Last Time On TMOM:
Somehow, we've come to the end of our story intact. With no casualties, the group dusts themselves off and prepares their final farewells.
Quote: "We're all alive," He breathed.

Chapter Twenty-Three: Missing One

I had a dream
I got everything I wanted
Not what you'd think
And if I'm being honest
It might've been a nightmare
-Billie Eilish

They had won. Ash could not keep the grin off his face. They beat the damn tree and saved everyone. For a while there, Ash wasn't sure a happy ending was still possible. But it was. They pulled it off — by the skin of their teeth, but they did it. They fucking did it!

Lucario had seen him smiling, knocked the baseball cap off his head, and warned him of being cocky. Ash dusted off his old hat and returned it to its proper place. He hadn't worn the old-fashioned red and white for a few years now. But after a victory like this one, it just felt right. Like a piece of him had come back to life after his near-death experience. Call him sentimental. Misty would. But he didn't much care what anyone might think of it. Perhaps that was more of the old Ash coming home to stay.

After the throes of their celebration had ebbed into an exhausted but pleasing buzz, the assorted company agreed that it would be the best for Mew and the Tree of Beginnings if they just gave their farewells and made their way for the nearest exit. Although restored through their collective sacrifice, there was no telling how long the sentient tree would tolerate their lingering presence. So with what was left of their triumphant adrenaline rushes, the group of pokemon trainers and pokemon made their careful way back down the tree. And the journey down seemed to go far quicker, even in the dark of night.

Far sooner than any of them had expected, the caverns within the tree's roots yawned open before them. Just in time for the sun to peek its way over the horizon.

"Almost there," Kidd announced unnecessarily to the company trailing behind them. But with all of them still in the glow of good humor, no one said a word. Even Team Rocket nodded along.

Lucario placed himself in the rear of their party, out of habit or perhaps as a clever way to avoid the exuberant joy the others in the group wanted to share. Ash noticed, but respected the pokemon's desired solitude. After all, Lucario hadn't come out of this unscathed. The others would avoid looking at the space Lucario's left arm used to be. Ash couldn't avoid looking. Lucario had sacrificed more than any of them.

When at the mouth of the cavern, Ash paused, allowing the others to pass him by. Only Aileen cast him a questioning look. But she must have thought better of it as she walked on by. Ash waited in the early morning sun rays for the ancient pokemon, soaking in some last-minute warmth. If memory served, the caverns would be as chilly as they had been the first time around. Like an ice box. And Ash still only had a light windbreaker.

Lucario dropped from an upper branch and saddled up alongside the human, unquestioning. He seemed to intuit Ash's intentions as well as Pikachu could.

"We're almost out of here," Ash said.

"So Kidd announced." The pokemon quirked an eyebrow.

"I was wondering… what's next?"

"For me?"

Ash continued on as if he hadn't heard Lucario, "Aileen is going to go home, demand that her father let her start a pokemon journey. Kidd said she's got to pick a new legendary to track down since she found this one. Although she isn't sure how to explain her new target without giving this Mew away. But I'm sure she'll think of something. And Team Rocket… well, I'm not sure what they're going to do. Not sure I want to know. But they promised to wait to do anything nefarious until they are well outside of Cameron's borders."

"And you?"

Ash looked dumbstruck at the question. He hesitated long enough that even Pikachu, perched on his favorite shoulder, noticed. He tapped the pokemon trainer on the hat as if thinking the boy had forgotten to answer.

"Will you return to pokemon training?" prompted Lucario. "Now that your suspension has ended?"

Ash sat on the question for only a moment longer. He remembered how he had reclaimed his coveted title in the dying rays of the previous day. Yes, he had wanted this, hadn't he? It was already decided.

"Yes," Ash nodded, giving Pikachu a gentle scritch behind the ears. No need for his partner to know how close he was to saying "no" a few days before. "I think I'm ready to try again."

"Good. That's good." Lucario stared hard into the brightening sunlight.

"Will you be coming with me?"

Lucario let out an airy breath. And there it was. Ash didn't need wave sense anymore to feel that he had asked the question Lucario had been trying to avoid.

"No, I don't think so. Not yet."

If Lucario had expected Ash to be upset, he didn't say. But he didn't have to. The pokemon braced for Ash's response with tense shoulders and a squared jaw. It was clear he expected some negative feedback on the decision.

Ash leaned his head back, knocking it lightly against the crystal rock face behind him. He was disappointed, of course. But, if Ash dissected his feelings more carefully, a part of him was a little relieved. Their relationship was fresh and good, but as volatile as gunpowder. They both had a little growing up to do before they could make their team work the way a team was supposed to.

And Mew knew Ash didn't need another disciplinary problem like Charizard in his pokemon lineup.

"I need time to find myself in this timeline. I don't know enough about this world and if I'm choosing now to be a part of it, I need to better understand my choice," Lucario continued.

But then Lucario did something that somehow surprised them both. He laid his remaining paw on Ash's free shoulder.

"I will return to you someday. Ash. My friend. You have my word."

Ash reached up and touched Lucario's paw. But he didn't say anything. There was a shine in his eyes and he blinked rapidly to remove it.

"But before I go, there's something I must tell you."

"You're leaving… r-right now?" Ash choked out, half smiling even while sad — in that peculiar way that only humans could manage.

"Soon enough. But it is better to tell you this while we are alone. It's only meant for you." Pikachu bristled and Lucario corrected himself, "For you and your pokemon partners."

"What is it?"

"Sir Aaron was a Chosen One too."

Ash stared, thunderstruck. Whatever he expected Lucario to confess, it wasn't this.

"The legendary pokemon of his time chose him to perform tasks, and he did many dutifully… heroically. Some that I even assisted with. Some before my time. Some without my knowledge." Lucario's past disapproval manifested through a momentary frown that he quickly pushed by. "He is more than just your ancestor in blood. He is your predecessor."

"I… wow. That's… that's a lot to take in."

The first being that Legendaries chose more than one human to do their dirty work. It made sense, of course. Why would they limit themselves to a single errand boy for a brief span of decades? But somehow, finding out there was over one Chosen ONE felt a bit like cheating. A small selfish part of himself felt hot, angry, and betrayed. It wasn't bad enough that they made him risk his life, but he wasn't even the only person they did this to? Ash wasn't the only one they called special and wrote legends about? How many other people had their first names plopped into ancient soothsaying tablets?

The second was somehow more alarming than the first. Tasks. That was with an s. Many. Did Lucario say many?

"He… didn't just help Articuno… Lugia, Moltres, and Zapdos in the Orange Archipelago? He did other things?"

"I told you, didn't I? The legendaries don't choose people for onetime things. There may come a time, and believe me there will, that they call upon you again. And that's what I wanted to warn you about."

"Well, message received."

Lucario stared nonplussed before shaking off Ash's confusing response.

"No, not that. I have to tell you about Sir Aaron's final quest. The one he never completed. The one that shall become yours."

Lucario met Ash's gaze, and the boy repressed the urge to shiver. Lucario's eyes were dark beneath his furrowed brow. Though the pokemon always had a look of perpetual gloom about him, he appeared to radiate it more so now.

"Sir Aaron wasn't given a task by the Legendaries, but was setting off to spite them. To stop the endless quests, the never-ending call to arms. He sought the Missing One."

Somehow, despite the morning sun beating down on their heads, Ash felt a certain chill. Lucario breathed out the name with some difficulty. As if even trying to name the thing was hard to put sound to.

"The Missing One," Ash repeated in a reverent whisper. "What is it?"

Lucario shook his head. "We don't know. Sir Aaron only learned it existed, not where to find it."

"Sir Aaron… he wanted to stop being the Chosen One?"…too, Ash wanted to say. But the "too" went unspoken.

"He and the Queen were expecting. He had hoped to settle down. But heroes- they don't settle down. They fight. They fight and win the day until… they don't."

Ash nodded slowly. That had indeed been Sir Aaron's fate. And that had almost been his own. This adventure had been a victory, but only a narrow one. Thanks to Lucario.

Ash stared at the place where Lucario's left arm used to be. There was no exposed bone or marred flesh. The skin and fur had knitted over the shoulder socket as if it had never been. Small mercies and all that. Ash was unsuccessful at shifting his gaze before Lucario noticed. The pokemon turned his body so that his good arm faced the young man. For Ash's sake or his own or perhaps a confused self conscious mixture of both.

"So I…" Ash started and stopped. He swallowed his words dryly before starting again. "Do I need to find it? The Missing One… now?"

"No." Lucario shook his head. "You don't have to. You might not ever have to. You might never want to. But… I have a feeling, you might. Or it might… find you. Lots of… unusual beings tend to find you."

Lucario gave the approximation of a sideways smile. Ash's heart felt like it had leaped up into his throat. That familiar flighty flutter that often came over him at the tippy top of a roller coaster, that was how Ash felt at the thought of facing this frightening faceless pokemon. Feeling lightheaded, Ash returned the smile only halfheartedly.

"Right. I'm good at that."

"Just be careful. What little Sir Aaron had unearthed about it was… unsettling. It's ancient, more ancient than Mew. The manuscripts had described it as formless, unfathomable to human or pokemon sensibilities. It left those who claimed to have beheld it half-mad. It's not an encounter anyone, pokemon, human or Chosen One should take lightly."

Ash stared into the golden rays that were rising high enough to crest over the branches overhead. The light hurt his eyes, but he didn't dare look away. The pain helped him to piece over his own unpleasant musing. As if pouring light on something he wouldn't normally want to look at.

Ash didn't know how to feel about such a meeting. On one hand, Ash wanted nothing more to do with the abnormal. Surely he had paid his debts and deserved a long break from the legendary pokemon of this world. But then again, the promise of one dangerous encounter to end all others. The thought that there was a pokemon out there that might have been willing to revoke whatever ill-gotten contract he had signed with the Legendaries…

To avoid losing any more friends…

To keep what was left of himself sane and intact…

Wouldn't he risk everything?

Was it even fair to ask that of him? Taunting him with a giant erase button? He knew, as a Chosen One, he shouldn't ever want to press it. They had 'chosen' him. They trusted and loved him. When the world was in danger, they depended on him. But he also knew…

He, Ash Ketchum, would press that button. He'd do it without a second's consideration.

For what did he owe the Legendaries of this world any longer?

Ash blinked and turned away from the sunlight. "Hopefully the Missing One just stays lost."

Lucario was staring. Probably reading all the thoughts that had spilled out into Ash's aura like an open book. But Lucario had enough kindness for the human now not to point it out.

"No crystal?"

A change of subject. Ash knew it was meant to spare his feelings and Ash latched onto the lifeline gratefully.

Ash tugged his shirt collar, exposing his bare neck. "The crystal shattered."

"I see," Lucario stared for a beat.

Since losing his crystal shard necklace and evacuating the tree's core, Ash's sixth sense had waned. He still had brief intuitive flashes, no doubt influenced by the Tree of Beginnings, while they remained inside of it. Ash knew that once they had left the shelter of its shade, he'd be able to shrug off his time with superpowers.

"Probably for the best."

"Yeah. Probably."

Ash was glad to be rid of it. But a part of him still missed it, like one misses an extra arm. Ash didn't need wave as a pokemon trainer, but he'd have to be a complete idiot to ignore its benefits.

He could always pocket a crystal shard and carry on with what training Lucario had given him. But without Lucario, it all felt pointless. Ash wanted to return to his pokemon training, emerging as a stronger trainer than he was before. There just didn't seem to be any way to fit in wave. Not in a normal life sort of way.

And Ash still craved normal. Like a thirst.

Lucario must have sensed all of this. Ash was never more grateful for the stoic pokemon's stony personality. Unlike Ash's other friends who might confront him with well-meaning intention, Lucario was one who preferred to just leave things where they lay.

Or at least that was what Ash thought. Lucario surprised Ash with a sound, not unlike a series of short finger snaps. It may have sounded like snaps, but Ash's brain interpreted it like throat clearing. As a pokemon who communicated solely through telepathy, there was no need to make such a noise. But that was the only way that Ash could describe the thought — more gibberish than form, meant to stall so Lucario could gather himself while simultaneously drawing Ash's attention.

"Promise me something," Lucario said after the strange audible thought.

Ash replied automatically, taken aback. "Y-yes?"

"You'll keep your shield up." At Ash's blank stare, Lucario clarified. "Remember how to protect yourself? You found your shield," he nodded to the pikachu still perched on Ash's shoulder. "Hold tight to your reasons and take care of yourself. You wouldn't let me disappear and I hold the same expectations for you."

A soft, relaxed smile made its way back to Ash's face. He gave Pikachu a loving scratch behind the ears and nodded.

"Right. I will. No disappearing for either of us."

Although they remained together, walking side by side in a comfortable quiet, those were the last words exchanged between trainer and pokemon.

Once they had exited the caverns, it was time for everyone to part ways. Ash and Pikachu had no intention of traveling all the way back to the castle. It was out of their way, and Ash felt it more important to head straight back to Pallet. He needed to start on the new leg of his pokemon journey, and that included a short stop by Professor Oak. Maybe a visit with his mom, if he felt he could stomach it. But regardless, none of it could wait. Ash was itching to get the hard stuff over with so he could carry on with the rest of it.

Aileen was tearful and after a tight near bone-crushing hug, demanded that Ash remember to write or call — whichever was easiest for a wandering pokemon trainer. Kidd had given a detached salute before mounting one of her motorbikes and zooming off to who knows what new adventure. And there was no reason to say goodbye to Team Rocket. He'd meet them back up on the road soon enough.

Aileen and Team Rocket planned to take the last stretch of the journey together. An arrangement was made to the mutual satisfaction of both parties. They gave Aileen the safety and security of pokemon and trainers while escorting her back to the castle. And if well behaved, Princess Aileen would reward Team Rocket provisions and a repaired hot-air balloon. Even the likes of Jessie knew a good deal when she heard one. She would make sure the others kept their baser instincts in check while awaiting their payment. Both sides felt immune to potential betrayal, as Aileen had the keys to giving TR what they wanted. And TR knew they had done nothing to warrant arrest in Aileen's kingdom.

That left only Lucario, Ash, and Pikachu in the deep shade of the crystalline tree. They gave no gentle goodbyes like those they shared with the rest of the party. There was no point, after all. Both knew their paths would cross again.

Lucario held out his one good paw. Ash slapped his hand against it, good-naturedly. The medieval pokemon wasn't phased. He had become used to these modern humans and their odd social tendencies.

"Ash… Pikachu."

"Lucario."

The pokemon gave the young pokemon trainer one last look. The towering tree above held them in shadows. His bright youthful features, more cheery in sunlight, were soured by darkness. When Lucario closed his eyes, he could still outline the aura that he had once confused for Sir Aaron's. It felt like a literal lifetime had gone on since then. And though the physical changes were minuscule, Lucario could already sense a shift in the boy's trajectory. He stood straighter and looked up instead of down.

His brilliant wave signature remained bright, although sealed in its potential for the time being. Lucario knew it wouldn't stay that way. Not if the Legendaries had anything to say about the boy's fate.

"I'll find you again," Lucario promised.

"When?" Ash asked with a smile. "Too much to hope for a postcard or something?"

Lucario did not know what a postcard was. He added it to the growing list of things he still needed to learn about this age.

"I'll find you."

"Alright." Ash's smile broadened. "Looking forward to it."

Lucario started off first, leaping and somersaulting over the thick roots with ease. In mere moments, he'd be out of Ash's sight line. A sudden impulse possessed the boy. He threw up his hand, the suddenness nearly knocking Pikachu from his shoulder, and waved frantically to Lucario.

"Lucario!" He shouted out.

The pokemon paused and looked back.

Ash cupped his hands over his mouth to help carry his voice. But his following gesture of clapping his arm to his chest could not be misunderstood.

"The wave is with me!"

If Lucario could have smiled, he would have. His words echoed strong back in Ash's mind.

"And also with me."

After that, he was gone. Ash only lingered a few minutes longer, enjoying the feel of the wind tossing his hair. Then, adjusting his fully stocked poke belt, Ash and his pokemon partner turned toward the direction of the rising sun.

The End.
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If you would like to see more of Ash's adventures, please check out this universe's completed sequels "The Blind Alley" and "Here I Am".

I can't believe I'm actually here at the end of this story. Thirteen years! It took me a total of thirteen years to write this story! That seems absolutely unreal. It didn't help that I gave up on the story for several years before returning to it.

Thank you so much to Shaveza, YumeTakato, and thor94 for reviewing last chapter. You guys have been some of my most constant reviewers! Thank you so much for going on this journey with me.

I hope you all enjoyed it. I'm off to start the fourth story in this series "Chosen". Look forward to the new story being posted soon!