Rota was a beautiful place. A mountain kingdom nestled away inside Kanto, it was a place where history remained almost alive – preserved and present, which drew crowds year-round and especially during the Rota Festival.

Cameran Palace, in particular, was an old fortified castle now turned into a tourist attraction which was still quite functional… placed right in the middle of a lake, reached only by bridges, it held the administration of the pocket kingdom as well as an intimate stadium where the yearly tournament was held.

There was something else about it, as well.

"This place is really confusing," Ash said. "Uh… this way? I think?"

"You said that last time," Pikachu pointed out. "At what point do we just go out the window and fly?"

"It can't be that hard," Ash replied. "Oh, hey, one of the dressing rooms! We need – uh, I need – old fashioned clothes to take part, right?"

"That's a good point," Pikachu admitted. "Well, clothes are your department, I'll just wait over here and tell you how silly you look."

"Shadow Ball, Weavile!" Brock's opponent ordered.

Vulpix swept one of her tails around in a spiral, blowing the Shadow Ball off course, then flicked another and used Slash. Weavile's claws darted up to block with a musical shing, but while the Ice-type was doing that Vulpix was using Flamethrower – and, though it didn't go anywhere near Weavile, suddenly a coil of it wicked off as Vulpix used it for a Mystical Fire.

"Yay!" her teammate Eevee called, from the audience. "Keep it up, Vulpix!"

"I wondered about Brock wearing the wizard outfit," May admitted. "But now it makes a lot of sense – it's almost like his Pokémon are casting spells."

She caught Eevee as the Normal-type almost slipped over the edge. "Careful there!"

Eevee looked briefly embarrassed, then slightly offended, and floated an inch into the air from May's arms. "I can fly, you know!"

"...okay, we get that you can fly, but did you forget we can't understand you when Vulpix is too far away?" May said.

Max's eyes went wide. "Uh, sis… I just had an idea. Eevee, can you say something?"

"Something?" Eevee tried, wafting herself backwards to land on the edge of the stands again. "Why, what's up?"

Then she giggled. "Apart from me."

"So, it turns out that I can ask Ralts to translate things?" Max said. "I have to really concentrate so he can hear what I'm hearing, but when I do he can understand it just fine and tell me."

"Cool!" Eevee declared.

Then there was a clank clank clank sound as Brock's full-plate-wearing opponent walked out to shake his hand, and raised the visor of the armour to reveal her identity.

"Well done!" she said. "I'll take runner-up! That's an impressively versatile Vulpix you've got there."

"Uh oh," Max muttered.

Vulpix stepped on her trainer's foot before he could embarrass himself with his usual over-romantic reaction.

"What about now?" Ash asked.

"I think that looks a lot better," Lokoko told him.

The Ninetales had somehow ended up being in charge of making sure her trainer looked good – a role she'd very much thrown herself into – and she stepped back to judge Ash from a greater distance, then nodded.

"That looks quite fine," she said. "The blue works for you."

"Great!" Ash declared. "Hey, Pikachu, we should get going!"

Pikachu shook himself, waking up from a doze, then jumped to Ash's shoulder. There was a thump as he landed, and Ash patted the Electric-type.

"Let's go do that tournament!" he said. "Uh, assuming we can find it."

Marshadow phased out of Ash's shadow. "The route is quite simple," he said. "Follow me please."

"You couldn't have offered earlier?" Pikachu asked.

"I don't know where the dressing rooms are," Marshadow pointed out. "But going back to a previously visited place is much easier."

He looked around, then did a double-take. "That's odd."

Ash, Pikachu and Lokoko followed his gaze.

"I guess that must be who first wore this outfit," Ash said, looking at the painting. "And he's got a Pidgeot… maybe I'll have one, if Pidgeotto evolves?"

Shrugging, he turned to follow Marshadow again.

It was only a few minutes later that Ash met up with Brock and the others.

And found out that he'd missed the entire tournament.

"Sorry," Brock said. "I asked if I could compete and give up my slot to you when you turned up, because we felt a bit bad about it, but then…"

"It's okay, Brock," Ash assured him. "It's my fault, really."

"I fear I deserve at least some of the blame," Lokoko admitted. "I may have gone a little overboard on coordinating Ash's outfit."

"Still, Brock, you won fair and square!" Ash added. "And you won that cool staff?"

"As the Hero of Aura, Brock can carry the staff for the night," Queen Ilene explained, helpfully. "He doesn't get to keep it, but it's a position of honour."

"Neat," Ash said, touching the staff, and a Lucario fell out.

"...what?" the Lucario demanded, looking around, then saw Ash and tensed up. "You!"

"Me?" Ash repeated. "What do you mean, me?"

He straightened. "My name's Ash Ketchum! I'm from Pallet Town, and I'm aiming to be a Pokémon Master!"

"And you can believe what you want about what that term actually means," Vulpix commented. "Goodness knows three regional championships hasn't given him much more insight into the term."

"Be nice," Eevee chided.

"But… I…" Lucario began, then frowned. "My… apologies. I thought you were my traitor of a mentor, Sir Aaron."

"A traitor?" Queen Ilene said, shocked. "But Sir Aaron is a hero of Rota's history!"

"That man does not deserve to be called hero!" Lucario said, hotly. "He trapped me in his staff, and left me with no way out!"

Lokoko's eyes glowed, and a telekinetic grip took Lucario's paw.

"This way, please," she said, walking towards the nearest open door and gently tugging Lucario in the same direction. "You and I are going to have a commiserating session about being left behind in malfunctioning Pokémon containment mechanisms by people who we thought we could trust. It is a very specific topic, but trust me when I say that I more than any other Pokémon alive understand what you have been through."

She looked over her shoulder. "All of you can come as well, but this is therapy. Please do not interrupt Lucario until he has finished."

It took a long time for the story to come out, with a battle in the past and the need to defend the castle and Sir Aaron's shameful flight, but eventually Lucario finished his tale.

There was silence for a long minute, afterwards.

"I think there's something missing," Ash said. "I know that that sounds bad, and I don't mean you're wrong, Lucario – I mean that there's some things there where you couldn't know the answer. And I'd like to know the answer."

He waved his hands. "I don't mean you're wrong about Sir Aaron, even… I mean that Cameran Castle is still here. Unless it got rebuilt?"

"No, this is where I once lived," Lucario replied. "I have walked these halls in the past… it may be larger, but there is no sign of battle through the halls. And those clothes you wear are Sir Aaron's, not merely replicas… I can tell by the spark of Aura that flashes through them."

Mew materialized next to him.

"Aura?" she repeated, as Lucario jumped and clung onto the ceiling. "Ash has Aura?"

"Where did you come from!?" Lucario demanded, blue fire crackling around his paws.

"I come from nowhere because I'm approximately as old as the concept of a place," Mew replied. "Now I've answered your question, so go ahead and answer mine. Ash has Aura?!"

"...yes, actually," Lucario said, dropping back to the ground. "That is why Sir Aaron's gauntlets are practically glowing against his skin."

Mew started to emit a faint squeeeee noise, like a kettle.

"Though, now I come to think of it," Lucario added, "the rest of you do not bear Aura. And none of you seem surprised that you understand my words. Have you encountered a Lucario before?"

"Actually, that's either Vulpix or Lokoko," Ash said, patting Lokoko on the back. "I'm not sure which. But they can use Hypnosis to make sure that people understand Pokémon around them."

"It's me, as usual," Vulpix contributed. "Hold on, I'll turn it off… there we go."

"So… we should still understand Lucario?" Max checked.

"To be honest, yes," Lucario told him, getting a nod. "I've noticed that word a couple of times before… is a Pokémon your word for a Maiju?"

"And back on," Vulpix said. "Hey, Mew, how long ago did the word Pokémon turn up?"

"I'm a bit too delighted to focus on that question right now," Mew said. "Hey, Ash! Try using Sacred Sword!"

A sword promptly appeared in Ash's hands.

"This is so cool!" Mew giggled. "I can teach you all sorts of moves now, and I don't need to wait until next time you're an Absol!"

Lucario was by now utterly lost.

"What."

Ash made the sword disappear, then there was a loud scream from the doorway.

"That does not get easier with practice!" gasped the Absol in the doorway. "I thought I was ready for it this time, but… honestly, I'm surprised you can stand up when you're an Absol."

"Does everybody know about what that when-you're-an-Absol comment means except for me?" Lucario asked.

"It's because Ash Ketchum is essentially a living tornado of improbability," Absol replied, shaking herself out and recovering her aplomb slightly. "I came here to warn you, there's a disaster afoot."

"There is?" Ash asked. "Uh… is it one that's close in time, in place, or both?"

"That's a surprisingly good question," Pikachu admitted.

"Hey," Ash complained.

"It is a good question," Absol told him. "And… it's not to do with you, but the solution is to do with you? I think? It's a big one, though, and it's focused not all that far from here."

"Searching," Zygarde declared. "Connecting with cells. Search parameters set. Search concluded."

They walked over to the window. "There is an environmental energy imbalance over there. In the giant crystal tree."

"The what?" Absol asked, loping over to the same window. "Ah. I really should have guessed that was involved."

"What kind of imbalance?" Ash said. "I'm guessing that that's bad, if Absol is worried…"

"The crystal tree absorbs sunlight and regulates life energy. An imbalance has resulted from long term build up of impediments on the main flow channels," Zygarde explained. "This has resulted in energy flow constriction and has the potential to cause a catastrophic release when a blockage is cleared explosively."

"It is called the Tree of Beginning," Lucario informed them. "It is like a life form made of crystal. My… Sir Aaron… once told me that the way we could know that rock and crystal life like Onix or the Time Flowers were still life was that Aura healing worked on them."

"Does that mean we can help it?" Max said. "I mean, uh… with Aura, that is."

"...perhaps," Lucario judged. "I would need to be closer, and it is a journey of many days… but I would be honoured to have you along as companions."

"Oooor, we could do this!" Mew said, and used Teleport.

"Hey!" a Mew said, as the group appeared. "What are you doing here? Also hi!"

"We're here to fix your tree and eat Pokéblocks!" Ash's Mew declared. "And we're all out of Pokéblocks!"

"Lifetime supply, remember?" May said. "Should I get some?"

She checked her Pokétch. "...huh. No signal."

"How hard is it to heal the tree?" Ash asked. "You said I have Aura, could I do it? Mew knows all the moves in the universe, could Mew do it?"

"It is not a question of difficulty, in truth," Lucario replied. "The process of transference is not a move… it is using one's own Aura to heal directly, and Aura is life force. And to heal something so large would be… terribly draining."

"Please wait before attempting something terribly draining," Zygarde requested. "I am requesting help."

"And, while I'm at it," Mew went on, rounding on her fellow New Species Pokémon. "What do you think you're up to, letting this place get so dirty?"

"You know how it is, letting the housework pile up," the Tree Mew said. "How often should I clear out?"

"It would be optimal to do it when the tree is more than six months or one unexpected power surge from going into overload and detonating," Zygarde declared. "When did you last clean out?"

The Tree Mew scratched the back of her neck. "Ehehe… actually it was done by this human guy? It must have been ages ago…"

Lucario gasped.

"Sir Aaron," he said.

"That was his name!" the Tree Mew agreed. "How did you know?"

Lucario had dropped to his knees, staring at a crystal formation.

"Forgive me, master," he said. "I didn't know… when you said you would never return, it was because you knew you would die here."

Lokoko considered him, then swatted Lucario with one of her tails.

Lightly, though.

"He should have explained what he was doing," she said. "What you thought made sense based on what you knew."

A golden ring appeared in the air, and Xerneas ducked her head to get her antlers through.

"Do you have any idea what time it is in Kalos?" she asked.

"Eight forty-three AM," Zygarde answered.

"Quite correct," Xerneas said. "Your cell message said something about… ah."

She took in a deep breath, and her antlers lit up as she went into Active Mode.

"I suspect that the reason for the imbalance you talked about is that there's another Xerneas in here," she said. "I did wonder, but always assumed there wasn't another one."

"Another Xerneas?" Ash asked.

Then they all stopped as Lucario activated a Time Flower, showing them the last moments of Sir Aaron.

"Let's see…" Xerneas said, about ten minutes later. "Reconnect that conduit to there… Lucario, can you flush that specific one out? Zygarde will show you where."

"This has turned a lot more technical than I was expecting," Max admitted.

"Any sufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology," Skitty said knowingly. "Hmm… I think this one over here is blocked too. Mind letting me borrow some Geomancy, Xerneas?"

Behind them in the tunnel, Ho-Oh ruffled his feathers.

"I could-" he began.

"No," Xerneas replied, firmly. "I do not want to see the Tree of Beginning reincarnating into a giant stone Glameow two miles wide."

The Rainbow Pokémon coughed. "I don't usually do cats these days," he said. "I'm better at it."

"I think that's healed," Lucario reported, panting, and Xerneas topped up his life energy.

Then there was a sudden rush of light down the conduit, pulsing like a heartbeat.

"Ooh, I know where that's going!" the Tree Mew declared. "Back to the main room! Everybody aboard the teleport!"

Back in Cameran Castle, Eevee flicked her ears.

"Sooo… should we go and do that ceremony thing?" she asked. "I think Mew forgot us… wasn't there something about a dance?"

"Oh, yeah!" Brock brightened. "There's going to be chicks there!"

"You've still got Bulbasaur with you, don't get too carried away," Vulpix pointed out.

"...so Lucario's been inside a Pokéball for a thousand years, only it's not really a Pokéball it's a staff," Ash rattled off. "And he's confused about a lot of modern society, so I said the best place for him to go would be somewhere where there's lots of Pokémon to help him ease back into society and there's someone who knows a lot about everything to teach him about humanity. Plus he can speak so normal humans understand him with Aura, so he can help with your other research, and he says he's interested."

Ash turned Ibid slightly. "And there's this Xerneas as well who got revived, who turned out to be Shiny, and he's been in a tree for a bit more than two thousand years, so he likes the idea of sticking around Lucario for a bit before he works out what he's going to do with his life now, but the other Xerneas from Kalos wants to drop in and help him out – is that okay?"

The miniature representation of Professor Oak stared.

"Oh, yeah!" Ash added. "And it turns out I've got Aura, so I can use Pokémon moves without being a Pokémon. Mew's absolutely delighted! She says she's not sure what move to teach me first, but I thought I'd let you know about that in case you had ideas. Or if it was scientifically important."

Professor Oak kept staring.

"Is he all right?" the shiny Xerneas asked. "He hasn't moved for a while."

"Yeah, that happens sometimes," Ash shrugged. "He'll answer in a minute or so."

And, in the ballroom of Cameran Castle, Brock regretted not reading the fine print on the whole Aura Guardian Festival thing.

Sitting in a throne the whole evening was not a good way to attract the attention of girls.

AN:

Still. At least Brock got to dress as a wizard.