A/N: Hello my lovely readers. Welcome to the final chapter of the book. I feel so excited to finally be typing those words. A three year long journey is at an end... but that leaves room to start a new one. I hope you guys will stick around when I begin my next project, the sequel to this one.

Happy reading and I hope you will enjoy the end of Ash's Realization!

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon but I do own this story. Thank you, Nintendo, for not striking down this form of creative expression!

"It's never too late. Don't focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have." Drew Barrymore

Chapter 43: The Tree and End of the Beginning

Aurora woke up with a jumping start and clutched her chest tightly. Aurora felt as though a cold feeling was washed away from her, but the pangs of it remained. She scanned her surroundings. There was some light outside, but she felt comfortable for the first time in a long time. Aurora noticed that she was in a bed. It felt so soft and loving. It was a contrast to the harshness of staying outside without any sleeping equipment and sleeping on a couch. Aurora gasped when she saw an Espeon at her side. She knew this Espeon and hadn't seen her in several years. She was glad to see one of Red's partners still well. She noticed there was a slight pink glow in the room and looked around. The woman recognized this room. Then, she widened her eyes, and covered her mouth with her hands.

Aurora immediately left the bed to go outside. Her hunch was right.

Aurora found herself in Red's old ranch. The presence of being here made her heart heavy with regret. She hadn't been here fourteen years out of guilt. She still found herself responsible for Red's disappearance and although she had fond memories being here training with Red and decorating the house with her son, she also had an empty feeling. Aurora shook her head and wiped away the tears forming in her eyes. She looked down at the grass.

The grass flowed so smoothly and naturally that Aurora took notice. Aurora bent down and touched the grass. It still felt as lush as it did all those years ago. She noticed Chari was laying down, sound asleep. The amber eyed guardian smiled at the sight. She still found herself thinking that Chari was adorable, especially as she slept. Aurora sat down and lied herself against Chari. She closed her eyes and interlocked her fingers together as she tried to appreciate the calmness of the cool morning. She knew that she would need to weather through a massive storm of change soon.

Luckily for her, Chari was a bit of a heavy sleeper, so she knew her partner wouldn't be able to feel her body on hers. Aurora reflected about everything that happened the prior day and her thoughts immediately wondered to Ash and Serena. She wondered if they both were alright and how they escaped her sister. Aurora sensed them both in her old home, so she was thankful about that. Thinking about her sister, she sighed.

Delia seemed much sadder than her previous encounters with her. The hatred was still there, but it was much less pronounced than normal. The amber eyes guardian wondered why. Seeing Delia show her a moment of weakness when she considered showing Aurora love in some capacity made her not give up on her. Aurora nodded to herself and gripped her fists tightly in determination. Some aspects of her old sister were in there and she was determined to bring it out. She wasn't the type of person to give up on people.

Aurora decided to keep looking up at the moon, both to comfort her and to clear her mind. She felt grateful that she was still living, alive and well at that. Aurora was surprised she wasn't feeling fatigued or injured. She was happy to have been near people that cared enough about her to try to get her help.

Aurora also felt a bit strange. She didn't feel weighed down by anything anymore. She gasped. She realized she wasn't linked to Ash anymore. Mew had severed their link. Aurora causally glazed her eyes, looked at her right hand and sighed. Although she was ecstatic that her life was no longer endangered because she did her duty, she also felt sad at not having the same level of connection with her son. Aurora had an odd shiver down her spine and wondered what was wrong with her. She also realized that meant Ash remembered the separation again.

Upon realizing this, her instinct was to go see Ash to find out if he was alright. Indeed, that's exactly what she did. Aurora gave Chari a small goodbye kiss before she went back inside the house.

Aurora had a weird feeling being in this house, both because of the memory and because she wasn't used to being in a house. She always felt confined when in a home and chuckled to herself. She knew Ash was like that, too. The middle-aged guardian knew exactly which room Ash would be in, too. She immediately headed to her son's toddler room.

Aurora found herself amazed at how much nothing changed. She noticed Ash sleeping on the bed with her feet nearly at the edge of the bed. She also had a tear drop when she noticed the little painting she made with Red fourteen years ago. She thumbed herself on the wall. They had painted this a few days before Red's disappearance and she remembered the elation on Ash's face when they were done. She would always hold that moment close to her heart.

Aurora got up and noticed Pikachu sleeping near Ash's head. The raven-haired lady also noticed that Ash seemed a bit uncomfortable in his sleep. She could tell the boy had a lot on his mind and hoped that she would be able to placate some of it.

Aurora sat down and looked around the room. She wasn't sure if she should try to wake them up, but she felt the innate urge to wake them up excitedly. Aurora's decision was made for her when hers and Ash's marks both started to simultaneously glow white. Aurora was a little spooked when the room was enveloped in a faint pink glow and she couldn't control the glowing. Ash sensed the presence of the aura as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

At first, the boy's vision was blurry. He saw a black figure in front of him and he couldn't tell what it was, only that the room was pink. Once his eyes cleared, he began to cry. Ash stared into Aurora's eyes for a few moments with tears falling. Aurora's eyes softened as she wiped his tears and made a warm smile. Their marks started to glow their respective aura's color. Aurora's was yellow while Ash was blue. Ash decided to sit right beside her.

Ash suddenly lunged at her to embrace her. Aurora, though slightly startled at the extra weight, soon adjusted and held him close. She could feel his tears making her shirt wet and they communicated with their aura. Aurora could feel Ash's confusion and his feeling of being overwhelmed emotionally. Aurora learned much of what happened yesterday after she was put unconscious by interacting with Ash's aura. She gasped at what she found out.

Aurora broke their embrace and began to wipe his face with her thumb. She smiled sadly and wanted to make sure he was going to be alright. She then held his hand.

"Ash…" Aurora said softly. "You went through a lot to find this place. You carried me all the way to Pallet?"

"Yes. I just… I wanted to feel… like we were walking together like we used to." Ash admitted in a small voice.

"Ash…" Aurora didn't know how to respond to that.

"Mom…" Ash once again hugged her and squeezed her tighter than before. Aurora gasped upon hearing him call her that. Her eyes were wide as she took in being caledl that by Ash for the first time in nine years. She had some tears forming in her eyes, but quickly blinked them away. Ash continued, "Am I… a monster?"

"Ash…" Aurora seemed slightly affronted that he would even suggest that and matched her voice toward that.

"I know you sensed my aura. You read what I was doing after Delia knocked you out. I'm… a monster, aren't I?" Ash said in a voice unlike himself.

Aurora broke their embrace, but looked irritated. Aurora's left eye turned red as she lightly slapped him. Ash held his cheek and looked at the elder guardian in shock. Aurora seemed a little annoyed. She said in a strong voice, "Don't you ever suggest that you are a monster again… got that?"

Ash gasped at seeing both sides of his mother out at once. He accommodated and made his left eye red as well. Both Ketchums were completely out together for the first time. Aurora stared at him to read his body language. He seemed a bit more submissive than normal. Ash said in a small voice, "Got it…"

Aurora sighed, "Sorry if I seemed a little harsh just now, but I want you to think that you're an awesome guy. I've been in your situation before where my heart was crushed and my emotions prompted me to act in a way that I regretted. I know you were willing to kill Delilah in my stead because she was the reason I was knocked out cold and the reason I nearly died all those years ago. Although I appreciate you protecting me, I want you to always try to keep a level head if you're in a tight spot. I know it isn't easy."

"Mom, can you tell me a time where you lost your cool?" Ash questioned.

Aurora looked down and sighed. She made a sad smile, "You want to know the most recent time?"

"Yes."

"It was when you and Serena went on your little shopping trip, actually."

"?!" Ash gazed at her in surprise. Aurora started to explain what she heard and talked about when she visited her parents. Ash listened intently.

"After I visited my parents and requested them to be at the Tree of Beginning, I was ambushed by the Zurui boss in the back of the center. We fought until we both were tired. I had the upper hand, but I lost because of Nyxcipher psyching me out. I was on the verge of killing Charles, but because it went against my moral code and Nyxcipher was urging me to follow through with it, I resisted the urge and nearly died myself for it. I spent the rest of the time in the day recovering, but I was shook." Aurora explained.

"Was… that why Aru's words affected you when we ate breakfast the next day and you went outside afterward?" Ash wondered. Aurora confirmed this with a nod.

"I knew that my other self was right, but I didn't want to face the situation so soon after it happened. I thought of myself as weak for letting Nyxcipher scare me as much as he did and as a monster for being willing to go against my moral code. I still think I'm a monster sometimes." Aurora admitted.

"Mom…" Ash didn't know how to respond.

"I know I'm not a perfect person, but I still try my best to be reasonable. There comes a point where you begin wondering, 'What is my limit?' 'Should I give people more chances?' 'Am I being too nice?' 'Too harsh?' I find it hard to strike a balance at times. I think you can agree." Aurora explained.

"Hmm…" Ash seemed to be in deep thought, but didn't deny her.

"I just wanted to say that it's alright to doubt your character at times, but it's also not okay to resign yourself to something that you aren't. You're aren't a monster, young one. Far from it. A monster wouldn't have self-doubt about his actions." Aurora placed her hand on his cheek and made a small smile.

"Thanks, Mom." Ash relaxed under his touch.

"Being this reflective just means you're allowing yourself to grow. I can imagine you as a fine man one day and I'll be happy to be there as you grow into that." Aurora winked. She moved her hand away from him and seemed a bit sad. She murmured, "I also read into your conversation with Chari last night. Not intentionally, but it sort of happened."

"Oh… you know I… uh…" Ash didn't know how to explain himself and started to stutter. Aurora softly interrupted him.

"Yes." Aurora nodded.

"I'm sorry. I want you to know I don't feel that way anymore." Ash said slightly quickly. Aurora chuckled and shook her head.

"Why are you apologizing to me? I'm the one who caused you to think I didn't care about how you felt. Well, part of you, anyway. I'm so sorry. Know that I told you to suppress yourself because society doesn't understand people different from the norm. I didn't want people to alienate you, but it seems I'm a hypocrite for doing just that. I was trying to look out for you… at least, I thought I was. Never suppress yourself, but do keep in mind how some people might be if they see you change your eye color out of the blue." Aurora said while looking away.

Ash's marks started to glow a little more intensely. He grabbed her hands. Aurora glowed with the same intensity. He said, "I understand your reasons now, so it's fine. I'm just happy that we're truly reunited now. I remember who you are to me and a good amount of adventures we had. I may not remember everything, but that will come with time."

"And I'll be happy to explain anything I know to you within reason." Aurora offered.

"Anything?" Ash said in a hesitant voice.

"Anything." Aurora made a warm smile.

"Can you tell me about how you met Dad?" Ash immediately requested. Aurora was caught off guard by the question. Both of their marks still glowed, but they were faint.

"Oh?" The elder guardian blinked her eyes.

"Now that I know who you are to me, I want to know. Delia was always vague about him, saying that he was on a Pokémon journey throughout my life, but I know that the Zurui took him and no one knows where he is. I heard people talking about how he died during my journey, but I want to know the truth. How was he like?" Ash asked.

"Is, Ash. How is he like?" Aurora corrected him. She wiped her eyes as tears started to form. She took a deep breath to compose herself. Ash rubbed her back self-consciously. "Red… is… amazing. He is so thoughtful and sweet. He was cold to people he didn't know, but once he opened up to you, his fire hooked you to him."

Ash gestured Aurora to keep explaining. Aurora nodded.

"I met him when I was fourteen and he was sixteen. People had heard of a dangerously powerful trainer on top of Mt. Silver, but many thought it was a rumor. I was naturally curious about this person and tried my luck to find him. Of course, it was impossible to enter Mt. Silver without winning all the Kanto and Johto badges first, so I did that before I went up the mountain." Aurora continued.

"How was your battle versus him?" Ash asked.

"Red… barely beat me. We both fought to our last Pokémon. Red's main partner, a Charizard nicknamed Charlie, did a number on my team and knocked out Chari. Red had a better bond with his partners that day and I wanted to learn from him. So… I started to visit the mountain more. He found me obnoxious at first, preferring to be by himself. He often threatened me to leave before he forced me to leave, but he never followed through with his threat." Aurora told Ash.

"He didn't like you at first?" Ash seemed a little surprised to hear that.

"Well, yes and no. I'd say he tolerated me coming to him, but was curious about me as well. He eventually began to enjoy my company because I didn't really gush over him, but moreso was trying to learn from him and get to know him as a person. I saw him as a mentor to help me progress in my goals when I first started to visit him. I was the first person since Gold that didn't have their memory erased of their encounter with Red at the time. He saw something in me, though what I wasn't sure. He never did tell me. I think that caused him not to erase my memory of him." Aurora explained.

"Dad erased memories of people?" Ash questioned, slightly disturbed. Aurora nodded.

"Never out of malice. He preferred solitude while training. He loved to be at the summit, honing his skills. Red didn't want too much word of his presence being there because of his notoriety as a trainer. Only when he lost was when he didn't erase the person's memory. Gold is the only person I know to beat Red in his time on Mt. Silver, well, outside of me rematching him about four years after we met." Aurora explained.

"Wow… Dad is super strong if it took you four years to beat him once." Ash had sparkles in his eyes listening to all this. Aurora chuckled and nodded.

"Hahaha… you don't even know the half of it. Red was so hard to take down. I didn't help myself in focusing on developing my aura more. My goal was to be a master aura guardian, not a Pokémon Master. Red's goal was to be a Pokémon Master, but he did still try to develop his aura. In our aura sparring, just like Red constantly beat me in Pokémon battles, I constantly beat him in guardian fights. We used the other to grow what we were lacking compared to the other person." Aurora continued.

"You two seemed to have a good dynamic." Ash noted.

"Yeah… I guess we did." Aurora made a sad, but longing smile. She shook her head from the negativity rising in her. She instead said this, "Eventually, we had you and you were the greatest thing to ever happen to both of us. Your smile was so precious and your eyes constantly looked around. You were a nosy one, but you were quite a cute baby!"

"Mom…" Ash's cheeks were visibly flushed upon hearing that.

"Sorry, dear. You were just so cute! You've grown into quite the handsome boy, too. You've taken quite a lot of your looks from your father." Aurora winked at him.

"Mom!" Ash had the urge to cover his face.

"Ah… I'm glad I no longer need to hold back embarrassing you. This will be a treat in the future." Aurora laughed.

"Please don't…" Ash's face was completely red at this point.

"I'm sorry… you're just so precious to me. I want to savor moments like these since we have quite a lot a time to make up." Aurora said. Her eyes turned more reserved and she appeared nervous. She added in nearly a whisper, "I'm also a little afraid of not being the best mother to you. I don't want to mess up now that we're together again."

Ash's face turned back to normal and his eyes turned soft upon hearing that. He replied, "I think… you don't have to worry too much. We'll take things as they come. I can't wait to learn more from and about you."

"Thank you, Ash. I'll try my hardest to provide any answer I know." Aurora said.

Aurora suddenly got up. She brought out her hand for her son to take. Ash seemed a little embarrassed, but obliged anyway. Aurora gripped his hand firmly and led him out of the room. Aurora eventually led him out of the house and walked to the forest with Ash looking around himself more properly. Aurora seemed intent on trying to go somewhere specific, though what Ash wasn't sure. She suddenly stopped in front of the tree that would lead to Mt. Silver Cave.

"Grab my hands and hold on." Aurora suddenly began to hover above the ground slightly. Ash got the idea and held on to her hands. Soon, Aurora hovered to where they both were no longer touching the ground. Aurora slowly lifted Ash up until they both were above the forest. With a bit of a smirk, Aurora began to carry herself and Ash through the sky.

Aurora began to pick up her pace slightly. Ash enjoyed the breeze and being this high in the sky. He looked up at Aurora. She seemed to be focused on taking them somewhere from the air, but seemed to also be enjoying herself. Aurora threw Ash up high without warning. Ash gasped as he found himself much higher than Aurora. Aurora giggled as she flew up and caught him as he was falling. She was twisting her body around in the sky, enjoying the feeling.

Aurora now had her arms hugging around Ash's torso. Ash was blushing at the contact, but Aurora was too busy flying to care. She wanted to make sure Ash was more secure, so she didn't care if he felt a little awkward. Once his embarrassment began to fade away, Ash began to take notice to the large shroud of purple cloudy gas in the distance. Aurora was flying in its direction, but Ash noticed that she was descending.

Aurora had begun to descend where there were less trees. Soon, they were officially out of the forest. Aurora descended until they both were hovering slightly above the ground. There was a bit of a path leading into a fairly large city. Ash looked around himself. He recognized the area as the area he saw in Aurora's picture with Mirabelle and Raven. He realized he was in Yousei City.

The city had a mystical feel, combining bits of the forest with urban planning and advancement. Ash felt like he was still in the forest for the most part. Just like in Shingetsu Town, there were plenty of berry trees everywhere. Almost every corner in the city had a berry tree. He also noticed quite a few people out in the morning, many of them going to their jobs. He didn't see a single car on the streets. The only mobiles he saw was a couple of ambulances near a hospital.

Ash even noticed a few people hovering or flying to get to where they needed to go. The sight of it was both odd and exciting to him. He knew that almost everyone here was a guardian of some sort and seeing a guardian city was really neat to him. It was quite the change from how other regions were like.

However, he knew a lot of eyes were focusing on him and Aurora. He even noticed people talking about the two as they flew through the city. Ash heard people gasping and some speculating who, as the townsfolk was calling him, 'the spiky boy in the Champ's arms' is. Aurora was ignoring everyone, but instead started to fly a little bit more quickly. Aurora continued until the two of them made it to this massive statue in the center of the city.

Ash noticed the grey statue depicted Mew and a feminine looking dragon. Mew was in her cat-like form. The dragon was much larger than Mew and seemed to look like Nyxcipher, but toned down. She had curled horns and a smaller snout. She had large wings and was standing four-legged with sharp claws. The Pokémon appeared to have flowers growing on her, too.

Aurora dropped Ash lightly on the ground and landed beside him. Ash wondered why she brought them here and asked her. Aurora nodded. She brought out her hand toward the statue. The statue began to glow yellow as the town began to rumble. Several people began to crowd around the two and the statue. Aurora stopped and the statue returned to normal. The townsfolk looked at their Champion in both confusion and awe. They all knew what that glowing meant.

Aurora turned to Ash and said, "Ashton… I want you to do the same. Channel your power to the statue for it to identify you and your presence to the town."

"Uh… I… I can try." Ash was caught a little off guard with her calling him by his full name, but nevertheless did what she wanted.

Ash brought his hand out and concentrated his aura into the statue. The statue felt a little intimidating and he felt like he was making himself vulnerable. He looked at Aurora, unsure. Aurora looked at him with a neutral expression. Her eyes offered no help. Her yellow and red eyes instead were stern. He knew that she wanted him to do this on his own. Ash's closed his eyes and his marks began to glow brightly. Several people gasped upon seeing the two z-like marks be more present on the young Ketchum's face.

"This kid isn't normal…" An old man noted.

"Aurora isn't the youngest Ketchum now? How is this possible? I thought her son died." A woman asked.

"Who is this boy?" Several people were asking between themselves at this point.

The town began to rumble much more vigorously. People struggled to keep their balance. Then, the dragon's eyes began to glow gold. It spoke in a soft voice, "Greetings, young Ketchum. Congratulations on reunited with your mother."

"Mother? The lost Ketchum has been found?" A man called out. Several people began to talk among themselves. Aurora's eyes began to glow. Aurora narrowed them as she waved her hand as she released a shockwave of energy to silence everyone. Everyone immediately stopped talking. Ash gasped. Aurora regarded herself in a way that commanded respect. The citizens of Yousei recognized it, too. Aurora nodded to them in confirmation.

"Uh… hi and thank you. Who… are you?" Ash asked somewhat timidly.

"I am Verdania, guardian of Yousei and the Verdant Defender. I am the counterpart to Nyxcipher. I suppose you've encountered my older brother already?" Verdania inquired.

"Yes." Ash nodded.

"Ah… he's always been a wily one." Ash heard a pause from the statue. Then, she continued, "With your presence here, Ashton Cornelius Ketchum, he will likely try to go after you much more vigorously than before. He's not going to want you to get much stronger than you are. I will protect you from his nightmares, but for a limited time."

"How long?" Ash asked, somewhat curious.

"Until you complete your training and begin traveling your home region properly. I want to make sure you mind stays clear as you train for the next few years. You will be instrumental in the Second Great Prophecy."

"…" Ash looked down and sighed. He hated when someone mentioned the prophecy at this point.

"Auroralia was prudent in alerting me to your presence. Consider my protection as a way to ease my mother's mind. She worries much about you and Auroralia." Verdania told them.

"Auroralia is your real name?" Ash turned to Aurora. Aurora's revealed some weakness in her eyes as she curtly nodded. She was hiding a bit of a blush. She seemed embarrassed about the name.

"Yes, but that's the name given to me by Mew. My mom shortened it to 'Aurora' since she liked the name better and it reminded her of the bond she shares with Dad. I like my name as 'Aurora', too. I really don't like being called 'Auroralia', so I don't tell people that's my real name." Aurora revealed.

"That is insignificant, Auroralia. You should be proud to have been named by my mother." Verdania chided. Aurora sighed, rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in slight irritation. She heard this multiple times.

Verdania focused her attention on Ash again, "Ashton, step forward and touch my statue. I will bless you with pleasant dreams and an ease of mind for your training duration."

Ash did has instructed. The entire statue began to glow white. Then, the stone figure began to glow green. The green spread to Ash. Ash panicked at first, unsure to do about the foreign entity. Eventually, his body began to relax and he seemed visibly happy. Ash then poured more of his energy into the statue. The statue transferred the energy into an explosion of aura that poured over the town. The townsfolk seemed much more chipper than earlier. Ash turned around and noticed his effort. He seemed pleased with the effect.

"Your heart is pure, Ashton. I appreciate what you did for my people just now. Stay pure. I sense that if you feel betrayed and those feelings aren't dealt with swiftly, you would fall to a much darker path than you are on currently. Don't ever let hatred or resentment build up in your heart." Verdania warned.

Ash's thoughts immediately strayed to Delia. He narrowed his eyes in anger and curled his fist. He turned his head, closed his eyes, but uncurled his fist. He took a deep breath and began to think more positively again. Aurora took notice and decided to keep a closer eye on the boy.

"I'll try my hardest. Thank you Verdania." Ash bowed.

"Of course. Best of luck in your training." Verdania said. She regarded the rest of the people. "People of Yousei, you are to treat the newly found Ketchum with the same respect you treat your Champion. Make sure he feels comfortable whenever he visits and spread the word for those who weren't here to witness this speech. Always live your lives to the fullest, my children."

With that, the statue stopped glowing green. Then, its red eyes dimmed until it stopped completely. The people began to crowd around the Ash and his mother. They all were staring at them. Ash felt very nervous, but Aurora stood in front of him defensively. Aurora noticed someone moving through the crowd of people until a dark skinned slightly overweight old lady walked in front of Aurora. She had a long green and white striped staff in her hand. Her eyes were closed, but she had a clover shaped marker on her forehead. Aurora visibly relaxed.

The lady was dressed in some white rags. She had some wrinkles on her face and it was clear she was old. She was walking with a hunch. If Ash didn't know better, he would think this woman was homeless. The boy wasn't sure. Yet, she seemed to be the happiest of everyone there. Her face appeared stern and tough, but he could tell she had a lot of playfulness. She had long white hair tied in a bun.

"Meema…?" Aurora said. The woman whacked Aurora on her head. Aurora recoiled in pain. Aurora rubbed her head sorely, "Ouch!"

"Hello dear. It's been a while since I've seen you two together." The old woman suddenly turned her body toward Ash. Ash suddenly became a little more self-conscious. The lady did the same thing to Ash's head. Ash took it significantly worse than Aurora. The old lady knocked the wind out of him and he fell on the ground. The elder seemed to find this amusing as she brought her staff down from Ash to grab. Once Ash grabbed it, he was yanked up by the surprisingly strong woman. The woman then opened her eyes and revealed that they were a cloudy brown. Ash gasped in surprise. The lady chuckled, "Heh. Surprised to find out I'm blind? Been like this my entire life."

"I… uh…. I'm…" Ash started, but Meema interrupted.

"A boy that is much more blind in his short life than I have been in my entire life. Yes, that's quite obvious." Meema chuckled and finished for him. Ash didn't seem amused. The lady turned to Aurora. "Aurora… expect to see me visit you and your son in the next few days. I want to open his eyes so they won't be cloudy anymore. I'm happy you got him here to be blessed by Verdania. Hahaha… to be blessed by the Verdant Defender, a great change must happen. Seems like you two have been through a lot."

"You're not wrong. You'll be able to find your way?" Aurora asked. Meema shook her head and laughed.

"Naturally. Just as I sense the single Joltik in Musafsa Fields crawling around trying to find food, I can sense your two auras miles from me. Now… don't you think you should be going? You're going to be quite busy soon." Meema pointed out.

"Yes." Aurora suddenly hovered above the ground slightly. She wrapped her arms around Ash's torso and lifted him up. They both started to hover above the ground slightly. She regarded the rest of the city, "I'm sorry for interrupting you and your lives. I didn't mean to start so much of a ruckus."

"Eh, don't worry about it. This was necessary for focusing your young one in the future. Now, go on, dear. I'll see you soon." Meema said.

Aurora nodded and flew off with Ash into the sky. The people of Yousei waved at them goodbye and felt as though Verdania's statue speaking was a sign of good tidings. Once Aurora and Ash was no longer visibly in the sky, the people went off to their normal lives. Meema smiled cheekily and began to wander toward Mufusa Fields, hitting the ground with her staff as a way to gather information about her physical surroundings.

Ash found himself looking back at Yousei City as Aurora carried him. He felt an odd sense of comfort being there. The people, though curious, seemed to be kind and they all treated Aurora as though she was one of them, if not as a leader. Ash wondered why that was. It seemed much more than just Aurora being the Champion of the region.

Ash looked up at the focusing Aurora to ask, "Who was that, Mom? The weird old lady."

"Hahaha. She's my nonbiological grandma. Her name is Margaret Devine Lunette. Marge for short. She's also known as the Velvet Eclipse. She was one of my teachers growing up, being my father's old teacher, actually." Aurora explained.

"Velvet Eclipse, huh? How come? Also, how old is Marge if she was your dad's teacher?" Ash asked.

"Meema is known as the Velvet Eclipse because she is known for helping those behind the scenes in a way most people don't appreciate at first. She's very nice, albeit a little mischievous because she enjoys watching you be confused until you have your 'aha' moment." Aurora fondly replied. As for Ash's other question, Aurora answered. "Also, Meema is ninety."

"What?! I knew she looked old, but she didn't look that old! She looked like she was a little older than Professor Oak." Ash noted.

"Hehe. I heard from her that her darker skin helped her not to age as visibly, but trust me, Meema is as old as they come. She's been whacking people with her staff for decades." Aurora chuckled.

"I… noticed." Ash sighed and shook his head. His head still had some throbbing from how hard Marge hit it. He found himself at awe of how strong she was considering her age. Aurora chuckled.

"You'll love her. I'll admit I wasn't expecting you to reunite with her quite yet, but your aura is much more potent than I thought it would be. I saw a good portion of Yousei curious about Verdania being present and you." Aurora told him.

"Hmm…" Ash closed his eyes in thought. He didn't like being stared at by everyone. It made him feel a little like a freak, even among guardians. Aurora noticed this and sighed. She didn't want him to feel awkward or uncomfortable, but knew it was too late for that.

"We'll get back to the house soon. I'll imagine Serena and the Pokémon waking up soon and I don't want them to worry. Hold on tight. I'm going to increase my speed." Aurora suddenly made herself go faster as she and Ash entered Yousei Forest.

Aurora maintained her quickened pace even when she descended into the actual forest. Ash found himself impressed with her expert movements, swerving past the trees effortlessly. Eventually. Aurora stopped in front of one tree and phased through it. When Aurora and Ash got out, they were back near Red's old home. Aurora gently flew herself and Ash back to the entrance, but they both were surprised at what they saw.

Ash and Aurora saw themselves outside interacting with Serena, Pikachu, Espeon and Chari. They saw themselves trying to stall the others from leaving the house. Serena gasped when she noticed another Ash and Aurora behind them. Chari looked a little confused, then growled at the Ash and Aurora that was in front of them. She immediately used Flamethrower on the Aurora lookalike. The duplicate Aurora smirked and dodged immediately.

The duplicates looked significantly more playful than before. Ash was confused, while Aurora chuckled and shook her head. She greeted, "Hello Mew."

The Ash and Aurora lookalikes nodded to each other and started to transform. They turned into two small pink balls of energy and combined to be a moderately sized ball of energy. A creature emerged from the light. It had large blue eyes and looked like a combination of a fetus and a cat. She smiled warmly at everyone.

Serena gasped and stepped back. She never saw Mew in the flesh before and she looked much cuter than she expected. She shook her head away from her expectations. She didn't like the mythical Pokémon for what she made Ash and Aurora go through and for threatening her to duel her in a guardian fight. Her fists were glowing a faint pink in irritation.

Mew's large eyes wandered to Serena for a split second before focusing her attention on Ash and Aurora. Serena became a little unnerved at the sight. Mew looked even more daunting than Delia when she noticed something off. Her guard rose drastically. Mew smirked with a mix of taunting and challenge at the girl.

"Serena, are you alright from yesterday?" Ash immediately went over to Serena and checked on her. He noticed that she looked better than normal and her clothes were bright. The boy wondered what Mew did while he was gone.

Serena nodded. She stretched herself out and beamed at Ash. "I feel very alive actually! I… don't think I ever want to go through that again, but I have to, I would."

"I wouldn't want you to. I'm just happy you feel better." Ash said.

"That's my doing, actually. Serena wouldn't have been able to move for a few days if I didn't heal her overnight." Mew revealed. Serena widened her eyes. She approached the legendary.

"You healed me?" Serena said in surprise.

"Naturally. After I dealt with Aurora, I decided to check on everyone. You are Ash's betrothed. So, to make him happy, I healed you." Mew told her. Serena realized that Mew only healed her because of Ash, but she still didn't expect to be tended to by the pixie. She was a little grateful, but curious if she could get Mew to care about her more.

"… Well, thank you, Mew." Serena said politely. Mew could tell she said that as a formality and could pick up on Serena's hesitance toward her. She smirked.

"No problem, girl. I look forward to our future interactions. Seems like you're going to be quite different than the quiet and respectable Redrick… I like that." Mew winked. She then turned to Ash and Aurora and said, "I heard that Verdania blessed Ash to be protected from Nyxcipher's nightmares as you train him. Smart. We don't need any self-doubt given from my eldest son."

"How did you know…?" Ash blinked his eyes, but Mew chuckled and interrupted him.

"I'm everywhere, dear. I am Mother Nature and Mother Earth. I feel every living creature's aura on and beneath me, but I have the ability to focus on a few people if I so chose. It's why I happen to know things that I probably shouldn't." Mew explained.

"So, you're constantly eavesdropping." Ash frowned.

"For the most part, yeah!" Mew answered, somewhat chipper. Ash gave her a stinky look. Mew raised her hands up in defense. She said, "Oh, don't look at me like that. Constantly hearing voices from both people and Pokémon drives me crazy. I try to block out what I sense most of the time, actually. I'd be crazier than I already am if I didn't."

"I see." Ash narrowed his eyes.

"Here." Mew suddenly gave Ash a Poke Ball. Ash realized Pidgeot was in it. "Pidgeot tried returning when you and Aurora left, so I decided to catch her in your likeness. I'm going to transfer her and the rest of the Pokemon you've caught over the years to various places in the Tree. However, I will do that after you and your mother gets settled in."

Ash felt a little sad that he didn't throw the Poke Ball to catch Pidgeot again, but appreciative that Mew helped him. He thanked the pixie.

"No problem. In any case, are you two ready to head to the Tree of Beginning with me? I would just teleport everyone to the entrance or would you rather go the long way and fly there? Completely up to you and your mother." Mew offered.

Ash and Aurora looked at each other. Aurora's eyes looked gentle and she gestured Ash to go with what he wanted. Ash appreciated it. Ash took a deep breath and asked, "Mew, do you know what virtuous psychics are? Also, where is Professor Oak? He never explained why he kept Mom a secret from me…"

Mew stared into the boy's eyes, studying them. She could see the confusion etched on his face. He seemed so desperate to learn more. She glanced at Aurora. She seemed a little uncomfortable hearing this and slightly hurt. Then, the pixie saw a minor nod, she seemed sad. Mew grew slightly gloomy. Both her Ketchums looked distressed. Then, she nodded in acceptance.

"I do… and I will answer your questions and more, young master." Ash raised an eyebrow when Mew called him 'young master'. He wondered what was up. She continued, "Virtuous psychics… and their counterpart, dark aura guardians, were my second version of psychics and guardians after the Malladus and your lines. It was my first attempt to weakening guardians and psychics when I thought your family lines were too powerful."

Ash and Aurora gestured her to continue. It seemed like Aurora didn't know about that herself and she wanted to learn more. The best book was from someone who lived through an event rather than from a text to her.

"As with making the world, creating aura guardians and psychics were a bit of trial and error. It took me a while to tone down their potential to where I felt guardians and psychics would be manageable.. Virtuous psychics are really called twilight psychics. Dark aura guardians are really called dusk guardians, but the past wars have slowly warped their classifications. Make me sad, but humans change over time." Mew explained.

"Twilight psychics and dusk guardians don't have the combined power of two people like Ketchums do, but they have the ability to cancel the other's power's out. They can disable the abilities of their opposite, but this is at the cost of disabling their own power when pitted against their opposite. However, when I weakened guardians and psychics further to their present states, dusk guardians could outright disable regular psychics while the reverse was true for twilight psychics. They were able to keep using their power against their regular counterparts, too. Their lines dwindled in size over time, like yours did, but much more violently." Mew continued.

"In recent times, Charles Malladus grew wary of guardians that can disable his power. Unlike Aurora, he never figured out that the counterplay for a Malladus against a dark aura guardian is to have a solid bond with his other side and switch when necessary. Instead, he instigated the Hybrid Purge, annihilating every hybrid or dark guardian in the world. He influenced the Pokémon League to encourage discrimination by psychics against guardians and vice versa. Unfortunately, I decided to intervene at the war's aftermath. I felt it necessary to balance things a bit." Mew closed her eyes and sighed. Her eyes turned cold as they became as grey as an overcast sky. Ash and Aurora was unnerved by the change. Her voice carried out to be much more dark and serious.

"In order to balance out the death of nearly every dusk guardian, I killed every twilight guardian but one. Delilah Twilight was the one I spared and there were two reasons for that. I spared her because she had been adopted by Gordon and I didn't want to devastate him. I also spared her because I knew one dusk guardian child had survived the purge. Her name is Raven Dusk. Eye for an eye… a guardian for a psychic." Mew said.

"Mew… two wrongs don't make a right. I didn't know you were the reason why there aren't any vir… twilight psychics left. That's horrible." Aurora looked at Mew, disgusted. Ash and Serena were getting creeped out by Mew talking about this so casually. Aurora was beginning to get a bit nervous being around Mew, too. She had never seen Mew change her eyes to be grey. Mew carried herself out to be a cold judge of humanity.

"I acknowledge your statement to be true, my dear, but as nature itself, I adapt to the nature of the creatures around me. I will react similarly to my children to balance things out. The imbalance of psychics to guardians was too much for this world to take, so I took action. A drastic change in the world is the only time I can take action." Mew replied.

"…" Aurora didn't know how to respond to that. Mew's eyes changed back to being blue and softer.

"Why are you intervening in mine and Mom's lives then? Not sure what the drastic change is here." Ash asked, somewhat irritated.

"Here's the thing… I know that I shouldn't be interfering. I wouldn't as much, normally, and I've been punished by Arceus for doing so. However, I also know that if I don't, the Second Prophecy will bring ruin to the world. I must be careful about what I say because anything can influence what happens in the future. It's a bigger burden than you realize, Ash." Mew sighed in sadness.

"…" Ash didn't know how to respond. His marks started to glow blue in respond to his melancholy for Mew.

"I'm sorry for mentioning that." Mew shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry for being insensitive. I wasn't thinking about you're feeling about all this. Just… everything that's happened recently as made my mind and heart all scattered. I'm not sure what to believe anymore..." Ash admitted.

"Ash…" Aurora softly placed her hand on his cheek in concern. She was looking into his eyes and she noticed he seemed sad.

"Mom, please make sure I stay on the right path. I'm so afraid of the damage I can do if I'm angry. I want to help make the good future the world deserves… and I don't want to see Mew so visibly stressed out." Ash said while looking down.

"Young one, I will abide by your wishes. Also know that you have Serena, your Pokémon and even Mew. We're all here for you." Aurora made a small reassuring smile.

"Thank you." Ash moved away from Aurora to stand in front of Mew. He asked, "Mew… can you tell me where the professor is?"

"He went back to Kanto. Kantonians are not so quick to accept guardians like Hokorians are and he didn't want anyone to be suspicious of him being gone too long. He will visit us soon." Mew replied.

"Is people being unaccepting the reason why he kept Mom from me?" Ash asked.

"That's part of it. Another part is that you were too young and highly unlikely to believe Sam if he tried telling you. He decided when you grew old enough, he would tell you. He planned on telling you when you turned eighteen. Fortunately, Aurora regained her memory and sought you out first. The last part is not invoking Delilah's wrath should he try to take you away from her. He was aware that Delilah kidnapped you, but didn't want to start a conflict with the last remaining twilight psychic, so he kept a low profile. Samuel isn't the strongest guardian because he wasn't born one so he knew he would lose." Mew explained.

"What?!" Ash and Aurora said in surprise.

"Oh... haha. Right. I suppose you wouldn't have known that from how he carries himself, but yes, Samuel wasn't born a guardian. After his adventure with Ash as his past self, he began to look into the legendary Pokemon's lore more. He found himself intrigued with Celebi and started to search for him more. He became more involved with the legends... way more than a normal human should." Mew explained.

Ash and Aurora gestured Mew to continue.

"I took notice to Samuel when he met Gordon when they both were young adults. The two became fast friends. As a way to protect Samuel, Gordon's father, Louie, wished that Sam was a guardian." Mew continued.

"Why would the professor need protection?" Ask wondered. Aurora widened her eyes.

"I... think I'd know why. Dad was into super dangerous stuff when he was young. I think Grandpa didn't want Dad to be devastated should anything happen to Sam." Aurora guessed.

"Exactly. This was the first time I granted a wish like this, so I decided to play it safe with Samuel's powers. I also decided not to enable his descendants to became guardians as the wish was specifically for Samuel to become a guardian. Samuel is very self-conscious about being a guardian in Kanto, so I don't think he would want to worry about his family drawing attention to themselves." Mew continued.

"So Gary isn't a guardian..." Ash said, slightly dissapointed.

"Nope, but your rival is aware of guardians from his research. I don't think Samuel ever told his family about his status, actually. He wanted to keep everything normal when he was in Kanto. He liked being an established professor." Mew said.

"That makes sense. I want to ask him more later." Ash decided.

"Understandable." Mew closed her eyes and began to glow a bright pink. She smirked at everyone. "Ready to depart what will be the toughest part of your life training-wise?"

Ash looked at Aurora for guidance. She raised her hands up and said with a mischievous smirk, "Hey, I've been ready ever since you were seven. I'll be happy when you finally are ready. Are you ready to train with me, young one?"

"… I am." Ash hesitated slightly. Aurora took notice, but decided not to say anything. She merely began to observe him closer. Ash said with a stronger voice, "I'm going to work on getting stronger and… I'm going to be best guardian ever. No will be able to stop me when I'm done! Serena, are you willing to join me and train?"

"I'm not into training, but I can think of some neat combinations with my Pokémon while there." Serena replied. Aurora snapped her fingers as though she had an idea.

"Serena, I can help you a bit. I was a decent Coordinator a good while ago. I want to see if we can work on maximizing Sylveon's potential since Happy is one of my partners." Aurora offered. Serena's eyes lit up upon hearing that.

"That would be amazing! Thank you, Aurora!" Serena said excitedly.

"It will be my pleasure." Aurora chuckled. She immediately began to observe Ash again. He appeared to be in better spirits, but she could tell something was off with him.

"That's the spirit! Let's head to Aurora's home now." The pink glow spread to encompass everyone in front of Red's house.

Ash took one last look at Red's house and sighed. He could help but feel sad. It was the end of one life, but the beginning of another. Although he knew nothing could be the same again, part of him wondered if this was some sort of bizarre dream. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but he decided to keep walking forward to see where the future would take him. Ash hoped that his mother would provide proper guidance for what he should do. For now, training seemed to be the right thing. He closed his eyes in thought and hid some tears from everyone.

With a loud cry, Mew teleported everyone to the Tree of Beginning.

From an unknown location…

A old man was listening intently to a lady that rushed in to his office. She seemed heavily distressed and tattered. Her clothes were torn and her eyes screamed anxiety. The man figured the lady went through a lot just to get to him. He figured he should allow the lady to explain herself. So, she did. She explained the confrontation she had, but left out her moment of weakness. The old man listened intently and seemed to be deliberating with himself.

"…I fought as hard as I could, but I wasn't able to take Ash with me. I tried, but Aurora successfully made Ash regain most of his memories. However, I was able to strike down Aurora before I left. I'm pretty sure her Pokémon healed her, but my power should leave her out of commission for a while." The woman finished her story and fell on her knees. She seemed shaken and exhausted.

"I figured this would happen, but it isn't the end of the world, Delia." The old man said in response. The woman gasped in surprise.

"Charles?" Delia blinked. The old man chuckled darkly.

"We'll just need to change our plans. Let them think they're in the clear for now. We need Ash to grow strong. It'll just take some doubt for him to slowly gravitate toward us and based on what you've told me, you've messed with his mind quite a bit."

"Ash tried to kill me." Delia said, somewhat disturbed. She shrieked in a panicked voice once that sentence sank in, "He literally tried to kill me! His sword was right at my chest! I could feel him wanting to impale me, but he held back for Aurora's sake. That kid… terrifies me. You didn't see how cold and dark his eyes were."

"Oh?" Charles seemed intrigued by Delia's description.

"He was so… ruthless. I'm so afraid to invoke his rage. His movement was so controlled and his precision with his sword seemed so deadly. Ash while angry seemed like he would ravage whole cities if left unchecked." Delia was visibly shaking. Charles watched the woman in both slight concern, intrigue and delight. He made a devilish grin.

"This is good to hear. Ash invoking fear in his stance is a good thing if we want to bring back Nyxcipher. Ash isn't used to have having destructive bouts of anger. He'll be terrified of himself for what he almost did to you. We can use that to our advantage. You've done well. I commend you for taking the risk to shoot your electricity at Ash just to get Aurora unable to react to protect herself in time. That was quite devious!"

"Uh… thank you, sir." Delia said bashfully.

"Heh… don't call me sir. You know that I'm… your father. Well, the father that actually cares about you…" Charles tapered off upon seeing the cold and crazed look in Delia's eyes.

"…" Delia began to snarl fiercely. She seemed upset. Charles immediately tried to calm her down.

"Easy there. I'm sorry for making you think about what he did to you…" Charles apologized. Delia took a deep breath and nodded.

"It's fine. I'm happy you took me in and cared about me when that deadbeat Gordon didn't." Delia said.

"In any case, we still have a secret weapon up our sleeve I know would break Aurora down. Something tells me Aurora won't be down for long despite your psychic energy and I know why. That pixie is troublesome, but there is only so much she can interfere with. We have a lot more resources than them, so let's build them up further. We'll watch from afar." Charles decided.

"Of course." Delia bowed in respect.

"Hey… how would you feel to exact some revenge in the next couple of years? I have a plan that will both break down the Ketchum family and possibly get Ash to corrupt a bit once their guard is lowered. It'll involve something that hasn't been a factor that will play a major role." Charles said.

"I would like that very much. What do you have in mind… Father?" Delia asked. Charles chuckled and began telling her of his idea. Once he was done, Delia looked slightly unnerved, then made a devious smirk. She cackled, "That… is some well deserved justice. I can't wait until we can… make our mark… on the Ketchums."

A/N: With this, the plot has been setup for the next book. Aaaaah, I feel so excited to expand upon the seeds I planted here. Can't wait to showcase them... in the fall.

Unfortunately, I will not put up Tales of a Rising Master until the beginning of next year. I want to keep up some level of consistency, but stay consistent for the next book, too. I want to type as many chapters of the book as possible before I submit anything. I probably won't submit anything until January 1st, 2019. Check my profile for occasional and more in depth updates.

You could follow me if you want to be notified of the next book coming out, but that is your choice~

Well, it's been a pleasure and a half working on this. I'm thankful to everyone who managed to read almost 500,000 words of my little idea. That's insane to me. Take care, everyone and I will see you some time~

Next book: Tales of a Rising Master

Prologue: What Even Is My Life Now?!

Until then...

~SPG123~