As Lucario's paw pressed against the Time Flower, a wave of blue light surged from its crystal core, casting dancing shadows across the sacred chamber. The walls shimmered like water, and the air grew impossibly still—then the vision bloomed.
Sir Aaron appeared, not in regal calm, but in desperation.
He was running—through a long crystalline corridor—his cape fluttering, aura crackling wildly from his palms. His voice rang through the chamber, echoing against time.
"Mew!" he cried. "Mew, please—answer me!"
The vision twisted, and above him, a majestic silhouette soared into view. A massive Ho-Oh, brilliant with sacred flame, descended with a roar. But in the blink of an eye, the legendary transformed—its body folding and reshaping into a familiar form. Small, pink, and ancient.
Mew.
Sir Aaron stopped, staring up with eyes full of both fear and understanding.
"I see now," he whispered. "You and the Tree… you're one and the same."
The Tree of Beginning pulsed softly around him, veins of energy glowing through its walls. The mythical Pokémon hovered before him, silent, watchful.
"Please," Sir Aaron said, stepping forward. "Take my aura. Use it to stop the collapse. Save the kingdom… save everyone."
Mew flinched, as if unwilling.
But Aaron smiled, even through his trembling limbs. "Accept it."
His hands flared with intense, radiant light—a deep azure mixed with silver threads, the purest aura he could summon. His voice rose, firm and echoing:
"The power of Aura… will prevail!"
The vision exploded in blinding brilliance. Aaron fell to his knees, yelling in agony as the aura was pulled from his body. His form slumped forward—his last breath carried away with a whisper of light.
Then, silence.
The vision dimmed slowly, fading like fog in sunlight, leaving only stillness behind.
Lucario stood frozen.
Before him now, in the heart of the tree, lay Sir Aaron's crystallized remains—kneeling, eternally peaceful, beside the gloves he had once worn with pride.
Lucario's legs gave out. He fell to his knees, staring wordlessly at the preserved figure of his master. Trembling, he reached out, brushing the glove with a reverent touch.
Tears welled in his eyes, streaming down his furred cheeks.
All this time…
He hadn't been abandoned.
Sir Aaron didn't flee from war.
He had run toward sacrifice.
The betrayal Lucario had carried for generations turned bitter in his mouth, replaced by sorrow, shame, and awe. He bowed his head low before the crystalline form, his paw pressed to his chest.
"I was wrong…" he whispered.
Behind him, Julius remained silent, watching with an expression of understanding.
The truth had spoken for itself.
As Lucario wept quietly, Mew floated beside him, solemn and silent—his soft glow the only light in the chamber of crystal and memory.
Hovering just a few feet off the smooth living surface of the tree's crystalline heart, Julius approached Lucario slowly. The glowing veins of bio-luminescent light pulsed beneath him, and beside the pedestal, Sir Aaron's crystallized form shimmered faintly, silent and still. The echoes of Sir Aaron's final words still lingered in the air, a memory imprinted in aura and stone. Lucario remained kneeling, his paw resting against the crystal casing of his former master, eyes clenched shut.
Julius descended without a sound, letting the faint aura surrounding his body gently fade. He stood behind Lucario in solemn silence for a long moment. "He sealed you not because he didn't trust you," Julius said softly, his voice weaving gently through the heavy silence. "He knew you too well."
Lucario didn't respond immediately. He remained there, unmoving, ears twitching faintly at the words. Julius continued, "He knew… that if he had told you what he planned, you would have stopped him. You would have sacrificed yourself before ever letting him do it."
A long silence followed. Lucario's shoulders trembled slightly, then stilled.
"That's why he didn't tell you. Not because you weren't worthy, not because he doubted you—but because he knew your heart. You were too loyal."
Lucario finally stood. Slowly, as though lifting the weight of centuries from his back, he turned to Julius. In his hands were the worn gloves—Sir Aaron's own gloves, still stained faintly with aura residue. He looked down at them, fingers running across the seams and stitching, lost in memories older than time itself.
"These gloves…" Lucario said, his voice hoarse. "He always said they were too tight, that they'd never fit anyone else." His tone held no bitterness now—only ache, and clarity.
Lucario looked up at Julius, his gaze still pained but steadier now. "But they fit you."
Julius blinked. "What do you mean?"
Lucario extended the gloves toward him with both paws, reverently. "Sir Aaron would have given these to someone he believed in. Someone whose heart echoed the strength of his own." He paused, then added with deeper gravity, "And someone he knew could carry on the will of aura."
Julius didn't reach for them immediately. "Are you sure?"
Lucario's eyes narrowed, focused with purpose. "I am."
Julius hesitated only a moment longer before gently taking the gloves. As his fingers slipped into them, the aura within the gloves shimmered faintly, reacting to his touch—like the memory of Sir Aaron still lingered within them, recognizing the hands of the next bearer.
Lucario spoke again, softer this time. "He sealed me… because he didn't want me to suffer for him. Because he knew—he knew I would have stood in front of that wave and taken it myself."
"And he couldn't allow that," Julius finished. "Because he loved you like family."
Lucario's eyes glistened. "I hated him for so long… But now I see it. That was his way of protecting me. And maybe…" He looked at Julius. "Maybe he saw a future where someone else would need these gloves more than I ever did."
Julius looked down at the gloves, then back to the crystal containing Sir Aaron's still form. "His story… it doesn't end in that flower's memory. It lives on in those who remember, and those who act."
Lucario gave a solemn nod. "Then let me walk with you. Not as your master or guide—but as your companion."
Julius smiled faintly. "Then we'll carry it together. His will. His hope. The power of aura."
The stillness in the heart of the Tree of Beginning was fragile, like a sheet of glass laid over a sleeping lake. Lucario had just entrusted Julius with Sir Aaron's gloves, a moment steeped in heavy meaning. But that peace shattered without warning.
A deep, grinding rumble echoed through the crystalline halls.
Lucario's ears twitched. "Something's coming."
A section of the wall trembled. A crack split through it, and with a slow, almost mechanical whine, the legendary titan Registeel emerged from the stone—its silver body gleaming faintly in the soft glow of the aura crystals. It towered over them, blank expression fixed solely on Julius.
It had sensed something. Something it deemed out of place.
Registeel's red eyes pulsed once.
"Everyone move!" Lucario barked.
In that instant, a concentrated orb of orange light began forming in Registeel's core. Julius barely had time to react before Lucario lunged forward, pushing him to the ground just as a Hyper Beam tore through the air.
The beam blasted the space where Julius had stood a heartbeat before, detonating against the stone. The shockwave rolled outward, sending crystal shards and dust flying in all directions.
Lucario recovered instantly, already launching a glowing Aura Sphere that collided with Registeel's chest. It staggered the titan but didn't slow it for long. Registeel's body was a weapon forged to endure.
Julius coughed, pushing himself upright. He reached into his coat and pulled out his short blade—simple, functional, enhanced. His fingers wrapped around the hilt, and psychic energy surged into the weapon. A violet aura shimmered around it.
"Didn't want to use this here…" he muttered.
He slashed forward, not at the air but through it.
"Dimensional Slash."
The space in front of him warped, leaving behind a shimmering, pixel-like trail. The strike hit Registeel's side, a visible mark forming—a shallow gash, more of a scar than a wound.
Then came a growl. Iggy—his faithful Granbull—leapt in, fangs blazing with fire. He bit down into Registeel's forearm with Fire Fang, flames sizzling against steel.
The titan recoiled slightly, but instead of retaliating, it began charging another beam.
That was when Mew moved.
Without a sound, Mew's eyes glowed. Pink psychic light enveloped the group as the Hyper Beam launched again—but this time, it never landed.
Teleport.
The world blinked away.
When Julius opened his eyes, they were somewhere new—a small cavern, humming with soft blue light. Mew's sanctuary. Safe, at least for now.
Lucario stood still, panting slightly. "That was Registeel... but why attack us?"
Julius glanced around, jaw clenched. Then he spoke, slowly.
"It was me."
Lucario turned sharply.
"The Tree of Beginning and its guardians... they don't recognize humans as part of this world. To them, we're foreign objects. Disruptions," Julius explained. "And they react the way any immune system would. They try to eliminate the threat."
Lucario's expression darkened. "So Registeel was... trying to purge you?"
Julius nodded. "It's happened before. That's why Sir Aaron never came here with other people. He understood the risk."
Iggy huffed beside him, still growling low.
Mew didn't speak but floated closer to Julius, his expression unreadable. Perhaps he already knew. Perhaps he didn't expect it to happen so soon.
For now, they were safe.
For Julius, time had slipped away like grains of sand through open fingers. The sun outside the Tree of Beginning had long shifted, and though its light did not touch the sanctuary they stood in, a quiet sense of lateness settled over him. He glanced down at his wrist—his system's internal clock confirmed it: he had missed several of his scheduled classes.
Surely by now, someone at the estate or the academy had taken notice.
With a reluctant sigh, Julius turned toward Lucario and Mew. Iggy stood quietly at his side, sensing the shift in atmosphere. "I have to go," Julius said softly, looking at both of them. "I've already been gone longer than I should have. If I stay any longer, I might cause trouble."
Lucario's expression tightened, not out of objection, but understanding. He gave a slight nod. "You'll return?"
Julius offered a faint smile. "Of course I will. I gave you my word, didn't I?" He looked at Mew then, his eyes steady. "Tomorrow. Same place."
Mew tilted his head, then gave a soft chirp of acknowledgment. His tail swayed lazily, but his eyes remained serious.
Lucario crossed his arms and stepped aside, giving Julius a clear path through the narrow crystal hallway. Iggy gave one last glance at Lucario, then trotted closer to his trainer's side.
Julius placed a hand gently on Lucario's shoulder. "Get some rest. You've been through more than anyone could ever understand."
Lucario said nothing, but his eyes followed Julius with a silent, watchful gaze.
Mew's eyes began to glow once more, psychic energy forming around Julius and Iggy in a soft aura. The sanctuary began to fade.
In a blink, they were gone—teleported safely back to the castle's grounds, the moon now peeking over its ancient towers.
And in the stillness that followed, Lucario stood alone in the dim light of the Tree's heart.