A/N: Hello my lovely readers. Here is the second chapter as promised. I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I don't own Pokemon, but I do own the story idea.

"The will to win, the desire to succeed, the urge to reach your full potential... these are the keys that will unlock the door to personal excellence." -Confucius

Chapter 2: Unsettled Emotions

Ash and Aurora cruised through the sky on their Charizards at a fast pace. It was still morning time, but the sun was shining bright and they barely saw anything in the sky. Ash found himself following Aurora. She seemed to have a good lay of the land beneath her. The guardian teen figured it was because she was much more well-traveled than he was. Also, Ash didn't quite know where in Sinnoh the Lucario Kingdom was, so he was glad that Aurora knew.

Aurora was focused on what was in front of her. As long as she sensed Ash near her, she was alright. The ebony haired woman hadn't visited Sinnoh in quite some time, so she hoped she wasn't get them both lost. The two Ketchums soon left Kanto and began to fly the skies of Johto.

Aurora directed her Charizard and Ash's toward northeast. Ash looked down and noticed he was passing by Ecruteak City. He started to remember his battle with Morty and the Burned Tower. The boy also noticed that they were flying at a fast pace if they were already here. He found himself impressed with both the fire types' speed. He was proud to see his Charizard keep up with Aurora's without any sign of straining, too.

Eventually, the duo flew out of Johto and into uncivilized terrain. There seemed to be an endless amount of trees on the horizon. Ash began to wonder how far Sinnoh really was from Kanto and sighed. He hoped Charizard could make the trip. He knew he had flown a plane there before and he knew he had flown for a few hours. Ash wasn't sure how long it took.

Aurora looked back at Ash and noticed his unrest. She could tell he wasn't used to long trips and began to think about how to engage him since it would be a while before they reached the ocean that separated the trees from Sinnoh's land. Aurora gasped when she got an idea. She tapped on Chari's head. Chari's red eyes went up slightly to acknowledge the tap. Then, Aurora began to whisper her idea to her partner Pokémon. Chari nodded and smirked.

Aurora called out to Ash, "Hey, young one… want to see something cool?"

Hearing Aurora talk after about two hours of cruising in the sky startled the boy. He said, "What do you have in mind?"

"We still have quite a way until Sinnoh, so I'd say I can entertain you for a bit of time." Aurora smiled at her first Pokémon. "Chari, let's have some fun, shall we?"

"I'm ready, Aurora!" Chari said excitedly.

"Let's show Ash some of our reckless days from before I had him. Use your Blue Phoenix technique!" Aurora commanded.

Chari's eyes began to glow a bloody red. Her body lit up in an intense blue flame. Ash immediately became concerned about Aurora being in the fire, but then noticed that she was glowing yellow. Her two 'z' shaped marks appeared on her face and she seemed excited. She also looked like she wasn't getting burned. If anything, she seemed comfortable in the heat.

Ash knew that as a master guardian duo, they blessed each other with enhanced durability and increased power, but to see that their bond was so potent that Aurora could sit on her flaming lizard told Ash a lot about their relationship. He hoped he could have an even stronger bond with Pikachu. Pikachu was watching the duo in awe and had the same thoughts as his partner.

Ash's heart skipped a beat when he saw Chari flip her body to where she was flying to where her back was to the ground. Aurora started to fall toward the trees. Ash was about to send his own Charizard to catch her, but one look from the falling Aurora made him think otherwise. She had a youthful and mischievous look. She smirked playfully. He never seen her this comfortable before.

As Aurora dangled toward the ground, Chari started to fly around her at a fast pace, seemingly creating a blue flaming shield around the two. Aurora herself was spinning her body around like Chari. Ash noticed Aurora's body was glowing brighter and the blue flames were expanding into a more distinct shape. It seemed like Aurora was going to hit the trees at any moment.

Right before Aurora fell into the trees, Aurora and Chari high fived each other and they looked more determined. While spinning coordinately, Aurora and Chari both flew themselves up. As they rose up, an explosion of flames was unleashed as they danced around the two harmlessly. At this point, the two was enveloped in a flurry of flames that resembled a blue Ho-Oh. Ash's eyes were sparkling in awe at this point.

Aurora's and Chari's movement were coordinated. The duo looked like they had a blue Ho-Oh avatar surrounding them. As Chari was Aurora's closest bonded Pokémon, she had more mastery over fire and air, but seeing it like this was amazing. Ash wondered what other things master guardians and their partners could do together and hoped he could do that someday with his partners.

Aurora made her left eye red and her right eye yellow. Both Aurora and her other side were out and her aura grew more potent to reflect how Mew is when together with her counterbalance. Aurora curled her fists up. Chari did the same. Then, with a joint yell, the master guardian duo shot out their fiery projection in front of them.

The Ho-Oh projection took a life of its own, separated itself from Aurora and Chari and charged into the sky, flying off with blue streaks of flame behind it. Ash could see that Aurora was controlling it. With a snap of Aurora's fingers, the projection exploded into blue sparkles that floated gently toward the ground. Ash grew concerned that Aurora made have started a forest fire, but his concern was soon quelled when Aurora snapped her fingers again to blow away any fire. The sight looked stunning.

Aurora lazily floated back on to Chari with the same mischievous look she had from before she started. Aurora's left eye turned back to yellow. Ash, Pikachu and Charizard looked at the woman, speechless. Aurora giggled at the boy. Then, she flew a little past them with Chari.

Ash quickly ushered Charizard to catch up with Aurora. It was in this time, that they reached the ocean that separated the wild forests from the Sinnoh region. Aurora increased her pace with Chari to spur Ash into doing the same. Her plan worked. Ash noticed she was flying significant faster and grew determined to catch up. Eventually, he did.

"Mom, that was amazing! How did you learn to do that?" Ash said to her. Aurora started to laugh again.

"I was very experimental when I was your age. I practiced that on my own in my free time. That projection isn't just for show, either. It's my most deadly technique. It's easy to do with Chari because we're sharing our energy. It's much harder by myself because of all the aura needed to create and maintain such a large form. It's also devastating when it lands. It's often impractical to use this in a serious battling setting when I'm against another person, though." Aurora explained.

"Can you do it by yourself, Chari?" Ash asked Aurora's trusty partner.

"Yep, but I find it's much easier to use Flare Blitz and manipulate the shape to reflect the Blue Phoenix. Even though the technique is just emulating and changing Flare Blitz's shape, Aurora decided to morph it to use it in a flashier way." Chari told him.

"I can't exactly light my entire body on fire any time I want to, like you, Chari. That takes a lot of energy for a guardian… even for a distinguished one like myself." Aurora huffed slightly in annoyance.

"I didn't even know guardians could light themselves on fire at all." Ash put a finger on his chin.

"Unless I want to turn myself into a barbeque, not really." Aurora shook her head. Ash looked at her, slightly confused. Aurora explained, "The reason why I can appear to have my body on fire is because I'm using a hyperactive aura barrier to protect myself from being exposed to flames for too long and converting the outside part into fire. I myself am not on fire. It's a lot more technical than it seems at first glance."

"Wow… that's a lot cooler to find out, actually. Makes what you did all the more awesome!" Ash complemented.

"Haha… I'm glad I amused you, Ash." Aurora said with a warm smile.

"Gah… that made me even more excited for the future. I really want to pull off that kind of stuff myself someday." Ash said, now pumped up. Aurora giggled at his enthusiasm. He was being very much like the Ash she remembered before being separated. Though she still sensed his melancholy regarding his previous life, she was glad to distract him from those feelings if it made him happier.

"I have no doubt in my mind that you will, especially since you have a higher aptitude for aura than I do. You're truly an amazing boy. The next time I see you, this will become more apparent because you would have reunited with and started to connect with all of your guardian partners instead of just four." Aurora said. Ash nodded, then gasped.

"I see land up ahead!" Ash pointed out.

"Beautiful. Pastoria City is on the horizon. We're almost to Sinnoh. Hang on for a little while longer." Aurora said with a hint of excitement.

Within a few minutes, the Ketchum duo started to fly over Pastoria City. They took notice to a few people looking up at them. Ash noticed Crasher Wake heading to the Poke Mart of the city. Aurora took notice at how much the city changed since she was a teenager. She noted that the Great Marsh remained the same, so she was happy about the wild Pokémon that could roam free in that space.

Ash immediately began to think about Brock and Dawn. He knew that Dawn had grown to be quite the Coordinator in recent years and wondered where she was now. Ash also began to think about how Serena and Dawn would interact. He knew that they would probably hit it off well because of how similar they were to each other. The thought of that made him smile. The boy began to wonder if he could somehow get his old friends to come together some day.

Aurora began to focus on finding the Lucario Kingdom since they were close. She remembered it being between Mt. Coronet and Veilstone City, but she hadn't tried to go to it via the sky before. As they flew on, Aurora noticed they were near Lake Valor. Aurora decided to turn east upon being above the lake. Ash noticed that they were above unsettled terrain again.

Aurora made her eyes turn yellow as she began to scan the ground for anything peculiar. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed a strong blue ripple near some of the trees. Her eyes turned into normal and she gestured Ash to follow her with her hand. Aurora directed everyone toward the ripple. However, since the ripple was in the middle of the forest, Aurora jumped off Chari and landed on a sturdy tree branch.

Ash noticed Aurora return Chari to her Poke Ball upon landing and realized that they were in the right area. Ash wondered how he was going to get down, but Aurora already had an idea. Aurora's hands began to glow the same color as her eyes. Ash gasped as he developed a yellow outline around himself. Aurora gently lifted Ash off of Charizard and instructed him to return Charizard as he was too large to enter this way. The boy nodded and did as he was told.

Aurora started to jump down off the branches until she reached the ground. She then was careful as she directed Ash's body to the ground. Ash trusted Aurora completely. He felt comfortable feeling Aurora's aura lift him. He eventually landed right beside her. Aurora gestured him to keep following her. Ash obliged.

"The Lucario Kingdom is so hidden that most people in Sinnoh don't know about it. We need to go by the trees near the ripple of aura I sensed to enter it from here." Aurora told him.

"So we're basically still using another aura hotspot." Ash assumed.

"No. We're not using a hotspot. We're going through the actual entrance from the forest. It's just… most people wouldn't see it." Aurora explained. Ash looked a little confused. Aurora sighed and continued walking. She hoped she could show him what she meant.

After a few minutes of walking, Aurora stopped Ash. Her eyes turned completely yellow as she started to search for the aura ripple. She noticed a couple of trees being a bit further apart than normal and that's where the ripple was. Aurora looked back at Ash before going between the trees.

Ash tilted his head in confusion when he saw Aurora disappear. Looking at Pikachu, unsure, he put his hand through the two trees and saw it disappear. Pikachu gestured Ash to follow his mother. That's exactly what he did. Ash had a wide gaping mouth.

Lucario Kingdom looked the same, but from behind him, he would not think there was a forest. He didn't even see the two trees he walked through, but he knew that if he walk through this area again, he would be back in the forest. He saw houses littered over grassland. It contrasted the dense forest he was in just a minute ago. Aurora seemed amused by Ash's reaction. They both could see a tall castle in the middle of the castle. Ash knew that Lucario was in there and was determined to meet her face to face.

Aurora started to direct Ash toward the castle. Aurora hadn't been in this area in about fifteen years, but she liked that it had not much changed. It gave her a sense of familiarity being here. As Ash walked with Aurora toward the castle, he noticed that there were very few people here. The only people that were here were guardians and he sensed the many Lucarios and Riolus here, too. It was odd being here. He felt like he was in a mirage, but he knew that everything he was seeing was real.

Ash and Aurora eventually made it to the entrance to Lucario Castle. Aurora opened the door and entered. She was surprised to find that the castle was open, but soon found out why.

Ash suddenly had a huge smile on his face. He noticed Lucario was standing right in front of them, almost anticipating Ash's arrival. She immediately ran over to him and gave him a hug. Ash recoiled slightly at the impact, but laughed heartily. Ash had to inhale slightly at getting impaled at Lucario's spike on her chest, but he was too happy to care.

Once they broke apart, Lucario immediately made her ears go down in regret. Ash told the jackal not to feel sorry about it and promptly used his inner aura to heal the wound. Lucario sighed in relief. Ash noted he had a hole in his clothes and sighed. He didn't know how to sow. Aurora put a finger on her chin upon noticing and nodded to herself. She knew some things she needed to get for Ash while she was away.

Lucario then focused her attention on Pikachu. She greeted him warmly. He seemed excited to see Riolu again, but was surprised to see that she was a Lucario now. It didn't matter to him because this Lucario was one in the same. Pikachu jumped off Ash's shoulder to run around Lucario in greeting. Then, they high-fived each other. They already had some sense of camaraderie. Ash smiled at the sight.

Lucario focused her attention on Aurora. Lucario greeted the lady. Aurora did the same gesture. Then, Lucario bowed in respect. Aurora sweatdropped in surprise. Confused, Aurora said, "You don't have to do that, Lucario."

"(You are my master's mother based on your aura signature. I feel that as a way to respect you, I must bow.)" Lucario said while bowing. Aurora forced Lucario to stand up straight. She shook her head. Lucario wondered what she did wrong.

"Oh boy… a Lucario from Lucario Kingdom with manners. That's a little annoying." Aurora sighed.

"(How so, my lady?)" Lucario tiled her head in confusion. Aurora shook her head and laughed. She seemed slightly amused.

"That. Exactly what you just did. You're too polite. You were taught by Sensei to treat your trainer and their family with the upmost respect, but… some people may not like to be formally regarded. Ash will be your partner for the rest of your life, so I suggest you break out of the rigid formality now. This is coming from someone who has a Lucario from the Lucario Kingdom." Aurora explained herself.

"(Oh… my apologies for making you feel uncomfortable… er…)" Lucario wanted to respect Aurora's wishes, but she didn't know her name. Aurora picked up on this.

"Aurora. You didn't make me uncomfortable." Aurora gave a smile to the fighting type.

"(Mistress Aurora…)" Lucario regarded her respectfully.

"Please, just call me Aurora." Aurora said in a tired voice.

"(If that is what you wish. My apologies.)" Lucario said. Aurora made a sideways smile in response.

"Lucario, how have you been since I last visited you?" Ash asked. Lucario's eyes immediately lit up. Her tail started to wag in excitement.

"(I've been training extra hard so when you returned I would be a lot stronger than during our sparring match! I want to make sure I'm a powerful asset at your side. I also want to get a rematch with you, too. The thought of that made me work even harder!)" Lucario said, now pumped about the future. Ash laughed.

"I can't wait to train with you, too! I need to get one last guardian Pokémon before I will spar. He might be a Tyranitar now. I'm not sure. I definitely know that he's gotten stronger in the five years I saw him last, so I can't wait to see him." Ash told the jackal.

"(Ooh! That sounds exciting, Master!)" Lucario said excitedly. Ash sighed.

"I told you not to call me 'Master' in my dream. I don't like being called 'Master' in real life, either. Just call me, Ash, alright?" Ash told his partner. Lucario nodded and rubbed behind her head.

"(Apologies, Ash. I really need to get used to this.)" Lucario noted.

"That's alright. We'll jump through any hurdle together." Ash said.

"(That's good to hear. I can't wait to tell tales of your adventures hundreds of years from now.)" An old voice chuckled from down the hall. Lucario's eyes lit up as her tail started to wag. Ash recognized the voice.

"(Master Sensei!)" Lucario immediately bowed in respect to her teacher. Sensei made himself appear as an old and shaggy Lucario with his red eyes squinted and had bushy blue eyebrows. His fur was also faded. The last time Ash was here, he remembered this Pokémon as an old man. He still found himself shocked about it, but understood that Mew thought of a lot when making everything. Still, he found it weird that this Lucario was immortal due to his duty to protect the Kingdom.

"(I see you couldn't wait to meet your trainer. The minute you sensed him here, you stood at the front of the door, heh.)" Sensei laughed.

"(My apologies, Sensei, but I'm just too excited.)" Lucario said.

"(I never thought I'd see the day you'd be this warm to humans.)" Sensei said in slight surprise. Lucario's tail stopped wagging as she vehemently shook her head.

"(Please do not misunderstand, Sensei. I still feel very reserved about humans due to being turned to stone by the huntress J. I acknowledge that these humans are good, but I know a lot of humans are not. I'd be much colder to people outside this place.)" Lucario suddenly narrowed her eyes and curled her fists. Ash gasped and noticed the resemblance between himself and his partner. It seemed there were some things they needed to talk about once Ash found his last Pokémon.

"(Understood. Before you go, I have something to give to Ash.)" Sensei put his paws together. A white light formed within his paws, then stopped suddenly. When he opened his paws, a marble-like stone with red, grey and blue was in his paws. It looked like a Mega Stone. Ash looked at Sensei in awe. Sensei gave the stone to the boy and said, "(As you and Lucario are guardian partners, I entrust you with the Lucarionite. Treat it with care and I promise you your bond with your partner will reach new heights!)"

"I will. Thank you, Sensei." Ash said. He turned to Lucario. "Well, Lucario, are you ready to come with me?"

"(Of course! However, I want to do battle with Pikachu before I do. You showed me that you are powerful in your own right when we sparred, but I want to know if your partners hold up, too.)" Lucario said while looking at Pikachu.

"Hmm… how about it, Pikachu?" Ash turned to his first Pokémon.

"(I'm always ready to battle! You're on, Lucario!)" Pikachu said while having sparks in his cheeks. He seemed excited. Both Sensei and Aurora raised an eyebrow, then looked at each other with a cheeky smile.

"(If you two are going to battle, I suggest following me. We have a battlefield in one of the castle rooms." Sensei told them.

He started to direct them deeper into the castle. Ash began to note how old the place was from the inside. It looked like it was made from cobblestone, but the castle itself looked old and dignified. He could tell that it was recently renovated. There seemed to be an endless amount of rooms. Ash noticed a lot of the Lucarios were just performing daily tasks.

Ash saw some Lucario were cleaning the castle, others were making food and some were training up different Riolus. This place was bursting with activity. Ash noted that there were no humans here, showed them to the room with the battlefield. There were a couple of Lucarios already here sparring. They stopped upon noticing Sensei and everyone else. They bowed in respect to their master and left immediately. They figured if Sensei was here with humans, it must be important.

Ash and Pikachu stood opposite to the battlefield to Lucario. Sensei and Aurora sat at the sidelines. Sensei stood closer to Lucario while Aurora stood closer to Ash. In the meanwhile, Aurora threw up a one of her Poke Balls with a wave sticker on it. Aurora's own Lucario came out. At first, her partner was confused, but his eyes lit up upon seeing that he was in the Lucario Kingdom. Aurora winked at the jackal and gestured him to watch the battle. He obliged happily. Sensei and Rio respectfully regarded one another before focusing their attention on Ash and Lucario.

"Show her what's what, young one!" Aurora cheered.

"Show him no mercy, my student." Sensei said with a competitive smirk.

Ash and Pikachu looked at Lucario, determined to prove their worth to her. Lucario gazed at the duo in a competitive stance. All signs of politeness were gone from the fighting and steel type. Lucario showed her competitive drive and acted as this was a sparring session instead of a Pokémon battle. She narrowed her eyes as she prepared her first attack.

A/N: Let's see what Lucario's got. Can Ash pull through? Find out in the next chapter!

Next Chapter: Prove Your Worth

~SPG123~