The sudden appearance of Lucario in the ballroom caused an uproar.

Lucario stood trembling, fists clenched, in front of Ash.

A telepathic voice echoed in Ash’s mind:
“Why?”
“Why did you abandon the castle and flee!?”

Ash looked completely bewildered.

Lucario, overwhelmed with emotion, made a move to grab Ash by the collar, but in the end, his hands dropped in defeat.

“Lucario, calm down,” Queen Eileen said gently. “Take a closer look—see who this really is.”

Lucario struggled to open his eyes.

He stared blankly at the unfamiliar boy in front of him for a long while.

He clearly wasn’t Aaron.
But why… why did his Aura feel so much like Aaron’s?

Lucario glanced around the room. His gaze dimmed, and he suddenly bolted out of the castle.

“Lucario!” Ash, sensing the sadness radiating from him, shouted and ran after him.

Lu Ye and Steven were still munching on cupcakes.

“You’re not going after them?” Steven turned to ask.

“This is Ash’s personal story arc,” Lu Ye replied cryptically. “They’ll reconcile soon enough.”

Steven nodded thoughtfully. “But your Squirtle just ran out after them.”

Lu Ye froze.

Sure enough, Squirtle was jogging out with little happy steps: “Squirtle!”

Sure, it might be dangerous…
But if I tail them for a bit, maybe I can grasp a stronger kind of Aura!

Lu Ye looked conflicted.
You really don’t let a single chance to get stronger slip by, huh, buddy?

Just then, Jessie and James rushed over in a panic.

“Something terrible’s happened!”

They ran up to Lu Ye but then noticed Steven standing beside him.

Steven glanced at their Team Rocket uniforms with mild surprise.

“Uh…”

No time for explanations, Jessie and James pressed on, anxious:

“Mr. Lu, Meowth’s been taken!”

…

Fireworks exploded across the night sky.

Is this… really an era of peace?

Lucario paused for a long moment before pushing open an ancient door.

Inside was Aaron’s old room—everything left just as it was.

Lucario closed his eyes.

When the war broke out, legions of Pokémon stormed the city.

Aaron had sealed Lucario inside his staff, then escaped the city on a Pidgeot…

That was Lucario’s final memory before the seal.

And yet… he couldn’t bring himself to hate Aaron.

All he felt was regret, confusion, and even self-doubt.

“If only… I had been stronger…”

Lucario suddenly grew alert and leapt backward.

“Lucario…” Ash called softly.

Seeing the figure before him, Lucario looked dazed.

He shook his head firmly.

They may look similar,
But he was not Aaron!

“Lucario.”

Queen Eileen spoke gently. “I understand your confusion… But you’re welcome to stay in Orudoran Castle for as long as it takes for your heart to find peace.”

Lucario’s eyes flickered. After a pause, he gave a slight nod.

“Squirtle~”

At that moment, Squirtle pushed open the door and tiptoed inside.

Lucario glanced at Squirtle warily—and was stunned.

It hadn’t even evolved.

But why… why was its Aura so strong?

“Sorry to interrupt your reunion.”

Lu Ye cleared his throat as he and Steven stepped into the room.

“Ash, the mission’s changed. Looks like we’re gonna need to find Mew.”

…

After learning that Meowth and Pikachu had both gone missing, Lu Ye frowned.

While Ash was busy bonding with Lucario, Lu Ye had taken the opportunity to call Professor Oak via video to ask about Mew.

“Mew is a Pokémon said to live within the Tree of Beginning,” Oak explained, stroking his chin. “If Ash can gather data on Mew… that would be perfect for the assessment.”

“Yo, Professor Oak.” Steven leaned into the screen with a wave.

“Steven’s there too?” Oak looked surprised, then added, “Even better—that makes things much safer.”

“Weren’t you planning to leave tomorrow?” Lu Ye asked Steven.

“Yep.”
Steven smiled. “But my destination is the Tree of Beginning anyway.”

Lu Ye looked to the sky.

The Tree of Beginning was known for having rare fossils.

But the thought of the three Regis that lived nearby made his head ache.

Then again, maybe Steven would be more excited if he saw them…

Lu Ye sighed.

“Mr. Steven, I’ll leave it to you this time.”

…

When Ash heard that Pikachu had been “taken” by Mew, he remained unusually calm.

Pikachu getting captured once every few episodes had toughened his nerves.

Ash turned to Lu Ye.

“Mr. Lu, so we…”

“We’re heading to the Tree of Beginning,” Lu Ye said. “Steven will be joining us.”

“Nice to meet you, Hero of Aura.”

Steven, still in his formal suit, smiled as he shook Ash’s hand.

At the word “Hero of Aura,” Lucario snorted and looked away.

Queen Eileen led everyone onto the terrace.

She pointed into the distance at the towering, mist-shrouded tree.

“Though it looks like a massive tree… it’s actually a giant rock mountain.”

Steven’s eyes lit up at the word rock.

Lu Ye felt nervous.

Steven-san… you’re not actually planning to drill through the Tree of Beginning, right?

“With a Shiny Mega Metagross, even that’s not impossible…” Lu Ye mused.

Despite harboring strong resentment toward Ash, Lucario agreed to accompany him to the Tree of Beginning at Queen Eileen’s request.

“There’s not much I can do,” Lucario said telepathically, his tone cold.
“After all, that Squirtle could easily take my place.”

Everyone turned to look at Squirtle.

“Its Aura can also sense darkness,” Lucario frowned. “Maybe even…”

He trailed off.

Queen Eileen looked mildly surprised.

But remembering the rumors about Mr. Lu…

If he trained Ash, then surely he himself was an accomplished Aura user.

She nodded gently and smiled.

“Even so… I’d like to ask you to go with them.”

“Perhaps you’ll discover something about the past.”

Queen Eileen… bore an uncanny resemblance to Queen Lynn, whom Lucario had once sworn loyalty to a thousand years ago.

Lucario remained silent for a long time—then gave a small nod.

…

The next day.

The group set out for the Tree of Beginning.

When Ash heard that Team Rocket would be tagging along, he pointed at Jessie and James with wide eyes.

“They’re probably the ones who took Pikachu!”

“What did you say?!” Jessie clenched her fists. “Meowth got taken too! We’re only coming along to rescue him!”

“Exactly! Who’d want to travel with a brat like you otherwise?” James added.

Ash and Jessie’s glares clashed mid-air.

“Let them come,” Lucario said coldly. “My Aura senses no malice from them.”

“Hmph!” Ash and Jessie turned away at the same time after a long stare-off.

With Togepi on his shoulder, Lu Ye gave a sheepish laugh. “Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Steven.”

“It’s no problem.” Steven gripped the wheel of the off-road vehicle, eyes fixed on the distant, misty Tree of Beginning.

A faint smile curled on his lips.

“I have a feeling… this trip is going to be very interesting.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read