A single sentence completely shattered the composure of the Aura Guardian's loyal partner.
Lucario could feel his rationality slowly being stripped away—
and the cause of it all, naturally, was Ash's earlier words.
Lies. Deception. Doubt!
To be falsely accused of lying for no reason—any ordinary person would be furious,
let alone Lucario!
When had Lucario ever done such a thing?
"Maybe Pikachu couldn't stand having such a foolish Trainer, and that's why it ran away from you."
Lucario shot back without hesitation.
But in truth, that was just an excuse—a cover for the pain in his own heart.
"What did you say?!"
Ash's expression darkened instantly.
He was already on edge from Pikachu's disappearance.
Hearing Lucario say something like that—
his temper snapped.
In two or three quick steps, Ash rushed forward and tackled Lucario from behind.
The two figures rolled down the slope, locked together, crashing toward the river below.
The others rushed forward to stop them—
but before they could react, both Ash and Lucario had already plunged into the river.
A splash exploded upward like a sudden downpour.
"Stop it! Both of you, that's enough!" May shouted anxiously from the riverbank, her voice trembling.
But the two below were already entangled in a full-blown brawl.
Fist met fist, blow after blow.
Each strike sent waves surging, spraying water in all directions.
Everyone watching was completely stunned.
They had always assumed Ash's strength lay mainly in his Aura abilities—
but now?
How in the world was a human managing to physically brawl with a Pokémon?!
And judging by the exchange—he was actually winning!
This was Lucario!
A dual-type Fighting and Steel Pokémon!
Yet Ash not only held the upper hand in hand-to-hand combat—
even in Aura control, he was overpowering Lucario completely!
Lucario's mind went blank.
Every punch he threw—Ash blocked with precision.
Every counterattack from Ash landed hard, and Lucario found himself unable to keep up.
Even when Lucario tried to boost his strength through Aura—
Ash's own Aura somehow dispersed his!
What kind of monster is this human?!
The longer the fight went on, the more shaken Lucario became.
If not for his years of battle experience,
he might already have been utterly crushed.
Finally, catching a brief opening, Lucario managed to shove Ash toward the shore.
Had the fight continued, Lucario was certain—
he would have been the one to lose.
Just as Ash prepared to charge again,
May ran up behind him and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist.
"Ash, stop. Please—don't fight anymore."
The warmth of her embrace gradually calmed the anger burning inside him.
"Lucario is just… too much!" Ash muttered bitterly.
Lucario glanced at him coolly, then turned away.
With a single leap, he bounded out of the river and vanished into the distance.
He clenched his trembling hands.
He knew it—he had lost that battle.
[Bruno: Lance! You're here just in time! Punch me in the face—I must be dreaming! A human just beat a Lucario in close combat?!]
[Lance: You all heard him say it! Don't blame me for following orders! Heh, this is the weirdest request I've ever gotten!]
[Bruno: Hey—wait! Ow! You actually did it?!]
[Cynthia: For the record, this Lucario's strength is comparable to my own.]
[Bea: So in a fight against a Champion-level Lucario… Ash won?!]
[Gary: Ash, man—are you even human anymore?]
[Sabrina: I may have underestimated him. Perhaps when I was "influenced" by his words, it wasn't just emotion—his Aura itself might have interfered with my psychic power.]
[Flint: Wait, so Ash's Aura can resist Sabrina's psychic abilities? What kind of freak is this kid?!]
[Professor Rowan: Here's a thought—if we classified Ash as a Pokémon, what would his typing be?]
[Cynthia: Definitely Fighting-type. But probably more than that. His resistances are ridiculous—Pikachu's Thunderbolt, Gengar's Shadow Ball, Lucario's punches, even Sabrina's psychic force—he shrugs them all off!]
[Professor Oak: Ash, my boy! You'd better stop by Pallet Town soon. I'd like to… run a few tests.]
[Ash: No way! Absolutely not! I'm human! Just human!]
The audience: ???
If not for the live footage showing him trading blows with Lucario—
they might almost have believed him.
Come on!
What normal human could slug it out with a Champion-tier Fighting-type Pokémon?!
If he's normal—then what are the rest of us supposed to be?
But among the spectators, some began to notice something else.
Five years later, Ash and Lucario's bond was nothing like this.
Something must have happened between them—
something that resolved their misunderstanding.
But Lucario: What?
Then the camera shifted.
A Time Flower.
At the edge of the scene, a glowing blue blossom shimmered faintly.
Right—
this was the edge of the Tree of Beginning.
Time Flowers bloomed everywhere here!
Could the key to mending their bond be… the Time Flower?
From the audience's omniscient view, the truth began to dawn on them.
They leaned forward, eager to see what would happen next.
By the campfire that night,
May gently dabbed the water from Ash's hair and face with a towel.
Her soft touch gradually cooled the anger still smoldering in his heart—
quite literally putting out the fire.
"Ash, you went too far this time," she said quietly.
"I only snapped because he said Pikachu left me on purpose."
"But you also said some cruel things first," May reminded him softly.
"Lucario's already pitiful enough. He's been asleep for a thousand years—everything he once knew is long gone. Even the truth he remembers might not be real anymore.
That's why he doubts the bond between humans and Pokémon.
I'm not saying you were wrong—but he wasn't either.
We all know you and Pikachu would never abandon each other.
But Lucario doesn't. Because of what happened back then, he's confused about what trust even means.
Think about it, Ash—if you were in Lucario's place…
if Pikachu sealed you away, then later said everything you knew was a lie—how would you feel?"
Ash fell silent, lost in thought.
After a long pause, he whispered,
"…I'd lose my mind."
He looked up at the moon.
And in that moment—
he finally understood Lucario.
"So promise me," May said gently. "Next time you see Lucario, talk to him properly. You two can be great friends, I know it."
"…Yeah. I will."
[Norman: That's my daughter! Always so understanding!]
[Delia: She'd make a wonderful wife someday~]
Delia smiled warmly, feeling the truth of the "gentle and kind" praise she'd read about May earlier.
[Norman: Heh, both my kids are treasures. But remember, they don't live to become someone's wife or husband—they live to be their own best selves.]
[Delia: You're right… I spoke too carelessly.]
Meanwhile—
Lucario sat beneath a tall tree, gazing at the night sky that looked no different from a thousand years ago.
Perhaps Sir Aaron, back then, had looked upon these same stars.
Time seemed to stop.
A small figure stepped into view.
A boy in green with blue glasses—Max, May's younger brother.
He walked up to Lucario, who glanced at him but said nothing.
Lucario didn't mind this human child—he found him… tolerable.
Max smiled mysteriously, pulling something from behind his back.
"You've never had this before, right, Lucario?"
'Lucario: What?'
"It's called chocolate! They say sweet things can cheer you up when you're feeling down."
He broke off a piece and held it out.
"Here—try some."
Lucario hesitated only briefly before taking it.
He sniffed it, then ate it in one bite.
Whether it was the sweetness or the boy's words,
a faint smile appeared on Lucario's face.
For the first time in a long while, his restless heart began to settle.
[Jessie: Stop! Dogs and cats can't eat chocolate!]
[James: Yeah! My Growlithe nearly died from that once!]
[Ash: Lucario: What?! Really?!]
[Brock: It's true. Even though Pokémon are extraordinary beings, some still retain animal traits. Chocolate is poisonous to canines. But—Lucario's part Steel-type, which means he's immune to poison!]
[Misty: Brock, you sound a little too calm about that.]
[Brock: Because science! And because I'm going to be the world's greatest Pokémon Breeder!]
[Ash: As expected of you, Brock!]
[Max: Whew… thank goodness. For a second there, I thought I'd killed him!]
In Kanto's Silver Town, Jessie and James exchanged blank stares.
"James, this is your fault!"
"Meowth!: Yeah! You made us look like idiots again!"
"Our year-end bonus is doomed!"
"Wasn't it canceled already, nya?"
"Oh, right! Then let's just catch Pikachu—maybe we'll get a raise!"
"Promotions, bonuses, here we come! Nya!"
[Professor Oak: Fascinating… I'll have to study this someday.]
[Delia: Norman, your children really are remarkable—May's gentle, Max is so kind.]
[Norman: Heh, they're my pride and joy.]
[Giovanni's Lieutenant (Silver's father): …I envy that. My own kid just rebels against me every day.]
Thanks to May and Max's efforts,
Ash and Lucario finally began to let go of their resentment.
They weren't friends yet—but the tension between them had eased.
Meanwhile, deep within the Tree of Beginning,
Pikachu and Mew lay sprawled on the ground, exhausted after a full day of play.
Pikachu began to miss Ash.
Mew noticed and tried to cheer him up,
offering toys from its collection one after another—
but Pikachu just stared, uninterested.
As the music from Lapras's music box drifted through the air,
Pikachu slowly drifted into sleep.
In his dream—
he saw Ash again.
But the unfamiliar surroundings made him feel suddenly lonely.
He missed being by Ash's side—
because no memory in the forest ever felt as precious as the days spent with him.
"Pika… chu…"
He whispered Ash's name softly to the moon.
That whisper reached Ash in his sleep.
He stirred, woke, and quietly stepped outside.
The massive Tree of Beginning loomed before him, almost within reach.
He stretched out a hand.
"Pikachu…"
And that call—
Lucario, resting nearby, heard it clearly.
In that moment, something clicked within him.
He finally understood the bond between Ash and Pikachu—
perhaps even deeper than his own bond with Sir Aaron once was.
The next morning, after washing up, the group set out again.
The Tree of Beginning now towered right before them.
After a short drive, Lucario suddenly stopped.
The car screeched to a halt.
Everyone rushed out to see what was wrong.
Lucario stood silently, gaze fixed ahead.
'Lucario: This … is where I was sealed.'
Though time had changed the land, this place felt exactly as it had before.
Old memories flooded back, heavy and painful.
'Lucario: Why … Why did it have to be like this?!'
Lucario fell to one knee, trembling.
By coincidence, a Time Flower bloomed beside him.
His emotional turmoil stirred its power—
and the flower bloomed.
The memories it held burst forth like a vision.
Scenes of Sir Aaron sealing Lucario replayed before their eyes—
then the valley turning into a battlefield after his departure.
The Aura fluctuations drove Lucario mad again.
His eyes flashed crimson as Aura Spheres rained down around them!
Ash dodged instinctively, shouting,
"Lucario! Wake up! It's not real! None of this is real!"
His voice cut through the illusion.
Lucario blinked, clarity returning to his eyes—
then turned and fled, unable to face the pain.
As he vanished, the Time Flower dimmed and closed,
and the phantom battlefield faded away.
Ash and his friends had glimpsed only part of the truth—
but not all of it.
The audience, however, knew the full story—
how after that day, Pidgeot returned the staff to Sir Aaron,
and Aaron sacrificed himself to restore peace to the world.
They were desperate to shout through the screen—
Explain! Tell them the truth!
But all they could do was watch in frustration
as the flower closed…
and the truth remained untold.
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