A while after the scuffle, Ash and Lucario sat at the table with everyone again, both of them were tired from the fight.
No one really said anything, but despite the fact that Ash healed both their injuries, they were still getting wrapped up with some bandages. It was probably more of an excuse to be able to tie Ash up in bandages.
Lucario sat stiffly, gaze fixed on the fire rather than on anyone else. Ash, meanwhile, leaned back in his seat, resting his hand in Vee's fur as he rubbed it.
The silence dragged.
Finally, Max cleared his throat, "…So. Uh. Anyone want more curry?"
Brock handed him a bowl without looking up, "Please. Before someone else decides to solve their emotional problems with their fists."
"That was not the intent," Lucario said immediately.
Ash snorted, "Yeah, it kinda was."
Lucario shot him a look, but it didn't have the same heat as before, "…Perhaps," he admitted after a moment.
Lucario exhaled slowly, ears lowering just a bit, "My anger was… misdirected," he said, choosing each word carefully, "I still believe Aaron abandoned me. That belief has not changed." His claws flexed against the wood of the table, "But striking you did not ease that pain."
Ash tilted his head toward him, "That wasn't why I did it. I mainly did it so you could stop lashing out at me or Riley."
Lucario frowned, "…That is an unsettlingly accurate assessment."
May blinked as she cradled the sleeping Mew, "Wait, was that actually your plan?"
"You'd be surprised how much bottled emotions mess with someone. It really isn't just anger, either," Ash said, looking back at her.
Riley let out a slow breath, "Still, don't you think a regular Pokémon battle would have been enough?"
"Nope. If he's angry at Sir Aaron, then the only way he's getting those emotions out is if he gets to hit either you or me. And I'm just gonna go off on a whim and assume you don't want to be hit in the jaw."
Riley opened his mouth, closed it, and sighed, "Okay, fair. But still, you could have told me this plan before you got beat up."
"Pretty sure it was more evenly matched than that. I happen to have some experience fighting with Lucarios," Ash said, as his eyes wandered toward the back, where Sorrell's Lucario was watching. When it noticed, it went running off toward the mountains to get away.
Of course, no one knew what he actually meant, and Sorrell just assumed his Lucario wanted to do some nighttime training. He nodded to himself, thinking his Lucario was very diligent. He should ask Ash for a training regimen.
Lucario let out a slow breath, "You did not fight to defeat me."
"Nope."
"You let me strike you."
"Also yep."
Lucario studied him for a long moment, "You are infuriating."
"I've been told."
Another pause.
"…Thank you," Lucario said, barely above a whisper.
Ash didn't make a big deal out of it. He just shrugged, "Anytime you need to punch feelings out, just ask. But try to aim for my face less, this is my money maker~" Ash said with a grin.
Lucario sighed, "I suppose you may be a fool… but you are a wise fool."
"We know x4" Brock, May, Max, and Sorrell all said in unison.
Lucario chuckled as he looked at the table and saw the bowl of curry. He was hungry, considering his last meal was sometime a few centuries ago. He carefully grabbed a spoon and took a bite, before anyone could stop him, obviously.
The thing is, Brock had prepared food for the Pokémon. No one expected Lucario to try the food that was made for them, but then again, this was a weird case, since Lucario talked and acted like just another human.
Anyway, Lucario took a bite and immediately looked at it, chewing thoughtfully, "…What," he said carefully, "is this?"
Brock blinked a few times, but let's be honest, he travels with Ash. This wasn't even in the top 20 strangest things he's had to explain, "Well, it has a Curry base, Oran berries, a bit of Sitrus, mild spice blend, rice, protein—"
Lucario nodded along, following so far.
"Chocolate, and—" Brock was going to continue when Lucario's ears twitched.
"…Chocolate?" he repeated.
Brock paused, "…You know. Chocolate."
Lucario tilted his head, "…No."
That earned a full stop from everyone.
"You don't… know what chocolate is?" Max asked slowly.
Sorrell tapped on his tablet, pulling something up, "That actually makes sense. In their time, getting chocolate here in Northern Kanto would have been impossible, especially with the war and all."
"…Wow," Kidd finally said, leaning back in her chair, "That might be the most tragic thing I've heard all day."
Lucario frowned, "You speak as though this 'chocolate' is of great importance."
"Because it is!" Max stood up, "Chocolate is, like, the best thing ever. I can't believe this!"
"I mean, it's just how things were back then, I guess," May added.
"No, I won't accept this!" Max ran to his backpack, grabbed a chocolate bar from his stash, and ran up to Lucario, "Try this. It's a million times better!"
"Hey…" Brock said, though he wasn't offended.
"Sorry, Brock," Max quickly apologized anyway.
Lucario looked at the bar and was about to eat the wrapper, but Max stopped him and opened it, showing the dark brown bar. Lucario slowly took a bite and chewed, "Mmm…"
Max grinned, "You like it."
Lucario shot him a look, "I did not say that."
"You didn't deny it either, so that means I won!" Max shot his arms into the air like he'd won something.
Lucario sighed as he thoughtfully chewed looking at everyone, "I will say, this is likely one of the strangest evenings I have ever shared."
"You and me both," Riley nodded as he opened his eyes and looked at Lucario, "So, Sir Lucario, how are you feeling now?"
Lucario sighed, putting the spoon down, "The… 'exercise,'" he said with heavy quotation marks, "helped. And again, I must apologize for what I said to you. But I still don't quite know what to think."
"Wellllll," Ash cut in, and everyone looked at him as if they were waiting for him to say something stupid and hit him over the head with a stick, "I could say you should remember him how you want him to be remembered because we won't know, but we both know that's not 100% true."
Lucario blinked, "I… what?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"Come on," Ash rolled his eyes, "I'm sure you know there's a way for us to find out what really happened, right?"
Lucario blinked a few times, but Riley realized what he meant, "You mean the Time Flowers?"
"The time what now?" May asked.
"I've never heard of them," Brock muttered.
"I have," Sorrell explained, "They're flowers that only grow here in Rota. They say with them you can get a glimpse of what happened in the past, kinda like a camera saving a moment."
"Exactly. Riley, you know the story better than any of us. The legend says Sir Aaron went to the Tree of Beginning to sacrifice himself."
"Yes, that's what the legends say," Riley nodded, seeing where Ash was going with this.
Ash smirked and looked back at Lucario, "Then when we get to the Tree, let's find a Time Flower that gives us answers!"
—
{Back in Cameran Palace}
Ilene was worried about the situation, so she deployed the Aura Guardians to travel around Rota and check every one of the Aura Crystals to make sure nothing strange was happening.
One group consisted of a duo of new Aura Guardians. They hadn't even been given their Riolu yet. They went to the far north to check on the crystals.
"…So," the shorter of the two finally said, breaking the silence, "This is your first deployment too, right?"
"Yeah," the other replied, adjusting the strap of his satchel nervously, "Didn't think it'd be this far out, though. I thought we'd be, I don't know… guarding gates or something."
The first Guardian chuckled weakly, "Hey, Queen Ilene trusts us enough to send us out here. That's gotta mean something."
"…Or it means everyone else is busy," the second muttered.
"I mean… you have a point," the first said. He walked up to one and kicked it slightly, "What does she want us to find with these things, if they're shiny enough?"
As he kicked it, it suddenly started glowing red. Then, one by one, more around it began glowing red, making the two stooges take a step back in surprise.
"That's never happened before," the first said.
As he muttered that, out of the biggest crystal, something that almost looked like thick, jelly-like goo oozed out and fell to the ground. Then, before their eyes, it formed into… well, it looked like an Armaldo, but its entire body was glowing an unnatural, violent red, and it still looked like it was made of goo.
"…That's a Pokémon," the second Guardian breathed, "But, wrong."
The creature slowly started approaching them.
"No choice," the first Guardian said, forcing himself to focus, "Aura Sphere, now!"
Both of them planted their feet, hands glowing as they formed blue orbs of Aura. With a shout, they launched them forward.
The Aura Spheres struck the creature dead-on, making the thing explode as the red goo dissolved.
For a moment, there was only silence.
The two Guardians stood there, breathing hard.
"…We did it," the second said, disbelief in his voice.
"Yeah," the first replied, though his eyes never left the crystals, "But that shouldn't have worked that easily."
Of course, he jinxed it, because behind them another ooze-like Pokémon, this one looking like a Kabutops, emerged and caught them by surprise.
The first Guardian was a little more confident after taking one down. He raised his fist, coating it with Aura, and launched a punch into the thing's chest.
And it worked, the fist pierced right through…but the Kabutops didn't dissolve like the other one. Instead, the goo around his fist began to move and swallowed it. Then it began swallowing the Guardian.
"W–wait—!" he shouted, trying to pull back, but it was already too late.
The substance surged like a living tide, swallowing his arm, then his shoulder, then his chest. His Aura flared wildly for a brief second, bright blue against the violent red, but it was smothered almost instantly.
"HELP!" was all he managed before the goo engulfed his head.
There was no scream after that, as the creature stepped back and seemingly got absorbed again by the crystal that had spit it out.
The second Guardian stumbled back, heart pounding, staring at the spot where his partner had been only moments ago. There was no body, no bones, not even a hair.
"…No," he whispered, "No, no, no—"
Another mass pulled itself from the base of a crystal, then another, and another. Shapes formed slowly, grotesque imitations of Pokémon: one vaguely like a Cradily, another like an Omastar, all of them wrong. Their bodies rippled and shifted, never fully solid, dripping red light onto the stone beneath them.
The second Guardian turned and ran.
His boots barely hit the ground before something brushed his ankle.
He gasped and stumbled forward, crashing onto the stone path. He scrambled, trying to crawl away, Aura flaring desperately around his hands as he pushed himself up.
"STAY BACK!" he shouted, throwing an Aura Sphere behind him without even looking.
It hit one of the creatures square in the chest.
For a split second, it recoiled.
Then it kept coming.
The red mass surged forward, faster now, splashing against his back, climbing up his legs like quicksand that burned cold instead of hot.
"N–NO—PLEASE—!" he cried, slamming his palms into the ground as his Aura flared one last time.
The goo swallowed him mid-motion.
After the second Guardian was taken, all the red slime creatures retreated back to the crystals, merging into them and leaving nothing behind. No one would ever know what happened here.
—
{Back with the gang}
It was two days after the dinner incident, and after Ash brought up the idea, after they fixed the Tree, to find a flower that could reveal what really happened, Lucario was more motivated than ever. He didn't even complain about riding in the Jeep.
Soon, they saw the Tree of Beginning come into view as Kidd brought the Jeep to a stop.
"…So that's it," Max whispered.
Even Ash felt it now, a pressure in his chest, subtle but unmistakable, like the air itself was heavier the closer they were. Vee's ears flattened slightly, and Pikachu shifted uneasily.
Lucario stepped out of the Jeep before anyone else, boots hitting the ground with purpose. He stared up at the Tree, eyes narrowing.
"It is weaker," he said quietly, "Far weaker than it should be."
"Yeah, but that's why we're here, to fix this mess," Ash said. Still halfway in the Jeep, he opened his bag and carefully curled Mew up in a blanket like a burrito, then placed Mew inside for safekeeping. He slung the bag onto his back.
Riley followed him, closing his eyes for a brief moment as he reached out with his Aura, "Looks like we're gonna have to be careful. They say the Tree has three guardians."
Lucario nodded, confirming it, "Yes. There is a guardian of stone, a guardian of steel, and a guardian of ice," he said as he focused on the Tree with his Aura and frowned, "However… I only see two of them…"
"Wait, two? Then where is the third one?" Kidd asked, when suddenly the ground below them shook.
Lucario, Riley, and Ash immediately realized what was happening, they could see the Aura of something big and strong rushing at them from underground. They jumped.
Lucario grabbed Kidd and Brock. Riley grabbed Sorrell. Ash grabbed May and Max, one under each arm, as they all leapt back just in time.
Regirock burst out of the ground like a drill beneath the Jeep, ripping it in half as it emerged. It stomped forward and looked down at the intruders, clearly unwilling to listen to reason. All it knew was that the Tree was in danger, and these people were here.
When Lucario, Riley, and Ash landed, they set everyone down as Regirock turned its attention fully toward them, its eye-lights beeping ominously.
Regirock loomed ahead of them, massive and unmoving, its red eyes burning as it faced the group. Chunks of stone slid off its body and crashed to the ground with heavy thuds.
Then Brock stood up.
He straightened, pushed his hair back, and flashed everyone a confident smile that didn't quite match the situation, "Alright. That's my cue."
"Brock—?" May started.
He held up a hand, "You guys go. Now."
Riley blinked, "Wait, what?"
Brock turned back just long enough to meet their eyes, "The Tree's in trouble, and you're the ones who can actually do something about that. If Regirock's guarding the entrance, someone needs to keep it busy."
"That thing almost crushed the Jeep," Kidd snapped, "You're not staying behind alone."
Brock chuckled, already tugging off his shirt and tossing it aside, rolling his shoulders like he was warming up, "Hey, come on. If anyone here's qualified to deal with a Rock-type Guardian—" he crossed his arms confidently, "—it's me."
"I thought you were the one who was supposed to be the serious one!" May said, shocked.
"Maybe," Brock replied with a grin, "but remember what they say, Ash is contagious."
Regirock let out a deep, grinding roar, lifting one massive arm and slamming it into the ground. The shockwave rippled outward, cracking stone and sending dust into the air.
Brock planted his feet, "That's my cue to start."
Brock turned his head back, "Go on, i'll take care of this, maybe i can't beat it, but i can stall it,"
Riley nodded, "We'll handle the Tree."
Kidd glanced back once more at Brock, "You better still be standing when we get back."
Brock smirked, "Try not to take too long."
Ash gave him one last look, then turned and ran with the others toward the Tree of Beginning as Regirock's attention fully locked onto Brock.
The ground trembled as the Guardian stepped forward.
Brock cracked his knuckles as he reached for his Poké Ball belt, "Alright, big guy, let's dance."
Brock vs. Regirock
—
Meanwhile, back with the others, they started running through a tunnel-like system within the Tree that almost looked underground. They soon burst out into a completely different world, but they didn't have time to stop and smell the flowers.
They ran, led by Lucario, to find the core of the Tree. If anything could be done, it would be there. And since no one else had a better plan, they followed without hesitation.
As they ran, Ash saw some crystals start glowing and releasing red goo. But as someone who knew exactly what that was and what it could do, he did a big, immediate nope. When they reached a tunnel, he had Pikachu use [Thunderbolt], collapsing the passage on the red things behind them.
He wasn't worried about getting out, he had Abby and Kirlia, after all. No, he was more worried about what would happen if those things caught them.
The best way to describe them was like white blood cells. They would attack humans, seeing them as intruders, not Pokémon. But that meant if any of them so much as touched one of those things, they'd be absorbed and probably digested, which was a huge nope.
Eventually, they ran out of the tunnel system and into a place that looked like a mountain clearing. Smaller trees dotted the area, glowing faintly. As Lucario dropped to one knee to search for the next path, they heard marching from the trees.
From the east side, Regice stepped fully out from between the trunks, its crystalline body catching the strange light of the Tree's inner world. Frost crackled across the ground with every slow step it took, the air temperature dropping fast enough for the group's breath to fog.
Lucario immediately shifted in front of Ash and Riley, eyes narrowed, "Guardian of Ice," he said, "It will not let us pass."
Kidd stretched her arms, "Alright. That answers the question of who's staying behind."
"What?" Riley started.
"Nope," Kidd said firmly, already stepping forward, "You three are the only ones who can actually fix the Tree with your Aura thing. We'll stall the popsicle."
May stepped forward and shoved Ash's shoulder, "Go," she said, "You've got Mew, and let's be honest, you're the one this all hinges on."
Max gulped, then squared his shoulders, "Yeah. We can do that. I mean, someone's gotta keep it busy, right?"
Ash turned sharply, "Max—"
"I'm not staying back because I'm scared," Max interrupted, his voice shaking just a little.
May stepped up beside him, ruffling his hair, "Says the one without a Pokémon," she said, gripping her Poké Ball, "Someone has to make sure he doesn't do something reckless."
"Hey!" Max protested.
Sorrell nodded as he reached for his Lucario's Poké Ball, "We can handle it from here. Just go, and hurry to fix this thing."
Ash rubbed the back of his head, "Fine. But I'm not letting you do this without some help." He looked at Max, "Hey, Max, remember when you said you watched all of my Gym battles and the League battles too?"
"Uh… yeah, I did, but why?" Max asked slowly.
"Good enough for me. Vee, take care of Max," Ash nodded his head sideways.
Vee jumped down from his shoulder and ran up in front of Max, confidently looking up at Regice like he had no fear… because he didn't. Let's be honest, Vee had thrown hands with an Arceus clone. He wasn't about to run from a mere Regice.
"R-really?" Max said excitedly, immediately forgetting all the fear he'd had before.
"Uh, that's great, but no offense… Vee is still just an Eevee," Sorrell pointed out, "It's a shame he's not a Flareon."
"Well, about that," Ash smirked as he switched his ring to the fire dial, "Hey, Vee, you comfortable enough with them to reveal the secret?"
Vee looked back at May and Max. To be honest, he kind of liked them, and after leaving Kanto he'd grown much more carefree, especially since they hadn't seen Team Rocket even once. So he nodded.
Ash smirked and pointed at him.
Vee evolved again, shifting into Flareon form as he stretched his legs.
"Eh?" everyone said in unison.
"I'll explain it later. For now, we've got bigger things to worry about. Vee, don't hurt yourself too much," Ash said as he turned and started running, dragging Lucario and Riley with him. After all, Vee could still switch forms, but without Ash, it hurt. They didn't know that yet.
For now, the group stood across from Regice.
Time for them to play their part.
Goobers vs. Regice
—
Now the group was down to Ash, Lucario, and Riley, with Pikachu holding on for the ride like always.
"We're close. I can feel it," Ash called out as they sprinted.
Lucario nodded without slowing. His ears were pinned back, Aura flaring faintly around his boots as he ran, "The Tree's pulse is erratic. We are nearing the core, but something is wrong."
Riley nodded, "I feel it too. But what is it? It's strange… yet familiar."
"Yes. I understand what you mean," Lucario agreed.
They burst out of the tunnel onto a wide stone bridge suspended over a vast hollow chamber. Below them, roots the size of buildings twisted and intertwined, glowing faintly blue, and streaked through with veins of dull, sickly red.
At the far end of the bridge stood a massive metal figure.
It didn't move at first.
Then its eyes lit up.
Red lights flared across its steel body as Registeel turned its head with a slow, grinding motion. Each step it took echoed through the chamber like a hammer striking an anvil.
Lucario stopped short, "…Guardian of Steel."
Riley nodded, "So that's the last one."
Ash squinted at it, then cracked a grin that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Alright. We've got one more. Looks like everyone's got their own fight, so we can't fall behind, can we?"
"I guess not," Riley said as his hand dropped to his belt to grab his Lucario, "Looks like we're gonna have to fight our way there."
"So be it," Lucario said, shifting into a fighting stance, "If it is a battle we must face, then I ask you both, descendants of Aa—" he paused, correcting himself, "—Sir Aaron, to lend me your strength."
"Fine by me," Ash said with a smirk. Pikachu jumped down from his shoulder, cheeks already sparking with electricity. Ash grabbed another Poké Ball from his waist, "Let's do this."
Aura Trio vs. Registeel