Hey everyone, it's NASA32 and I'm back! With an…updated…chapter. …. I'm sorry for all those who wanted more chapters, but I decided that these previous chapters need re-working. I'm very thankful that you have all been this patient with me, and remember, any constructive criticism is easily welcome. And with that note…ON TO THE STORY!

Pokemon belongs Nintendo and Gamefreak and not me.

Ages:

Ash-14

May-13

Max-9

Brock-17

Chaos reigned throughout the Tree of Beginning. The land shook, the pokemon panicked, and it seemed as if the tree itself would fall apart at the seams. This was because…the tree was dying. In an effort to save the innocent and caring people that come to save a friend, the guardian of the tree had used its energy to save them. Now the tree and all of the pokemon who call it home are in grave peril. But if you think that this is the end of the story, well, you are sorely mistaken.

Line Break

Ash stood in trees' core, the feeling of hopelessness invading every ounce of his body. The tree was dying, and it seemed nothing could be done to help it. His hopeless stupor was broken however, when Kidd cried out.

"Is there anything we can do?!" she near screamed in desperation.

She looked to Lucario who was looking at Mew with a deep focused look on his face. She was about to ask him again, but he quickly turned to the group, blocking he attempt at an outcry.

"Mew has told me that the tree can be saved," he stated, a sad look crossing his face. "The only way it can be saved is for one of us to transfer our aura to Mew, so she in turn can heal the tree."

"But won't that kill you Lucario?" Ash asked; a tone of anxiousness invading his voice. "You saw what happened to Sir Aaron when he did that."

"Yes, it will." Lucario answered, his resolve unwavering. He turned again to face Mew, and raised his hand. "The Aura is with me!" he yelled out, as the swirling blue energy began to form in his paw. He quickly focused the energy, making the sphere of energy grow larger and larger, until it completely covered Mew. Suddenly, he retracted his hand, and the energy around Mew quickly dissipated. "I can't do it," he grunted. "I'm not strong enough"

Around them, the tree shook once more, as if confirming their fears that all hope was lost. Indeed, most of the assembled group had nearly given up on saving the tree. All of them, except for one young man.

"Lucario, you said my aura was similar to Sir Aarons, right?" Ash asked, as he reached down and picked up a pair of black gloves off the ground; quickly slipping them onto his hands. "Well, let's see if that's true."

Slowly, a small blue sphere of energy began to form in Ash's palm. As he began to focus his will, the sphere began to grow larger and larger, soon almost growing to the size of Mew.

Kidd looked between Ash and Lucario in disbelief, "You can't Ash, you'll kill yourself too!"

"No!" Ash yelled, "If I don't do this, the tree will die, and so will all the pokemon who live here."

Lucario looked at Ash, hardly believing what he was seeing. "Ash-" he began to say, but was cut off before he could fully speak.

"I'm not giving up!" Ash yelled, as he pushed more of his aura out into the sphere.

Lucario stared aghast at the young man before him. Ash, the person who; until a few hours ago that is, he disliked because of his resemblance to his former master. Ash, the person who had proved him wrong time and time again about how much he truly cared about pokemon. Ash, the incredible young man who was risking his life for pokemon he didn't even know and with a power he didn't truly understand.

Lucario decided then and there that he couldn't stand by and do nothing.

Pushing his palms out forward once more, Lucario began to add his own aura to Ash's own sphere of aura. Their auras quickly began to rapidly mesh together, soon forming one large sphere around Mew.

As the sphere grew however, the two began to feel great pain. Their focused breaths changed to deep agonizing gulps of air followed by gut wrenching cries of pain. Sparks of energy shot out around them, and to them it felt like fire was flowing through their veins.

Not too far off, Kidd and Ash's pokemon stood; their eyes watching them with intense fear and worry. Pikachu himself stood there helpless as his trainer, his friend, his brother again risked his life to save those that he did not know.

Lucario shook once more with pain and cracked his eyes open. On the other side of the sphere, he could see Ash in the same position as him, still giving out his aura and not backing down at all. He then noticed that his eyes had to also opened, and he quickly nodded to him, giving out the signal that they were almost done. Ash nodded back, and steeled himself for the final push.

"THE AURA IS WITH ME!" they shouted, and they felt the floodgate open. Their aura rushed out toward the sphere, increasing it in both size and brightness. As soon as it had grown however, it turned invisible, leaving a shimmering Mew in its place; the light green aura she gave off light up the room with a calming glow. She quickly flew into the trees' core, and in doing so began to purge the red glow out of the core, healing the tree.

Slowly, power began to flow through the tree once more. The tree stopped shaking, the crystals stopped deteriorating, and throughout the tree it seemed as if the crisis was over. It was almost too good to be true. Then both Ash and Lucario groaned as the pain returned to them, and they collapsed to the ground; sparks of energy coming off their bodies.

"PIKAPI!" Pikachu yelled as he ran over to his best friend; Kidd and his other pokemon following not too far behind.

"Ash, Lucario!" Kidd yelled, "Are you guys ok?"

"No…we're not." Lucario gasped out in pain, "We've nearly used up all our aura, our bodies can't take this strain."

"Pikapi…pi pika Pikachu?" Pikachu cried to Ash, tears steadily falling down his cheeks.

Ash opened his eyes slightly and looked at Pikachu. "I'm…sorry buddy. I hope…you can forgive me…for doing this." he gasped out, his consciousness quickly fading him.

"Ash wait! Don't!" Kidd cried out, but it was too late. Ash's eyes closed, and his head fell limp to one side; Lucario copying his motion a moment later.

A deep silence consumed the tree's core, its occupants not believing what had just occurred. They were in shock, and they were silent. This didn't last for long however, as Pikachu suddenly burst into deep emotional sobs. His outburst opened the metaphorical floodgates for the rest in the room, as they too all dissolved into pitiful sobs.

Mew quickly returned to the group, first looking at the crying group on the floor, then to our two heroes laying on the ground. She quickly flew over to them, putting a hand on each of their foreheads. After a moment, she turned to the group…and spoke.

"There is still time to save them, but me must hurry! Move them over to the crystals." she spoke in a calm but urgent voice.

Shocked out of their sadness, both Kidd and Ash's pokemon wasted no time in following Mews orders. Jumping up to their feet, they all ran to their fallen friends and quickly dragged them over to the crystals Mew had pointed to.

"Now stand back, this should take only a moment." she commanded.

Closing her eyes, Mew was suddenly enveloped in a bright pink aura. Moving her arms out, the aura split off to envelope both the crystals and the bodies of our heroes. After a few moments, she lowered her arms, and the aura faded away. In its place laid Ash and Lucario; both of them lightly breathing.

"Their alive!" Kidd exclaimed. She quickly rushed to the two and put a hand on their necks, still not believing they were alive. The pulse she felt chased any doubt away however, and both she and Ash's pokemon began to cry once more, not in pain but in happiness.

Wiping her eyes, Kidd turned to Mew, who was floating off to the side, giving the group their space.

"You saved them. What did you do?" she asked.

"I just transferred the aura from the crystals over to them," she calmly explained. "While they had used up most of their aura, there was still some left over in their bodies. I was then able to transfer the aura from the crystals to their bodies, allowing them to survive."

Kidd looked at Mew in disbelief, then turned to the pokemon assembled around Ash and Lucario. They had tears of joy in their eyes, and Pikachu was cuddled up in the crook of Ash's neck, not wanting to leave his side. She then turned to look at Mew once more.

"Well then. I think I speak for all of us when I say, thank you. From the bottom of our hearts."

Mew smiled at Kidd, touched by her kind words.

"It was no trouble. After what you all did to help me, it was the least I could do."

She then turned serious once more, looking at them all.

"I recommend that you get these two to a doctor. While they should be fine, it would be best that a real doctor looks at them." she advised.

Kidd nodded, then looked to the cave system that they all used to get to the trees' core. It would be a long climb back to the top, and it would be made even harder by having to carry both Ash and Lucario. Mew seemed to sense her dilemma, and chuckled slightly.

"I can teleport you to the surface if you would like. I'd imagine that it would be much easier than carrying these two up there." she said.

Kidd smiled at Mew. "That would be very helpful thanks."

She quickly moved over to the rest of the group and stood by them. Mew closed her eyes once more and once again was surrounded by a pink aura. Quickly the aura surround Kidd and the others, and with a bright flash of light, they were gone.

Line Break

Up on the surface, another group of people were walking about. They too were looking for their friends, only they didn't have an all-powerful legendary pokemon to help them.

"Oh, come on!" Max yelled in frustration. "We've been at this ledge three times already."

"That tunnel must have been another big circle." Brock replied, his voice layered with both frustration and concern.

"We can't give up though guys, Ash would be looking for us if we were lost." May spoke, not wanting to give up their search.

"We know that May, but we have been going in and out of tunnels for a while now. It was bad enough when the tree was shaking, I don't want to get separated again." Max said, tiredness seeping into his voice.

May was about to reply, but was cut off when a bright light sprang up out of nowhere, temporary blinding them. As soon as it appeared, it receded, and its place stood Kidd, along with the others.

"There you guys are! How did-" Brock quickly cut himself off when he saw Ash and Lucario laying on the ground. "What happened to them?!" he asked as he ran over to the two on the ground, Max and May right on his heels.

"They gave up a lot of their aura to help save the tree," Kidd explained. "Mew was then able to save them, but we should still get them back to the castle as soon as possible."

Brock nodded, his focus till on Ash. "Quick go run and get the Humvee, we'll watch these guys until you get back."

Kidd nodded back, and quickly set of to her car, leaving the others to once again gather around Ash and Lucario, making sure that they were both ok.

Line Break

Lucario awoke to darkness. As far as he could see there was nothing but emptiness and darkness. An eternal void stretched out all around him, and he couldn't feel more alone.

"Looks like we did it, we saved the tree." Lucario said to the empty void. "We sacrificed ourselves so all the pokemon could live."

Lucario stopped for a moment, thinking about what those words meant. It meant that both he AND Ash had died. His thoughts turned to what all his friends must be feeling. He didn't have to worry about that, any family or friends he once had were long dead. Ash however had a family and many friends from what he understood. They must all be devastated. He then thought about his master, and how he had put him in the staff to prevent him from doing what he just done.

His eyes closed and a tear fell down his face. "Ash… Master… I'm sorry."

"There is nothing for you to be ashamed of old friend." A voice called out from the void.

Lucario opened his eyes and spun around in shock. He had thought he was alone in this dark place. Looking around however, he could see no one. There was nothing and nobody.

"Who's there?!" Lucario yelled out to the darkness. "Don't think I didn't hear you, so show yourself!"

"If only I could Lucario." the voice said, its tone somewhat saddened.

Lucario paused for a moment. Why did…whatever that voice was sound sad. It didn't seem like it was going to harm him, but what did it want?

'It said called me something the first time it spoke.' he thought to himself. 'What was it again…old friend- '

Lucario stopped thinking the minute those words went through his mind. It couldn't be, he was dead. Then again so was he, so it wasn't all that crazy. He quickly decided that he had nothing to lose.

"Master, is that you?" he spoke quietly.

"It took you long enough Lucario." The voice answered back.

"Sir Aaron!" Lucario cried out, a large smile forming on his face. "It's great to hear from you, but where are you? Why can't I see you?"

Sir Aaron's voice sighed, as if he was regretting the conversation that was about to unfold.

"You cannot see me for it is not yet your time Lucario. You are not dead, at this moment your body is at the medical wing of Cameran Palace. Both you and Ash are alive and will recover, I however am long gone." Sir Aaron explained.

To say that Lucario was shocked would be an understatement. They were alive, both he and Ash. The tree had also been saved, and they had all made it safely back home. It seemed to good to be true.

"If that's the case then, what is your purpose of this visit?" Lucario enquired.

Aaron's voice chuckled slightly, it echoed throughout the void and had a small calming effect on Lucario.

"I'm here to tell you one thing, and that is to be free." he stated.

Lucario was puzzled by Aarons words. 'Be free?' Wasn't he free already?

"What do you mean Master, I am and always was free. You never took that away from me." He said, curiously.

"That is what I meant Lucario, you called me master. As I told you all those years ago, I am no longer your master. You don't have to always think about me or the duties we used to do. That is all gone, it's in the past. You now have a chance at a new life, and I don't want you to waste it because of me." Sir Aaron explained, an authoritative tone in his voice.

Lucario opened his mouth to say more, but was stopped when a light appeared at the far end of the void. With that light came other things, like sound, and feeling. He was waking up, but he had so much more to say!

"What should I do then Aaron! What path should I take, where should I go?!" he yelled, desperate for answers.

"That is up for you to decide Lucario, just know that no matter what you choose, I won't be disappointed." Sir Aaron spoke kindly.

Lucario could feel himself waking up, he knew he was out of time.

"Alright Aaron, I will make a new life for myself. Goodbye."

"Goodbye old friend" Sir Aaron spoke on last time, before suddenly the darkness was stripped away, and in its place, was a blinding white light.

Line Break

Lucario grunted as his eyes opened, the light of the room temporarily blinding him and forcing him to squint. As he was trying to get used to the light, he heard a groan come from his left. Turning his head, he found Ash laying on a nearby cot rubbing his head, nursing a bad headache.

"Are you okay Ash?" he asked, concerned for the boy in which he had much respect.

Ash turned to look at Lucario, his eyes squinting as the sun coming through the window blinded him.

"Lucario? Uh…yeah, I'm okay. Just a bad headache." he replied.

"Do you know how we got here?" he asked, not quite sure how they got out of the trees' core that quick. His aura senses told him it had only been one day since the incident.

"I have no idea. All I know is that I feel like I got hit by a bus." Ash answered, rubbing his eyes again.

Lucario squinted at Ash, trying to understand what he meant by a bus. He was about to ask him, but was stopped by the door opening, revealing a Nurse Joy.

"Oh, it looks like they're awake. Please be quiet though, everything probably hurts right now for them." she said, stepping to the side to let Brock, May and Max through.

"Guys, you're okay!" Ash exclaimed, quickly sitting up. However, he quickly laid back down as a dizzy spell hit him.

"As happy as we are to see you too Ash, getting up now probably isn't the best idea." Brock said, smiling at Ash.

Ash was about to answer back, but was cut off when May came up and hugged him.

"Don't ever do that again Ash. We were all so worried when we heard what happened from Kidd." May said.

Ash smiled at her as she got back up. "Don't worry May, I don't plan on doing something like that again soon." His face quickly contorted into confusion; however, as he looked around the room. "Where is Kidd?"

Brock quickly became sad as Kidd came back into his mind. "She had to leave this morning, but she told us to wish you well." Tears began to pour from his eyes. "Why did she have to go!? My sweet, precious Kidd-OWWW!"

Brock suddenly cried out in pain as Max latched onto his left ear. "Alright Brock calm down, we all know she didn't like you that way."

Everyone laughed, including Lucario, who found Brock's misfortune quite entertaining. Ash too was laughing, but was stopped when a yellow blur crashed into his chest.

"PIKAPI! Pi pika pi pi chu pikachu!" Pikachu cried as he burrowed into his best friend's shirt, swearing never again to let go.

Ash smiled at Pikachu, tears slowly forming in his eyes as he picked him up and hugged him close. "I'm sorry buddy, I promise I won't ever scare you or anyone like that again." Ash said, trying to calm him down.

Pikachu tearfully smiled at Ash before cuddling close to him once more. Ash wiped his eyes, and turned to look at Lucario. He was in deep thought, a troubled look on his face. Frowning, Ash decided to figure out what was wrong with his new friend.

"Hey guys, no offence or anything, but could you leave us alone. We're both tired and in all honesty, could probably use more sleep." Ash asked.

Brock nodded. "That's fine Ash. It's evening already and after what you went through, we totally understand." After a quick goodbye and checkup from Nurse Joy, the main group left, leaving Ash, Pikachu, and Lucario by themselves.

"Pi pika cupika, Pikapi?" Pikachu asked, looking at the aura pokemon with concern.

"I'm not sure bud, but I'm going to find out." Ash answered, before turning to face Lucario. "Hey Lucario, are you okay?"

Lucario looked over at Ash for a second, before turning his focus back to his hands. "Nothing's wrong, I'm just thinking about what to do next. My time has long since passed on and there are very few aura guardians left in the world. What can I do in this world that I don't understand?"

Ash looked sympathetically at Lucario. While he didn't quite get how Lucario felt, as he hadn't been frozen in time, he knew what it felt like to be lost. When you are lost, you feel as if it is impossible to find your way out; you are so desperate for someone to help you.

He began to think about what he could do to help. He wasn't needed at the palace anymore, and wandering the world on his own wouldn't be safe. With all the trainers and evil teams running around, it wouldn't be a good idea. He needed some kind of protection, someone who could keep him safe and still show him this new world.

Ash's eyes widened as he thought of an idea. It was a crazy idea, and could easily lead to Lucario giving him a black eye. However, it was the most logical answer, and as we all know, Ash is known for being impulsive.

"What if you came with me and became my pokemon?" he asked.

Lucario quickly turned to face Ash, his eyes widening in surprise. Seeing this, Ash quickly began to explain.

"I mean, think about it. The world has changed since you last were here and, no offence or anything, it will be hard for you to understand it. You need someone who knows the world and can help you with that." Ash explained.

Lucario looked at Ash seriously. What he said made sense, the world obviously was different since he was around. The contraption the group had rode in behind him on the way to the tree and the devices called pokeballs were proof of this. However, he still wasn't sure. Ash saw this, and continued explaining.

"Also, I'm going to need help. You said it yourself, I have a strong aura, and after what happened I don't want to let this gift go to waste. But I can't learn how to control it by myself, I need a teacher." he said, looking at Lucario with determination.

Lucario looked at Ash once more, and saw his increased determination. He looked away, and then began to think over Ash's words. He was surprised when Ash had said he wanted to learn aura, and it would give himself a purpose, training Ash. And while he wouldn't admit it, he had gained much respect for Ash. After everything he had done for him and the pokemon of the tree, he would follow him anywhere.

"Ash, you have proven to me that you are one of the most trustworthy and purest humans on the planet. I would be insane if I didn't accept your offer." Lucario answered, smiling over at Ash.

Ash smiled over at Lucario and then turned to Pikachu, who was too smiling in excitement. Ash then quickly became serious once more, and spoke to Lucario.

"Are you sure Lucario? From what I remember, you said that you wouldn't abandon Sir Aaron. I don't want to make you feel guilty." Ash said.

"Don't worry Ash." Lucario said, turning to look out at the sunset. "I think this is what Aaron would want me to do."

As the sun set over the horizon, our two heroes once again fell into the realms of sleep. However, this time their thoughts were filled with excitement, for tomorrow would bring them both a new adventure, and it wouldn't be like anything they'd experienced before.

I got it done guys! It's been out before the end of January! Hopefully this one was a bit easier to read and made a bit more sense to all of you. I do have a few quick things to address before I wrap this up, so here we go.

This is still an Ash x Anabel story. I don't intend to change the pairing for the story. What May did in this chapter was just out of worry, so no change in that.

There will be a pairing for both Pikachu and Lucario, but that will happen much, much, much later in the story. It also won't just be thrown in, there will be a build to it, so don't worry about that either. I know it will be Pikachu x Anabel's Espeon, but I'm not sure about Lucario, so comment with ideas.

Also, remember that this takes place before Ash gets to the Battle Pyramid, but after the rest of the Battle Frontier. I know that this might not make as much sense, but this is how I laid it out, so don't ask why.

Alright, I'm done. Time to go play Kerbal Space Program and Assassins Creed. I do hope to have chapter 2 redone by the end of February, so look out for that. See you all later!