[Pokemon] Exploration: Guardian's Past

Move Sets:
⦁ Eris the (Mega) Lucario- Aura Sphere, Bone Rush, Metal Claw, Dark Pulse
⦁ Joker the Vaporeon- Aqua Ring, Acid Armor, Scald, Protect
⦁ Noir the Mimikyu ( Z- Crystal)- Phantom Force, Shadow Claw, Substitute, Play Rough/Let's Snuggle Forever

"I can't believe it... we're actually here! Cameran palace!" Maxwell Gen looked the castle on the other side of the bridge over with fascination and wonder, excited to finally be able to visit the home of her ancestors. She looked to her left to smile brightly at her partner, Eris. The Lucario nodded eagerly as the two made their way across the bridge with the other guests.

Her father had contacted her with information on the Time Festival, as the citizens of Rota called it, letting Max know that that place held some of the most important pieces of their family's history. With that in mind, there was no way the Aura Guardian could not go! The two needed to know more about their origins, and perhaps learn something new pertaining to aura!

"Maxwell, it seems everyone is ... in costume." Eris spoke, a bit disdained. "Should we as well?" 

"Well... I don't know where exactly to get one." She replied, tapping her cheek.

A passerby stopped, directing the trainer and Pokemon into the castle to a room full of costuming. Max went to town, while Eris stood by, nervous as to what his partner was going to pick out for him. The guardian in training stepped out of the dressing room, adjusting the clothing upon her body. She stepped in front of the mirror and looked herself over, turning to Eris. 

"...So? How do I look?"

The Aura Guardian uniform replica was a perfect fit. She tucked her hair up into the large blue hat, striking what she thought was a rather heroic pose. Max smiled and pulled the cape out to the side, bowing deeply.

"It's perfect for you, Maxwell." Eris responded, kneeling in front of her.

Max blinked in surprise. "Hey, what's that for? You've never formally bowed like that before."

"I... felt compelled to do so." The Lucario responded, confusion in his thought-speak. "It was rather strange; it felt like I wasn’t looking at you.. but someone else. Somebody like you"

Max opened her mouth, response ready to fall from her lips, but her eyes met a very simplistic set of armor; seemingly made for either a small kid or a medium sized pokemon. She eyed the armor, then her partner, who's confusion turned to fear. Before he knew it, the armor was upon his form, and Max was smiling happily. 

"Perfect! That armor fits you well." A look of nostalgia crossed her face, everything before her familiar somehow. "Lucario, you haven't changed at all." She spoke softly, placing a hand to his head. It was his turn to blink in confusion, but it didn't stop him from leaning into the petting motion. 

"...Maxwell?"

"Hm?" she removed her hand. "I think we're all set to go." She headed for the door, motioning for Lucario to follow. The two, now donned in costume, freely entered the castle of the Rota Kingdom.

The waves of nostalgia forced max to stop in her tracks as they entered the room where the massive ball was to be held later that night. She felt a tightness in her chest as she looked around, eyes finally settling on the massive portrait of Sir Aaron and his Lucario. Max approached the massive piece of art and stared up at it, entranced. The sense of familiarity she got from looking at the artwork was astounding.

"I see you've taken an eye to the tapestry," a voice behind the aura guardian spoke with a soft chuckle. 

Max turned about, eyes meeting those of a lovely looking older woman. Her gentle green eyes and pale pink lips curled into a smile as she opened her arms wide, the lavender silk fabric around her arms swaying gracefully.

"...Yes, I have." Max glanced back up to the portrait before returning her sharp blue eyes battling the green across from them. "Sir Aaron, right?"

"Correct." she spoke, moving to stand next to the trainer, looking up at the ancient oil painting. "I am Lady Ilene, the current ruler of Rota." She flinched as both Max and Eris bowed deeply, synchronously. "O-oh! Come now, there's no need for such formalities!" She blushed slightly and extended a hand to Max, who took it and stood. "Sir Aaron was the trusted advisor to my ancestor, Lady Rin. Lucario was his student, partner, and friend."

"I am Maxwell Gen, and this is Eris. We've come t-"

"Gen?" The Queen cut her off, eyes wide.

"Ah- yes? Eris and I ha-"

"As in..." Her eyes flicker to the portrait of Aaron, then back to her. She stared at Max who was wearing his exact outfit. Ilene could see the resemblance; with eyes like that, she could have sworn she was staring right at him.

"Y-Yes... That's what I-"

Max was completely unable to finish a single sentence before she was pulled into a tight hug, her cheek pressed into the chest of the Queen. The Aura Guardian could feel tears hitting her forehead.

"Could it truly be you... Aaron?"

Max froze, pieces fitting together. Why she felt so nostalgic. All of the strange motions and words that both she and her Lucario had said to each other. 

"...I'm his descendant. Like you were Lady Rin's." Max finally was able to say as she broke away from the embrace. "I came here to learn more about where I came from; who I came from. My father told me about the time festival, and how it would be the perfect opportunity for something like that."

"Will you be entering the Tournament?"

"I mean, yeah, I was hoping to sign up for it. It would mean the world to me to get the chance to hold a relic of the past." Max nodded. She was filled in by her father about the winner of the tournament getting to act as the Kingdom's aura guardian for that year. She also knew the status she would suddenly hold if word got out that she was technically a person of great importance of the kingdom. "I don't want who I am getting out, so I'm just entering as Max. I don't want special treatment; I’m here to do this right."

Eris nodded in agreement. Max was usually pretty humble, and did what she could to avoid trouble. It wasn't exactly her fault that trouble had a tendency to find her.

"Maxwell," Eris started, surprising the Queen with his broadcast. "Shall we head to registration?"

"That's a good id-"

Ilene pulled the Emanation Pokemon into a tight hug, gently stroking his fur. "So this is what it's like..." She let go and straightened her dress and fixed her hair. "Apologies, a Lucario hasn't been seen in this Kingdom for a very long time. Well! Best let you get on with registration! Besides, I have many a preparation to make!"

With that, Lady Ilene whisked herself off, lavender dress and curly blonde hair billowing, and the fading sound of her heels clicking on the marble flooring.

Max looked at her partner who seemed to be just as dumbfounded, before the two of them made their way to the Tournament Registration.

The trainer and her pokemon sat in the contestant room with several other people, all dressed up and seemingly hyping themselves up for this tournament. Max sat quietly, Eris leaning on the wall next to her, preparing mentally. They've had their fair share of battles, so something like this shouldn't be too much to handle. Though, this was the first time they're entered a festival tournament of this caliber before. The blonde looked around, surveying the other trainers in the room. They all looked rather experienced, but Max couldn't let that intimidate her. She studied each one carefully, trying to read them and the Pokemon they had with them.

First, there was a male with messy brown hair, green eyes, and a Red Gyarados print shirt. He seemed to be getting a boost of confidence from the Quagsire he was knelt down in front of. The two of them seemed close, judging by the attitude and friendliness between them. Eris noted to Max the earthy, herby scent that wafter from the two. Max smiled, assuming he was more of a natural remedy user. That or he just used Herb-extract as a cologne.

Then there was the redhead in the corner. Bright blue eyes, ball cap, and an unbuttoned  black vest that revealed his toned chest. He had his guitar out and was filling the room with quiet music as he leaned against the mighty Swampert next to him. The bond between them was strong, Max noticed; they had been together for quite some time.

At that time, someone entered the room and posted something against the wall; the bracket for the tournament. From what Max could tell, everyone in this room would be fighting someone in the room on the opposite side of the arena. Her name was a little down the list, so she and Eris had some time. For those who weren't battling right away, there was a windowed area for them to watch the tournament until their turn came up. Max, along with all but one participant, made their way over to that area as the Tournament was now under way.

The arena was filled with smoke and various elements as the battles raged on; everyone bringing their best Pokemon to the playing field. The Redhead, Decoda, as she had found his name to be, was lucky enough to have a Rotom on his side (Max got multiple sketches of it while she watched from the Participant Viewing Room). It carried him far, until their match. The two of them entered the arena from opposite sides, staring each other down from afar. This was it. The winner of this battle would be the winner of the tournament and take a very valuable prize; the status of Rota's Aura Guardian for the year.

"Try not to take offense when I lay you into the dirt, Max!" The musician shouted, sending out his first pokemon. 

"I'll be sure to let you down easy, then!" She poked, sending out her Pokemon as well.
Joker erupted from the love ball, stars exploding in a flashy pattern, thanks to the seal stickers on the top half of the capsule. On the opposite end of the field... Rotom. The electric type screeched out and saluted, ready to fight. The Vaporeon looked back at Max, worry shining in her black eyes. They both knew that the water type's defenses were rather high, but they could only hope they were high enough to withstand the impending barrage of electricity. Max's eyes sparkled with determination and fascination as she laid eyes on the Sinnoh pseudo-legendary before her. 

"Joker, we're gonna start of safe, okay?" Max called out. "Aqua Ring!"

"Poooor!" Her scales rippled as water seeped out of them, forming a multi colored ring around her body. This way, she would be able to recover some health every couple seconds, letting her outlast the thunderbolt that came crashing down almost immediately. The Vaporeon stumbled to the left before finding its footing and holding firm. Max grimaced as she looked up at the health meters on display for the crowd to follow. Already, Joker was down to half.

"Protect, then follow up with Scald!"

"No you don't, Rotom! Light Screen, then go for another Thunderbolt!"

"Move, Joker!"

The water type stood her ground, a blue hex-shield forming around her and forcing the thunderbolt to bounce away harmlessly. While her Scald hit, it didn't do too much damage wise; Rotom had managed to get the Light Screen off before it hit. Then the electric type winced, bits of flame erupting from parts of it's plasmic body. 

"WHAT A HEAVY START!" The announcer called out. "VAPOREON IS AT HALF HEALTH ALREADY, BUT MAX MANAGED TO GET THE BURN OFF WITH SCALD!"

"All right!" She shouted out. "Excellent work, Little Miss!"

"Not bad..." Decoda grinned, getting more pumped for this fight. "But not good enough! Rotom, let's kick it up a notch with Thunder!"
A smile crossed Max's lips as her opponent made his call. While thunder was incredibly powerful, it's accuracy was trash unless it was raining. The smile vanished as quickly as it appeared. If Joker were to get hit but that, she was done for.

"Get moving, Joker! Acid Armor; make yourself as hard to hit as possible!" Max shouted, watching her water type bound about the battlefield, her form almost liquifying. The bolt of thunder cracked, hitting the ground with explosive force. With the assistance of the Acid Armor, Vaporeon managed to avoid the lightning strike. "All right! Excellent dodge, Joker!"

"Not bad..." Decoda chuckled, extending a hand out towards the battlefield, a grin on his face. "But not good enough! DISCHARGE!"

"Protect!"

This time, however, Joker wasn't quite fast enough as she took the brunt of the AoE full force. The charge of electrical energy threw the water puppy backwards, skidding her across the ground as she finally landed at Max's feet. The Vaporeon whimpered and attempted to get up, before slumping to the floor. One glance up at the monitor told all; Joker was unable to battle.

Max returned her Pokemon and kissed the pokeball gently. "Rest easy, little miss. You did better than I could have ever hoped for." She pulled the dusk ball off her belt and looked to Decoda, the ball expanding in her hand as she grinned.

"Alright then..." She tossed the ball out, a dark mist exploding forth as Mimikyu made its entrance. 

"Let's play."

Chimecho did it's best to remain standing; as did Eris. At this point, it was a matter of who would fall first. The two Pokemon stared each other down before the Mega-Lucario seized up, stumbled, and collapsed, reverting back to his original form. A second later, the Mega- Chimecho did the same. 

"AND THERE WE HAVE IT! THIS YEAR'S TOURNAMENT WINNER AND AURA GUARDIAN OF THE ROTA KINGDOM IS DECODA CAPELLA OF KANTO!"

The crowd went wild as the two returned their pokemon. Max smiled as Eris was returned. "I'm proud of you, Eris. You and the others... Thank you for putting up such a great fight!"

"I'll say!" Decoda chuckled as he approached the blonde trainer, extending a hand to her. "That was quite the battle!"

Max took his hand and shook it with a pleased smile. "Yeah, it was. Thanks for such an exhilarating experience. Congrats on being the Guardian this year!"

"Maybe you could save me a dance at the commemoration ball tonight?" He smirked and winked at the blonde. But uh, don't change? I dig the uniform!" Decoda added rather bashfully, but lit up when Max agreed.

Eris elbowed his master, a sly grin on his face. "Master Roark would be incredibly jealous if he were here." The Lucario directed to the girl.

"Oh hush you."

Classic ballroom music filled the room as hundreds of people twirled about, bringing a liveliness to the castle. Decoda sat in a rather fancy chair, looking on as everyone celebrated. According to the rules of the tournament, the crowned Aura Guardian was only allowed one dance in the entire celebration. Despite multiple women asking him to dance, he was saving it for Maxwell. He finally spotted her entering the ballroom on the left, still in the Guardian's Uniform. He had to admit, she really did look good in it.

"So uh, you wanted to dance?" She extended a hand to the musician as the current song ended and the next one began. Eris waited off to the side, over by the tapestry of Sir Aaron, supervising his partner from afar.

"I did! I'm glad you made it!" Decoda gratefully hopped up and a bit too quickly took her hand to whisk her off onto the dance floor. The two spun around the room with the other guests, his tailcoat flapping about, as well as Max's cape. 

"You're really good with ballroom dancing." He complimented, sending Max out into a spin before bringing her into a dip. 

"Thanks, though I shouldn't be. I've never done this before!"

They danced about, making idle chit chat, talking about the tournament, their Pokemon, and the battle the two had. Before they knew it, the song came to an end and Decoda had to go back to his chair. Max was heading to meet back up with Eris, but a rather shy voice spoke up, catching her attention.

"Hey... Max, right? You took me out second round; I'm Horvath." Max turned to address the voice, finding the male with messy brown hair and soft green eyes. A Quagsire with a bowtie waddled up next to him.

"Quaaaag!" The blue Pokemon gave a smile and waved to the blonde. 

"Oh! Hey! Great fight out there. Your Torterra was a hard challenge for Eris and Joker!"

"Thanks, but uh... would you... care to uh, to dance? With me?" He looked at the floor, a blush adorning the bashful look on his face.
Max glanced over to Eris, who simply waved her off, letting her have her fun. She turned back to Horvath and smiled, taking his hand and beginning their waltz. Eris, on the other hand, had felt a rather strange aura moving about the nearby rooms of the castle. Leaving Max, he went to go investigate, his eyes shut as he followed the aura. 

The Lucario was led a distance away from the ballroom, the oriental music barely audible from his location, but still within Max's sensory range. The room was full of glass cases, each one holding relics and such from the days of old. Eris looked into the cases and examined what was in there, his eyes going wide as he felt an aura almost identical to his own emanating from the staff in front of him.

"...Maxwell. I found something you need to see."

Max halted her movements and put a hand to her head looking off in Eris's general direction. With an apologetic look, she takes a step back from Horvath. "I'm sorry, but I need to go. My partner seems to have gotten himself in a spot of trouble."

"Wait! Maybe I can help?" He asked, reaching out to take a gentle hold of her hand.

"This isn't really something you can help with, I'm afraid." She gave him a small smile as he dropped her hand. 

"Oh, well uh... good luck then. See ya around, Max." He turned and with a disappointed sigh, he disappeared into the dancing crowd of party goers while Max took off in the signal's direction.

She entered the room and closed the door behind her, realizing what her partner had found as she too, felt the similar auras. Max approached the case and looked in, laying eyes on the real staff. Could it really be the staff that her ancestors had each held with their own two hands? The very same ones that trained so deeply with Aura?

"Biii." 

Both Max and Eris jumped back, startled by the sudden appearance of the little onion-like fairy that had appeared before them. It flew around the room before coming to a stop above the very case the two Explorers showed interest in. It tapped the glass with a delicate little finger before pointing at the two of them. When it tapped the glass again, it's little hand seemed to phase through the protection around the relic and grasp it, pulling it free and holding it out to Max.

"Oh, uh... I can't take that; it belongs to Lady Ilene." Max shook her head, understanding what the Pokemon was asking, flinching as the staff was thrust into her hands. "Celebi, why are you even here? I thought this was Mew's domain? At least, this is what I read before coming here..."

Celebi looked to Eris, who nodded and turned to his partner and translated. "It was sent... by your father. It's time we learn about aura from our ancestors. So take a hold of the staff and shut your eyes." As Max followed the directions, Eris did as well. The two felt time distort around them as colors shifted.

The two found themselves in the same room, though it looked rather different. where glass cases of ancient relics once stood, were now suits of polished armor and swords hanging from the walls. shields were neatly organized and care supplies for the weapons were neatly shelved on the far wall. Benches and training dummies were lined up, some looking a lot more worn than others. Max slowly examined her surroundings, reaching out to touch one of the hanging shields, only to see that she was still holding the staff Celebi had given her. 

"Eris... I think we're actually gone back." She turned to look at him, removing the hat of her costuming. "Which means we need to be extra careful. This can end really badly..."

"...Aside from the fact that you're currently dressed as an Aura Guardian from this era?" Eris responded, taking the staff from her.

"Yeah, aside from that. I'm pretty sure that this was only Sir Aaron's uniform though... I can't remember any other person in this uniform, or even using aura other than him.... ah, shit."

Eris knew what she was thinking. If his aura skills were as good as history perceives them to be, either he or his Lucario, perhaps even both of them have sensed the two of them by now, possibly being on their way with guards.

"Maxwell, we need to go. We're in danger if we stay here." Max nodded in agreement and the two hurriedly left the armory. Eris handed Max the staff back and shut his eyes, using Aura to get a layout of the castle. "They're coming. This way!" He took her but the free hand and pulled Max along, guiding her through the castle and dodging guards who were alerted to their presence.

The explorer and the Lucario entered one of the courtyards, stopping for a moment to catch their breaths and recollect their bearings. 

"Excuse me. but you're a new face." a voice called out behind them. Max turned to look at the person behind her, and her eyes went wide. Other than the hair and gender, she was looking at an almost mirror image. "Now, care to explain who you are, why you're here, and where you got your hands on my clothing?"

"Maxwell," Eris directed to her. "He hid his aura; I can't sense him, or his partner!" 

She didn't answer Aaron, who dropped from the tree he was up in, to whip around to face her partner with a pale face. A second Lucario dropped from another tree, essentially surrounding Max and Eris. The explorer cast her gaze about the courtyard, looking for any means of escape.

There were none.

"I can feel your power, kid; your Lucario's too. So until you give us the answers we need, you're under arrest for trespassing and espionage." Aaron took a step towards her, releasing a heavy pulse of Aura. Max stumbled back, grabbing a hold of Eris's paw before collapsing onto the cobblestone walkway beneath her.

Blue eyes fluttered open, their surroundings being nothing but a dungeon cell. It was dim, dingy, and musky, the sound of chains echoing in the lonely area as Max attempted to move around.

"Eris?" She called out, realizing that her partner wasn't with her. In fact... she looked down at her belt; her pokeballs were gone, as was her bag of books. From a few cells down she could hear her partner.

"Maxwell, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You? Did they hurt you or anything?"

"No. We fell unconscious at the same time. I can only assume that they brought us here and separated us, taking everything we had on us as well."

"Your partner is pretty perceptive." Aaron spoke as he strode into the dungeon area, his own Lucario following him closely. He stopped in front of Max's door and peered in at her, adjusting his hat. "Your aura is pretty damn strong. You've been through training, I see. Both you and your Lucario." he pulled up a chair and kicked his feet up onto a barrel. "Where did you find a Lucario? Riolu are incredibly hard to come across, and Lucario are even more so. Answer honestly, and we'll talk about lightening your sentence. Remember; we can tell if you're lying."

Max sighed, before hardening her stare and frowning at her ancestor. "My dad gave me his egg when I passed my first level of Aura Guardian training. I've raised him since birth."

"She's telling the truth." Aaron's Lucario spoke up. "These two are rather interesting; their auras mirror our own, Master."

"I've noticed... Why is that?" he returned Max's hard stare.

"I... I think it's best if we don't give you the answer to that." Eris called out. "It could... upset the balance of some things."

"...I'm going to tell him." Max responded. "He doesn't have a choice but to believe us. Eris and I are descendants of you and your Lucario. The art of using aura has been passed down in my family since this time, and the two of us have been training to be Aura Guardians from when we were little."

Aaron got up and approached the cell door, squatting down and studying his descendant. He searched every particle of her aura, but could find no lie. Finally, he stood back up, pulled a ring of keys from his belt, and unlocked her door. For hearing that Max was from the future, his expression remained stoic and his movements calm. He released her from her chains before tossing the keys to his Lucario, who released Eris.

"So… you're an Aura Guardian as well. What kind of training have you done?"

"Ah… I can see, sense, use pulses to break things, i can track auras, and I can use Aura Sphere. Right now, My team and I explore and gather information to use and assist us later."

"She is a spy, Master." Aaron's Lucario spoke, side eyeing the blonde almost distastefully. "Perhaps the dungeon should be where she remains."

"I-I'm not a spy! Really!" Max defended herself as she stood up, rubbing her wrists and rushing over to embrace Eris as he was freed as well. "Eris, are you alright?" The explorer checked him over, the only damage being a couple bruises around his wrists, similar to hers. "...so we've really gone back in time… Incredible… oh! Sir Aaron, if i may… May I draw a portrait of you and Lucario?" 

"Maxwell, you were just released from prison, and that's your first question?" Eris sighed. He could feel her nervousness and if he could, the other two certainly could as well.

"W-well… yeah, you're right… my apologies. I'm getting ahead of myself. I suppose I should  start with actual introductions; My name is Maxwell Gen, and this is Eris, my Lucario. It's quite an honor to be able to meet you, Sir Aaron. You too, Lucario." 

"It's rather interesting to be able to meet someone from my bloodline, especially so far down it." Aaron reached into his pouch and pulled out a couple of pokeballs, holding them out to her. "Here, I suppose I should return these to you."

Max took them back and attempted to send her team out, but the pokeballs no longer worked. "...this is a time before these were invented. I guess that makes sense…" 

 "...Here. I suppose this one is yours now." Aaron also handed her the staff she arrived with, as he wielded his own. As he strode to the door, he stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Maxwell Gen, descendant of my blood. Become my student."

"Master, are you sure that this is a good idea? It's much too sudden, and you know absolutely nothing about her or her partner."

"In time, her aura will reveal her truth to us. For now, she can stay with us. Perhaps get a change of clothing as well."

Max and Eris looked to each other before following the Aura Guardian out of the dungeon. First he brought her to a room full of clothing. After telling her to pick something presentable, Aaron went on to say he was going to introduce her to lady Rin; the queen of Cameran Palace. The blonde picked through the clothing for a good long while before settling on something comfortable; a light blue cloak over a dark blue and black outfit similar in style to Sir Aaron. She decided to leave her hair down, but picked up a hat to complete her ensemble. 

"Good! You're ready. Come with me." Once more, the female was following her ascendant, this time through a more ornate wing of the palace.

The walls were lined with pristine marble pillars, beautiful hand-stitched tapestries, and expensive looking tables and vases full of vibrant floral arrangements. The doors leading into the throne room were a well kept mahogany that swung inward when they opened. Aaron and Lucario strode into the room, Max and Eris following close behind. They each bowed in the presence of their Queen, who motioned for them to stand, albeit a bit confused.

"Sir Aaron, Might I inquire about your friend here?" Lady Rin gracefully gestured to Max, who could feel her face growing hot. 

"Please say nothing about being from another time; it could damage this fixation point." Max directed to her teacher. She saw the ever so slight nod of his head and listened to him speak.

"This is Maxwell, an Aura Guardian in training, who traveled rather far to seek guidance and tutelage. Next to her is her partner, Eris." He flashed a charming smile before glancing in Max's direction.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Your Majesty. Please, allow me to learn under the wing of the Legendary Hero, Sir Aaron!" If any of her friends were here, they would never let her live this moment down, with how embarrassed she felt.

"I will allow it." The queen started. "It may make the task at hand easier to deal with."

"Task, My Lady?" Aaron's Lucario spoke, his hardened gaze falling upon the royal blonde.

"Yes. The Tree of Beginning's power has been diminishing. I would like you to journey there to see, possibly eradicate the problem. The Tree has been the sole source of energy and protection of this Kingdom for many a generation; it cannot falter and die off now."

"It has to continue living, for the sake of future generations." Max muttered to Aaron, who nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it does. Very well, Your Majesty. We shall leave at once."

Maxwell Gen; Historic Outfit:

The small team of Aura Guardians made their way for the massive tree that stood out in the horizon. Their trip was rather quiet; neither human nor pokemon not knowing quite what to say to the other. Naturally, Max had her face buried in a book, but every so often, Aaron would catch her peeking over at him. Her eyes were wide with curiosity; he knew she had questions.

"You know," He started. "If you have things you want to ask, you are allowed to ask."

"I know… but I feel that I haven't earned the right." Max responded, lowering the book a bit.

"You have not." Aaron's Lucario interjected, as he looked to his Master with a hard, knowing stare. "After almost throwing the castle into a panic, be grateful we allowed you out of the dungeons."

The blonde stumbled slightly, the Lucario's words biting in, and catching her off guard. Eris frowned deeply at the rudeness of his ancestor. He looked at Max, who had buried her face once more.

"Maxwell," he projected just to her. "You do not have to do this."

"I do…" She spoke back, sounding almost desperate. "There's something here we need to do or learn in order to go home! I'm not gonna let what Luco says get to me."

"...Luco?"

"...I don't want to just call him Lucario…"

"You gave him a bond name?" A separate voice cut in, causing Max to pale and stumble again. 

"You can hear our frequencies?!"

"Of course I can. 'Luco' has yet to learn that, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask me. I can promise you that I'm fairly easy to talk to."

Eris took this opportunity to step back from the connection, leaving Max and Aaron alone. The blonde took a deep breath before turning her blue eyes to meet his, before letting out her slew of questions. Aaron gave her an awkward grin, chuckling a bit before scratching the back of his head and coming up with his answers.

"I came to Cameran Palace when I was 9, when my family was asked to provide a Royal Guardian. At the time, I barely had a grip on my power and Lucario was still a Riolu. Still, I didn't really have a choice, so I went. I was introduced to Lady Rin, and ended up training under someone from an entirely different country." The dark haired male glanced to Luco, who seemed to be deep in a conversation with Eris. "Luco, as you call him, became my first student. I passed everything I learned to him; I still do."

"What's it like at the Tree of Beginning? I've only read a little about it; there isn't a lot of information on it in my time. It's like it got lost to time…" Max lowered her gaze, sighing. "...Maybe I can write about it while I'm here. Make sure it gets to me in the future!"

"...Lost to time?" Aaron responded, curiosity riddled his thought-speak. "How do you mean?"

"There is very little written about the Tree of Beginning, or even if you and Luco! Hardly any information on the palace, or the line of rulers. All the books talk about is the w-"

"MAXWELL." Eris's voice cut is sharply and forcefully, forcing his trainer to stop and hold her head. "Enough."

"S-sorry…" she removed her hand from her temple and sighed softly, lowering her gaze. "I got carried away again. Curiosity killed the Skitty, ya know..." Eris was right. The female needed to be careful about what she said; she could very easily alter history, and that was the last thing she would want to do.

The older male's eyes softened and a smile crossed his lips as he placed a hand to her shoulder. "Satisfaction brings it back, does it not? Though it pains me to hear that there is very little to remember us by. Perhaps we can change that? Without altering your timeline?"

"Aaron, you're a genius!" Max shouted aloud, causing Luco to flinch and glare angrily at her. "My writings! I can write everything down that happens while I'm here, and I'll leave the books with you. Put them somewhere that would have a significant meaning. I'll find them in my time!" She hurriedly pulls out one of her books and starts writing, her eyes and hand moving a mile a minute. Max stopped and sat down, taking a much needed break from walking. Aaron and Luco, both intrigued, casually leaned over her shoulder to see what she was doing. The guardian in training was writing about the layout of the castle, what some of the rooms were 'back then', even about Lady Rin (with Aaron and Luco's permission and assistance, of course). 

"...it's a start." Max closed the book and stowed it away, looking up at the darkening sky and the glowing tree off in the distance. "Do we want to keep going or should we rest here for the night."

"Rest here. We continue at dawn." Luco prompted, taking his place on top of a rock to keep watch. Eris sat on the grass in front of the massive stone watching as the two humans set up a makeshift camp for the evening. He glanced up at Luco, directing his thoughts toward him.

"Luco, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." The second Lucario looked down, making eye contact with the first. He said nothing, so Eris took this as a go ahead. "...Do you know the future?"

Max couldn't sleep. Instead she sat on the grass, staring into the dying embers that was once their campfire. Every so often, she looked to the three sleeping forms around the rock ring. She pulled out her sketchbook and decided that this would be the ideal time to get a quick sketch of Aaron and Luco.

Nothing creepy, of course.

Her pencil flew across the slightly wrinkled paper as she drew out two quick portraits, then stuffed them within the back pages of the book. She would have to get proper drawing of them much later on. With a tired sigh, she shoved her book back into her back and pulled out a seperate one; one containing everything she's learned so far from being here. 

It was a lot. Granted, most of it was little things, such as palace life, little training regiments that Aaron used, even little tidbits of information that Luco had given her. Max turned her eyes to the distance, where their real destination lied; the Tree of Beginning. 

According to Lady Rin, something was causing the Tree's power to diminish. If it were to be completely depleted of its energy, it would perish; as would Rota. If that happened….

Well, Max didn't want to think about that.

Instead, she stood up and stretched out, walking around the area. It felt good to stretch, especially after sitting for so long. The morning air was brisk and cool, reminding her of home. It made her think of all the times she woke up early to go and bother Roark just so she could explore the mines. The blonde let out a sigh, feeling a bit homesick. 

"...Maxwell?" Eris called out, finally awakening. "Are you alright?"

"Ah- yeah, I'm okay. Just a bit…"

"Homesick?"

"Yeah."

"I'm going to make the assumption that we will return to our time after this mission." Eris stepped over to his partner, placing a paw to her back. "We will see them again." 

They both looked down to Max's belt, where the two inactive pokeballs that held Joker and Noir were clipped. There was no live network to keep the pokeballs active, so Max had no way to check on them. She prayed that they were just in some form of stasis.

"You two are up early." Aaron called out from the fire, where he and Luco remained. "Sleep well?"

Max shook her head as she and Eris made their way back over to help clean up the campsite. "No, not really…" she responded truthfully. "I was a bit too anxious to sleep."

"She is like this with most explorations." Eris added, handing Max her hat.

"Well, if you're ready, let's head out." The older male spoke. "We still have quite a bit to go,and that includes passing through the Guardian's Pass."

"The what?" Max's eyes immediately lit up and whipped out her journal, ready to take notes. 

"I-it's an area before the entrance to the Tree that's guarded by three ancient pokemon. Regice, Regirock, and Registeel." Surprise could be heard in his tone. "If we can't get past them, we can't enter the tree. They are the only brings aside from Mew that can tell the Tree that we are not a threat. If we can beat them or somehow communicate with them, we'll be okay."

Hurriedly, Max shoved her notes back in her bag, a new energy filling her body. Aaron and both Lucario could feel the excitement radiating off of her. 

"Come on! What are you guys waiting for??"

It was around noon when Aaron stuck out a hand to stop Max in her tracks. She looked up at him, noting the stoic look on his face as he stared straight ahead. Luco and Eris both stopped as well.

"What is it, master?" Luco asked, peering around the two humans.

"Guardian's Pass. We're here." Was the response.

Max turned to look, as a feeling of dread washed over her. The pass was an almost hidden path that wound through the woods ahead of them. Beyond this point, however, was the base of the Tree of Beginning. Stepping past her teacher, Max set foot on the path. 

Silence.

No pokemon, not even the wind. Max froze, her mind flashing back to Spring Path and Giratina. The trainers hand instinctively went to Noir's pokeball and gripped it tightly. Maybe if she focused hard enough, she could reach her beloved team? Eris placed a paw over her hand when it began to shake from Max's anxiety. The lucario shook his head, and his partner sighed, crestfallen. 

In silence, the group traversed the quiet path, only the sound of their footsteps on the beaten ground being heard. So far, they were making great time; but this seemed a bit too easy…

"Watch yourself!" Luco leapt up and intercepted the ice beam with an Aura Sphere. Ice dust rained down on the others as they became alert to the oncoming threat. "Regice seems to be the first of the trials!"

"Wait! Didn't you say that the three of them were together?!" Max shouted, stowing her bag somewhere safe. "Regirock and Registeel might be close by!" 

"We're going to have to split up; try and take them down at the same time!" Aaron shouted back, dropping to the ground to dodge a hyper beam that came ripping through the treeline. Registeel lumbered into view, followed closely by Regirock. "Max, you take Regirock! Luco, Eris; on Regice! I'll take care of Registeel here!"

While Max was trained in close combat, she never really was in a fight of her own like this. It felt wrong to punch a pokemon; especially a legendary like the Regi's. She wasn't quite ready to break her hand, so she needed a better way to fight. 

What sounded like a sequence of low keyed beeps signified Regirock charging up a hyper beam. A roll to the left to dodge gave her a quick chance to glance left and right. To the left, Aaron seemed to be faring well against the massive steel type. Off to the right, Luco and Eris we working together in great succession to take down the ice titan, despite the horrid type disadvantage. Max wasn't a fighter. She had only ever gotten into a real physical confrontation once, and she didn't count all of the training and sparring her dad put her through back on Iron Island.

"If you aren't going to fight, then turn around and leave." Luco's voice cut through her thoughts like a knife. "All you're doing is holding us back." 

Max watched as her ancestor skillfully dodged attacks before countering, and their Pokémon playing off of each other's movesets. Luco was right, she was being dead weight right now, spending too much time thinking and not enough time actually helping. Another hyper beam sailed over her head, causing her to hit the dirt. What could she do? 

"Max." It was Aaron this time. "Don't think. Let your aura guide you. Trust me, you'll be okay."

"I… yes. You're right. Both of you are…" she got up, realizing what she needed to do.

Max wasn't a fighter, no. However, she had ways of getting through to the hearts of Pokémon. Joker, Noir, and every tattoo on her body were proof of that. 

The sequence of low keyed beeps went off again, this one slightly different. Regirock's body spun around rapidly before burrowing deep into the earth. There were no vibrations physically, but when Max closed her eyes and began seeing through aura sight, she could see everything. There were Pokémon hidden in the trees, watching the fights with bated breath. The rock titan was digging its way back up to the surface, right under her. She knew it wouldn't be this easy to get in close.

The hole opened up below her sooner than Max expected. She tumbled off to the side as Regirock leapt up from the ground, spinning and throwing rocks everywhere. The blonde covered her face as stone pieces bit deep into her arms from the titan erupting from the ground. With all the debris, this was going to be difficult, and if her arms took any major damage, she would no longer be able to use them. 

She had to act now.

Max dodged as best as she could, looking for the right opening. The researcher began to notice a pattern in the Pokemon's attacks, based on the series of beeps it let out. Hyper Beam came first. It was a slow charge, but destroyed anything it hits. If that were to hit any of them, they were done for; no questions asked. After that, was stone edge. A very dangerous move that ripped up a mass of stones from the ground. In the best case scenario, getting hit by that would result in at least a broken bone or two. Mud-Slap usually followed the Stone Edge. It was more so an annoying move; fairly easy to avoid, but if it gets in your eyes, you may as well give in. Max knew the Regirock had a fourth move, but it was yet to be seen. 

The young aura guardian spent a portion of her fight dodging its attacks and studying the massive pokemon. After it launched its Mud-Slap, Max made her move. She maneuvered under the wave of mud, arm extended forward. If she could just touch the pokemon…

"MAXWELL!" Eris shouted, turning his attention towards his partner for a second, "Don't get in clo-" 

The ice beam hit home, freezing the Lucario solid. Max felt everything around her move in slow motion as she watched her friend turn to ice, then felt a heavy rock fist slammed into her chest, pinning her to the ground. The Regirock's dotted eyes had turned red, and it's tone had changed. 

"Max!" Aaron called, still focusing on keeping Registeel at bay. "It's about to use Seismic Toss! You gotta get out of there!"

"I… Can't…" She struggled, losing her breath and feeling stones moving about, closing around her waist. The titan pulled Max from the ground and prepared to yeet her across the battlefield. "One… Chance…" After a bit of struggling, she managed to free her arms from her stone casing and slammed them down on the Regi's arm. Blue aura pulsated from her fingertips, coating the Rock Guardian. It stopped its movements, seemingly reading the aura it was receiving. 

"Come on… we aren't… A threat…" she gasped, almost pleading. "Trying to save… The tree…"

The Red dots slowly faded back to yellow, and it rather unceremoniously dropped the injured female to the dirt below. It turned to the other guardians who had also ceased their attacks, silently communicating with them. All three then simply… left. The ice around Eris finally shattered, the Lucario collapsing. Max crawled over to him, helping him sit up. The two of them were in rather poor shape, but they finally did what they needed to; they were able to convey their feelings to the three Titans that guarded the tree. They were now free to enter!

"Let's… rest a while…" Max chuckled weakly, rubbing her chest. She definitely had a couple of cracked ribs from impact, and she needed to recharge her aura from her little stunt. Eris needed to heal as well.

"That's fine with us," Aaron nodded. "We can continue later tonight."

It was well into the night when they finally reached the Tree's base. Max wasn't in 100% condition, but then again, none of them were. Aaron and Luco were pretty scratched up, and Eris was still just a tad sluggish from all of the ice damage. 

Upon closer inspection, the Tree of Beginning was actually a massive rock formation, covered in crystals, trees, grass, and pretty much its own ecosystem. The four Aura Guardians made their way into the tree, but stopped at a large cluster of crystal.

"Look here." Aaron started, Max pulling out her notebook. "The crystals that grow here are called Auraite. Telepathic communication is made stronger when at least one person had a hand to the crystal and others are near one. Even those who cannot use aura, or telepathy are able to use these. If we get separated by any means, we can still stay in contact."

"....keep contact ...over distances…" Max muttered, finishing her notes. "Do the crystals have to be at the tree in order to work?" She asked, tapping her pen to her cheek.

"Not at all. In fact…" Aaron placed a hand to the crystal before him and spoke aloud. "Lady Rin, we would like to update you on our journey."

"Sir Aaron! Proceed with your report, please." Her voice came through loud and clear, almost as if she was in the room with them. Aaron looked to Max, motioning for her to try. 

"We've made it safely to the Tree of Beginning, your Majesty." Max spoke with a hand to the crystal. "The Guardians took a while to get past."

"Ah, Maxwell. It's good to hear that you all have arrived safely to your destination. Please continue to keep me updated on the task at hand!" 

Max nodded to Aaron motioning to continue moving up the passage through the tree. The four of the carried on their mission, but the further the went, the more they could feel the tree's suffering. Max could feel her heart drop into her stomach, the once bright blue and green crystals turning different shades of red and black. 

"The tree's in pain…" She whispered, putting a hand to her chest.

"So you can feel it too." Aaron nodded solemnly. "The Heart should be at the end of this path. We should be able to give a proper diagnosis once we're there."

While the path wound up and around, it seemed to be a straight shot to The Heart. Thanks to them communing with the Titans, the Tree of Beginning didn't see them as a threat. It would remain this way as long as they didn't upset anything within the massive rock formation. 

By the time they reached The Heart, all four of them were sweaty, disheveled, and tired. What would have been an enchanting sight; a massive cluster or crystal jutted from the floor and roof, joined by a bean of energy, was tainted with the dying reds and black that adorned many other crystals. Max clutched her chest, tears freely streaming down her face. Wide-eyed, she turned to Aaron, who had a much better grip on his aura and emotion. The young explored could feel The Tree's suffering; each "breath" it took was pained, rattled.

"It… Hurts…" She choked out. "Why does it… hurt so much…"

"Max, your connection to the Tree's aura is incredibly strong." Aaron noted.

"It may be because she shared her aura with the Titans, who passed it into the Tree." Luco suggested. "The Tree has chosen her."

Maxwell crawled forward towards the Crystals coming from the floor, gently placing her hands on it. Touching it felt like fire, a pain that raced through her arms and up to the inner parts of her skull. She fell back, gasping for air.

"Mew… she's gone…" she whispered, terror dripping from her words. "Without her… The Tree isn't able to properly regulate it's aura!"

"How do you mean, gone?" Eris knelt down to the girl, gently placing a supportive paw to her shoulder.

"Gone… nonexistent…"

"There has to be a way to regulate the Tree's aura again… but how…" Aaron scratched his chin, perplexed. "Wait… Luco, you said the Tree of Beginning chose Max, correct?"

"Master, I know what you're suggesting." Luco frowned, side-eyeing Max. While he only tolerated her, she did bring a new light to his Master's life. It was a bit refreshing. "While there is a good possibility it would work, she may never-"

"I'll do it." Max cut in. "Whatever it is… I'll do it."

"Maxwell, you shouldn't just agree to things!" Eris desperately tried to reason with her, getting the feeling he knew what was being suggested. "...You may never be able to use aura again, if you go through with this…"

"...I know. But I'm not seeing any other option." With no further words, she ran over to the energy stream and shover her arms deep into it. 

"Maxwell!" Eris tried to run to his partner, but Luco grabbed his paw, shaking his head. "We cannot interrupt her now. We can only support her."

"We need to push a bit of our aura to her, otherwise she will die; a creature cannot live without aura." Aaron informed as he held out his hands. Tiny particles of light drifted from his outstretched palms to the blonde struggling to remain standing. 

Eris carefully approached her from behind, gently placing his paws to her back. He could feel tiny pieces of his aura fragmenting off and leaving him; no enough to harm him, but enough to keep his partner standing. Even Luco had a paw held out, following the suit of the two other aura users.

Pain ripped to Max's body, the feeling of static was so prominent, small arcs of energy were flying off of her person. She bit her lip to keep her screams from escaping; blood was running down her chin from where she was biting. Her eyes burned from the amount of tears she had let loose; closing them did little to help.

At last, it began to take shape. From the energy stream which flickered from sickly red to a healthy blue-green, a phantasmic entity shaped like Max pulled itself away. Once it was free, the young guardian collapsed into Eris's arms. 

"Her aura… it's faint." He reported, but he knew the others already knew. 

The Lucario looked at the mass of aura shaped like his partner that wandered about the room, touching each and every crystal, taking extra time and care with the two massive ones in the center. When every crystal flooded the room with a natural blue-green light, the entity wordlessly stepped back into the central energy stream. Light pulsated out from the clusters, and the Tree itself, rolling out across Kanto for miles before finally fading out. 

Max slowly opened her eyes and smiled weakly. Her tired gaze moved from Eris to Aaron and Luco. "Aaron, could you do me a favor…?" She asked quietly.

"What is it?"

"....i can't move. Could you... take the book I was working on this trip... and write out everything that happened?" Even though she had no strength to even really turn her head, her voice was strong and full of hope.

"Yeah. I can do that." He smiled. However, that smile quickly began to falter as he noticed that both Max and Eris had begun to dissolve away. "...Max? What's…"

"Nonono…. I don't want to go yet…!" She whimpered, slowly finding the strength to move about. Max stumbled to her feet, leaning on the crystals for support. "There's still so much I can learn here!"

"Maxwell," Eris sighed. "We must return."

"I'll put this book in a place of great significance, Max." Aaron spoke, putting a hand to her shoulder, which fell through it moments later. "The aura will tell you where to go. Now… go on home, kid."

Her eardrums were immediately filled with the faint sound of ballroom music, and the distant chatter of the party goers. Max's knees buckled and she dropped, Eris catching her before she hit the marble floor.

"Maxwell, your aura is going to take a while to charge back up." Eris informed, helping her stand. "Oh- you're still wearing your uniform."

Max hazily looked at herself in the reflection of one of the artifact cases. He was right- the different shades of blue still adorned her. She picked up the hat from the floor and placed it on her head.

"It's like we didn't even leave…" She muttered, opening the door to the hallway. "We spent days in the past… but only a few minutes here… Time travel is fucking weird." Max rubbed her eyes, sighing heavily. She was tired, but there were still things she needed to do.

"I need to figure out where Aaron put the book."

"A place of great significance. However, that could be anywhere; the courtyard. The dungeon, the throne room…"

"The Heart…"

With that, the two of them ran for the party.

Eris looked worriedly at his partner. Her aura was nowhere near recovered, and she was already trying to rush headfirst into things. He caught a hold of her sleeve, pulling her to a stop. The Lucario shook his head.

"Maxwell, stop for a moment. You need to recover." Eris instructed. "You are in no shape to go back to the Tree at this moment."

"I'm not…" Max agreed. "...but they are." She pushed open the door to the ballroom, coming face to face with the unexpected Horvath.

"H-hey, Max!" Horvath greeted, awkward smile adorning his face. "Did you solve your problem?"

"Sort of, but a new issue has come up."

"Then I guess I'll leave you to it." He sighed. He was hoping to try and get one more dance in with the girl, but it looked like that wasn't happening. Horvath turned to head back to the party, but Max grabbed his hand.

"Horvath, I need your help with this one." She stated firmly. “Yours…" She looks over to Decoda who was falling asleep in the chair. "And his. I want you both to meet me out front of the castle after the party."

"Max, what's going on?"

"I can't explain until both of you are on board. Please, just trust me."

Horvath looked her and her Lucario over, confusion clear on his face, while hopefulness and a bit of desperate were all over Max's. He sighed again, putting a hand to the side of his face. "...Fine. I'll get your friend if you promise to tell me what's going on."

"Thank you! I swear I'll explain!" Max hugged Horvath tightly before running off.

Hours went by before the two males finally met up with the rather impatient looking Max in front of the palace. She grabbed both of their hands and smiled brightly.

"Thank you both for coming! I know we only met twice before; battling and the dance floor, but I need your help. I'm Max. Decoda and Horvath." She addressed the two in front of her.

"Max," Decoda crossed his arms looking from Eris to the girl. "What's going on?"

"...I need help getting there." She points off into the dusky horizon at the faintly glowing Tree of Beginning. "There's something important I need to retrieve there."

The two trainers looked at each other, then the Tree, then the girl. They looked confused, but nodded, one after the other.

"So what's the plan?" Decoda asked, uncrossing his arms and adjusting the guitar on his back. "We go to the tree, get your whatever, come back?"

A concerned expression crossed Horvath’s face as he seems to ponder the task ahead. “Getting there won’t be easy...I’ve heard the Tree of Beginnings is guarded by some really powerful Pokemon! Not only that, they say the very environment itself can reject people, like a body rejects a virus ...Max, why do you want to go to such a dangerous place?”

‘Weeeell…” Max couldn’t help but give a chuckle. “I get the feeling that if I told you, it would make you think i was on something.” She hastily added. ‘Which totally isn't the case! I swear! There’s just something really important there waiting for me, is all.”

“Maxwell, I believe it’s best if you just tell them.” Eris crossed his arms, broadcasting aloud. “Otherwise, you may as well turn them away.”

“I dunno guys, getting the chance to go see a living relic is pretty unreal all in itself,” Decoda grinned. “Even if there wasn’t anything in it for us, what kind of friends would we be if we let her struggle on her own? You asked for our help, and we’re ready to aid.”

Max looked at Horvath for his final answer, hope shining in her eyes. She was ready to go; her eyes swiftly left Horvath to look at the massive rock formation on the horizon. It would take quite a bit to get there, but it shouldn’t be too much of an issue; She knew where she was going.

“My only request,” Eris interjected. “Is that Maxwell takes it somewhat easy. After what she just gone through, she still needs time to recharge her aura.”

The herbalist finally nods in agreement, a small smile crossing his face. “Decoda is right. Whatever you need, we will help you find it. If you need something to help recharge, I’m sure there is an herbal remedy that I can concoct to hit the spot! We’ve got your back, Max. Just say the word, and we’ll follow you.” His eyes seem to sparkle readily. Horvath seemed really intent on helping Maxwell and Decoda!

Max smiled once more at the two males before her. They didn't know each other one bit, but here they were, ready to jump in for the assist. "Thanks," she started. "This means the absolute world to me…"

"Now that that's out of the way, what's next?" Decoda asked.

"Now," Max grinned. "We make our way to Guardian's Pass and to get past the Titans guarding the entrance to the Tree!"

The two boys looked at each other, the color leaving their faces all too quickly.

"...The what now."

Joker and Noir were over the moon when they were finally able to see again. For what felt like an eternity, the two of them were suppressed within the dark, lonely, confines of their capsules with no way to reach out to their partner….


Noir couldn't help but feel scared and abandoned once more after finding his efforts to contact either Max or Eris futile. It's been hours since he last looked up through the translucent red lid to see the Blonde trainer. Now when he looked, it was nothing but inky black. The Mimikyu paced his confines, which were roomier than a human would expect, as he tried to think of what he could possibly do to get his feelings through to his beloved friends on the outside.

He extended his shadowy tendrils as far as they could go, until he felt the ache akin to straining muscles. He cried as loud as he could; desperate for his owners, or anyone's, attention.

Noir slumped down, weeping softly. Would Max really abandon him?

Of course not. He answered himself. She must have a reason for being so unresponsive. Maxxy would never leave Noir. Not after everything we went through! Not after saving Noir so long ago!

A surge of warmth spread through the capsule and Noir's tearstained, cloth covered face shot up to stare at the 'sky'. Briefly, he could see. His eyes widened and tears spilled over as he heard her thoughts.

"Maybe I can reach my beloved team…"

Noir could see her anxiety ridden face clearly, and feel the desperation and loneliness in her shaking hand. Max couldn't feel her Mimikyu, but he could feel her.

Maxxy! He cried as loud as his tiny lungs would allow. Noir's here! Noir's here! Joker and Noir can see you!!

As quickly as they warmth and connection came, it disappeared. Before his capsule went dark once more, Noir got the one thing he was desperate for;

A response.

Whether is was intentional or not, didn't matter. He saw her face as she looked down briefly; Eris's too. Noir was filled with a new hope. A burning fire that they would be reunited again. He just had to tough it out just a little longer.

Besides!

There were no crybabies on Maxxy's team.

Guardians Pass was as silent and as eerie as Max remembered, only somehow, it was worse this time around. The path was far overgrown, the trees were all dying, and once more, not a single sound could be heard. It was as if no one has set foot here since the first time she and Aaron did. Max's heart dropped. Would the titans even be here anymore? 

"Hey, look at these!" Decoda called over. He was bent over, examining something hidden under the tangles overgrowth and dying weeds. "Some really pretty crystals, just growing up out of the ground!"

Max fought her way through the brush to reach her friends location, stopping with wide eyes as she finally got close. 

"Even here…" She placed a hand to the crystal, trying to use it and other clusters in the area to generate a map. The area came into view in hues of blue, green, and black as her extended vision cleared up. "From what I can see," she called out to Horvath and Decoda. "The path is pretty clear, all the way up to the entrance. However, I don't see the titans anywhere; which is both good and bad."

"Then we should take advantage of them not being here, and get to the entrance." Decoda nodded.

"Is that the smartest option?" Horvath spoke, helping Max get up from the ground. "Remember? The whole antivirus thing i said earlier?" 

"Horvath is right." The aura guardian spoke. "We should proceed with extra caution.

The group continued up the quiet path, staying close for both safety and a sense of security. They reached a small clearing that Max did not remember being there; then again, it's technically been about 100 years since she last walked this road. Three statues stood around the clearing, overrun with vines, flora, and years upon years of dirt and wear. Upon closer inspection, Max could tell.

"...Great Titans… what happened to you…?" She gently placed a hand to the overrun Regirock, before shaking her head. "They… These are just empty shells. Something happened that destroyed them." She removed her hand and ran it through her hair, frustrated.

"Max, what does that mean for us…?" Horvath glanced at her and Decoda, worry emanating from his being.

"It means we're at the Tree's mercy." Max turned away from the statue in front of her and started up the path once more. "Let's keep going. I need to find out what happened."

--**--

The inside of the tree was dark and foreboding, the pale green-blue crystals providing just enough light to see. Eris could feel the anxiousness of Maxwell and her allies, and the tenseness from the tree; it was assessing them. Maxwell didn't have the aura for it at the moment, but maybe he did…

Eris held a paw out towards the humans and focused, maneuvering his aura to mask their own. Perhaps this could buy them enough time to get in and out before the Tree realized the truth. He could feel its brief confusion before the calm; it was working for now. 

The closer they got to the heart, the more on edge the Tree became. The Lucario knew it knew something wasn't right. Silent alarms rang through his head as they were finally detected. Instantly the crystals turned they smoky red and black, large blob like creatures in the shape of fossil Pokemon had targeted the invading humans. Eris slammed Maxwell out of the way of the Aerodactyl that tried to grab her, only to watch her become restrained by a Kabutops. Horvath and Decoda weren't much better off, each slowly being pulled in by Cradily and Armaldo. Their shouts and pleas mixed with the sounds of them releasing their Pokemon so they didn't suffer the same fate.

Then there was silence, which was quickly broken by the cries of their confused and lost pokemon. Eris gently picked up Noir and looked to the other pokemon.

"Come. We need to continue; we must make the tree give them back to us." He spoke, Joker closely following at his heels. 

The Swampert, Chimecho and Rotom glanced to one another before silently following the Lucario; the Torterra and Quagsire doing so as well.

The Heart of the Tree of Beginning was almost as Eris remembered, though the cluster of crystal at the base of the aura stream was larger than back then. From within, he could feel an all too familiar presence. Just to completely sure, he placed a paw to the smooth face of one of the crystals. Eris's eyes snapped open wide and he stumbled back, distraught clear on his face. 

Where… where was Luco, then?

"Eris, what's wrong?" Joker asked softly, pawing at the Lucario's thigh. 

"Its… its nothing." He lied, hoisting Noir up to backpack him; something the Mimikyu did for comfort. "I was simply trying to make contact with the Tree." He didn't want to incite panic by telling them there was basically a whole person in the crystal a few feet from them.

"Sir Eris," the Rotom spoke up. "What exactly is this place?"

"It's a sacred place that has existed for hundreds of years. Since before Maxwell and mines ancestors time. Perhaps… it's even where aura first originated…" He pondered in the end. "The last time I was here, Maxwell sacrificed her aura to keep the Tree from destroying itself. Now… it's time for the tree to help us!"

"How are we supposed to do that? You're the only one really capable of talking to anyone!" Cruise sighed, waving his flippers around. "Ooohhhh I wish Horvath were here! He would know what to do…"

"It's times like this that a Pokemon must act without orders from their partner." Swampert added on, her voice strong. "We need to think about what they would ask of us, and try to do it ourselves. We're supposed to look out for each other, you know?"

"She's correct." Ersi nodded. "I have an idea; everyone, take hold of a crystal and focus your thoughts. Ask the Tree's spirit to meet with us."

"Are you sure this will work?" Goliath rumbled, lumbering over to a crystal in the wall and placing his forehead to it. 

"It's our only option at this point."

Once every Pokemon had placed themselves by a crystal, they each closed their eyes and pleaded together. All they wanted was their humans back. All they wanted was for the Tree to grant them their one wish.

The crystals within the room of the Heart glowed brightly, firing a beam of brilliant blue-green straight up into cluster hanging from the ceiling and filling the aura stream vibrant color. A figure stepped from the stream and stood before the group of Pokemon, viewing them silently. The group stepped away from their respective crystals, returning the figure's gaze. 

It spoke, sounding like multiple people, and extended a hand toward the Lucario.

"Lucario, I have not seen you in nearly a century… Why have you come to my Heart once more? With cohorts, I see." 

"We want our humans back! " Swampert interrupted, the strength of her voice wavering and breaking as Rotom and Chimecho attempted to comfort her. "We want Decoda back… Please… He's our world…"

Eris slowly took the extended hand of the figure, feeling the warmth of Max's aura spread through him. It was a feeling he missed sorely, an ache forming deep in his heart. 

He missed his Maxwell.

"Please, Tree… there has to be a way to return Horvath. I'm… im lost without him…" Cruise waddled forward, casting a glance back towards Goliath. "We both are…"

The figure looked around the room at the distraught pokemon. It seems the humans they spoke of had been disposed of by it's defense systems. 

"...it will take much energy to return humans that were… flushed out by my antibodies. I must ask for something in return."

"What would you want?" Joker inquired.

"We are still in need of aura. We will need to replace what is used as well as need a tad more."

"For what, if I may ask?" Eris asked firmly, letting go of the figures hand before he lost control of his emotions. 

"We would like to rebuild Mew, if you will. About a century ago, a band of hunters bypassed my defenses by wearing the pelts of pokemon. They entered the very room we stand in and mercilessly slain Mew, sending my system into a panic. ...We were dying. That was, until this Lucario showed with his human, as well as a second pair of Human and Lucario. His human offered her aura to bring me into existence."

"Wait, so you're-" Joker flexed her tattered tail, trying to piece everything together.

"Yes. I am the aura of the Human you know as Maxwell; the Tree's chosen. Once Mew is created anew, I will be able to return to her, thus returning her to her former power." The Tree responded with a gentle nod.

"Give you our energy, get our humans back, yes? It's that simple?" Goliath stomped, looking at the Tree's embodiment.

"We have nothing to lose." Chimecho finally spoke up, Swampert and Rotom nodding in agreement.

"Focus on sending your energy to the Heart." The figure instructed. "Think about your humans returning to you all."

Each Pokemon had never been so focused in their lives. Eyes closed, they could feel tiny particles of energy leave their bodies, and enter the heart. Through their closed eyelids, they could see the room lit up brightly, as each crystal practically exploded with radiance. Slowly, the three trainers were brought up from below and laid gently upon the earthen floor. None dared to open their eyes for a few more seconds; to make sure they were completely back.

The room abruptly became loud with the cries and tears from both trainer and Pokemon alike as they were reunited once more. 

Max buried her face in Eris's fur, holding her team close to her body.  

Decoda openly cried into the massive shoulder of his Swampert while Chimecho and Rotom comforted him.

Horvath was clutching Cruise close as he leaned on Goliath for support, tears streaming down their faces.

Eris looked up as the Tree spoke once more.

"It is time to Rebuild Mew. I apologize for asking, but those willing to sacrifice a bit of their power to assist, could you please step forward? I will not ask this of the humans, as they will need recovery time."

Eris, Swampert, and Goliath limbered forward, ready to begin.

"Wait!" Max shouted, holding Eris's paw. "If you need excess energy…" She held up her arm, showing the mega bracelet. "Lets give you some more."

"That's a great Idea!" Decoda hopped up, pulling out his guitar, where his mega stone was set and he looked to his Swampert. "Ready, mate?"

"I don't have a Mega Evolution, but I do have this!" Horvath stood up, and moved his arms about, powering up Goliath with Z-Energy. As he did so, Max and Decoda took this as time for Mega Evolving.

The three powered up pokemon shut their eyes and focused this excess power into the heart, where it glowed once more. The room was filled with a blinding light, that faded over the minute. 

Mew was back to where she belonged, disappearing as quickly as she was made.

 The figure, now mostly faded, stepped over to Max and disappeared within her. Swampert, Goliath, and Eris found themselves no longer powered up and back to their normal appearances. 

"Thank you…" they all heard a soft voice speak. "Truly…" it faded away.

Max grinned.

"Now… where the fuck did Aaron and Luco put my bag?"

End.