"So what are we looking for up here?" Brendan asked.
"I told you, there's a stray Pokemon up here, and I want to give them some Pokeblocks." Ash said, squinting around.
"Okay, but why am I here?" Brendan groaned.
Ash had pulled him out of bed at around 4 am, and brought him all the way to the top of the skyline, where Ash then began to crawl around, holding out some Pokeblocks.
"If you don't want to be here, then go back to the Pokemon Center. I just figured being the son of a researcher you'd be interested in this." Ash said.
"Yeah, well Wally kept me up all night with more questions about grass types." Brendan yawned.
"Then just go to bed." Ash said with a chuckle. "I don't want you to fall asleep up here."
"Right, right I'm going. Have fun." Brendan said. "We're probably going back to the gym today."
"Okay, just don't get me in trouble." Ash said, as Brendan left. "Now where are you?" Ash said, trying to sense the cat once more.
"I see your sight has returned." Lucario said leaping down.
"Lucario! What are you doing here?" Ash asked in shock.
"Don't worry, I am here simply by coincidence and saw you were training." Lucario said.
"Not training, more of searching." Ash said, trying to focus.
"Do you know what you're searching for?" Lucario asked, taking a meditative position.
"Not exactly." Ash admitted.
"Then how do you expect to sense where it is? This is a large city." Lucario pointed out.
"Then what do you suggest I do?" Ash asked, taking a seat next to Lucario.
"Allow me to continue your training." Lucario said.
"Okay, let's keep going." Ash said. "Where do I start?"
"Take a deep breath in and hold it." Lucario said. "Now let it out slowly. Keep repeating this."
Ash began taking deep breaths, in and out, in and out. Slowly Ash began getting a vision of everything out there.
"There's so much life out here." Ash said in shock.
"It's a big city." Lucario said. "Finding one life amongst all of them is no easy task."
"Could you find them?" Ash asked.
"It is not impossible, but without knowing the Pokemon personally it is significantly harder." Lucario said. "For instance, look at Pikachu."
Ash looked over at Pikachu in confusion, wondering what Lucario was getting at.
"Look at him not with your eyes." Lucario said calmly. "And tell me what you see."
"Look at him not with my eyes." Ash said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. "I see a green aura, a deep green, like my tendrils." Ash said in realization.
"Yes, the two of you are so close, your auras have synced up with one another." Lucario said. "Now if we were to throw Pikachu out into the city, while it would take time you could find him."
"This isn't going to be the practice kind of lesson, right?" Ash double checked.
"Worry not Ash." Lucario said. "I simply wanted you to understand what you are attempting to do."
"So I couldn't find the Pokemon if I wanted to right now." Ash sighed, falling back.
"Not without knowing more about the Pokemon in question, no." Lucario said apologetically.
"Hey Lucario, can I ask you something?" Ash asked.
"I see no problem with that." Lucario said calmly.
"How has your search been going, to find a new purpose in life?" Ash asked, looking over at the aura Pokemon. "Also how can you talk?"
"Sir Aaron taught me to speak as he believed us to be equals in every sense." Lucario said. "As for my search, it has been fruitful. I have found many needs that I was able to fulfill."
"But what about you, what do you want to do?" Ash asked. "And don't say help others. There has to be something you want to do now that you have your own free will."
"My first plans were to reunite with my fellow ancient guardians." Lucario said. "But I have realized that may be impossible."
"The Regis? Yeah, Hoenn is a ways off." Ash admitted.
"No, they never left, at least not physically." Lucario sighed. "Their bodies are destroyed inside of the tree."
"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." Ash said realizing how hard it must be."
"No, it's alright. They died fighting for their home, I see nothing wrong with that." Lucario said. "I just wish that I could have… incoming!" Lucario exclaimed, leaping back. "I think your friend found us."
"This isn't the same one as yesterday." Ash said, seeing what was clearly a Meowth with a pink ribbon tied around its neck.
"Meow." The Meowth said, leaping at Pikachu, surprising the electric type enough to send off a Thunderbolt.
As the energy dispersed from the attack, the Meowth was nowhere to be seen.
"Where'd it go, I can't imagine most Pokemon could walk away from that?" Ash asked looking around. "Lucario?"
Ash turned to see Lucario was also gone.
"You know nowadays it's polite to say goodbye!" Ash shouted, seeing the aura Pokemon in the distance.
Back in Hoenn, just north of Dewford
"What's wrong old chum?" James asked Meowth.
"I just feel like someone attacked my heart at its very core." Meowth said tearing up ever so slightly.
"Oh stop crying." Jessie said angrily. "Let's get this last chambers gift and get going!"
"Jessie, the boss wanted three powerful Pokemon, and we haven't found one, aren't you worried?" James asked.
"Not in the slightest. I gave the boss a status update and he said this is better than he could have predicted." Jessie said with a cackle.
"But Jess, look at yourself." Meowth said.
Jessie's arm were now permanently rocky, while her body had a metallic shine to it, leaving only her head and above normal.
"I know I'm more powerful than ever!" Jessie exclaimed.
"But you're barely human!" James cried out.
"You're right, I'm more than a normal human." Jessie said with a wicked grin.
"That's not what we're saying." Meowth said.
"Here, I don't need these anymore!" Jessie exclaimed, tossing her Pokeballs at James.
"Jessie?" James asked.
"Think about it, I can use my own attacks. Who needs Pokémon when you're like me?" Jessie cackled, before shooting out a beam, creating an entrance into a cave.
"Should we go after her?" James asked.
"I'm not ending up like that wall." Meowth commented, as red eyes shone through the dark entrance.
"Uh oh!" James said worriedly. "Dusknoir help us with Shadow Ball!"
James's Dusknoir rushed at the entrance, only to be frozen in a block of ice.
"Eeee!" Jessie squealed skating out. "I'm even to powerful for bosses hand picked Pokemon!" Her legs now encased in ice, allowing her to move at incredible speeds. "Now let's get those orbs and get our reward from the boss!"
"Yes Jessie." James and Meowth said in fear.