They soon continued on until they came to a chamber with three tunnels. Lucario was about to lead the group through the center one, but Hariel and Ash heard their respective pokémon's voices coming from the right tunnel and promptly followed it.

When Ash had saw Pikachu on the other side of the canyon with only bridges and branches of ice connecting the two, he wasted no time and climbing the ice branches despite the fact it was extremely windy outside.

"Ash?! What the hell do you think you're doing, you reckless boy!" Hariel exploded.

Steven, Metagross, Kirlia, and Lucario took a fearful step back from the furious woman.

Then she saw Absol trying to do the same thing.

Okay, she knew that Absol was used to climbing the cliffs of windy mountains, but come on!

Hariel breathed and levitated herself off the ground to the amazement of those around her and flew towards Absol, who nearly slipped and fell due to his eagerness to reunite with his trainer.

Hariel thankfully caught the pokémon and Absol nuzzled her exuberantly and licked her face all over in happiness.

"I missed you too, Absol!" Hariel laughed before she remembered Pikachu and Ash.

She turned, only to see that Steven thankfully had Metagross catch them both with Psychic. Not a moment later, Kidd came swinging down to join them.

Once she flew back to the group and set Absol down on the ground, she rounded on Ash.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? What if you fell without Metagross here to catch you?" Hariel scolded, making both Pikachu and Ash rub their heads sheepishly.

Admittedly, it was very reckless of them. It was then that Hariel was introduced to Mew and a talking Meowth.

Honestly, she thought she was done with the crazy adventures.

But they had no time to dwell on it as Regice and finally found them.

They had learned from Kidd that May, Max, and Brock had been caught by the red blobs as well. As they tried to escape, they finally found an exit through the roof of the next cavern chamber.

"I'll levitate us out of here," Hariel said but was distracted when Lucario was caught by Registeel.

With that, the red blobs pounced on them, making their fate inevitable.

Hariel gritted her teeth and released all her pokémon. The blobs weren't allowing her to apparate.

They were absolutely horrified as to what was happening and Absol was quick to grab onto her jacket sleeve with his teeth. He and her other pokémon tried to help him pull her out, but it was no use.

Ash's pokémon were trying to pull their respective trainer out and Steven's were doing their best to save their trainer as well, but failed.

"I'm so glad I got you meet you guys. I love you all," Hariel tearfully said and looked towards Steven, who released his Skarmory.

Steven said his goodbyes to his pokémon as well before looking back at Hariel and the last thing either of them saw were each other's eyes.

When all the humans disappeared, the pokémon were devastated.

Pikachu, Phanpy, and Corphish were crying over the ground where Ash had disappeared with Grovyle and Swellow looking just as sad.

Metagross and Skarmory looked heartbroken at the loss of their beloved trainer. The two huddled over the spot where Steven once was.

Absol cried over the spot where Hariel disappeared along with Kirlia, Milotic, and Charmander. Luxray looked just as heartbroken and lied down next to the spot and would refuse to leave.

Lucario looked downtrodden. He had gotten close to Ash and Hariel, especially the latter, who took the time to talk to him, cook for him, share her treats with him, and understand him.

Hariel felt light. There was nothing wherever she was.

Eternal darkness.

Until she felt dirt underneath her again and she opened her eyes to see all her pokémon gathered in front of her. First they looked disbelieving, but a few seconds later they cried out in their joy and piled on top of her with happiness and relief.

It seemed that Ash and Steven were getting the same treatment from their own pokémon.

Metagross near bulldozed its trainer in relief and nuzzled Steven as best it could with Skarmory doing the same.

As it turned out, Mew had convinced the Tree that they weren't harmful and released them.

Kidd had theorized that Mew and the Tree were in a symbiotic relationship, depending on each other for survival.

It was then that Mew fell ill and weak, and all the crystals surrounding them turned bright red and started to corrode away. Kidd gently scooped Mew into her arms and was shocked at the temperature the pokémon was sporting.

"Mew must've disrupted the Tree's natural response to intruders upon rescuing us. The Tree probably can't handle the change and is going into shock," Steven said gravely, "We have to find a way to rebalance the tree otherwise the whole place will collapse!"

"But what about the pokémon who live here?" Hariel asked, horrified.

Steven furrowed his brow and looked at Hariel with a downtrodden expression, giving her the answer she needed.

"And Mew will perish along with the tree," Kidd said, biting her lip.

Mew then released herself from Kidd's arms and gestured them to follow it.

"Mew wants us to follow," Ash said seriously before returning all his pokémon.

Steven, Hariel, and Kidd did the same. Absol was the only one who stayed out other than Pikachu.

No one noticed Meowth disappear.

Mew led them to another chamber before collapsing again. Thankfully Kidd caught the legendary in time.

"Huh? Could it be? These are Sir Aaron's gloves!" Lucario gasped before turning to a blurred entity trapped in crystal.

Sensing with his Aura, he confirmed the question on everyone's mind. The person entombed in the crystal was Sir Aaron.

"So Hariel was right. After sealing Lucario in the staff, Sir Aaron came to this chamber…but why?" Kidd asked.

"This must be the heart of the Tree," Steven theorized.

"Hey! A Time Flower!" Ash said before activating the said Time Flower Pikachu had found nearby.

The Time Flower revealed the fact that Sir Aaron had gave his Aura to Mew so that the Legendary would have enough power to stop the war and save the kingdom.

"Sir Aaron sacrificed himself to save the Kingdom. So he was a hero after all," Kidd said with awe.

Hariel looked at the entombed man with admiration. Despite knowing that he probably would not make it out alive, he went anyways.

It reminded her of the time where she willingly gave herself up to Voldemort so his last Horcrux, herself, could be destroyed and a chance to truly defeat Voldemort would become possible.

"Forgive me, Master! I should have never doubted you!" Lucario apologized, closing his eyes in pain.

Hariel had been right. There was no way a kind person like Sir Aaron could just suddenly up and "betray" him for no reason. This was why he had left the Kingdom!

"Mew! Mew mew mew!" the legendary cut in, gesturing to the heart of the Tree.

"With the power of Aura, we can save the Tree?" Lucario asked before narrowing his eyes in determination. "Yes, I will help you!"

"No! If you do that you'll end up just like Sir Aaron!" Kidd exclaimed.

"I know," Lucario said before trying to give Mew his Aura, but it wasn't strong enough.

Ash decided to contribute with Sir Aaron's gloves as a conduit for his own Aura.

Hariel watched with a baited breath with Steven, who looked just as worried.

"But Ash, you'll just destroy yourself too!" Kidd said, trying to stop the trainer.

"But if I don't try, think of all the pokémon!" Ash countered and managed to pull out his own Aura despite his lack of training for it.

Together, he and Lucario gave Mew the Aura it needed to revive the Tree of Beginning.

The immense power Mew needed was visibly putting a strain on both Lucario and Ash.

Pikachu looked at his trainer with worry as Ash gritted his teeth in pain.

Lucario looked at Ash before pushing him out of the way.

"Lucario? What are you doing?!" Ash demanded.

"I'll handle the rest of this!" Lucario stated with determination.

Hariel made her decision then. She couldn't just stand back and watch, not when she had power to contribute as well.

Pushing Lucario out of the way, Hariel took up the mantle and shoved all her magic into the giant sphere of Aura surrounding Mew, making the legendary look at her with surprise as the sphere near tripled in size with the sheer amount of power Hariel was channeling.

"Hariel, what are you doing?!" Lucario demanded just as Ash had done before and tried to take his place back, but with a wave of her hand, Lucario was repelled from getting close.

"People always told me I had a people saving thing," Hariel let out a strained laugh, "I guess it extends to pokémon now too."

The amount of magic she needed to give was quite a bit, but she had plenty to give. After becoming the Master of Death, she noticed that her magic was much more potent and powerful than before.

She would not die from this.

It took all of Steven's willpower to not to pull Hariel away, but at that moment, he couldn't be prouder of the woman. She was truly one of a kind.

He felt a nudge from his side from Absol. The pokémon was feeling the same way he was.

Letting out a grunt, Hariel gave Mew even more of her magic and life force. What was 30‑50 years of her life shaved off when wizards lived to be about 150 anyways?

Soon Mew broke the connected and went to the heart of the Tree and began the revival process.

Feeling faint from the incredible drain, Hariel fell back…only for Steven to immediately catch her and cradle her in his arms.

"I'm so proud of you Hariel," Steven said with relieved shining eyes.

Other than immense exhaustion, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the woman.

Hariel smiled at him and took the time to rest. The changes were immediate and soon the Tree of Beginning was back to perfect health. One could even dare to say that the Tree was even healthier than before.

If Hariel would ever decide to return, she would find out that the Tree of Beginning now considered her a part of the great ecosystem due to her magic and life force powering the heart of the Tree.

Hariel was glad to see that Kidd had decided not to publish anything about the Tree of Beginning, not wanting it to be ruined by tourists and researchers.

Lucario sighed in relief and sat down, accidentally activating another Time Flower as he did so.

Everyone was stunned as they took in Sir Aaron's last moments.

They watched as the man grunted in pain and sit down.

"Lucario, forgive me," Sir Aaron said.

"I do, Master," Lucario replied tearfully.

"You have to understand. I had to seal you inside the staff. I knew that if I didn't, you'd follow me here and suffer the same fate," Sir Aaron confessed. "I only wish you could have known the real story…"

"I understand!" Lucario said, looking at Sir Aaron with wide eyes.

"Someday you will be released in a more peaceful and distant time," Sir Aaron continued. "What will it be like? I wonder if—Nghhh ughh…"

It was hard to see such a heroic man be in pain, but out of respect, they never strayed their eyes away.

"I have no regrets," Sir Aaron said with a soft smile. "My journey has been great. I had served a beautiful queen, and you and I shared many adventures! …Those memories will always be with me."

With that said, the man laid back with a bigger smile while Lucario teared up even more at the image.

"Master, if you could only hear me!" Lucario cried. "I want to tell you…how much you mean to me!"

"Lucario…farewell," Sir Aaron said peacefully, "You were more to me than just my student…you were my closest friend."

"I feel the same," Lucario admitted truthfully and happily.

"Who knows? It could be…one day…we will see each other again," Sir Aaron said, a tear sliding down his cheek. "I hope so…my friend."

Lucario gasped as tears continued to slide down his cheek.

Hariel teared up as well, feeling Lucario's strong emotions coupled with her own heartfelt reaction to Sir Aaron's final moments.

Steven's eyes were a bit glassy as well. Hell, everyone's were.

"Sir Aaron! I'm sorry I failed you!" Lucario cried but Ash denied that statement.

"That's not true! You proved that you were a true Aura Guardian like Sir Aaron!" Ash said fiercely.

"Pikachu Pika!"

"Absol sol!"

"We all know that if I had never been here, you still would have been enough to save the Tree," Hariel said and everyone nodded.

"Thank you, Ash, Hariel," Lucario nodded before looking sadly at Sir Aaron's entombed body.

"At the very least, I can put him to rest," Hariel said before she waved her hand at Sir Aaron.

Sir Aaron's crystal tomb glowed before reforming as an orb of light. The orb bobbed slightly for a moment before shooting up into the core of the tree where it would travel up until it hit the heavens.

"What did you do?" Steven asked, worried.

"I released Sir Aaron's soul. He is at peace now…I'm sure you will meet again. Though…those who leave us are never truly gone. A part of them lives with us forever," Hariel said, smiling.

"A part of them?" Lucario asked.

"Yes. The memories you two share could never be forgotten. As long as you remember Sir Aaron, he will always be right here," Hariel said, placing a hand over Lucario's heart, "in your heart."

"In my heart...," Lucario said with awe.

Hariel then closed her eyes and succumbed to slumber.

"AH! Hariel! Is she okay?" Ash panicked.

"She's fine," Steven said, caressing her face. "She's just exhausted right now. With enough rest, she'll be back to normal."

Once Hariel was settled in bed with an IV drip from the doctor, Queen Ilene congratulated with the group.

"What will you do now, Lucario?" Ash asked.

"As I said, you're more than welcome to stay here at the palace for as long as you like," Queen Ilene said.

Lucario looked thoughtful.

During his adventure with Ash, Hariel, Steven, Kidd, and everyone else, he also remembered the great times he and Sir Aaron had together as they travelled way back when.

"I think I would like to go out and see the world. Like Sir Aaron, I want to live a life with no regrets," Lucario decided.

"I see," Queen Ilene said with approval.

"You're more than welcome to join us, Lucario," Ash offered with his friends happily agreeing.

"Thank you, Ash. But I think I would like to travel with Hariel instead," the Aura pokémon admitted.

"Aww…How come?" Ash asked, looking a bit disappointed, as did Pikachu.

"It's of no offense to you Ash. But when I was down and lonely, Hariel reached out to me and connected with me like no one but Sir Aaron had ever done. I would like to repay her kindness and share much happier memories with her," Lucario explained.

"I'm sure she'll be thrilled," Steven smiled.

"Then good luck, Lucario! I'm sure we'll meet again someday!" Ash said, grinning and not letting his disappointment get him down for long.

"You can count on it," Lucario nodded with a smile.

Hariel was looked better as the hours passed, and Steven, Lucario, and Absol all stayed by her side.

Lucario even got formally introduced to all of Hariel's other pokémon.

Steven then told Lucario about the modern pokémon world, speaking for hours about the different routes pokémon trainers could take. Hariel was currently trying to get all 8 Hoenn Gym Badges so she could compete in the Ever Grande Conference.

Lucario thought the idea sounded interesting and wouldn't mind a battle of good sportsmanship rather than a battle of war. Then a thought occurred to him as he looked at Steven, who was gently holding Hariel's hand as she slept.

"Are you Hariel's mate?" Lucario asked.

Steven looked shocked as a blush crawled up his face.

"A-Ah…not really no…"

"Hm?"

"Well you see, Hariel and I are currently in the stage where we're getting to know each other," Steven explained, trying to put his and Hariel's situation into words the pokémon could understand. It didn't help that all of Hariel's other pokémon were listening as well. "If we find each other to be possibly suitable…mates…then we will start dating—courting—and if that is successful and we feel that we could not live without each other because of our deep love for one another, then I will propose to her and ask her to marry me. Of course, I would not be opposed if she had proposed to me instead."

"…I understand," Lucario said with a nod. "And do you find Hariel to be a suitable mate?"

"Yes," Steven admitted, "So I will be asking her to court with me when she wakes up."

Lucario nodded. Fortunately or unfortunately, Sir Aaron never took such an interest in any woman, solely dedicating himself to Lady Rin. Though the Guardian did have many admirers…

It would be interesting watching how his new Master's—no, friend's—love life would develop. If Steven broke Hariel's heart, the man would be getting a Force Palm straight to the gut, no questions asked.

Hariel woke up early afternoon the next day. The doctor checked her over again and gave her a clean bill of health, but she would need to take it easy for the next couple days.

Steven had caught her up on what had happened, and just like the Champion said, Hariel was absolutely delighted that Lucario wanted to join her on her journey.

"Of course you can come, Lucario!" Hariel said, hugging the pokémon, "We're going to have a great adventure together! After travelling the Hoenn region, I plan to go to other regions like Sinnoh and Kalos! We'll get to see new places and meet new pokémon!"

Lucario looked quite excited at the prospect, having never have left the Kanto Region before.

Unsurprisingly, Lucario disliked being inside a pokéball, and like Absol, would walk next to Hariel as they journeyed.

Later, when Hariel and Steven were alone, they had a talk about their relationship.

"Hariel. I really do like you a lot, and it would make me really happy if you accept to be in a relationship with me," Steven said honestly.

Hariel smiled and pulled Steven in for a deep kiss, unlike the pecks on the cheek or forehead they had given each other before.

"Yes, I would like that very much," Hariel said, breathing against Steven's lips before they shared another kiss.