Chapter Two

Ash's consciousness returned to him in a world he didn't recognise. All around him strange, stone forged structures towered above his head. He struggled to his feet, glancing around in confusion. Where the hell was he? Flowing white robes brushed against his ankles as the soles of brown leather sandals crunched against gravel. "Gary? Gou? Pikachu?" his words echoed all around, though seemed not to reach a single soul. It was quiet, too quiet, as though he were the only being in existence.

A strong flash of white light suddenly blinded him and he cried out, squeezing his eyes shut. When he reopened them, he was no longer alone, the streets now bustling and alive with the constant hum of chatter.

"Lord Aaron! Hellooo, Lord Aaron! Oi!" The palm of someone's hand colliding with the back of his head caused Ash to wince.

He turned around to see a boy gazing at him in annoyance, arms folded across his chest as he scowled. He was about a head taller than he was, long dark hair tied in a low ponytail, cat-like golden eyes trained on him almost tiredly.

Something about him was so familiar, though what exactly, he couldn't quite tell.

"Are you- uh were you talking to me?"

"What other Lord Aaron do you know? Jeez, I always knew you were a space cadet but this is a whole 'nother level!"

Ash simply stared mutely, tilting his head in confusion. "I um… I think you have the wrong person!"

"What the hell, dude? Did you bump your head or somethin? Well let me spell it out for you then!" He tapped himself on the chest with his index finger, then brought it to poke Ash between the eyes, "Me Dion, You Aaron. You got all that?!"

"Um…"

"Well whatever, hurry it on, the princess is waiting for us!"

"The...Princess…?"

"Wow, you really are zonked, did you train too hard or somethin?! I've said it before but that whole meditation of yours can't be good for the brain, all this crazy talk about leaving the physical realm, it gives me the heebie-jeebies! Now come on will ya, Princess Rin is waiting on us!"

Princess Rin… Why was the name so familiar?

Then suddenly it hit him, Cameran… The ancient kingdom...

The place he'd met that Lucario… He felt his heart clench almost painfully at the memory. It felt like decades ago now...

"Why are we going to see the Princess of Cameran?"

Dion rolled his eyes, whacking Ash on the back of the head once more, "She's our best friend, dummy! Why wouldn't we be going to see her?! You're seriously weirding me out right now Aaron, you know that?!"

"Uh, sorry"

"Well whatever, now you coming or not?!"

"Yeah I… I guess so…"

"You know what, I've changed my mind. I don't wanna know what's up with you! Way too freaky, it's like you have amnesia or something."

Ash almost scoffed at the words. Amnesia wasn't even a valid explanation for whatever crazy fever dream he was living in right now and honestly, he kinda wished it was. At least then he'd have a vague notion of what the hell was going on.

His head suddenly throbbed painfully, and he cried out, clutching it between his palms and squeezing his eyes shut. When he opened them once more, he was in his childhood bedroom, he was home… In Pallet Town.

He'd been trapped beneath a mountain of sheets, the room dark and stuffy. For some reason, his mattress felt even more comfortable than usual, though he credited that to his seemingly endless exhaustion.

"Ash! You're okay! You're really okay!" He barely had the chance to turn towards the source of the voice when a pair of scrawny arms had locked themselves around his neck. "You scared the crap outta us!"

For a moment Ash's mind was blank until everything came rushing back all at once. He shot up in bed, ignoring the pounding of his head and the heaviness of his body.

"Team Galactic-"

"Calm down Ashy, they're gone!" A sharp voice said.

He glanced up as Gary's onyx orbs met his own. They were dark, stormy...Angry…

"WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU THINKING!"

"I-"

"Arceus Ash, I knew you had a tendency to be stupid but this… This is a whole other fucking level!"

"Well what was I s'posed to do! If I hadn't stepped in you two woulda been toast!"

"We would have figured something out! I don't know what the hell you did back there, Ketchum, but you sure as shit hadn't planned it! Are you seriously so willing to live up to your damn name, because ashes are all that woulda been left of you had that move hit!"

Involuntarily Ash's hands trembled and he could feel tears prick at his eyes, though why he couldn't comprehend. That seemed to soften the youngest Oak somewhat as he exhaled a shuddering breath. The bed creaked as Gary sat on his other side, bringing a hand up to give Ash's shoulder a quick squeeze.

"Sorry I-I, it's just- Ash you scared the shit out of me. What the hell was that?"

Ash sniffled slightly, wiping his face with the cuff of his dirty sleeve.

"I think - It felt like- in the Tree of Beginning, like my entire body was burning."

Gary's eyes widened in understanding. "Aura…"

Ash nodded mutely.

Gou glanced between the two for a moment, tilting his head in confusion. "Aura… You mean like what Lucario has?"

"In some ways-"

"But humans can't harness their auras, can they? The only person in living history I've ever heard of doing it before is…"
"Sir Aaron." Ash finished,

"But he wasn't the only one…" Gary started. "When you told me about what happened in Cameran, I did some research. There used to be an elite army of them. They were the royal family's personal guard-"

"Wait back up a second, you said Tree of Beginning a-and Cameran… Like the story-" Gou's entire being tensed as he spoke, as he awaited some means of response from his friend.

"Four years ago I-I met Sir Aaron's Lucario…"

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

Ash winced at the volume of Gou's voice, but continued. "Sir Aaron had trapped him in his staff to keep him safe and I… I awakened him."

"H-how in the name of Lugia…"

"My Aura and Sir Aaron's, t-they're the same. The Tree of Beginning, it was dying and Lucario and I had to use our Aura to save it… I was going to meet the same fate as Sir Aaron - he pushed me out of the way… He saved me, but he didn't make it out…"

His gut twisted at the memory, he'd never forgotten that guilt, could never let it go. If only he had been stronger…

"Ash...Kid, that you I hear?"

Ash's head shot up at the familiar warm, baritone and he couldn't stop the smile that broke out onto his face.

"P-professor Kukui?"

Ash barely had time to glance at him when his Pokémon burst through the door with excited cries. Both Pikachu and Lucario pushed past Gary and Gou, Lucario effectively sending both of them tumbling to the carpeted floor.

"I must have worried you guys pretty badly, I'm sorry!"

"You apologise for being a dumbass to the Pokémon?" Gary sniped, "Seriously?"

Ash ignored him. "Where are the others?"

"We returned them to their Pokéballs so we could clean up the mess those Galactic goons left behind. But well Pikachu is Pikachu and somehow Lucario kept busting out."

Professor Kukui made his way through the door slowly, donning his signature lab coat, though he'd exchanged his usual shorts and bare chest for clothing more suited to Kanto's cooler climate.

"Lemme tell you kiddo, you sure as hell know how to give a guy a heart attack!"

He gathered Ash in his arms in one fell swoop, embracing him tightly. "You know, the last thing I expected when I arrived here two days ago was to find my kid unconscious. I swear, I'm gonna go grey far before my time if you keep pulling stuff like this!"

"T-two days- It's been that long? Shit- Team Galactic could be anywhere right now!"

"Language!"

"Team Galactic aren't your problem right now Mr Ketchum… There are even more pressing matters at hand-"

"L-Lance-?"

"Between Galactic and you lot— Are any more people going to drop by for a surprise visit?" Gary grit out.

"Mr Ketchum, I've come to discuss an urgent matter with you"

"The guy's been unconscious for two days, can't you at least give him some time to recover?!"

"Gary-"

"Unfortunately, Professor Oak, time is of the essence!"

"Well then, will you at least explain why the hell Team Galactic are back in business? 'Cause last time I checked their leader was in Pokémon Purgatory!"

"And what the hell do they want with Ash?" Gou added.

Ash shifted slightly from beneath the covers, wincing as the pain in his skull worsened.

"You okay?" Gou questioned, rubbing Ash's back gently.

Ash hummed in affirmation as the pain eased ever so slightly. "Mr Ketchum… I don't know how to say this, but... Team Galactic aren't the only ones who will be looking for you."

"What are you talking about?" Gary's tone was so icy the entire room shivered.

"I don't quite know when it started but… They've been watching you and not just them, but Rocket, Plasma and Flare too- they've formed an Alliance of sorts…Call themselves Team Vires"

"W-what…" Ash's voice trembled as the word left his lips.

Lance continued, "Agent Looker infiltrated their newest base, but they caught him... As of now his current status is...Unknown…"

"Arceus" it was no louder than a whisper.

"He managed to send all the data he'd collected. But Mr Ketchum, they know everything about you. Every place you've been, every legendary creature you've saved or befriended, every friend and rival you've ever had…"

"My friends, my family... does that mean they-"

"We'll keep them safe Mr Ketchum. You needn't worry. Besides, they severely miscalculated, I imagine they won't strike again for quite some time…" He paused, "You need to be aware that they know of your actions in the Tree of Beginning…"

"What does that-"

"Mr Ketchum, it appears you possess the power to be the world's most powerful weapon should you learn to wield your power effectively. One I would very much like to have on my side..."

"He's a boy Lance!" Professor Kukui erupted, "he's not some...some thing you can use at your leisure!"

Ash's mind raced a mile a minute and he'd never felt such a desperate urge to flee in his life.

"A-a weapon…?I'm a-"Ash didn't understand, his head was fuzzy, his entire body ached. "Lance, then y-you know what I am, why t-they called me an Adept- Why my Aura is an identical match to Sir Aarons-"

"What I know is very limited, there's a lot we've yet to learn, about who you really are, about where your power came from."

"Who he really is? He's Ash Ketchum from Pallet town, the guy who's gonna be the world's first Pokémon Master! Nothing more nothing less-" Gary snapped.

"He's a lot more than simply just 'Ash Ketchum from pallet town', he always has been!"

"Don't act like you know a damn thing about who Ash is or isn't!" Gou screamed, his face was red, his fists were clenched.

Lance massaged his temples before he continued. "What I do know, is that Aura Adepts are some of the most powerful beings in existence! Aura, it's a rather strange phenomenon indeed; what you displayed in the heart of the Tree of Beginning was only a mere fraction, even when protecting your friends, that was nothing compared to what you can do. This power, it'll only continue to grow and your body is in no way accustomed to handling it."

"What does that mean?" Gou questioned, gripping Ash's forearm tightly between his fingers.

"He was unconscious for as long as he was because his body needed to recover!" He exhaled shakily, "You must learn to control it Mr Ketchum, otherwise you'll no longer be able to contain it."

"And if I don't?"

He didn't know why, but Ash feared the answer...

"If you don't, you'll be a ticking time bomb in human form, and should you explode, the entire world will go down with you…"