Three Pillar Mission

Lucario, who had appeared out of nowhere within the hall and questioned Ash, had undoubtedly caused a furor.

There were no idiots in the room except for the Rocket Trio.

Lucario appeared in the hall through Sir Aaron's scepter at the "Aura Guardian" honoring ceremony, and some smart people naturally guessed his identity.

"Sir Aaron's disciple and partner, Lucario, who could freely use Aura...''

'Why, why did you abandon the castle!'

Questioning without acquiring a response, Lucario questioned Ash once again.

However, Ash was dumbfounded.

His brain capacity, which was not big enough in itself, was already filled with images of Lucario's inexplicable appearance just now, and was now down, and even more so, he didn't know why this Pokémon had unleashed its malice towards him as soon as it appeared.

'Why?'

Lucario's mood was clearly not right.

Driven by anger and sadness, it even rushed in front of Ash at once and grabbed him by the collar.

However, Lucario was clearly not a reckless Pokémon.

After clawing at the top of Ash's collar for a moment, it too finally lowered its hand with a disheveled expression.

"Lucario, calm down!"

Queen Ilene was finally reacting at this time.

She immediately walked over to Lucario's side and calmed it down, saying, "Take a closer look, who is this teenager?"

"..."

Lucario struggled to open its forbidden eyes.

After spending a few seconds adjusting to the light, it realized that although the boy in front of it resembled Sir Aaron's appearance and wore the same Aura Guardian clothes as its former partner, he was... not Sir Aaron after all.

He was not Aaron after all.

"..."

However, if anything, he wasn't Sir Aaron.

Why?

Why, his Aura and Sir Aaron's Aura are actually exactly the same...

It was because of the Aura's scent that he himself had mistaken the person.

"..."

Lucario was silent in its place, gazing at Sir Aaron's mural above the wall for a long time in a daze.

It looked around again.

Finally, as if Lucario had realized something, without looking back, Lucario ran out of the hall in a flash, not knowing what it was running towards.

"Hey!"

Ash also shouted loudly at Lucario's departing back as if he had sensed its lost and sad emotions.

After that, this new Guardian also hurriedly caught up with its pace.

"How come Instructor Ai didn't follow them?"

"Ash can do it himself."

Aisha and Cynthia were chatting with each other.

Suddenly, Cynthia looked at Sir Aaron's scepter, or to be precise, the crystal embedded on top of the scepter - the scepter had been placed next to his chair by Ash before he had left the hall.

"That gem, could it be something similar to a Poké ball in ancient times?"

"I don't know."

Aisha knew that Cynthia was interested in these things.

"There are so many things that can seal Pokemon in ancient times."

Aisha also told what he knew.

After all, within the original TV anime, there had been a giant Gengar, Alakazam, and Jigglytuff who had survived into the modern era after being sealed within ancient implements.

Cynthia also had a knowing expression.

"The Poké Balls of ancient times, at least the canonical Poké Balls, the manufacturing material is still tree fruits." Aisha spoke out what he knew about the common sense of the Hisui region, saying, "Miss Cynthia, as the Champion of the Sinnoh Region League, naturally knows what the Poké Balls used in the Hisui region in ancient times were like."

"Uh-huh."

Of course Cynthia knew.

However, the thing she was surprised about was that Aisha actually knew those legends of the Hisui region as well.

"Instructor Ai still knows about the Hisui region?"

"Of course."

Aisha instantly revealed a proud expression.

"I fought all the Pokémon in the Hisui area, from Buizel who was guarding Jubilife Village, to the king who guarded each area, and all of them were defeated by my iron fist that had been tempered for thousands of times!"

As well as, my invincible Dantian...

"Instructor Ai is really humorous."

Cynthia rightly assumed that Aisha was joking.

However, for Aisha pronouncing the name of the place, Jubilife Village, Cynthia was likewise quite impressed.

"Instructor Ai is really knowledgeable, when Steven was introducing you to me, he especially emphasized that Instructor Ai is a master of mythology and archaeology, that guy really didn't exaggerate."

"Overrated."

Instructor Ai was very modest.

"I'm just a person who learned from my elders when I was in Alola."

"Alola?"

Alola's elders?

Cynthia kept a wary eye.

Although Instructor Ai's words about killing it in the Hisui region were definitely a mouthful.

However, that Alola's elder was a possibility.

I wonder who it is?

...

Above the night sky, the brilliant fireworks were still blooming.

The lively atmosphere could not warm Lucario's lonely heart...

After running around for a while, it finally found the room where it and Sir Aaron used to live in the castle, and after stopping at the door for a long time, it finally made up its mind and pushed open the dusty door.

"..."

Behind the door, the room's current appearance did not surprise Lucario's expectations.

What was originally a room for people to live in had now become a warehouse with some treasures on display.

"..."

Standing within the familiar but unfamiliar room, Lucario closed his eyes with a pained expression.

War was imminent, thousands of legions of magical beasts were about to collide outside the Cameran Palace, and Sir Aaron had sealed it within the scepter's jewel, unaware of its whereabouts - this was Lucario's memory.

It didn't know what Sir Aaron had done.

As much as it didn't know why Sir Aaron had sealed itself.

Even more so, it didn't know where Sir Aaron ended up.

Bewilderment.

In addition to bewilderment there was sadness.

The anger towards Sir Aaron had unconsciously dissipated without a trace.

As for hatred, there was never a trace of it...

'Why?'

Lucario inquired into the air.

Naturally there was no one to respond to its doubts.

"Lucario?"

The boy's voice, however, reached its ears.

Lucario was startled and instantly retreated a few steps back.

Possessing Aura, it originally shouldn't have been able to poorly corner Ash's approach.

But...

Ash's Aura was exactly the same as Sir Aaron's waveguide.

Lucario was also already used to unconditionally trusting Sir Aaron, and now actually forgot for a moment that Ash wasn't Sir Aaron.

Right.

Even if they were similar.

After all, Ash wasn't Sir Aaron.

"Lucario."

Queen Ilene also entered the room and softly comforted the lost Lucario, saying, "I know that you have a lot of unanswered questions and doubts right now, however, Cameran Palace will always be your home as well, and you can always live over here..."

"..."

Lucario was at a loss for words.

This woman's appearance was also very familiar to it.

However, she wasn't Queen Rin either.

The sea had changed, and everything that Lucario was familiar with had also changed.

It no longer knew what to do.

...

"Bulba~"

Before the hall, Aisha was surrounded by Ash's Pokémon, and Bulbasaur, who was the only team babysitter outside of Pikachu, cried towards Aisha about what happened to it and the others in the attic.

Rotom phone, in turn, synchronized the translation to Aisha and Cynthia.

"You guys said a pink kitten-like looking Pokémon grabbed Pikachu?"

"Bulba~"

Bulbasaur kept shouting towards Aisha.

"Hey, I see."

Aisha stroked Bulbasaur's head.

He had originally thought that this time something wouldn't happen because of Mew.

As a result, Mew had abducted Pikachu again...

"Is Ash still facing off against Lucario?"

Aisha sighed as she looked in the direction where Lucario and Ash had left one after the other.

"One more reason for us to travel to the Tree of Beginning."

"Huh?"

Cynthia looked over at Aisha and said, "Could it be that Mew's habitat is also the Tree of Beginning."

"Right."

Aisha remembered the matter of the Three Pillars and said, "There's no need to delay, our goal itself is the Three Pillars of the Tree of Beginning, it just so happens that Mew and Pikachu are over there as well, so by the way, after settling the whole thing together, we can hit the road back once we've collected the information."

[Ding!]

"Huh?"

Aisha suddenly widened his eyes.

What the hell?

I didn't get much of a mouthful of high spirits, so why is the system making a sound again?

Odd...

Could it be that it's preparing to teleport me to the Wash Cui region?

[System Quest: Defeat the Three Pillars without the help of external assistance.]

[Quest Reward: Guidance Slate.]

"Oh?"

Aisha's eyes lit up.

If originally, the two of them traveling to the Tree of Beginning to look for the Three Pillars was just a matter of chance, now it was a sure thing.

Aisha himself knew what was written on the Guidance Slate.

Now, as long as he defeated the Three Pillars that were guards over there and obtained the Guidance Slate, the Three Pillars of the Three Legendary Pokémon in the Hoenn Region that could drive powers would be the effective fighting force that he could manipulate.

That's great!

System, I love you.

"Ha~"

Aisha was almost overjoyed.

The System, which used to have a repulsive face, was also a lot smoother.

After that, Aisha fumbled his way to Lucario's room and found Ash.

"Pikachu was taken?"

Ash looked at his other Pokémon with a shocked face, filled with worry.

The reactions of the five Pokémon convinced Ash of the news.

"Instructor Ai, what should we do?"

A little overwhelmed, Ash looked to Aisha.

The current him was not the later him, not used to Pikachu being kidnapped for three days, and suddenly encountering this type of thing, he was naturally in a panic and had his hands full.

"Don't worry."

Aisha naturally held him down very reliably.

"Pikachu was captured by that old hag Mew, and we immediately mangled over to the Tree of Beginning to save Pikachu!"

Speaking his thoughts, Aisha also looked at Cynthia and said, "Anyway, we have very sufficient combat power."

Firepower suppression is not a problem.

"Good!"

Hearing Aisha mention the Tree of Beginning, Queen Ilene and Lucario's eyes flickered for a moment as well.

Queen Ilene brought everyone to the top of the castle's terrace.

She pointed to the large tree in the distance.

The tree was growing in the middle of a cloudy area, and its lush "branches and leaves" almost covered the ground for several miles, making it a spectacle to behold.

"The Tree of Beginning..."

Even after hearing about it many times, Cynthia was still amazed to see the true appearance of the Tree of Beginning for the first time.

"Although it is said to look like a large tree on the outside, however, the Tree of Beginning is actually a mountain of rocks."

Queen Ilenee explained so.

Aisha and Cynthia exchanged a glance.

It was fortunate that Steven was not present.

Otherwise, I'm afraid that Tree of Beginning wouldn't be able to be preserved...

The people negotiated and decided to depart immediately.

Lucario, however, refused to accompany them.

"That woman carries two Pokémon on her body, which are just as capable of using the power of Aura and have strength that completely surpasses mine."

It pointed at Cynthia, after which, it looked at Aisha and said, "This man is just as powerful, and there's no danger at all if he works with Aura Pokémon."

"That's why there's no need for me to travel with him at all."

Lucario turned around.

Aisha, however, called out to him.

"Lucario, I know you're torn about something in your heart." Bathed in moonlight, Aisha revealed a smile towards Lucario and said, "A single-minded avoidance cannot solve any problems, even though there have been changes in the sea, the Tree of Beginning still maintains its original appearance, aren't you curious as to what Sir Aaron did within the Tree of Beginning in the first place?"

"..."

Lucario snapped back.

"If we travel together, we might be able to learn something about what happened back then."

"...Alright."

Lucario was originally supposed to be angry because of this teenager's attitude.

However, listening to his words, Lucario didn't have any anger.

He was genuinely prepared to help itself.

It was not possible to chill the heart of someone with a bare heart...

"Luca!"

"Woo~"

At the same time, Cynthia's Lucario and Pokémon ran out of the Pokémon ball and slapped it on the shoulder left and right.

"..."

Feeling the aura of the two Pokémon, which were exclusively of the Champion level, it stared in disbelief and almost went off the deep end.

Ha man.

But, of course, Cynthia's Pokémon were wistful and gentle.

Lucario was finally showing a soothing expression under their soothing presence.

...

The following day, the group immediately set out for the Tree of Beginning.

"Trouble you, Miss Cynthia."

Aisha stood in front of the buggy that Queen Ilene had specially equipped for them, in a serious manner.

"I just became an adult and don't have a driver's license."

"No problem."

Cynthia also sat in the driver's seat with panache.

"But, Instructor Ai actually has something he's not good at?"

"Hey, I actually learned to drive in Alola, mainly because I didn't have a driver's license." Aisha got into the passenger seat with a headache on her face and said, "After all, I'm a law-abiding citizen."

"Hmm~"

Cynthia was noncommittal.

"Instructor Ai can be too much fun..."

Destination, the Tree of Beginning!

"Mew, here I come!"

Looking into the distance, Aisha revealed a smile.