"This is getting really old!" Roxy said, as Ash's body was hoisted into the air via aura tendrils.
"It's the Primal Force, it doesn't want Ash to be cured." Wally said.
The group had barely made it to the canyon entrance and already they were having problems.
"Hold on." Drew said. "Butterfree use Sleep Powder!"
Drew's Butterfree flew above Ash, releasing a powder that quickly put him to sleep, and thankfully made his aura fade.
"Any ideas Lucario?" Brendan asked.
"One, an old trick my master used with me." Lucario said, ripping a strip off of Brendan's shirt.
"Hey!" Brendan said angrily, as Lucario paid no mind.
"If Ash can't see where we're going then this Primal Force can't either." Lucario said, tying the cloth around Ash's eyes. "I will need time to train him."
"Let's keep walking until he wakes up, no sense in waiting until then." May said. "Blaziken help us out!"
May's Blazekin easily lifted the comatose and blindfolded Ash as they made further progress into the canyon. After a while of walking, Blaziken got May's attention.
"Guys, Ash is waking up." May said.
"Ash, you're blindfolded, do not take it off." Brendan warned.
"Why am I blindfolded?" Ash asked with a yawn.
"To keep Groudon from stopping us." Wally said. "If you can't see where we are, then neither can he."
"Okay, so why am I being carried?" Ash asked.
"We put you to sleep about an hour ago." Drew said calmly. "We can probably set him down for now."
As Ash was set down, Lucario went up to him.
"Ash, you must listen to me." Lucario said calmly. "While we have removed your sight, your other senses should be able to guide you."
"How am I supposed to do that? I can't feel every wall until we make it there, can I?" Ash asked.
"That's a good point." Roxy said. "I mean can he do that?"
"No, but I will try to teach what Sir Aaron taught me." Lucario said. "Feel the earth beneath you, listen to the wind blow, and sense the aura all around you."
"Okay, but how do I do that?" Ash asked.
"By breathing." Lucario said. "Take a deep breath in, then hold."
Ash took a deep breath in and held it as instructed.
"Now, I want you to exhale slowly." Lucario said.
Ash slowly released his held breath, nearby, Wally did the same."
"Wally, what are you doing?" Flannery asked.
"Participating, do you have anything else you could have us working on?" Wally asked.
"Fair enough." Flannery said.
"Mow keep up that breathing, and things will behin to come into focus." Lucario said.
"Its not working." Ash said in defeat.
"Focus on your breathing, tell me what you can sense." Lucario said calmly.
'I CAN SENSE THIS WILL NOT STOP ME!' The Primal Force said.
'Shut up already.' Ash thought back, clearing his mind to the best of his ability.
"Here, let me try something." Flannery said, walking forward.
"What are you doing?" Lucario asked in confusion.
"Something my master taught me, to feel the heat before it's too late." Flannery said, untying Ash's shoes. "Now Ash, step on the ground again."
"Won't his feet get hurt?" Roxy asked.
"If it's between sore feet and death, I'll risk sore feet." Ash said.
"Now what can you sense?" Flannery asked, backing up.
"This ground, its worn, I can feel cut stone, but there's grass in the way." Ash said, before picking his head up and turning it. "There's a stream nearby, flowing in that direction." Ash said pointing towards the tree in the distance. "And there's something else."
"What is it?" Wally asked curiously.
"Something, something's coming!" Ash shouted.
"Ty!" A fiery eruption shot out in front of the group as a Pokemon rushed out.
"What is that thing?!" May called out.
"Its an ancient guardian of the tree." Lucario said. "It sensed we were coming!"
"I think it's a Typhlosion, but not like any I've seen before." Roxy said. "This thing is huge."
The Typhlosion was easily two and a half times the size of a regular Typhlosion, and covered in fiery red fur.
"Either way, it should still be a fire type. Rhydon use Aqua Tail!" Brendan said, tossing out his Pokeball.
Even when paired against Rhydon, the Typhlosion was large, withstanding the attack with ease, before sending out a giant stream of fire.
"Come on Ash." May said, grabbing his arm.
"I can help!" Ash said.
"How you can't see!" May reminded.
"But my Pokemon can." Ash said. "Pikachu use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu sent out a bolt of electricity at the large Typhlosion, shattering the ground in front of it.
"Let's help out!" Roxy said, grabbing a Pokeball. "Aerodactyl use Rock Slide!"
"Magcargo come out and use Rock Slide too!"
The two Pokemon came out of their Pokeballs, crashing into either side of the canyon, sending rocks tumbling down onto the Typhlosion.
"Ty!" The Typhlosion roared, breaking free once more.
"Lucario, we could use your help!" Brendan said.
"Stand back." Lucario said, walking forward, a green aura pulsing around his paws. "Taste my ancient Aura Sphere!"
A green ball of aura shot out, blasting into the Typhlosion finally causing it to scamper away.
"It will be back, we must keep moving." Lucario said.
"Are there other guardians we should be worried about?" Wally asked, helping Ash stay with the group.
"At a time, many Pokemon considered the Tree of Life home, and as such it granted some of them great power to protect it." Lucario said. "I only recognized it as a guardian because of the size and markings."
"So that wasn't one when you were alive?" Ash asked.
"No, there were three guardians beside myself at that time. Golems created from the strongest elements out there. One of Rock, one of Steel, and one of Ice." Lucario said.
"Sounds a lot like the legend of the Regis in Hoenn." Brendan said. "But the legend says they were sealed away by their own creator."
"If that's the case, then it is possible the tree has selected new guardians." Lucario said.
"Meaning that there is at least three more out there." Ash realized.
"Possibly, there could also be more, or even less." Lucario said. "They did not recognize me as a fellow guardian so we must trek with the utmost care. Times have certainly changed since I last walked this path."
After a while, the group eventually crossed by the stream Ash had heard nearby.
"Wow, you actually heard it!" May said in shock.
"Of course, he's seeing with aura now." Lucario said. "As long as he keeps this connection as so, his powers of perception are amplified greatly."
"So what, he can tell us where the wind is blowing?" Brendan asked half jokingly. "Sorry, that was rude."
Ash and Lucario still didn't respond, both fixated on something.
"You sense it too." Lucario said.
"Yes, but I can't figure out what it is." Ash said, trying to focus.
"Get away from the water!" Lucario shouted, too late as a large Feraligatr leapt at the group. Ifs fins and claws much longer and sharper than your average Feraligatr, and it's breath seemed cold.
"Snorunt use Ice Beam!" May called out.
Snorunt came out of its Pokeball, doing its best to try and freeze the still soaking wet Feraligatr.
"Marshtomp help out with your own Ice Beam!"
"You too Milotic!"
The three water types held the Feraligatr at bay, doing their best to keep the trainers safe.
"Let's try a deep freeze! Lapras use Sheer Cold!" Roxy called out.
Lapras unleashed a powerful icy blast, only for Feraligatr to shatter it instantly.
"Uh oh." Roxy said in shock.
"Stop trying to freeze it! Roselia use Petal Dance!" Drew called out.
"Great idea! Cacturne use Needle Arm!"
Feraligatr threw the remaining water types off of it, only to see a flurry of red and blue petals coming at it, when suddenly Cacturne leapt through them, striking Feraligatr in the gut and pushing it back into the river.
"Pikachu! Use Thunderbolt!" Ash called out.
Pikachu readied an attack, but the large Feraligatr had disappeared already, having gone to who knows where.
"We need to keep moving, and stay away from the water, this is something I've never seen before." Lucario said sternly.
"Hey hold on, we need a second, some of our Pokémon are exhausted!" Drew said angrily.
"Lucario, the Primal Force hasn't tried anything, we can stop and rest." Ash reminded.
"There have already been two guardians sent to attack us, it's only a matter of time before more show up." Lucario said.
"Exactly, but these people aren't aura guardians or knights, we need time to recover." Ash said. "Just let them rest, it's still early in the day."
"Very well." Lucario said. "In one hour we must continue though."
"Better than nothing I suppose." Drew said.
"Sorry about this guys." Ash apologized, walking over to them, tripping only a little along the way.
"It's fine, we're not mad at you." May said, checking over Snorunt. "We're just not used to so much go go go."
"Speak for yourselves, Aerodactyl and the others are ready for another round." Roxy said.
"Thank you for talking Lucario down though." Drew said. "And remember none of us are here by force, we all want to be here for you."
"At least most of us." May said, seeing the other three standing at odds.
With Brendan, Wally, and Flannery
"So you think everything is just fine now?" Wally questioned angrily.
"I never said that, but Ash doesn't seem to hate me being here." Flannery countered.
"Ash would let Harrison join us if he asked. He already forgave Harley for what happened!" Brendan countered. "You broke his heart!"
"He broke up with me!" Flannery argued.
"What?" Wally said in shock. "But he said, when Roxy came by, and with how hard you battled her, we figured…"
"That's when it started. He also went to the training with her." Flannery admitted. "And for a while I was fine with it, but I got angry again. And Ash said that if I didn't like that he had other friends visiting, then I should go."
"I'm sure he didn't want you to leave." Wally said.
"Maybe, but I found myself someone to train with, and I've come further in those few weeks than I did traveling with you guys." Flannery said.
"So why help, we have more than enough people already." Brendan said. "You could have just gone on your own way again."
"I feel that I'm needed here, but I don't know what for just yet." Flannery said.
A bit later
"Enough rest, we need to move out." Lucario said, having never sat down.
"Lucario, you know you could have relaxed too." Ash said.
"I am on a mission from the crown, I will not rest until it's over." Lucario said.
"But the crown you followed is gone. The royalty stands, but even the aura guardians are no more." Ash said. "No one would hold it against you for relaxing."
"I would, and that is enough for me to continue." Lucario said. "We need to be on guard, we're at the tree."
"What do you mean, the tree is so far away." Wally said.
"Not exactly, I can feel the aura from the tree, we're actually a lot closer than it looks." Ash said. "The roots of it stretch all the way out here."
"Guys, what's that?!" May said in fear, as something came out from one of the roots hanging off of a cliff.
"Another guardian!" Lucario exclaimed, leaping up at it.
"It looks like a Meganium!" Drew said.
Just like the others, this Meganium was huge, but it also seemed to have long vines covering its body.
"Cyndaquil come out and use Flame Wheel!" Ash said, after Brendan quickly pointed him in the right direction.
Cyndaquil sped forward, slamming into one of Meganium's legs, but doing little to move it.
"Houndoom help out with Fire Fang!" Flannery called out.
"Arcanine use Fire Blast!" Brendan said.
"Blaziken use Blaze Kick!" May shouted.
Three more Fire types flew out at Meganium, each attacking another leg before the harass type lashed out hundreds of vines, knocking all four away.
"Cyndaquil use Flamethrower on Arcanine!" Ash called out.
Cyndaquil leapt into the air, sending out a stream of flames at Arcanine, causing the large dog to glow with energy.
"Now Brendan!" Ash said.
"Great idea!" Flannery said. "Houndoom use Fire Fang on Arcanine!"
"Blaziken use Blaze Kick!"
The flames from both attacks were drawn in before either Pokemon could get close, causing Arcanine's fur to glow a bright orange.
"Now Arcanine use Fire Blast!" Brendan called out.
Every hair on Arcanine seemed to ignite at once, sending out a powerful fire attack, sending the area up in smoke.
'Cough cough'. "Can anyone see it?" May called out.
"Nope!" Ash said with a chuckle.
"It's gone, and so is Lucario." Brendan said, as the smoke cleared. "So much for his duty."
"Look we're almost there, we can be angry about that later, now come on." Ash said.
