Chapter Text
The first thing that he registered was the voices he could hear around him. They were whispering, so it was impossible for him to hear exactly what was being said. The next thing he became aware of was the aches in his body, but it wasn't nearly as bad as just before he passed out.
Mortification suddenly hit Ash. He passed out, while standing at the edge of a cliff with Pikachu on his shoulder and the egg in his backpack. He was sure that went over well. Slowly, he cracked his eyes opened, expecting harsh sunlight to enter his eyes and to see the clear sky above the Tree of Beginning. Neither of those things happened. He was in a room, in a rather large and comfortable bed, and there was no light to assault him because it was night.
"Pikapi!"
His head shot around with alarm at the sudden sound, and the next thing Ash knew, Pikachu launched himself at him, holding onto him tightly while nuzzling his furry cheek into Ash's shirt. It took Ash a moment to realize what happened, but then he smiled and hugged his Pokemon close. "Pikachu."
His eyes snapped open again, and he looked around wildly, relief instantly hitting him when he saw the egg. It was beside him in the bed, its aura pulsing comfortingly. He sighed and reached out, bringing the egg into his arms.
"Pikachu pika cha," Pikachu said to him, glancing at the egg.
"It's been here with me this whole time? That's go—wait, whole time? How long was I out? And where are we?" He looked around with confusion.
"Pikachu pi pika pika chu pikachu pika pika chaa pika." Pikachu explained to him, making motions with his hands. To anyone else, it would have sounded like nonsense, but Ash understood in a way that few others could comprehend.
"So I passed out and almost fell off a cliff, Brock saved me, and then we all came back to Cameron Castle, and I've been out for two days?" Ash asked, wanting to clarify that he got the story right.
"Chaa," Pikachu said while nodding his head.
"And you're sure the egg was okay?"
Pikachu nodded his head happily.
Ash let out a sigh of relief, glancing at his Pokemon for a moment before asking, "And everyone else? Are they okay?"
Once again, he nodded his head, but then smirked a bit and asked, "Pikapi? Pika cha Pikachupi?"
Ash looked at Pikachu, and his face burned at the Pokemon's rather innocent but teasing question. It was funny, how such a small, simple question could be so difficult to answer. Did he like Misty? He didn't know. He certainly liked her as a friend. Every time he called her when he was away, or every time they met up, it was like no time passed at all, like she was still traveling with him every day. If anything, they became friendlier with one another. They fought less over small, pitiful things, though that didn't stop them from teasing and arguing completely. That was just who they were, and there was nothing wrong with it. He wouldn't trade her for any of his other friends either. So he guessed that he could definitely say she was probably his best (human) friend. He didn't really include Brock in that description, since Brock was basically his older brother. Beyond that though, that was where it got tricky.
He knew for himself more than anything that he had to at least try to figure out what happened between them during this whole adventure. He couldn't deny that something was different. He'd been missing her more and more lately, though that didn't make sense, because he thought he would get used to her being gone. He was so excited when she agreed to meet up with them to the point that everyone noticed him acting different when they first got to Cameron Castle. He felt strange when he danced with her that night too, but he couldn't place it. As far as he knew, he was just going crazy.
His face burned with a fierce blush as he remembered her kissing him. Pikachu must have figured out what he was thinking of, if his mischievous grin said anything. Did he regret that? Not really. It was strange, yes, but it wasn't repulsive or anything like that. He smiled a bit without meaning to as he glanced over at her. Along with feeling shy and embarrassed, he'd felt happy. Other girls kissed him on the cheek before, like Melody and Bianca (or possibly Latias as Bianca, he still wasn't sure), but he never had this exact same reaction. The feeling was like friendship, but on rare candies.
Ash shook his head. He honestly had no idea, but maybe he could accept that he was starting to like her as more than a friend. He knew Misty, and he knew that she'd give him the time he needed to figure that out. Especially since she'd be leaving soon. That thought made him sad, but there was nothing he could do about it. As much as he would have loved for Misty to travel with him everywhere, he knew that she couldn't, at least not for long. Her sisters couldn't take care of the gym on their own, and right now being a Gym Leader was the most conductive thing that she could do to reach her own goals, and he wanted nothing more for her than that.
It didn't make saying goodbye any easier. Nothing did. He did it over and over again, setting Pokemon free like Butterfree and Pidgeot, or just letting them go to do their own thing even if they still technically belonged to him like Squirtle and Charizard. It was the right thing to do, letting everyone free to find their own path and their own way in life. He knew that, at some point of time, May, Max, and Brock would go in their own directions too, and that he'd probably make more friends, but that didn't change how much he'd miss the ones he left behind.
He frowned a bit at that. He looked down at the egg, feeling the aura pulsing from it, and for the first time in his life, he felt unsure about what he was going to do with himself. Sure, not everything had changed, but it was enough to make him feel confused. He couldn't just ignore these abilities he had now, for the sake of both the Lucario that died and the new Riolu that would hatch one day. This was life changing, no matter which way he looked at it.
Ash didn't know how long he was there brooding on the subject, but he missed the sun rising into the sky, his brown eyes focused and unseeing as his mind raced in a hundred directions at once. He didn't even notice the door to the room he was in open or hear a sigh of relief.
What he did notice was the presence of someone coming towards him. He knew that she was there without even having to look at her, and said, "Hi Misty."
If she was startled by this, she didn't show it. She sat down on the side of the bed so that they could see each other, the relief that was visible on her face slowly fading away. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he assured her, his brow still furrowed. "Well, physically at least."
"What's wrong then? Is it something I can help with?"
He shrugged at her and asked, "I just...I don't know where to go from here. The others might not see it, but you were there with me through almost everything. I guess...I'm different, and it happened so fast, and now I just don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore."
"Supposed to do? You do what you've always wanted to do," Misty told him after a moment of silence. "Keep aiming to be the Pokemon Master."
"But that's just it. I was never meant to be a Pokemon Master, was I?"
"What?" Whatever Misty expected when she woke up that morning, it wasn't this. She hoped that Ash would be awake when she checked, but she never expected him to be so contemplative and broody. "Why would you say that?"
"Because this stuff keeps happening!" He burst out, startling her. " I've never heard of anyone else running into as many Legendaries as I do or getting pulled into the—the crap I get dragged into. The things I drag my friends into." He looked down at his shaking hands. "Maybe I'm supposed to be something else."
"And maybe you can do both."
"Huh?" He looked up at her, almost cringing at her fierce glare.
"Okay, so maybe you're destined to be the one to help Legendary Pokemon, to be the hero when no one else will. But you always keep going afterwards, so why stop now? It's not like any of us are going to abandon you just because you can do...something. What does aura even do? I mean, shields, spheres, being able to sense things—does it do more?" Ash shrugged. "Well, we'll have to find out somewhere. Anyway, there are psychics and people with other strange talents out there, so who cares? You can learn with him again." She pointed at the egg.
"Yeah, I guess. It's all just so...confusing." He admitted. "Not just that. It's everything." Ash turned his attention to Pikachu, scratching behind one of his ears, much to the Pokemon's delight. "I want to go home."
"What did I just say about quitting?"
"Not to quit, just to clear my head." He hesitated. "Does that make me weak? Or a failure?"
"No," Misty said firmly. "If you want to go home to clear your head, then that's exactly what you should do. You have time to get the rest of your Battle Frontier Symbols. Everything kind of just went crazy on us, especially for you. It makes sense that you'd want to take some time to think things through." She paused for a moment. "And maybe I can go with you."
It took him a moment to process what she said, and when he finally did, he got his thoughts out as eloquently as possible. "Huh?" For the first time since she came into his room, his startled eyes actually met her own.
"Well, just while you're in Pallet Town," Misty clarified. "And maybe you can travel up to Cerulean with me before heading out to do the rest of the Battle Frontier." She blushed just a little bit and looked down. "I need to go back to my gym though. You and I both know that. But keep up with the phone calls, and I'll try to visit you wherever you are more often! And maybe you can actually take little breaks and come and visit me, right?"
Slowly, a smile spread across Ash's face as he said, "That'd be awesome, Mist. All of it."
She smiled back at him. "Things may be changing for you Ash but I'll—" she closed her eyes for a second and then chuckled, "—all of your friends will help you. You know we will."
Her little slip wasn't lost on him, and he felt his own cheeks turn red. Things were different in more ways than one; he knew that. He didn't really want to talk about what happened in the Tree of Beginning, but he just knew that they had to. He set the egg down in his lap, rubbed his hands together nervously, but stopped abruptly when a faint, blue glow appeared. He looked at his hands oddly.
Misty saw the glow too. Her brow furrowed, and she asked, "Does that hurt at all?"
"No," he said while shaking his head. "It doesn't really feel like anything...but..." Now that he thought about the aura in him and around him, it was almost like he could feel it flowing through his veins. Not just him though. He could actually feel Misty and Pikachu too. "This power, I don't know how it'll change me. I mean, I can feel you guys without even seeing you and for a while, it was like I could sense Lucario's intentions and things like that. Wouldn't that make me almost a cheater in leagues? It's not as strong as before, but I don't know why..." He trailed off, not really sure where he was going with this.
"No, you'd be no more a cheater than a psychic," she assured him. "This could really be an asset to you. Imagine if you could communicate with your Pokemon silently or something like that? It'd be amazing. And it's legal. But you don't even know if you'll be able to do anything like that. Just go with the flow. Don't overthink. You don't do well with that." Ash smiled at her, and she added, "And about the feelings not being as strong, maybe it's because you used so much of your energy trying to help Lucario? Plus we're out of the Tree."
He thought about that for a moment before nodding his head. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"It'll all be okay," Misty ruffled his hair. "You'll see." She stood up again. "Now, you seem fine, so you should get ready to go."
Ash shifted slightly so that he was more comfortable with Pikachu and the egg. "You should probably get a shower too. You're starting to smell like Muk." She cuffed him on the back of the head, and he laughed.
...
Ash felt more well-rested than he had for nearly an entire week. The fact that he could move his legs without them burning and aching was a godsend. He didn't quite feel like he did before all of this started; no, he felt better. It was an understatement to say that he was a naturally energetic person, he always was, but now it felt different. The only way he could make sense of it was that it was his body finally getting used to the aura that now actively flowed in him, as opposed to being dormant like before they came to Cameron Castle.
He already had his backpack on with Pikachu perched on his shoulder and the egg held in his arms. He walked down the hall of Cameron Castle with a bit of a spring in his step, and his good mood was noticed by everyone who passed him. He could feel small waves of what almost felt like cheerfulness coming from the egg in his arms and started to wonder whether the Riolu in it could feel his own happiness.
Misty personally thought he was on some kind of drugs as she walked next to him. It never ceased to amaze her just how quickly he bounced back from life-altering moments like they were just another Tuesday.
Misty led the way to the ballroom. Lady Ilene told them the night before (before Ash woke up) to meet her in the throne room because she had something surprising to show them. They met with the ruler of Cameron Castle before, in the smaller throne room, but this would be Ash's first meeting with her since they left. As far as Misty knew, Brock, May, and Max had no idea Ash was awake yet either.
They finally found the ballroom, walking in quietly. Everyone else was already there, standing closer to the door and talking quietly. Max seemed to have most of the conversation completely tuned out and was the first one to notice them.
He pushed his glasses back onto his eyes properly and said, "Misty, what took you—Ash!"
That instantly caught the attention of everyone else. Brock and May whipped around, and Ash grinned at them broadly, "Hey guys."
"You're okay!" May cried out happily, clapping her hands together as she smiled.
"Yup," he said with a grin.
Lady Ilene walked by the others, smiling warmly at Ash. He was about to greet her, but was taken back when she suddenly reached out and hugged him, mindful of the egg. His face turned red, and he stared over her shoulder and at Misty with wide, clueless eyes. Brock spluttered in indignation, while May and Max laughed at their friend's face.
The blonde woman took a step back, keeping her hands on his shoulders as her green eyes studied him. Lady Ilene smiled sadly and him and said, "I'm glad you're okay. You friends told me the story of your journey. I am deeply sorry about your loss. Lucario was here for a short time, but he will be missed by all of us. However, I am also thrilled by your gain. I know that a piece of Lucario's soul will live on in this Riolu, and he will become a stronger Pokemon than before."
Ash smiled at her and nodded his head. "Is everything here okay? Nobody was hurt?"
"We're all fine," she said softly. "There is something that happened, but it's nothing bad. Come look."
She guided him past Brock, Max, May, her Lady-in-Waiting, and Mime Jr, walking towards the throne. She motioned towards the massive painting on the wall, and Ash expected to look up to see the image of Sir Aaron standing in the pose of the guardian.
Shock rushed through him, and his brown eyes went wide when he realized what he was looking out. His mouth fell open, and he wasn't exactly sure what to say.
"Pi pikachu," Pikachu said from his shoulder.
"Yeah," he whispered.
"What?" Max cried out. "How is that even possible?"
"Oh, wow," May whispered in awe.
Brock and Misty silently walked up and stood on either side of Ash, and the five of them all looked up at the massive painting.
Sir Aaron was no longer alone in the picture. Standing alongside him was Lucario.
"We're not sure how it happened," Lady Ilene said. "But I wouldn't consider it defiling a work of art in any way. I wouldn't change it for anything now."
A smile slowly spread on Ash's face. Somehow, this acted like a sign to him. He felt almost guilty, like he was taking away Sir Aaron's best friend without his consent. There was no telling if Riolu would have any memories of his old friend in a past life, and that was almost heartbreaking to Ash. This mural on the wall—this was Ash's way of knowing that, somehow, even if he couldn't understand it yet, everything was going to be okay.
...
They walked across the stone bridge that went from Cameron Castle to the nearby village. The air was so peaceful, the sun shining down on them with only a few clouds in the sky. Ash knew that they'd stumble onto some new adventure soon enough, and he knew that Team Rocket was probably already trailing them, but he decided not to let that bother him anymore.
"Where are we going next?" Max asked Brock.
"Well..." Brock trailed off, opening his guide book to look in it. He may have been from Kanto, but there were still many places he was unfamiliar with.
Ash glanced over at Misty and nudged her gently. She smiled at him and nodded encouragingly. "I'm going home."
"Huh?" all three chorused.
"Not for good," he assured them. "I just need a bit of a break, you know, after everything that's happened."
"Cerulean's on the way, so we can stop there so that Misty can deal with her sisters, and then we'll keep going to Pallet. You guys can go wherever, and we can meet up again if you want. You know, if you want to stop at home, Brock."
"No, I don't—wait—deal with her sisters?" the eldest of the group repeated.
"You didn't tell them that I'm coming too?" Misty asked Ash, sending him a slight glare.
"When would I have got the chance? You decided that this morning," Ash pointed out with a careless shrug.
Her eyes narrowed at him, changing into a real glare. "Oh I decided? You didn't seem too disappointed when I said I'd come to Pallet with you! You were practically begging me to come!"
Ash's face went red. "I did not!"
"Did too!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Okay, stop!" Max yelled, waving his arms around. "So Misty's coming with us, and we're going to go to Pallet to just hang around? Why? That's backtracking a lot."
"I'm not actually going with you for good," Misty corrected. "To Pallet and then Cerulean. I need to go to my gym again. But I'll definitely try to meet up with you guys more, especially since you're in Kanto."
Ash's annoyed look changed into a weak smile as he answered Max's question, "I guess I just want to go home and clear my head for a while. You know? You guys don't need to come. We can meet up somewhere else."
"We'll come," May said to him. "Friends stick together when one of them is down." She frowned at him sadly. "I'm so sorry about Lucario, Ash. I know he came back in a way, but still..."
He looked away from all their sad eyes, glancing out over the valley below. He looked up to the Tree of Beginning in the distance thoughtfully. He looked down at the egg in one of his arms as his hand rested against the stone railing. He looked over as his hand came into contact with something smooth, a loose crystal. He picked it up and watched it glow slightly.
A grin spread across his face as he held the crystal tightly and turned to look at his friends. "This egg might not be the exact same Lucairo, but I just know that Air Aaron and that the piece of Lucario that's with him would want this one to experience a full, happy life, so that's exactly what's going to happen. I can feel it." Even Misty looked confused at this, and she was the one who had been with him through everything during this adventure. Ash brought the hand holding the crystal up over his heart and smiled broadly, not saying anything else on the matter. Maybe nobody else understood that, and maybe they couldn't, but Brock, Misty, May, and May all smiled at him, nodding their heads. Pikachu nuzzled him, and with a smile on his face, Ash once again started leading the group away from the castle, though he soon fell behind May, Max, and Brock, walking beside Misty instead.
Ash reached out suddenly, taking Misty's right hand into his, but he didn't hold on for long. She blinked with surprise and looked down at her hand, staring at the crystal that he put into it. "What's this for?"
He smiled at her and said, "I just thought of this this morning after you left. They react to me, right? This way, when we do have to go opposite ways again, you'll always know when I'm close by."
Misty's cheeks turned pink, and she giggled a bit. It was hard to see the fierce, hot-headed girl she normally was at the moment. She held the crystal in her hand tightly and said, "That's so sweet. Thank you, Ash." She stopped for a second, grabbing his arm to make him stop walking as well. Quick as lightning, she pecked him on the cheek and then kept walking.
Ash's face went red, and Pikachu giggled on his shoulder. He reached up, scratching the Pokemon behind his ear before rushing after the orange-haired girl. He caught up to her, and because no one else was watching, reached out again, taking her left hand into his right one and intertwining their fingers, holding onto her tightly. He felt her tense up, but neither of them stopped walking. She relaxed, and gently squeezed his hand back, not letting go as they caught up to their friends, but stayed behind them.
In his arms, the egg glowed a gentle blue for a moment before fading, causing Ash to chuckle.
"What was that?" Misty asked curiously.
"That was Riolu," he said. "I have a lot to learn about aura, and I'm going to learn as much as I can so I can help him. I can already feel him. That's how I know everything's going to be okay.
Ash glanced over at her before looking up at the bright blue sky, a soft smile on his face. "His aura is with me, and mine is with him."
The End
Sky
