan to convince Ash to become an Aura Guardian and stay in Rota. If he could teach him some cool techniques, he might get excited enough to join.
Ash could see right through this. He had no intention of staying in Rota permanently, but he also couldn't show everything, "Well, I'd say I'm pretty average. I mean, I can do—"
Ash was about to demonstrate something.
But suddenly, something pink crashed through the window, coughing and floating weakly down. Everyone looked up and saw the pink figure, and, of course, everyone recognized what it was, Mew.
But Mew looked tired and out of energy. It was coughing as it floated downward, and Ash managed to catch the small pink Pokémon. When he looked down at it, he had to stop himself from shaking the pink cat and demanding, 'This is why you brought me here?!'
Outwardly, he kept his composure, "Mew? What's wrong?"
Jenny quickly ran over and put a hand on Mew's head, "Goodness, it's burning up. I'll go get a wet towel immediately," she said as she hurried out of the room.
Meanwhile, everyone gathered closer to see Mew. This was a once-in-a-lifetime sight for them, and Sorrel barely stopped himself from snapping fifty photos for his research.
Max peeked over to get a better look, "What's happening to it?"
"Poor thing, it must be cold or sick," May said sadly.
Meanwhile, someone who had been eavesdropping since the beginning watched closely and put on a pair of glasses that zoomed in on Mew.
Mew coughed again, a weak, breathless sound, its tail twitching as Ash held it closer. Pikachu and Vee jumped onto Ash's shoulders to look at what was basically their godlike playmate. They wanted to see if there was anything they could do to help.
Then something changed.
Lucario was the first to notice. His ears snapped upright, and his eyes narrowed. Slowly, he turned his head toward the nearest Aura crystal embedded in the wall.
The soft blue glow that usually pulsed like a calm heartbeat began flickering. Then red veins bled through the crystal's core, spreading outward like cracks in glass.
"…No," Lucario breathed.
One by one, the crystals lining the throne room started spiderwebbing with red, and not just the ones in this room. Across the castle, the light blue crystals were slowly turning red.
Ilene stood frozen, staring at the crystals as realization hit her like a brick. She turned toward the window overlooking the valley.
"…The Tree of Beginning," she whispered.
"They say Mew is connected to the Tree of Beginning, so that must be what's wrong. Something is happening to the sacred tree," Ilene said, clasping her hands together.
For a moment, everyone stood in stunned silence, trying to process that something like this was even real. Then the silence was broken when Ash looked up, still holding Mew.
"Well, so what? The Tree is in danger. That sounds like we have to go fix it."
Lucario snapped his head toward Ash, "Fix it?" he echoed sharply, "That Tree is not some damaged tower you mend with stone and mortar. It is the heart of Aura itself."
"And it's hurting," Ash replied calmly, looking down at Mew. The pink Pokémon trembled weakly in his arms, its Aura flickering like a dying flame, "So we don't really have the luxury of arguing definitions."
Ilene snapped out of her shock, "The Tree of Beginning is sacred ground. And no one knows the path to get there." Even though it looked like a straight line, it was far from simple. Otherwise, the Tree, and Mew, would never have been in danger. Everyone knew Mew lived within the Tree of Beginning.
"Well, actually, I think we have a pretty good guide," Ash said, pointing behind him with his thumb at Lucario.
Everyone turned toward him.
"Lucario, is this true?" Ilene asked.
"I...yes. I know the path," Lucario admitted.
"Then it looks like we have a plan. Whether you like it or not, we don't really have the luxury of choice."
Ilene opened and closed her mouth, but Riley spoke next, "Then I'll go with them too."
Behind them, May stepped forward, "We're coming too."
Brock nodded, "You're not wandering into ancient, sacred, disaster territory without backup."
Max pumped a fist, "Adventure!"
Sorrel quietly raised his tablet, "This is...historically important."
Lucario stared at them all.
"…This is not an excursion," he said slowly, "This is sacred ground. Dangerous ground. The Tree does not welcome the unworthy."
"Then it's a good thing we have the pure of heart right here, so Sir Lucario, you better get used to our shenanigans so we can save this pink cat thing," Ash said.
"…I am somehow already regretting this…" Lucario muttered.
Then another voice spoke up, "And I'm going too!"
When they looked back, they saw it was Kidd again. Although she wasn't wearing the dress anymore, now she had a magenta and black leotard, a dark blue collar, black gloves, and black-and-gold boots.
Brock immediately got stars in his eyes, "Wh—whaaa! I knew you looked familiar, but how did I not see it before? You're Kidd Summers!"
Kidd was a celebrity after all, and she specialized in breaking records. She currently held the most records in the world, too.
"No, you can't go," Lucario immediately said, "What reason could you have to come with us?"
Kidd put her hands on her waist, "Well, I have a Jeep that can take us all."
"What's a…Jeep?" Lucario muttered.
"Oh…uh," Kidd blinked, slightly taken aback as her confident demeanor fell, "Well, it's kinda like…" She tapped her chin, "Like a carriage, but it can move on its own and really fast. I doubt getting to the Tree is gonna take a day, right?" Kidd said, looking over to Lucario.
"I…" Lucario said as he stopped to think, "If I went alone and the terrain was similar, I could get there in a day…but with so many people, and this…I know not how long the journey will take."
"Cool, then we can use my Jeep, and I get to do research on the Tree of Beginning. Sounds like a win-win for the both of us!"
"Well, if you're willing to help, we can only welcome it gracefully," Ilene sighed, feeling a little more relieved.
"Then I guess we have a squad. So, how about it, you up to be heroes again?" Ash said with a wink.