Alright guys, here's my new story. Inspiration struck me, and I decided to give this a try. If this one does take off, it may be a bit infrequent due to having to juggle it with my two other stories, but I just hope you enjoy it. Please, tell me what you think after the first chapter.

One last thing before we get started. Disclaimer, i do not own any portion or etcetera of the Pokemon Franchise. Or, do I? Maybe I am Satoshi Tajiri? Yes, writing Fanfiction. Of course I'm not!

-Prologue: Changing History-

"You're saying that we can still save the Tree, if we use the power of Aura?"

"Mew… Mew Mew…" Mew nodded weakly.

The entire cavern glowed an evil red, as if flames were licking the walls. The blue crystals that had adorned the Tree of Beginning before now glowed a deep crimson, as they slowly turned to soot and disintegrated. And down in the middle of the room, a group of five stood beneath the destruction right above them. Ash looked up cautiously as another branch began to vanish, Pikachu by his side. Kidd was looking around the room at what was happening. And before a small crystal formation in the floor that was somehow avoiding the current carnage, Lucario faced Mew.

Lucario nodded. "Yes, I shall help you, Mew" he declared.

Shaking her head, Kidd stepped forward. "Hold on, Lucario. If you give up your Aura to save this tree, then you're going to end up suspended, just like Sir Aaron is!"

Lucario looked back, unwavering. "Yes, I realize that" he nodded.

Shocked, Ash's eyes widened. "Lucario…" he said.

Lucario gave Ash a knowing look, before turning back to Mew. He stretched his hand out, and looked Mew in the eyes. "The Aura is with me" he said, before the swirling blue energy began forming in his palm. He closed his eyes and focused his energy, and the Aura Sphere in his palm began growing larger, enveloping Mew in the glowing power. The ball was almost the size of Lucario, but suddenly, his hand retracted, and the sphere burst, disappearing. "I can't do it" he grunted. "I'm not strong enough." Lucario felt a sinking pit in his stomach. He couldn't save the tree, every Pokemon living within it was doomed.

Quick footsteps ran up beside him. Turning, he saw Ash approach him. "Lucario, do you remember what you said about me before?" he asked, leaning down to the crystal formation and picking up a pair of dark gloves.

Lucario was confused, but got what Ash was saying almost immediately. "Ash?" he asked.

Ignoring this, Ash stood back up, slipping the gloves onto his hands. "You told me, that my Aura was just like Sir Aaron's. Well, let's see if that was really true."

On the gloves, the large pale gems began sparkling blue. His eyes closed and he stretched his hands out. Tiny sparks began forming in the air in front of him, soon congealing into a small Aura Sphere.

Kidd looked back and forth between Lucario and Ash. "No, you can't, you'll destroy yourself too!"

Ash gritted his teeth and shook his head. "No, if I don't do this, then the Tree will die, and that means that all the Pokemon that live here will too!"

Lucario realized that Ash really meant to go through with this. "Ash-" he began to say, but he didn't get the chance to try to dissuade him.

"I'm not gonna give up!" Ash shouted defiantly, and his will flew into his Aura, and the sphere grew.

Lucario looked at the young trainer. He was willing to risk his life on an endeavor he had never attempted before, to save scores of Pokemon he had never met or even seen. And if he could do this, so could he.

Pushing his palms forward again, Lucario's Aura Sphere began forming once more. Each of their Aura's grew larger, merging together and forming one large sphere, swirling around Mew. Mew's own aura became visible within the energy, strengthening. The blue light glowed across the room, shadows lengthening from the light, and as the poured more of their life force in, their own bodies began glowing with the same light. Lucario's body was wracked with pain as sparks ran across him. Grunting, he shut his eyes, but kept his power flowing.

Ash was feeling the same effects. Low shouts of pain escaped his mouth as a pain, indescribable, but like a white-hot flame was pumping through his veins, searing beneath his skin, while he was also being zapped by an electric attack, with less force, but a much higher, stinging feeling, than anything Pikachu had ever given him. Pikachu himself was looking on, feeling helpless as he watched his best friend give up his life… Again.

Lucario's body shook again, and he cracked his eyes open. Mew was floating there, absorbing the Aura as fast as he could to repair things, and the sphere grew more opaque. Through the sphere, he saw Ash, in the same position as he was. The young boy was still going as strong as he could, not backing down at all. He wouldn't give up for anything. So, he knew what he had to do.

Keeping his hands up, Lucario swing around, tackling Ash hard, sending him careening across the floor. One glove flew off as he struck the ground, sliding across the glassy floor. "Leave the rest of this to me, Ash!" he told the young trainer.

"No, Lucario!" Ash shouted.

Lucario gave Ash a confident smile. "The Aura, IS WITH ME!" he shouted, and he felt a floodgate open. His strength increased, and he let the full force of his Aura fly forth, into Mew.

The Aura Sphere grew almost invisible, and Mew's Aura expanded, the powerful green glow flowing throughout the entire room, a calming effect coming off of it. Shimmering like a mirage, Mew flew around the room, before dashing into the light streaming out of the core. Once there, a bright pulse of green light flew outwards, streaming across the ground and dashing the red light away. Branches of crystal above them stopped crumbling, and slowly began to grow outwards, restoring themselves. The rumbling in the floor slowly came to a stop, and the Tree came to a standstill. The entire cavern grew quiet, and still, peaceful…

They all looked around in awe, as the power began to flow through the Tree again. There was what could be described as a sparkling noise as a small green bubble shot out of the light and flew around their heads. The green faded, and Mew came back into view, now looking like he was in perfect condition. "Mew Mew!" Mew said happily, doing flips in the air as he spun around them.

All was serene, and perfect, for a brief moment. With a groan, Lucario realized the pain he was in once more. Thick blue sparks travelled up and down his body, and he collapsed to the ground.

"Lucario!" Ash said concernedly, rushing over to the side of the Aura Pokemon.

Fighting through the pain, Lucario glanced up. "Don't worry about me, there's nothing that you can do now, Ash" he said.

"A-Are you sure?" Ash asked.

Lucario nodded grimly, before another wave of pain ran through his body, pushing him lower on the floor. His eyes shut, but at that moment, a powerful gray light began to seep through them. Hearing the gasps of the three around him, he opened his eyes again, wide. The ghostly apparition of Sir Aaron stumbled forward, before he collapsed on the ground, right near him. "Sir Aaron…?" he asked.

The ethereal Sir Aaron grunted as he removed his gloves, and set them down before him, and a small spire of crystal. "Lucario… Forgive me…" he voice reverberated through the air.

"Master, of course I do" Lucario spoke back to the projection.

"How I wish I could have told you, that I had to seal you within the staff, otherwise, I knew, you would have followed my path, and suffered the same end as I have" Sir Aaron spoke. "I only wish, that you could have known the truth, that you could have understood why…"

"But, I do understand" Lucario said.

"I hope, that someday, you will be freed, perhaps, in a more peaceful time" Sir Aaron said. His body coiled as another wave of sparks ran across his body, and he grunted, breathing heavily. "But, I have no other regrets… I served a beautiful queen, and we, we shared many adventures, together… I hold those memories most dear, right to the end."

Lucario felt his emotions rise, and tears came to his eyes. "Master, I, I wish I could tell you, how much hearing that, how much it means to me!" he said.

"...Farewell, Lucario" Sir Aaron said. Lucario stared at the image of his friend, as he slowly faded away. "You, you weren't just my student. You were, you were my closest friend…"

Lucario closed his eyes, the tears streaming freely now. "I feel the same way" he said.

Sir Aaron fell back, the last of his energy fading fast. "Nobody knows what's next, but, maybe, someday, we will be able to see each other again… My friend, I would like nothing more…"

Sir Aaron's eyes closed, and his head rested up against the crystal formation, as his body faded. He became fully opaque, and melded into the structure, and he vanished from sight, forever.

The gray light that had filled the room flew towards a center, being absorbed back into the Time Flower that Lucario had triggered. The glassy bulb swirled, closing up as the light within faded, leaving a dim purple and blue color behind.

Lucario stared at the spot where the image of his master- no, his friend, had been, mouth agape. Suddenly, it all fell on him at once. "Aaron!" he sobbed, facing the pocket of crystal that had became his friend. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I've failed you!"

As he sat there, he suddenly felt a warmth on his paw. Looking up, he saw that Ash had kneeled down next to him, and he had a fierce look in his eyes. "That is not true" he told Lucario. "You've proved yourself, you've proved yourself to be as good of an Aura Guardian as Sir Aaron."

Lucario found himself taking solace at those words. Nodding, he said, "Thank you, Ash."

At that moment, the pain flared up again, and Lucario lost all the support that he had left as he collapsed. He let out a groan, and pressed his back up against the wall. He felt Ash's grip on his paw tighten. Looking up, he saw him carry a look of despair in his eyes. "Lucario, no, you can't leave us yet!"

Lucario gave a genuine smile up at the young man. "It's ok, Ash…" he breathed out. "Aaron… Is… Waiting… For me…"

Ash's hand didn't move, but Lucario couldn't feel his grip anymore. What he could see of his own body became transparent, and his mind was growing fuzzy. The last thing he saw were the faces of Ash and the Pikachu riding on his shoulder, before all of his vision was a white light.

Ash backed up as Lucario dissipated into a small sphere of energy. The crystals seemed to react to the energy that Lucario had become, and he merged into it. The energy grew to cover the entire crystal formation, before the entire structure burst apart, glittering particles flowing into the air. Ash looked up as each particle merged with the bright white light that formed the top of the core, each one sending out a splash of blue energy, like drops in a pond.

Every trace of the Aura Pokemon and the structure that his friend's body had become had vanished. Not a single fragment of either remained, and the only sign that they had ever been there were the gloves that Ash held in his hands.

"He's… gone…" Ash said. He couldn't believe how quickly it had all happened. Only a few minutes ago, Lucario had been standing beside beside him. They had been fighting off the Golem Pokemon that didn't understand the real reason they were there, but they had both been there.

He stood back up, rubbing his eyes before the tears could fall. This was the second time he had lost a friend, and this one had to be just as hard. Last time, Latios had sacrificed himself, to save a town. He hadn't had much of a chance to get to know Latios, but that day they had spent together had been a really great one. But this time, with Lucario, he had helped him rescue Pikachu from Mew. He had argued, they had bonded, they became real friends. And this time, he saw him pass on, right in front of him, a cruel work of fate.

"Pika Pi…" Pikachu said consolingly, patting Ash on his shoulder. He hadn't known Lucario that well, but he had appreciated how he had helped Ash find him. And he could tell just how hard he was taking it, even if he wasn't letting it all on.

Sniffing lightly, Ash looked up at the mouse on his shoulder. "Hey, Pikachu" he smiled, petting him. "It's great to see you for real now, buddy."

"Chaaaaa…" Pikachu squealed in glee.

Turning around, he noted that Mew had left. He was no longer anywhere in the chamber. Now, it was just him and Kidd left there. Looking up, he nodded at Kidd. "Let's go" he said.

She gave a curt nod, turning around as Ash started walking past. The two of them headed for the exit to the chamber. As they approached the exit of the chamber, Ash's knees wobbled unsteadily, and he nearly fell over, before Kidd caught him. "Whoa there, are you ok?" she asked.

"Yeah" Ash said, pushing himself back up. "I think that what I just did made my body really tired."

"You almost killed yourself, so I'd think so" Kidd chuckled. "You sure you can stand on your own?"

"Yeah, stuff like this has never stopped me before" Ash said, walking forward again. This time, however, Pikachu decided to jump off of his shoulder, so that he wouldn't be almost thrown off again if Ash's knees buckled.

They entered the cave ahead of them and began hiking up the rough terrain that curled upwards. "You talk like you've had a lot of experiences like this?" Kidd asked.

"A few" Ash admitted. "I seem to have a knack for finding these situations."

"Wow, like what else?" Kidd asked eagerly.

Ash gave her a hesitant look. "I won't say any places, I do have friends there."

"I know, but I'm intrigued" Kidd said.

"Ok, ok" Ash conceded, hoping that telling some of his old stories would help him take his mind off of what had just happened. "Well, the last thing that happened, we were in Hoenn a while back, and me and my friends were at a festival, and met a Jirachi."

"The Wishing Pokemon?" Kidd asked. "It's said to only show up for a week every millennium, that's nearly impossible that you would find one."

"Well, it happened" Ash said. "And things went bad. A scientist tried to use Jirachi's power to create a Groudon, but it didn't work, and it created something else."

Kidd's eyes widened. "I think I heard something about a creature that looked like the legendary Groudon appearing in Hoenn about a year ago. You're telling me you were at the center of that?"

"Yeah, I'm special that way" Ash muttered as he hiked up the final step before the ground evened out. "Hey, I think I see daylight up ahead of us" he said.

Kidd nodded, and the two of them made for the exit as quickly as they could. The two emerged from the cavern, bursting into the fresh air and light. A breeze wafted past, carrying scents of the fresh forest as they looked down on it. Looking around, Ash looked to his left and saw something up the cliffside from them. "Hey…" he said slowly, before breaking out into a grin. "HEY!" he shouted up the cliff as he began running up the path towards his friends, Pikachu and Kidd beside him.

Hearing his shout, Brock, Max, and May all turned towards the sound, and a chorus of cheers came from them as Ash ran up to them. Pikachu squealed in joy as he ran up ahead of Ash using Quick Attack, reaching them at high speed and greeting them all again. "Pikachu Pika!"

Ash went right up to the group, stumbling hard as he reached them, barely caught by May and Brock. "Oh, thanks guys" he said.

"Maybe you should watch where you step" May laughed, pulling Ash into a hug.

"I'm just a little… Tired" Ash settled on saying, returning the hug awkwardly.

Once he was released, Brock came over and clapped him on the shoulder. "Let me guess, you had a hand in whatever just happened here?" he asked.

Ash gave a sad smile back. "A little, but most of it, wasn't me…"

Max ran up to Ash, excited to see him back, but then looked around, and noticed something. "Hey" he realized. "Where's Lucario?"

"Lucario…" Ash began to say, but stopped. His voice was about to break just from that. He turned away from the group and looked out over Rota. He gave himself a moment, he didn't trust himself to speak at first. "Lucario, he left to be with a friend…" was all he could say.

There were a chorus of quiet gasps as everyone realized what that meant. "Oh…" Max said lowly.

"Oh, I wish that we could have helped him" May said sadly.

"Maybe it was better for him, but still, it's hard to believe that Lucario's really gone…" Brock said.

"No… He's not truly gone" Ash said quietly. "He'll always be here…" He looked up at the sky Lucario had disappeared into. "His Aura is with me."

-Palace of Rota - Later-

It took the gang the majority of the day to find their way back down the tree, back to the ground. It was nearly nightfall by the time they reached it, so they decided to camp out for the night. Kidd had to do some repairs on the vehicle, it had been damaged when Regirock attacked. As everyone went to sleep for the night, one person stayed up. Ash lied down in his sleeping bag, eyes refusing to shut for the longest time, staring up at the majesty of the tree, and all of the glowing spots across it. But it was as if Ash could still feel the energy coming from that central chamber, where that fateful incident had occurred.

The next morning, all of them were up bright and early. Kidd spent about an hour finishing the repairs over breakfast, and they were on the road before the sun had rose very far in the sky. Everyone was chatting, and passing the time, but Ash just sat by the window. He talked with the others, small talk, Pikachu sitting in his lap as he petted him, but he spent most of his time staring out the window at the rapidly retreating mountain.

It took the better part of two days to reach Cameron Palace once again. When they arrived at the palace, Queen Ilene seemed greatly relieved that they were all okay. Apparently, the destruction of the Tree was a sight easily visible from the palace. As they went back into the main hall to recap what happened on their adventure, they all got a pleasant surprise. The main portrait honoring Sir Aaron in his heroic pose, standing atop a Pidgeot, had been modified, to have Lucario right beside him.

The Queen was saddened to hear of Lucario's death, and she said that she would make sure to change the legend to honor Lucario's role, as well as tell the tale of the new one that had just been created.

The gang stayed at the palace for one last night before they continued on their journey through Kanto. Ash was still on his way forward to compete in the Battle Frontier, and still had his first challenge ahead of him, at the Battle Factory. The four of them boarded a tram to travel the long road back through the mountains, parting ways with Kidd along the way. As the final mountain passed by them, Ash looked back, and got one last glimpse of the Tree of Beginning over the high rise before it vanished from view for good.

Once they reached the foothills, they continued on their quest. Over the next week, they fell back into their normal routine, travelling, training, setting up camp every night, and so on. But something was a little different.

Ash was making an effort, and he was falling back into the mold, but it was taking him a little longer than the others. He was slightly more withdrawn than he had been before, and his friends noticed this. He dismissed them, doing his best to act like his old self, but he still showed small moments of being more antisocial. One night, while they were up on another mountain, Ash left the group near nightfall, leaving to go look on. The Tree was still barely visible, now many miles away, but on the horizon, it could be seen. When May found him, he blew up, shouting all the regret and sadness he had been harboring at her, before storming off, back to the campgrounds.

Ash felt remorse, but the anger pervaded for a while, and he had yet to apologize. Each day, they kept walking on. Soon, Ash approached the first Battle Facility he was to challenge in the Battle Frontier. After a week away from their adventure in Rota, Ash was almost back to normal. Almost, but not quite. He was getting there, yet he still had a bad case of survivor's guilt. He just wished, that Lucario didn't have to give up his own life to save theirs.

He felt as if Lucario died because he wasn't strong enough to take the full burden off of him. He couldn't do enough to save him, because he was weak at a bad moment. He always relied on his Pokemon as his strength, but not himself.

One night, he looked into his bag, and pulled out the only souvenir that he had of their adventure. A pair of blue gloves, with a large white crystal embedded in the center, with yellow highlights running around them. The gloves of Sir Aaron. For some reason, he couldn't bear to part with them after what happened, but now he knew why. Even subconsciously, he knew, that these were the way he could get stronger, not only to protect his friends, but his Pokemon as well.

Ash considered slipping them on, but before he could, he made the move to stuff them back into his pack. Things were still too fresh in his mind, he didn't even want to hear the word 'Aura' for a long time to come.

For now, he lied down in his sleeping bag. His first challenge was only a few days away, and he needed to hone his mind as much as his Pokemon to prepare for what was ahead. He had no idea what to expect, but either way, with his Pokemon, he knew that he could triumph. He could win, even if he was still weak himself, his Pokemon would help him. They would lay their lives down for him, but that was why he had to do what he could do. So that they didn't need to anymore. Ash knew, with his luck, it was only a matter of time before the next calamity struck, with him in the center. He had to be ready.

He would do it to honor a friend, a noble friend, who had given his life selflessly. He would do what he could to help others, without needing his Pokemon, in honor of Lucario.

-?-

At first, there was nothing but darkness…

A darkness that was everywhere, that was everything. Mind, body, area, everything. Darkness ruled over reality.

But soon, things began to brighten. It seemed to take an eternity, but slowly, he became aware of things. The hard surface beneath him, the scent and feel of mist in the air, and the feeling of dim sunlight on his fur.

Lucario blinked and opened his eyes, groaning as he sat up. His muscles screamed at him, extremely sore. Pushing himself up, he looked around at his surroundings. He appeared to be on some sort of dirt path, surrounded by grass on either side. The air was foggy, but somehow, it didn't impair his vision. High in the sky, there was a light, like a sun, but it didn't seem the same, somehow.

A light breeze wafted through the area, rustling the grass. Everything appeared in a gray light, the grass, the dirt, everything. Undertones of the original colors remained, giving a very off perception.

Standing up, Lucario got a better view of his surroundings. He was at the top of a high rise, on a hill. Far beneath him, sprawling out across the countryside, were wide fields, and a large lake, and what almost looked like the Cameron Palace.

Looking around at the place in awe, Lucario stopped short as he saw a figure standing at the edge of the hill he was on. "It, is that…" he asked. "Sir Aaron?"

Stepping forward, he began cautiously stepping towards the figure. Once he was right up behind them, he looked up. "Sir Aaron, is that you?" he asked.

The figure shifted, and slowly turned around. Dark clothes, cap, and the black hair. "Lucario?" Sir Aaron asked.

Lucario's face broke out into a smile. "Sir Aaron, it is you!" he said.

Sir Aaron looked shocked, but leaned down and held his arms out. Lucario stepped forward as he hugged his old friend.

When they parted, Sir Aaron looked down at the Aura Pokemon. "Lucario, what are you doing here?"

"Master, I've followed in your footsteps" he said. "There was a crisis at the Tree of Beginning once more, and this time, I helped stop it."

Sir Aaron had a sad look in his eyes. "Lucario, you gave up your Aura, didn't you?"

Lucario nodded. "Yes, but I wasn't able to do it alone. There was another who helped me save the Tree, one of the most selfless humans that I've ever encountered."

"I see…" Sir Aaron said sitting down before Lucario. "Where is this other human?"

"He didn't come with me" Lucario said. "I kept him from having to make the same sacrifice as I, at the last moment."

Sir Aaron sighed. "So even now, there are those with the power of Aura at their fingertips?" he asked.

Lucario looked off. "I'm not too sure, Master" he said. "This one had never used Aura prior to the calamity, but somehow he was able to." Looking up at Sir Aaron, he continued. "This man had a very similar Aura to your own, that was the first thing I noticed about him."

"Really?" Sir Aaron asked.

Lucario nodded. There was a pause between them, before Lucario looked back up. "Sir Aaron, I want you to know, I know about everything."

"Lucario?" Sir Aaron asked.

"I know why you sealed me in the staff, why you said that you were abandoning the Queen, all of it" Lucario said. "And I want you to know, that I do forgive you."

Words seemed to fail Aaron as he heard what Lucario said. "Lucario… I am, so happy to hear that" he said to his friend. "You do not know how much hearing that means to me."

Lucario nodded. "I think I do. You had nothing to apologize for, you were being a hero to the world."

"Yes, I was…" Sir Aaron said. "But, I couldn't be there for you…"

"Hmm?" Lucario asked.

Sir Aaron sighed. "Lucario, how long was it before you were released?" he asked.

Lucario looked a little surprised at the question. "I, do not know, Aaron" he admitted. "The new Queen estimated that it had been somewhere over 1000 years since the battle."

"One thousand, three hundred and twenty nine years to be exact" Sir Aaron said. "I have been counting every year here, since I sacrificed my Aura. You were trapped in the staff for over a millennium. And no matter the reason, nothing can make up for that."

"But, Sir Aaron, it's ok, I understand-" Lucario began to say.

"It's not ok" Sir Aaron said. "I have been wandering these lands for just as long as you have been sealed in that staff, and my sentence gave me a form of freedom, yet it was a terrible fate. To be cursed in such a way is a fate not fit for anyone."

"What are you saying?" Lucario asked.

Sir Aaron sighed. "Lucario, this realm isn't just an afterlife. I'm sure you have noticed how this realm appears to be a reflection of the true world. The truth is, this is the fate that awaits those who expend their Aura completely, to be ghosts of the world they once lived in."

"So, we'll be here forever?" Lucario asked. "But, we can still view the world, so it's not a terrible place."

Sir Aaron shook his head. "No, my friend, we are all alone here" he said. "We can see what the world is like, but we cannot see any for the creatures, nor interact with anything. We are, quite honestly, phantoms in this realm, unable to see or interact with its denizens."

Lucario started a bit at the news, but quickly recovered. "But, it will be better now" he said. "We have been reunited, you are no longer alone in this place."

Sir Aaron gave another sad smile. "Yes, that's true, we are no longer truly alone. However…" he looked off. "Soon, even that will cease to be much of a comfort. I have explored far and wide, the entire world is viewable. There are precious few others in our situations, and none of them are near. For a long time, my travels contented me, but after two hundred years, they grew old, and things began to feel stale. This world is now less my home, and more my prison."

Lucario looked down. "Why, Aaron, surely there must be some way out of this place, then. After all, you were a great hero, you should not be left to suffer such a cruel fate."

Aaron stood back up slowly, and Lucario rose after him. "Yes, there is one way that I can think of" he said thoughtfully.

"Then why haven't you attempted it yet?" Lucario asked.

"Because you weren't here" Sir Aaron said, turning to his friend. "And this method, will not only allow me to move on, but put me at peace with my sins, and allow you what you deserve."

"What I, deserve?" Lucario asked, curious.

Sir Aaron looked down at Lucario. "When I sealed you in the staff, I took your life away from you. To make up for that, I have to give you life again, my friend."

"What?" Lucario asked. "But that's, impossible…"

"Not so" Sir Aaron said. "If you helped save the tree, I'm sure that you must have seen my remnants there."

Lucario nodded, remembering the way he had sensed Sir Aaron's Aura in the crystal structure. Sir Aaron continued. "When I passed to here, I had but a sliver of my Aura remaining. This Aura was not nearly enough to support me, it was barely present in any state. However, you could say that I have cultivated it. That sliver of Aura has regenerated slowly over these past centuries, and by now, it could be barely usable to sustain a life."

"But, Master" Lucario protested. "Why shouldn't you return to life and not me? I'm sure that you would do much more good for the world that I could hope to."

Sir Aaron gave a laugh. "Lucario, you are a true friend" he said. "However, by the time the Aura could possibly keep a life, my spirit had been here for far too long to move it. I can not return, nor should I. It was my time. But for you, you haven't been here for any time. I could give my remaining life force to you, and send you back to the realm of the living, while losing that last piece would finally allow me to move on."

Lucario stared at Sir Aaron with a shocked expression. "But, Master, I just got here, I just found you!" he exclaimed.

Aaron patted Lucario on the soldier. "I'm not your Master anymore, Lucario" he said. "You can stop calling me such. And you may have just gotten here, but that's the idea. If we don't do this now, we may lose this chance forever."

Lucario's mouth opened to say something, but Aaron shook his head. "Believe me this time, Lucario" he said. "This is better for both of us. Now, you get the life that you deserve, and after that, we can be truly reunited in a place far better than this. A true rest awaits us at the end, and this isn't it." Placing his hand on Lucario's shoulder, he looked him in the eye. "Lucario, will you trust me, one last time?"

"..." Lucario failed to respond. His head hung low towards the ground, his eyes shut. He took a deep breath, and reached up to hold Aaron's hand in his own paws. "I trust you, Aaron."

Aaron smiled genuinely, and took a step back. "I'm glad to hear it, my friend" he said. "Now, I want you to live a full life. A good life. Remember, Lucario, you are a Guardian of Aura. It's your duty to protect the world. Do everything you can, but don't give your Aura up like that again, otherwise, you will be doomed to this realm, probably permanently."

Lucario nodded. "I, I understand" he swore.

"Live well, Lucario, and I will see you when it is truly your time" Sir Aaron said, with a hint of sadness. "Until then… My friend…"

Lucario remained strong, barely holding back the tears once more. But this time, he knew, he would see Aaron again, and he greatly looked forward to that day. "Farewell, Aaron" he said.

"Farewell, Lucario" Aaron said back.

Aaron's entire body glowed a blue light, first it was around him, then it glowed from under his skin, then he became the glow. Sir Aaron dissolved in a flurry of blue particles of Aura, the cloud shrinking down, condensing into a single wisp of energy. It floated there for a moment, suspended in the air, before moving forward. Lucario didn't move as it approached, and it floated right before him. There was a brief pause, before it moved the final inch, being absorbed right into the spike on his chest.

Nothing happened, for a moment. Lucario felt no different. But, suddenly, Lucario felt all the soreness that plagued his body vanish, and a blueish white light surrounded his body, completely masking his vision, as if he were in the center of an inferno. There was the rush of movement, so fast that he had trouble staying conscious through it, as Lucario felt weightless.

And as soon as it began, Lucario felt it slowing down. His body and mind grew heavy, the air grew colder, and the glow began to dissipate. The last thing Lucario remembered was striking a hard ground, before he passed out.

-Later-

Lucario stirred again, feeling the stone beneath his body. He pushed himself up, feeling tired, but much less so than he did when he arrived in that realm before.

Blinking to clear his vision, he easily recognized his surroundings. Before him, there was a large formation of gems, with a massive beacon of white, multi-hued energy streaming up out of it. The floor he was on was a glassy stone, and blue crystals shot through the air, forming bridges beneath the ceiling.

"I'm back… Here?" Lucario wondered. Back in the core of the Tree of Beginning. It made sense, this was the last place his body was, before he had lost his Aura. He had expected to have returned atop that hill near the palace, but this was a more obvious return location.

Pushing himself to his feet, he looked around. Things seemed the same as they were when he left. Everything was fine in the area, peaceful.

As he looked around, he detected a presence approaching fast. Looking around, he tried to pinpoint it, but it ended up finding him first. "Yay, you're finally up!"

Turning around, just as he suspected, Mew floated in front of him. "It's good to see you once more, Mew" he greeted.

"You know, we all thought you died" Mew said smartly floating closer to Lucario's face. "What was the big deal in making us worry like that?"

Lucario chuckled nervously. "My apologies" he said. "I didn't know I'd be making a return trip myself."

Mew seemed to accept this answer, and flipped back in the air. "Well, it's awesome that you're back" he said. "How'd you do it?"

Lucario shrugged. "I'm not fully certain I understand myself" he said. "Sir Aaron somehow gave me some Aura, enough to send me back to this land."

"Oh wow, you got to see Aaron?" Mew asked. "Is he doing well?"

Lucario nodded. "He is now."

Mew seemed happy to hear that. Floating around some more, he dropped down. "So, what do you plan to do with yourself now?" he asked. "I mean, you could always live here, I wouldn't mind that."

Lucario smiled. "Thank you for the offer, Mew" he said. "But… I'm thinking that I should acquaint myself to this modern world that I'm in now. I'm sure much has changed since the ancient days, far more than what I have witnessed at the palace and here."

Mew nodded. "There is so much. Giant metal birds that can carry hundreds of people, fake Pokemon that are so cuddly, and some of the foods they've made can just make you ready to die happily" Mew said with a slightly dreamy look.

"I'll take your word for it" Lucario laughed.

Chuckling himself, Mew stopped and floated there for a moment. "You know, it's a real shame you didn't wake up sooner" he said.

"Sooner?" Lucario asked. "I was only out for a little while, wasn't I?"

Mew shrugged. "Do you think that ten days is only a little while? If so, yeah."

Lucario's eyes widened. "Ten Days?!" he exclaimed.

Mew nodded. "I think returning from the dead can really take a lot out of you. I wouldn't know, but it seems that way."

Lucario got over the shock, and took a deep breath. "Well, why was it a shame?" he asked.

"That kid that helped you and me, Ash" Mew said. "He seemed really down after you left. I think that he really cared about you, he seemed pretty depressed on his way out."

Lucario's mood dropped as he heard this. "He was depressed?" he asked.

Mew rolled his eyes. "Come on, even I was pretty sad after you left. I mean, you did save my life, after all. And I know he cared a lot about every Pokemon, he didn't like to see them get hurt, much less die."

Lucario looked up at Mew. "You sound like you know him really well" he noted.

Mew nodded. "Yeah, he saved the entire world by keeping me and a clone of myself from fighting once, at his own risk. He nearly died that day."

Lucario was shocked to learn about this, and felt a twinge of guilt, remembering back when he was acting cold and distant, when he compared him to nothing but a normal human, selfish. Mew continued after that. "I watched him a few times after that too. He had to survive being attacked by the three Legendary Pokemon Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres to save the world from collapsing to the elements as they fought. And another time, he kept a villain from going through and corrupting time with a captured Celebi."

Lucario's opinion of himself sunk even lower. "Where is Ash?" he asked. "I need to find him."

"Sorry, Lucario, but he's long gone by now" Mew said. "You came back about a day after you left, and stayed here for another ten. He was almost back to the palace by the time you got here, and he's probably over one hundred miles away by now. Even I couldn't find him easily."

Lucario's mood dropped a bit more, but then he realized something. "But he has a powerful Aura…" he said. "Perhaps I could find him."

"Huh?" Mew asked. "Why is it so important that you find him?"

"A lot of reasons" Lucario said. "I need to let him know that I'm not dead, I don't want him to feel bad on my behalf."

"What else?" Mew asked.

"Hmm…" Lucario hummed, thinking. "Sir Aaron told me, it was my duty to protect the world, as an Aura Guardian. And as he showed me, part of being an Aura Guardian is making sure the title lives on. Ash, he had a powerful Aura. He could be the next one for this world."

"Oh" Mew said, nodding. "Yeah, he has a lot of potential all right. Even I could feel that."

"I'm glad you see it the same" Lucario said. "Say, Mew. I want to ask a favor of you. Could you transport me to the palace? I feel I could save a lot of time by going there."

"Of course, I mean, after all, you did die for me" Mew said, flipping around. "Ok, here we go. Three, two, one!"

Lucario's vision warped for a moment, before he found himself in the shade of the trees just outside of Cameron Palace. The small pink Pokemon still floated beside him, looking around. "This good?" Mew asked.

"Very" Lucario responded. "Thank you, Mew."

"No problem" Mew chirped. Spinning up into the air, he looked down at Lucario. "Remember, you're always welcome at my Tree!" he said, before he was gone too, leaving Lucario all alone.

"I will, thank you" Lucario responded after Mew had left. Turning around, he thought about going within the palace, to let Lady Ilene know that he was alive. But, she wasn't his Queen, it would be best to not bother her.

Turning around, he placed a hand across his chest. "Aura…" he whispered, as he closed his eyes, and his ears rose. Through his eyelids, he saw the outline of the land. Every living creature jumped out at him like fire in the night. His sense expanded, rolling across the terrain as he moved on.

He had searched out with his Aura sense for a long ways, scores of miles and enough living beings to make his head began to feel fuzzy. He was feeling less optimistic by the moment, as he went on without sensing the special Aura. Just as he was about to break it off, there was a powerful signal.

Lucario tried to focus on the signal, but it was too far away. It was as if he could see if out of his peripheral vision, he couldn't clearly see it, but he knew it was there. "There he is" Lucario smiled. Opening his eyes, he sprung forward, leaping over the top of the hill and sliding down the long, steep slope to the bottom. Twisting around bushes and trees, he noted some sort of metal cart floating up the mountain, attached to a long cable.

"The humans really have come far" he realized. Sliding all the way to the bottom, Lucario kept running as the sun hung low in the orange sky. The signal wasn't growing stronger yet, but he had an idea of where he had to go.

Pouring on the strength, Lucario began sprinting as fast as he could. His newly reborn body may not last very long at this speed, but he would go as far as he could before he had to stop for the night. Ash had helped him in many ways, from allowing him to save the Tree, warming his heart up to humans, and his master, and he was a totally selfless person. He didn't want him to suffer because of him.

Putting on the speed, Lucario jumped over a shallow chasm with a river at the bottom and didn't slow down. "I'm coming for you, Ash" Lucario said. "I still have to thank you, after all. We will meet again, nothing can stop me."

And that's it for the first chapter of my new story. Please, tell me what you thought of it. Was it interesting? A new concept? Did I steal from a story I didn't know existed? I'll try to get something else up soon, this was mainly the prologue.

I hope this ends up being something interesting for you to real. New stories are all so scary, and this, the first chapter, is the hardest one. If you don't get number 1 right, who's gonna read to the end? I'll take all the reviews I can get for feedback, but that's all for now.

Until next time, have a good day, and I'll see you then. Peace!