After Lucario shook off his pursuers,
He swiftly arrived at a glowing blue crystal and infused it with Aura to establish communication.
And the one on the other end of that connection—
was none other than the legendary Aura Hero—Sir Aaron.
Aaron—a name spoken only in legends.
But now, that very legend had materialized before the eyes of all watching the live broadcast.
It turned out that even so-called myths could one day become reality.
In the projection, Aaron wore a black cloak,
and the most striking feature was the blue-and-black hat atop his head.
Coupled with those pure, sky-colored blue eyes—
just one glance, and his image etched itself deeply into everyone's heart.
Standing beside Aaron was a girl dressed in resplendent royal attire.
Lucario reported everything he had seen and heard.
After listening carefully, the young girl fell silent for a moment before saying solemnly:
"As the sovereign of this nation, I shall live and die with my castle."
"Princess Linne…"
[Irene: That's Ancestor Linne! She's even more beautiful than in the portraits!]
[Professor Oak: So her name was Linne… Looks like this footage really is from a thousand years ago. But how's this connected to Ash?]
[Cynthia: No wonder your name looked familiar, Irene. You're the current Queen of Orudoran, aren't you? This must be footage of that legendary battle.]
[Irene: I'm honored that Champion Cynthia knows of me.]
[Cynthia: As a mythologist, I've studied such legends before—this one's tied to the Tree of Beginning itself.]
[Gardenia: Wait, something's off—why does the modern world still have a queen?!]
[Bruno: Kid, you don't get it. It's hereditary—just a title, not real political power.]
[Gardenia: Tsk… Kanto really is backward, still clinging to feudal nonsense.]
[Irene: Lucario: What?]
[lance: Lucario: What?]
[Bruno: Lucario: What?]
In Orudoran,
Irene stared dumbfounded at the scrolling comments.
This guy… is he crazy?
[Lorelei: You've got less sense than Lance! She's got her own castle, officially recognized by the League! If Irene isn't a queen, then who are you?]
[Gardenia: I'm a guy. Guess that makes me the emperor.]
[Lorelei: ???]
[Lucian: Sorry everyone, I let Gardenia wander off. I'll go fetch him right now.]
Sinnoh Region, Hearthome City.
Gardenia strolled leisurely down the street, unconcerned by Lucian's "threats."
Yeah right—like he has time to chase me with all that paperwork.
But then—
a flash of blue light engulfed him and yanked him into the sky.
"Gardenia, time to work overtime!"
"Whoa! Lucian! You actually came?!"
Gardenia looked up to see Lucian, eyes ringed with exhaustion.
He really meant it?!
Meanwhile, in the projection—
Lucario was finally caught up to.
Three Houndooms clad in crimson armor burst out of the sandstorm.
Fortunately, Lucario had already relayed his intel to Aaron,
so he could now focus entirely on the enemies before him.
Even with all three Houndooms attacking in unison,
they couldn't even scratch him.
The gap between them was obvious.
If nothing unexpected happened—
something unexpected did happen.
A sudden gust blew sand straight into Lucario's eyes.
Momentarily blinded, he lost his sight completely.
The atmosphere in the viewing room tightened—
Would Lucario lose because of this?
But their worries were unnecessary.
Even without sight, Lucario's Aura flared to its limit instead of weakening.
A visible wave of blue energy surged from his body.
Within his mind, a detailed three-dimensional map of the terrain took shape—
and his foes were right there, glowing red.
Losing his vision hadn't crippled him.
It had freed him.
"The Aura is with me."
Lucario raised both hands high.
Twin orbs of blue light spun rapidly between his palms.
In the next instant, they shot out—
slamming into the two Houndooms flanking him,
crashing them into the rocks, instantly defeated.
The last Houndoom froze, unable to comprehend the sudden reversal.
Lucario showed no mercy.
He placed his palms together at his waist—
"Boom!"
The Aura Sphere struck the last target dead-on.
The entire battle lasted less than ten seconds.
[Professor Professor Kukui: Incredible! As expected of a legendary figure—this Lucario is unbelievably strong!]
[Korrina: Why can't my Lucario be that awesome?! So this is the power of the Aura Hero!]
[Cynthia: Even my Lucario can't match that level of Aura control.]
[Gurkinn: I've seen dozens of Lucarios, but none with such natural talent for Aura—not even my own.]
[Korrina: Not even Grandpa's?! That's insane!]
At the Shalour Gym,
Korrina finally realized how vast the gap in Pokémon talent could be.
She had personally witnessed her grandfather Gurkinn's Lucario in battle—
a Lucario famed across Kalos.
Even now, aside from Champion Diantha and the Elite Four,
few could boast of defeating him.
His Lucario's Aura mastery was legendary,
its predictive intuition astonishing challengers for years.
Yet even Gurkinn admitted—
his Lucario's Aura paled in comparison to Aaron's.
And this was the frightening part:
Pokémon from the modern age were supposed to be stronger, not weaker.
Systematic training, better understanding—everything had advanced.
Yet Aaron's Lucario still surpassed them all.
What kind of terrifying genius was that?
[Ash: Wait, did no one else see Ho-Oh fly past?!]
[Gary: Huh? Don't start with that again—there's no Ho-Oh.]
[Ash: I swear I saw it!]
In the projection—
After defeating the Houndooms, Lucario expanded his Aura,
scanning the entire canyon despite still being blind.
His goal: the battlefield where the two armies clashed.
Meanwhile, within the castle,
Aaron seemed to have made up his mind.
He summoned his Pidgeot and leapt onto its back.
With a single cry, the bird soared toward the heart of the war.
Enemies tried to intercept them,
but Aaron and Pidgeot cut through them all, reaching their destination.
Guided by Aaron's Aura like a beacon,
Lucario soon found him.
But when their eyes met—
Lucario froze.
There was something foreign—something distant—in Aaron's gaze.
"Leave this place, Lucario."
"Lucario: What? What do you mean, leave?"
"I've abandoned the royal castle. I will not return."
"Master, what are you saying?"
Ignoring Lucario's confusion, Aaron ran ahead.
"Please… wait!"
But the only reply was Aaron's staff—
landing gently beside Lucario.
The crystal embedded in it pulsed with blinding light.
Before Lucario could react,
his body was absorbed into the staff—
sealed away.
And Aaron ran on, without looking back.
The viewers were stunned.
The Hero… ran away?
No wonder the legend had two versions.
[Irene: No! My ancestor would never abandon the battlefield!]
[Archie: See that? Even "heroes" are weak men at heart! Only the sea can purify this world!]
[Irene: You're wrong! Lord Aaron saved Orudoran and stopped that war! There must be a reason!]
Back in Orudoran,
Irene gripped her staff tightly.
She could feel it trembling.
Even without sight, she could sense Lucario's anguish.
"You too… don't believe in Lord Aaron?" she whispered.
If Aaron had been a coward,
this staff would never have been kept as a royal heirloom.
Please… let the truth be revealed.
In the footage—
Aaron's steps did not stop.
The battlefield stretched before him—
armies in red and green filling the plain,
the air thick with dread.
From the canyon, Aaron vanished—
and so too did the staff that sealed Lucario.
Cut to the royal castle.
Queen Linne stood on the balcony, hands clasped in prayer.
A piercing eagle cry echoed through the sky.
Pidgeot descended—
the staff clutched gently in its beak.
Linne's eyes widened.
She recognized both the bird and the staff.
And she understood what this meant—
Aaron had entrusted everything to her.
Taking the staff, she looked toward the horizon.
There, bathed in mist and divine light,
a colossal ancient tree stretched to the heavens.
The Tree of Beginning.
Not a Pokémon, but a being that sustained the very fabric of existence.
The projection flickered—
for just a frame, a golden Ho-Oh flew through the Tree of Beginning's canopy…
and in the next instant, it shifted form—
into something else. Something pink and ethereal.
A radiant green light erupted from the tree.
Standing upon the balcony, Linne murmured through tears:
"Aaron… so this was your way."
As her tears fell,
The Tree of Beginning shone brighter still.
The dust-filled skies cleared,
and emerald light filled the world.
The blue crystals scattered around the land responded in kind,
their light weaving together into a net of life that encircled everything.
Under that light,
Humans and Pokémon alike froze mid-battle.
Their rage and fear faded, replaced by peace.
Swords fell.
Poké Balls lowered.
And for the first time,
There was silence.
The war ended.
Aaron had given his life—
and with his final Aura, saved them all.
The imagery began to distort—
The vivid scenes turned into pages of a children's picture book.
Was it over?
No—this was only the beginning.
[Irene: I knew it! My ancestor Aaron was no coward!]
[Ash: Whoa! Mew! That Ho-Oh turned into Mew!]
[Misty: What are you talking about? I didn't see anything!]
[Gary: You know, dogs can see things humans can't… maybe that's you, Ash.]
[Ash: Lucario: What?]
[Cynthia: The footage did glitch for a frame. Too fast for the eye. Ash, you really saw Ho-Oh turn into Mew?]
[Ash: Yeah! Clear as day!]
[Cynthia: The Tree of Beginning and Mew… that makes perfect sense. There might be a question about this in the quiz later.]
[Bruno: As expected of Champion Cynthia! Ash, if you see anything else, tell us right away!]
[Sabrina: Don't. Let them figure it out themselves.]
Some rejoiced at the revelation.
Others mourned in silence.
The Legend of the Aura Hero had always been Orudoran's pride—
but now, knowing the cost,
Who could truly smile?
"Sir Aaron… you were the true hero."
Irene whispered, clutching the staff.
In the final scenes—
The Tree of Beginning was invisible to ordinary eyes.
Even if it stood before you, only the chosen could perceive it.
The projection zoomed out, turning the final page of the illustrated legend.
Modern-day Orudoran.
From afar, there was no sign of the Tree of Beginning—
yet it was still there, unseen.
The city bustled with its annual festival,
celebrating the legend of the Aura Hero.
A Pokémon battle tournament was held,
and the champion of the year would be crowned as that year's "Aura Hero."
It was the city's proudest tradition—and its biggest tourist attraction.
In the crowd, the camera locked onto a trio—
Ash, Brock, and a girl in red.
She was none other than May,
Ash's future traveling companion from the Hoenn Region.
She had already appeared briefly earlier,
so the audience recognized her instantly.
Not that everyone was happy about it.
[Misty: ASH! You two-timing jerk! How dare you travel with another girl behind my back!]
[Ash: Huh?! I didn't even know!]
[Brock: She's cute, but not my type.]
[Delia: Oh, May? What a lovely girl.]
[Steven: Judging by their reactions, this must be a future event. Looks like Ash's journey is even grander than we thought.]
[Korrina: I'm more curious about what's next! Is Ash really Aaron's reincarnation? And can Lucario break the seal?]
[Bea: Yeah! I want to learn Aura too! As a Fighting-type Gym Leader, that's basically a dream power!]
[Bruno: Count me in!]
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