Last Time On TMOM:
Ash catches Lucario trying to steal Aileen's flower, which turned out to be a time flower. The two have a heart to heart and Lucario decides he is ready to teach Ash how to use wave.
Quote: 'I've decided. I'm going to teach you how to use wave.'

Chapter Fourteen: Master

He sprinkled me in pixie dust and told me to believe
Believe in him and believe in me
-Ruth B.

Lucario, true to his word, woke Ash ridiculously early. His telepathy reached into Ash's dreams, shaking him straight out of them. The dreams were barely substantial as it was. The pokemon trainer hadn't slept deeply in days.

Ash squinted up at the still vividly starry night sky behind the pokemon's head.

"It's still night," Ash grumbled. He felt as if he had only just laid his head down on his lumpy sleeping bag. Lucario was predictably unphased by human whining, not that Ash honestly expected him to be.

'It is minutes from sunrise. We will start with darkness and end when the sun is up.'

Ash blinked and looked blearily out into the distant horizon that still showed no sign of pinkening. "Are you sure?"

'Get up, Ashton. Didn't you want to learn wave to help your pikachu?'

Ash rubbed at his eyes hastily and scrambled to find his shoes. It was cool this early, even in late summer, and Ash couldn't help but toss on his light jacket as well.

"I told you to stop calling me Ashton," Ash grumbled, shoving his arms through the jacket sleeves. He was careful to mind his bad arm which felt little better this morning.

'You get irritated too easily. Consider it your first lesson… Ashton.'

Ash resisted the urge to cringe as he impatiently wiggled his feet into his waiting tennis shoes. He didn't quite see how teasing him with his full name had anything to do with wave but Ash was also too tired to keep arguing. He had gone to sleep late, after his unexpected talk with Lucario. Ash suspected he had only managed to get in a handful of hours if that.

Ash numbly tied his shoes, needing to restart the process again, twice. Slowly, Ash was starting to see how sleep deprivation was probably not the best punishment to subject himself to. Not if he wanted to be coherent enough to help in Pikachu's rescue. He may have felt guilty. But Ash figured he'd feel a lot worse if somehow he managed to mess up saving Pikachu because of a badly needed nap.

Ash left the others to their sleep, knowing that after the excitement of last night they'd probably all be sleeping in. He cast one last longing look at his rumpled sleeping bag before stumbling after the much more agile pokemon.

Lucario led him surprisingly far from the campsite. They walked away from the tree grove and through wild fields filled with nothing but tall waving grass. The sun stayed stubbornly out of sight making the trek rather difficult by starlight.

Ash wasn't quite sure what the pokemon was looking for but the longer they stumbled forward in the early morning haze, the more he grew annoyed. Perhaps Lucario hadn't actually intended to train him at all. Maybe this was all some sort of elaborate prank to make Ash look the fool. Although when Ash thought about it, a prank didn't make much sense. It was doubtful that Lucario had any sense of humor.

Lucario stopped in front of one of the many crystalline tree roots. This one had breached the ground, surfacing out of the sea of grass like some enormous wailmer. Ash might have been more impressed if he were more awake. He stared blearily up its sides, not quite able to spy the top. Although it seemed Lucario wasn't interested in an early climb. The pokemon brushed the crystal's surface lightly and Ash could have sworn he saw the glimmer of light somewhere down deep. He waited until Lucario turned back around to face him.

'Close your eyes.'

"Uh… okay." Ash quickly complied. Assuming he was supposed to tap into the life force or whatever wave was supposed to be, Ash stood quite still. He held his breath and wiggled his fingers at his side anxiously, willing the movement to bring on the same wispy visions of before. But Ash could see nothing with his eyes closed. And he definitely couldn't see Lucario's paw before it made contact with his chest.

The blow was light. Lucario had clearly been holding back, hitting Ash with more air than actual flesh. But with wave, the force still knocked Ash off his feet. He hit the ground hard.

"Hey! What's the big idea?" Ash gasped out, bracing his sore arm. "Why'd you hit me?"

'What did you see?'

"Nothing! My eyes were closed!"

'Exactly.'

If Ash didn't know any better, he would have thought the pokemon seemed awfully pleased with himself. Ash clawed his way back to his feet and if not for the pokemon's next question, he may have tried to return the blow.

'You can't use wave at the moment. Why not?'

Ash stared, struck by a question he had never considered before. Was it possible that his connection to wave wasn't continuous? Ash had assumed that his own amateur ability served as the main obstacle between him and wave. It always seemed to turn on and off at a whim but Ash had never considered a possible outside force.

Even if that were the case, Ash had no idea what could possibly be blocking him. He thought hard for a moment before taking a stab in the dark, "I'm angry?"

'You weren't angry before I hit you. And yet you didn't see me coming. Why not?'

"Because… I'm… I'm human?"

'Precisely.'

Ash frowned. "But if humans can't use wave… then why can I sometimes use it?"

'How does a charmander create a flame?'

Ash rolled his eyes. He was starting to suspect Lucario would be the sort of teacher to ask a ton of questions and give no answers: the worst kind. "It can breathe fire."

Lucario let out a sigh, not bothering to hide his disappointment. 'A predictably crude response, but yes. Charmanders can ignite the gases that their body generates, thus producing flame. So can a human do the same?'

"No. He'd need a match or a lighter or something," Ash paused, suddenly realizing Lucario's roundabout point. He snapped his fingers. "So I need something to help me create wave?"

Lucario nodded. He began pacing in front of Ash slowly, still keeping his thoughts closely entwined with the human's. Even turned away, Ash could hear Lucario as if he still remained at his side.

'Humans require a catalyst to ignite the spark of wave. It is the only way they can harness it for themselves. It was the only way Sir Aaron could use it. So… what did Sir Aaron use?'

Ash thumbed his chin, running through the hero's outfit again in his mind. There must have been a clue tucked away in his famous attire.

"Um… a swashbuckling hat?"

'No.'

"A badass cape?"

Lucario gave Ash a disapproving look but chose only to send the word 'No' back to him. Ash shrugged.

"Those weird gloves?"

'Warmer.'

Ash stared down at his own hands, trying to think back to the evening when he accidentally released Lucario. He remembered the feel of the heavy costume and the oversized gloves that practically swallowed his hands. And, of course, how could he forget that Aileen's maid kept pushing the ancient scepter on him.

Ash flexed his fingers around the imagined object. Wasn't it when he touched it that all this nonsense started? And on the top of the scepter was a single neatly cut-

"A crystal? He used a crystal on the top of his staff."

'And inlaid in his gloves.' Lucario gestured to Ash's own empty hands. 'Without those objects, he'd be no better at wave than you are now.'

Ash didn't quite know how to process that. In the short amount of time he had been in Cameron, Ash had been fed a certain image of Sir Aaron. It contrasted the happy fairy tale that his mother had told him as a child. And Lucario contrasted it further.

It felt that the longer he stayed here, the more human Sir Aaron appeared. And the more like himself, which Ash didn't know how or even want to unpack.

Ash flexed his hands as if he might be able to conjure up a difference. He felt the same. Still no glow. Still no wave. Lucario seemed to have a point. The Tree of Beginnings had spread power emitting crystals all over the area. Sometimes Ash could latch onto the power and let it wildly swing him about. And sometimes, it was all Ash could do to even spot it as it shot past.

Ash looked up just in time to spot Lucario peeling apart the time flower from before. It had dried a little overnight; its petals crumbling away in Lucario's paws. Ash watched in fascination as the pokemon crunched the flower up and extracted a handful of tiny crystals from its core.

'Here,' Lucario said, before dropping the sharp rocks into his waiting hands.

It was more dust than rock. Ash figured he maybe had one solid crystal out of the bunch, about the size of his fingernail. He rolled the curious pieces about in his hand. Even at night, they seemed to give off a strange light in his hands.

Lucario didn't give him much time to look. He had taken up position right across from him again.

'Close your eyes,' Lucario commanded. And then mining the instruction, he added. 'Hold the crystal to your chest. Near to your heart as you can stand it.'

Ash did as he was told. There was an immediate change. It seemed like the odd glow extended beyond what could be seen. Ash could feel it, pushing at him. He closed his fist around the sharp rocks and pressed them as close to his heart as he could manage. It didn't hurt per se but there was a definite repulsion that kept him from quite connecting the crystal all the way to his flesh. It felt as though he were holding together the opposite ends of two magnets. Ash tried his best to close the gap but it consumed his focus. His hand shook from the effort.

And then suddenly, Ash saw it. Or he saw it as much as someone could when one's eyes are closed. A familiar push that was no longer invisible leaped out of the darkness at him. Ash just managed to jump out of the way.

He landed inelegantly; tumbled until he stopped, sprawled out in the dirt despite having escaped the blow. And somehow, Ash managed not to toss the crystals from his hand in his fall.

Lucario loomed over him with red eyes that somehow seemed less cold. They glinted with something like amusement.

"I did it! I saw it!" Ash gasped up at him, breathless with wonder.

Lucario gave the boy the smallest of nods before looking away. 'That was fine.'

Leave it to Lucario to steal the smile from his face. Ash rubbed some wayward dust from his eyes as he climbed back to his feet.

"Okay, Gramps." Ash clapped his hands together, careful not to lose the crystal dust. "Try me again."

Lucario lowered himself into position with a smirk. 'Gramps? I see you are trying to get back at me for the 'Ashton' comments. It won't work. I don't care about ridiculous human nicknames.'

"Well, maybe if you're a little irritated, you'll actually be able to hit me… Gramps."

Lucario snorted. 'Cocky so soon? You dodged me once and I wasn't even trying.'

"Okay, so try this time."

'As you wish.'

While his rough and tumble training with Lucario ended by daybreak, Ash felt more alive than he had in months. His body was buzzing with energy and only the ancient pokemon's refusal would have kept Ash from continuing to practice.

Once the first rays of the sun had slipped over the distant hills, Ash was battered black and blue. But he had gotten good at not only anticipating Lucario's blows but even managing to avoid a few aura blasts. The first one was quite frightening, especially when Ash felt it with his other sense. It felt completely unlike the wave Lucario had been pushing him around with. This was a condensed baseball with all the power of a strong explosion in its core. Ash could feel all of it; all of its potential as it went whizzing by his head.

And despite Ash's begging, Lucario refused to teach him how to create one of his own.

'You're not ready. Learn some patience, Ashton. We'll get there in time.'

Ash reluctantly slipped the remnants of the time flower into his jacket pocket, not entirely confident that he wouldn't lose what little he had left after training. It was hard to hold tight to a handful of crumbled rocks while trying to dodge pokemon attacks. He still had the most solid piece of crystal but the rest were just dust and tiny slivers.

He had to abandon his thoughts of training for now. With the rise of the sun, came the return of their traveling rescue caravan. Pikachu was waiting and Ash couldn't spend all his time playing while his best friend remained captive.

Ash tried to concentrate on the road. But even from the back of Kidd's bike, Ash felt the buzzing. It was hard to keep his hands from trembling. Now when he closed his eyes, the world seemed alive with colors. Ash wasn't sure if it was the crystal in his pocket or just a consequence of nearing the base of the tree. Wave was everywhere. It was distracting and somehow wonderful all at the same time.

"Maybe a day or two. At most maybe three," Kidd announced confidently when they all demounted the bikes for a quick midday lunch. "We are making excellent time."

They were all sitting semi-circle, not bothering with any sort of campfire since they'd hardly be spending long enough to even set up camp. Team Rocket scrounged up some grub from their own meager stores and everyone wisely chose not to consider the food's origins as it was unlikely to have been obtained lawfully.

Lucario had stayed close to the group for a change. But he declined the offer of food, claiming to be more than capable of feeding himself. Instead, he spoke to Kidd, projecting his voice to the others out of common courtesy.

'Once you get closer to the tree, you will have to abandon your mounts. The terrain will not be easy to cross, save for by foot.'

Kidd sucked her front teeth with disapproval, casting a wary glance Ash's way. Ash ignored her guilty look. He continued to chew and swallow the dry rice balls that Team Rocket had passed out. Kidd turned back to Lucario.

"Are you sure?"

'No. I haven't been here for over a century.'

"I believe it's still true. Those who pilgrim to the tree often mention how perilous the final legs of the journey can be," Aileen offered, saving Kidd from having to give the pokemon an awkward apology.

Kidd rested her hand on her hip and sighed, glaring at the tree that loomed over them even at this distance, "And I'm guessing those pilgrims don't often climb the tree, do they?"

Aileen shook her head. "No one climbs the tree."

"Great. A first. Well, that's fine, I'm usually good at firsts." Kidd walked off, mostly mumbling to herself now.

Ash tried not to let her pessimism drag him down. He had done odder things than climb a tree before. And with the benefit of wave, Ash felt as if he had a full pokebelt again, Charizard included. His reunion with Pikachu couldn't be closer at hand.

Ash wiped the last bit of sticky rice from his mouth and fingers. Then he eagerly dug into his pockets to retrieve the pieces of crystal. He was relieved to discover all of them still remained. The sun glinted off the shards, catching the eye of Aileen who had been sitting at his side.

"What's that?"

Ash instinctively closed his hand but then thought better of it. The flower had originally been hers, after all. Ash slowly opened his hand, revealing the pieces of crystal. Unfortunately, not only Aileen had been paying attention. Both Jessie and James had leaned in for a closer look as well.

"That looks like some of the stuff off the giant tree," said James.

Jessie sniffed. "Doesn't look that valuable. Why are you hiding it for?"

Ash grumpily stuffed his hand back into his pocket. "It's not for selling. It's to help me use wave."

"Like a pokemon?"

"Fine. Sure. Like a pokemon."

Jessie sniffed again and turned away, but not before saying, "Or a freak."

She walked off leaving James behind. He managed an apologetic look Ash's way before hastily following after. Ash busied himself with the crystal, trying not to let Jessie's comment in. It didn't need to hurt him and yet, somehow it still did. Ash numbly pushed the crystal about in his hand, no longer as enthused about his training.

Sure, this new ability would help him rescue Pikachu. But what then? Did he really want to become a wave user? A modern Sir Aaron? It sounded so much nicer as a bedtime story. But in real life, heroes like Sir Aaron didn't get a happily ever after.

Aileen scooted closer. She didn't say anything right away, possibly trying to give Ash a moment. Then she gently reached out to put a hand over his own. Ash stopped fidgeting and looked up at her. Her soft smile made Ash feel warm inside. He offered a small smile of his own before looking away.

"Don't listen to her," Aileen said softly, closing what little distance remained between them. "She's kind of a bitch. I think it's wonderful that you're learning wave." She paused a beat before quickly covering her mouth. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have talked about your friend that way."

Ash shook his head. "She's not a friend. More like a stalker…" At Aileen's alarmed expression, Ash quickly added, "Pokemon thieves, remember? They've been trying to steal Pikachu since… well, since I got him, I guess."

"Ah." Aileen pulled her legs in closer and smiled again. "So that would make her… Pikachu's stalker then?"

"Yeah. A major one."

"James seems alright though."

"Pokemon thieves, remember? They may be helping us right now but it's just until they find their pokemon partner, Meowth. Soon as they find him, they'll turn on us, trust me."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Because they've done it before… countless times. Team Rocket aren't good guys. It's a mistake to think otherwise."

"My, my, Ash," Aileen grinned, knocking her shoulder against his. "You're so cynical in your old age."

Ash shrugged and despite not feeling that cold, pulled his windbreaker in tighter. "It's just the truth."

"Well, I think people may surprise you… if you give them a chance."

"A second ago, you were calling Jessie a bitch."

"Nevermind a second ago. I'm trying to impart some sage wisdom on you," Aileen playfully knocked on the top of Ash's head. Still a little tender from the morning training, Ash couldn't help but wince. "You shouldn't be so quick to distrust people. You're too young for that."

Ash tried not to flinch at the 'young' comment but it was hard. "And I can't say it enough… They. are. Pokemon. Thieves."

"And yet, they didn't actually steal Pikachu."

Ash stared. He couldn't think of a good response for that one. Aileen noted his silence and continued, "And they listened to you when you told them not to rob anyone at the ball."

"They were just protecting themselves."

"From you? From one pokemon trainer who was sufficiently distracted by a tournament? Those two could have easily made out like bandits at that pokemon ball. Very little could have stopped them."

"They are also really bad at their jobs."

"Or… and run with me for a second, maybe they made a promise not to. And they are a bit more honorable than you give them credit for," Aileen shrugged. "Just a thought."

"You're too nice."

"Perhaps." Aileen nodded back down to the shards in his opened hand. "Do the crystals help you use wave, then?"

"Yeah." Ash shook the crystals about his hand for a moment before looking back up. "Did you know Sir Aar-"

"Sir Aaron wore crystals inlaid into his gloves and staff?"

At Ash's baffled look, Aileen laughed. "Give me a little credit, Ash. I am the crown princess of Sir Aaron's former kingdom. I've spent years staring at those artifacts. You don't think I wouldn't notice our great grandfather's penchant for decorating clothing with crystals? Besides, I've read about other wave users who created similar talismans from our crystal. It's something I've always been curious about…"

Aileen's smile slipped into something slightly more mischievous. "So… what have you learned to do so far? Can you show me?"

"I honestly don't know much. Lucario's mostly just been teaching me how to even see it at the moment."

"Well, what about an aura sphere? Can you make one?"

Ash frowned and closed his fingers around the crystal shards tentatively. "I don't know. I guess I could try."

Aileen practically bounced as she scooted closer this time. "Do it!" She whispered.

Spurred on by her enthusiasm, Ash decided it couldn't hurt any. He closed his eyes and focused on the crystals in his tightly clenched fist. He willed his senses to open up as before. But this time, instead of looking out for what energy threat might have been incoming, Ash kept his focus tight on the crystals. He imagined that he was reaching into their center and extracting the little balls of light that hid within.

The energy balls stuck inside the crystal like wads of gum. They didn't come free easily. But after a minute or two of intense concentration, Ash somehow managed to wiggle a tiny piece free. It flew up from his clenched hand, hovering just above.

Aileen's audible gasp brought Ash back to himself. He opened his eyes, just as startled by the pea-sized spark of energy dancing above his hand. And almost as soon as he had acknowledged it, the ball flickered out.

"Ash! That was amazing!" Aileen squealed, grabbing Ash by his shoulders and giving him a friendly shake.

Ash smiled but felt too exhausted to share in Aileen's joy. It took a lot out of him to even do that much. "It was just a little one," said Ash, only too aware of how effortlessly Lucario summoned energy several sizes larger and for longer periods.

"Don't knock it. That's still amazing. You're amazing!"

Ash felt his cheeks grow hot. He looked away, hoping that Aileen wouldn't notice. And lucky for him, Aileen was far too excited to notice the feelings of one teenage boy.

"Can I try?"

"Oh. Oh yeah, sure." Ash fumbled with the crumbled crystals when trying to pass them over to her waiting hands. Still desperate to keep Aileen from noticing his discomfort, he didn't even stop to think.

Aileen held the crystals reverently in both hands.

"How do I do it?" She asked urgently.

"Oh uh first… close your eyes."

"Okay." She quickly did so. "Now what?"

Ash waved a hand in front of her face. She didn't react, still clasping her hands about the crystals as if in prayer.

"Do you see anything?"

"Am I supposed to?"

Ash frowned and thoughtfully chewed his bottom lip. As soon as Lucario had passed him the crystals, wave practically leapt out at him. Was it possible that Lucario was able to teach better than he could, being a pokemon as he was? Was there something Ash was missing?

Before Ash could think of how to instruct her further, a cold thought interrupted his own.

'It's pointless.'

Startled, both teenagers whirled about. Lucario had somehow come up on them, catching them completely unaware. Ash felt oddly ashamed, but for what, he couldn't explain. He couldn't quite find his voice so instead, it was Aileen who replied, "What do you mean?"

'Teaching you wave. It's like teaching a magikarp to fly.'

Aileen looked as though Lucario had just slapped her across the face. This, like nothing else, woke Ash up. He jumped to his feet, eager to defend her. But she was stronger than Ash gave her credit for.

Before Ash could spit out a hasty retort, Aileen continued, "What do you mean?"

Lucario must have sensed how he had upset the two of them. Ash knew that despite how the pokemon often acted otherwise, Lucario was not without feeling. His gaze softened.

'I'm sorry, Your Highness. You were not born with the gift. Your grip on the energy is tenuous at best. Something Ashton would have realized with more training.'

Aileen began shaking her head before Lucario even stopped speaking. As if she could shake his words right back out of her head. "I don't understand. We are both descendants of Sir Aaron. There's no reason why we can't both have it."

'Blood does not guarantee affinity or talent. It's a rare gift and doesn't manifest in everyone, especially not every human.'

Aileen didn't make a sound. Instead, she rounded her shoulders forward and bent over her knees. Ash thought he saw her shoulders begin to shake. But when he reached for her, Aileen pulled away. She leaped to her feet and dashed off. Ash wisely chose not to follow.

She hadn't run off that far. But Ash figured she needed to be alone for a while. A wave user was probably the last person she wanted to talk to right now.

Besides, he still had a bone to pick with a certain ancient pokemon.

"Why'd you have to do that?"

'She was going to realize it eventually. Whether I said anything or not.'

"You could have been kinder about it. Geez."

'It would have hurt either way. The girl cared too much about something she couldn't have.'

"And why do I have it then? I never asked for some rare weird power. But Aileen… she-" Ash paused, tossing his arm helplessly in the direction she had gone. "She deserves wave more than I do. I mean, it's practically her birthright."

Lucario settled himself on the ground nearby, casually stretching out his legs. 'Technically, it is yours as well.'

Ash scowled over at him. "I'm not so sure. I'm not even from Cameron. I was born in Pallet Town."

'I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar. Is Pallet a large village?'

"No. It probably didn't even exist in your time."

Ash gave up on standing. With his drama-fueled adrenaline spent, Ash could feel his weariness at full force again. He plopped down alongside Lucario. It was only as he started to fiddle with the stubs of grass next to him that Ash realized Aileen had run off with his crystal shards. The thought of having to retrieve them caused Ash to let out a large sigh. That was not a confrontation he'd be looking forward to.

Ash could feel Lucario's eyes on him but he chose not to acknowledge it. He knew the pokemon would speak to him when he felt like it. And sure enough, after a short moment of silence, Lucario said, 'You don't believe you inherited wave. Why? What else could possibly be the cause?'

Ash sighed again. "It's a long story."

'Crown Princess Aileen will not be ready to travel for a while yet. And I don't believe you or your other companions will leave her. Indulge me.'

Ash ran a hand down his face, pulling particularly at his lips. He really didn't like the idea of doing a confessional with Lucario of all pokemon. But Ash also suspected the pokemon would be unlikely to let it go.

"A few years back… I was in the Shamouti islands. And while I was there, I kinda got swept up in this weird thing. And well, there were these orbs. They called them treasures. And when I touched them, they glowed. Just like the crystal does."

Lucario nodded sagely. 'So you think the orbs gave you your powers?'

"What? No!"

'Then I don't understand.'

Ash tried again. This time from the beginning. How he and his friends had come upon the islands during a festival and that by announcing himself as a traveling trainer, Ash had inadvertently volunteered himself for a leading role.

'This seems to happen to you a lot.'

"More than you know."

He kept talking, explaining how that a younger him had fallen into the guise of folk hero a little too eagerly. Despite a coming storm, their whole company had headed out to complete the tasks of the trial. Ash talked about the ancient prophecy that unexpectedly had his own name in it. He brought up Lugia and how the Legendary had named him Chosen One. And then, somehow, by the end of it, he had managed to save the world.

By the time he had finished, Ash noticed that the others were starting to pack up. The early afternoon was slipping away and Kidd would be desperate to make up for the time they'd inevitably lose once the bikes could lead them no further.

Lucario had sat through Ash's story patiently. But he betrayed little emotion, even once Ash had finished. Ash watched as Lucario climbed back to his feet. But instead of commenting about the rather wild tale Ash had just woven, all Lucario said was, 'Thank you for sharing that with me.'

"Uh, sure. Anytime," replied Ash awkwardly, unable to help knitting his brow at the odd creature.

Lucario didn't say anything for a long moment. He only stayed standing by Ash's side, looking out over the distance they had yet to cover. Ash thought he could tell the pokemon was wrestling with something. That there was something he still wanted to say but didn't know if he should. It wasn't written on Lucario's face. For the first time, Ash thought he might have understood what Lucario meant about feeling another person's feelings.

At last, Lucario spoke. But his words were of little comfort. 'Be careful, Ash,' said Lucario at great length, not even seeming to notice how he had used the human's requested nickname. 'When legendaries choose someone, it is rarely a one-time thing.'

Lucario's words were still swimming in Ash's head long into the evening. He rolled out his sleeping bag still mulling them over in his head. The sensible thing would be to just ask Lucario about it. But Ash suspected Lucario had said all he would be willing to say on the subject.

Ash had just been patting out the ends of his bag when someone stood in front of him. It didn't take him by surprise, really. Ash expected Aileen would come back to talk eventually. He reluctantly looked up at her, relieved to see dry eyes and her face set.

"May I join you?"

"Sure." Ash scrambled back to give her space on his sleeping bag. She sat down neatly on the end. Although she appeared calm, she wouldn't look at Ash. That was probably a bad sign.

"I'm sorry… about earlier."

"Me too. Lucario shouldn't have said those things."

"Why not? They were the truth."

Ash tripped over his own tongue and decided to just close his mouth. Instead, he stared down at the ground. He had chosen a rather comfortable patch of grass to spread out his sleeping gear. There was the occasional rock or crystal poking up here or there but Ash felt he had chosen moderately well.

After a few beats had passed, Ash tried again. "Still, it wasn't kind."

Aileen smiled but it didn't quite reach her eyes. She reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a long chain. Ash watched curiously, completely baffled when she suddenly held it out to him.

"Here."

"Huh? What is it?"

She dropped it into his hand and Ash could finally see it in its entirety. It wasn't just a long silver chain. Twined at the end with a solid twist of metal was one of the crystals from the afternoon. The largest shard had made a lovely ornament at the end of the necklace.

"I actually wanted to throw them away. But that wouldn't be fair to you," Aileen confessed as Ash slipped the chain around his neck. "So I thought… what could I do? I got the idea from Queen Lynn. She made Sir Aaron's gauntlets, you know?" She snorted derisively as she added, "Must be all my line is good for."

"Aileen… I-"

She held up her hand, effectively cutting him off. "Don't, Ash. Don't bother. I really don't want to hear about how wave is… a burden or a responsibility. I've heard that sort of thing my whole life. If it's not wave, it's pokemon training. It's traveling. It's being not me…" Aileen paused. Ash thought he could hear the edge of tears in her voice. She took a deep shaky breath before continuing. "I don't want to hear how you'd like to trade places with me, because I won't believe you."

Ash fidgeted awkwardly on his corner of the sleeping bag. He wanted to correct her but she had just told him not to. So instead he stared and gripped the crystal she had just returned to him.

"I've spent my whole life wanting to have a purpose. To know that I meant something- that I could be a part of something greater than myself. Instead, I've always just been a princess playing the old tired-out part of a play."

"I… I think you're quite a good princess."

Aileen smiled again. She knocked her shoulder playfully against his own. "I've had a lot of practice."

Ash let go of the necklace. "Thank you for this," he said, ticking the crystal and letting it swing. "It's very helpful."

"I aim to be."

"Can I say something though?"

Aileen looked a little cross for a second. But reluctantly, she nodded.

"I should have been the one to say something to you, not Lucario." Aileen stared. Ash didn't want her surprise to derail his train of thought. So he closed his eyes and hastily bumbled forward, "I sorta knew that you wouldn't be able to. I shouldn't have encouraged you."

"Why did you?"

"I wasn't thinking. And… I kinda hoped you could. Because… and I know you said you didn't want to hear it but… I don't like this sort of thing. Being special. It's… very lonely."

Aileen knocked his arm again. She was smiling again but this time it was genuine. "This sort of thing happens to you a lot?"

"If I told you honestly, you'd just hate me more."

Aileen's face fell. She pulled her knees in close and rested her chin on top of them. "I don't hate you, Ash. I just… hate feeling this way. Feeling… worthless."

"But you're not. You're not worthless."

Aileen finally turned her head to look at him. Ash was shaking the necklace at her as he said, "This is really very useful."

His serious expression caused her to burst into a fit of giggles. And once over his surprise, Ash joined her. They laughed together, changed the topic and spoke of happier things. Lucario watched it all unfold from a safe distance.

To Be Continued…
Please Read + Review!

Hey all! Grad school has been rough but the new animal crossing game isn't out yet so I had time to kill. I'm also working on being less critical of my work and just writing. It certainly does seem to get these chapters out faster.

Thanks to those who reviewed last chapter: AshKetchumForever, YumeTakato, Shavaza, and juaniu1994.

There wasn't any particular questions to answer from the reviews this week. However, Shavaza said, "I'm mush over this development in Lucario and Ash's relationship." Me too, Shavaza. Me too. I'm probably their biggest fans in this story. I have so much fun making them interact.

Anyway, I like this new trend of mine where I tell you all when to expect the next chapter and then accidentally post a chapter sooner than my prediction. It's much nicer than my usual trend of posting way later than my predictions. So you can probably expect the next chapter of this story sometime within the April/May time frame.

Next time, Ash and Lucario discover a disturbing truth about Sir Aaron. See you then!