Thousands of years ago…

Since the times when Pokéballs didn't exist, humans and Pokémon have coexisted in this world, working together and helping each other to reach higher potential. However, back then there were a lot of humans who didn't know much about Pokémon and their abilities, as well as many Pokémon who didn't understand about humans and their customs. Although many mysteries have been solved, there is one that still persists to the present day, which is related to those considered as the nexus that links Pokémon and humans with each other.

Sir Aaron of Rota was a courageous and distinguished knight, whose biggest interest was to find and study others like him. With that purpose, he had been traveling across the continent, searching for those with abilities that made them stand out from normal humans, making them closer to Pokémon. Different groups of people had given them different names over time, but the most universally accepted had been bloodliners.

Although Aaron had made many interesting discoveries related to his own abilities, there were many unanswered questions. His studies had borne fruit in finding general abilities, making them easily identifiable. There were those who possessed the general power of one specific elemental Pokémon type, able to learn any of their moves, to communicate with those of their same type and even exert total control over them, which had been labeled as "Type Heart". Others, like himself, possessed the inherent capacities and abilities of a particular evolutionary line, as well as a particular affinity with Pokémon of said species (which in his case, came in very handy to get closer to his partner and earn his trust), called "Type Species", and lastly, there were those who only had the ability to use only one specific Pokémon move, called "Type Technique", although he had seen quite a few of them using said moves in versatile and creative ways, such as that young man who learned how to use Flamethrower by firing it from his feet to propel himself in the air, and even shoot a blue fire that could freeze things instead of burning them.

Nevertheless, Aaron had reason to believe there was one last and still undetermined type of bloodliner power. One that only very few chosen ones possessed, and stood out from the rest, since it wasn't connected to any specific Pokémon. It seemed more rooted in... human nature.

And that was what brought them here, to these ruins. Once upon a time, it had been a flourishing and prosperous citadel, until it was ravaged by war. However, much of its history still remained in these walls worn out by time, and Aaron had the feeling that, perhaps, the answers he was looking for could be here.

"Sir Aaron, exactly what are we looking for?" a gruff voice asked behind him.

As Aaron probed the walls, he looked back, glancing at his partner. Lucario sometimes considered himself his disciple, squire, or in the worst of days his servant, despite Aaron's attempts to have a relationship of more or less equals. That said, their bond of trust of loyalty was beyond question, as they both shared the same sense of honor and justice.

"I'm not fully sure," Aaron admitted. "I just have reason to believe that the answer to the last bloodline type I'm looking for might be in this place."

"Why's that?" Lucario asked.

Aaron simply started probing the wall again, closed his eyes and focused. A flicker of blue energy began to flow from the wall, and the engraved symbols started glowing momentarily. He opened his eyes, glowing with the same energy, and that enabled him to read the engraved message.

"Just as I thought," the knight said. "This wall contains traces of the same material used to create Time Flowers. The message only reacts and can be deciphered through aura."

"And what does it say?" asked Lucario.

"It says: 'The gateway to the past will only open for those who possess the power', or that's what I can understand," said Aaron. "That said, the code is identical to the one we found in those other ruins before, so I doubt I might have gotten it wrong."

For the past few months, they had explored several other sets of ancient ruins, from different civilizations. Each of them had rather cryptic messages, seemingly unconnected at first glance, but slowly, he pieced the fragments together, and realized they were all connected. Aaron had reasons to believe said message was some kind of prophecy, and strongly tied to bloodliners like him.

"A bloodline to unite the world..."

"When the world is united, those alike will come..."

"The world will move in the direction they choose..."

"After the one marked by evil fights the one who embraces it..."

While he wasn't sure of what it meant, Aaron was certain it was a foretelling of times to come in the future. Times in which those who were like him would play an important role and would change the world forever. What could it be? He had no idea, but he felt it was his duty to find out.

"The gateway will open for those who possess the power..." Aaron repeated. "Maybe…"

He and Lucario walked up to a strange frame on the wall. As Aaron touched it, he realized there were traces of aura-sensitive crystals. Exchanging glances with his partner, they both placed their palms on it and began channeling their energies to get a reaction.

The ruins began to rumble, but it wasn't an earthquake. The crystal in the frame had started glowing to Lucario and Aaron's energy, and after a few minutes, the framed wall opened like a door, revealing a stairway going down to a dark hallway. Cautiously, Aaron took a stick with a crystal in the top, and channeling some aura energy made it glow. An excellent substitute for a torch, without the risk of dropping it and setting things on fire. Taking a deep breath, the duo began walking downstairs.

The hallway wasn't as long as they thought, and they soon reached an underground chamber. At the light of their improvised torch, Aaron could see this room was in a better status than the rest of the surface. Quite ample and there wasn't much in it… except for a huge central structure, some sort of circle platform taking up a lot of the chamber's space, also full of symbols.

"This is…"

Just like before, the writing on the wall needed the power of aura to read. Slowly but surely, Aaron deciphered the message on the tablet:

"The voice of the forest traveling through the ages…

Will show the way to the past...

Only to those who can understand…

The power that's inside…"

"The power that's inside..." Aaron read out loud. "Let's see if I can…"

He focused more, emitting a larger amount of aura energy. The platform began glowing with his power, holding on for a few moments, but after a minute or so, Aaron was unable to sustain it, and had to stop due to the strain.

"I can't do it alone. Lucario, help me here."

Lucario nodded, and placed his paw on the other side of the platform. At Aaron's sign, they both began radiating aura energy. One of the things they had learned during their training was that, when two or more individuals with the power of Aura joined forces, the combined power could reach higher magnitude than just the sum of the parts. It was like their power multiplied tenfold when they were together, making them a lot more effective than when going solo.

Surely enough, the chamber became illuminated, and the lights on the platform began to intensify even more and more. When the two were unable to channel more energy, it was no longer required, as the light had become self-sustaining. The two saw a large multicolored light forming on top of the platform. They had no idea what it was, but at that point they couldn't step back. Slowly and carefully, both approached and extended their palms to touch whatever it was…

And just as soon as they made contact, there was a burst of light that took over the entire chamber, and the next thing they knew was that they felt dragged by a strange current, unable to escape. Everything became a blur of light and colors, while unknown yet strangely familiar images flashed through the minds of Aaron and Lucario in a rapid succession, so fast that neither of them could process them. They had no choice but to resign themselves to their fate, whatever it was…

…

After a shaky journey, they had a harsh landing. Whatever that strange device was, it sent them to what seemed like a very large plain field. Sir Aaron and Lucario were dropped unceremoniously face first on a grassy ground, and after recovering from the initial daze, they checked their surroundings. The place seemed familiar, but at the same time… there was something off with it.

"Where did we end up?" Aaron asked. Before answering, Lucario perked up his ears and he became alarmed.

"Sir Aaron… I sense footsteps… no, it's more than that, it's like an army marching towards us."

"An army?"

Glancing in the same direction as Lucario, Aaron squinted his eyes and tried to look for anything. From their current position there wasn't a very good view, so they quickly climbed the highest hill they had close by to see if they spotted something. They saw some vague masses moving in the distance, but they had no idea what it could be. Lucario's hearing was superior to his own, and the aura training had made it even sharper, allowing him to hear from much larger distances.

Without any other options, Aaron and Lucario shut their eyes and began radiating aura energy to sense their surroundings. Even when their other senses might've failed, the aura could act as a sixth one, allowing them to create images of their surroundings in their minds, and even travel long distances quickly without having to move from their place. Inside their heads they could only see shapes, not colors, unless they came from living beings like Pokémon or humans.

As they traveled across that mental space, they got closer to the source of the footsteps, becoming harder and stronger. By their estimation at that distance, they figured there were around four or five hundred of them, both humans and Pokémon. They could see their silhouettes in their minds, and they recognized several Pokémon amongst them. However, in the middle of everyone, there was one specific aura that stood out from the rest.

"What is this?" asked Aaron, focusing his sense on that particular individual.

Judging by his position, and if it was indeed an army, said individual was most likely their commander. Everyone radiated an aura he could sense and 'see' to detect and identify them, but only those coming from Pokémon, or Bloodliners like him would adopt a specific color, plus they were usually stronger than those of normal humans and thus stood out from the rest. Their colors gave away their elemental affinity: red for Fire, deep blue for Water, green for Grass, yellow for Electric, and so on. This one in particular was… light purple going to lavender.

"A bloodliner… Psychic-type, in command of an army?" said Aaron in a worried tone.

"Maybe we should investigate," said Lucario. "Although I have a bad feeling about this."

"So do I, but we don't even know where we are," Aaron added. "Perhaps whoever that bloodliner might be could tell us what this place is."

Giving his own estimation, they probably were at a distance of around three and a half miles. At marching speed, and if they moved in the opposite direction, they could probably meet in less than one hour. He had no idea whether they'd be friendly or hostile, but staying in that place wouldn't help at all. Exchanging glances, they both nodded and moved in the direction of the incoming army, hoping their encounter with that Psychic-type Bloodliner would bring answers instead of conflicts.

As they approached, Aaron and Lucario's worries continued to grow. Whoever the army's commander was could have answers, but their intentions could also be not exactly benevolent.

Getting closer allowed them to see the army's forces were bigger than they initially estimated. Neither of them needed to talk to understand that, in case they didn't come in peace, their first option was to break through and try to escape. Bloodliners like him could be more capable than normal humans, but he knew his limits. There was no way he could face all those soldiers on his own.

Nevertheless, despite being trained in combat, Sir Camus' first lessons were focused on diplomacy and negotiation, these being the first alternatives before launching an attack. Perhaps with luck, they'd be reasonable enough to not to kill him on sight. Aaron focused his power on detecting the commander, the Psychic-type Bloodliner. Once he was at a safe distance, he spotted the banner he was carrying.

"Lucario… that banner over there… no, it can't be."

"What is it, Sir Aaron?"

"That banner is from an army long gone," said Aaron. "According to the scrolls I've read, it was carried by General DeEsper, an ally of Lord Avianus during the last war in Rota. But that means…"

That army had all but vanished for several decades. In fact, part the reason for the victory of Rota over Lord Avianus was because the latter was counting on his ally's arrival with reinforcements to conquer the border, but he didn't make it in time for some reason. With Avianus's army repelled, several days after DeEsper's followed suit. And from what he knew, after DeEsper's death, his banner was also discarded altogether.

"Could it be that…?" Aaron couldn't hold it anymore, and ignoring his own safety for the sake of answering his question, he ran to meet the army head on.

"Sir Aaron!" Lucario shouted, following after him.

He had to see it with his own eyes. As he ran, he recalled the words he read while exploring those ruins. "The voice of the forest traveling through the ages…" and "Will show the way to the past...". Suddenly it all made sense. The platform he found was made to travel to the past. The question was, how far into the past had he traveled?

"Halt!" one of the soldiers shouted when he approached. "Who do you think you are, walking into our path?"

"Peace, I bring no ill will," Aaron replied, raising his hands in a pacifying gesture. "I wish to speak with your commander, that's all."

"Our commander?" another soldier asked. "And what your business with him might be?"

"I think we should ask instead, what does that garb mean? That's looks a lot like the traditional garb of the Rotan Knights. Give us only one reason not to cut you down here and now."

"Like I said, I do not wish to fight. Only to talk," Aaron insisted.

One of the implicit rules for the knight's code was "never attack someone unarmed". Since he carried no weapons on him, he could only hope that they would follow that same code. Some didn't seem enthusiastic about upholding that creed, but fortunately, the aforementioned commander stepped in.

"That's enough," he said as he approached alongside his Alakazam.

The man carried his banner with one hand, showing off a sharp sword in the other and an armor worthy of a general. He looked in his physical prime: tall and burly, around his mid-thirties, around ten to fifteen years older than Aaron. Aaron glanced at his deep purple eyes and his bearded face: the paintings and the scrolls did him no justice. Seeing him in the flesh made him the much more imposing.

"Before asking for someone's name, it is polite to introduce yourself first," the commander said. "I am General DeEsper, in command of this army. Now, would you have the courtesy to give me yours, young knight?"

"You might call me Aaron, General DeEsper," he replied with the most respectful tone he could muster, to avoid provocation. "Allow me to ask, you and your army, are you marching towards Rota? Do you plan to join with Lord Avianus's army?"

"And what if we do?" the General replied.

"On good faith, I should forewarn you, that invasion is doomed to failure," said Aaron. "Lord Avianus's army will not be able to overpower Rota's."

"You sound rather confident, boy. But perhaps you should know, Lord Avianus has a secret weapon."

"Are you talking about the Legendary Birds? I assure you, not even with them under control they would prevail."

General DeEsper tilted his head. His expression clearly told him Aaron shouldn't know this. It made sense: only a few were aware of Lord Avianus's plan to submit Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres under his command and use their power to subjugate the Rotan army. Aaron knew how it would end, since he had heard the tale from his own mentor's mouth, about how they turned the tide of the battle even with these powerful Pokémon against them.

"How do you know about the Legendary Birds, boy?" DeEsper inquired.

Aaron and Lucario exchanged glances. A silent conversation happened between them, and then they both looked back at the General. Aaron's answer was to bring his hands together and shut his eyes to focus. Opening his hands slowly, he formed between them a blue energy sphere, much to the shock and amazement of DeEsper and his men, who began muttering amongst themselves. As he opened his eyes again, DeEsper's expression, first of shock, made way to a strange interest in him.

"I see," he said. "You… are like me, aren't you? You are one of those few who possesses these gifts, isn't that right?"

"Indeed," Aaron said, dispelling the Aura Sphere. "I have studied extensively many others like us, and I have learned to recognize them. I have also learned what they're capable of, as well as their limitations."

"Is that so? In that case…" The General pointed his sword at him. "I propose you a deal, here and now, boy. An honor duel, one on one, you and I. If you can beat me, my army will retreat. If you can't, we will carry on, and should you survive, you'll be a war prisoner."

"This doesn't have to be this way," said Aaron, trying to keep calm. "I have not come here for conflict."

"No? Maybe you should have thought of that before coming to us as a Rotan Knight," the General insisted. "If you refuse, I can easily command my men to finish you off in the act, and even I know that one of us couldn't face these sheer numbers alone."

His options were running out. Diplomacy wouldn't work with the man, and his only chance of survival lied in accepting and winning an honor duel. He was trapped several decades in the past with no apparent way back home, but that wouldn't matter much if he ended up dead. First things first: he had to get out of that mess, and that meant defeating his opponent.

"Alright, I accept. But on one condition: no weapons, only our abilities," said Aaron.

"Fair enough." DeEsper threw his sword away, and gestured at his men to clear the area and give them space.

Both combatants found themselves face to face on the opposite ends of a large plain. Lucario stood behind Aaron, at a safe distance but always on alert in case some of DeEsper's men tried something funny. The Alakazam accompanying DeEsper did the same, watching his own master's back from the other side.

"As I was the one to put forward this challenge, I shall set the rules," said DeEsper. "This will be man-to-man, nobody else, human or Pokémon, must interfere. That goes to every single one of you, is that clear?"

"Aye, General," the troops replied in unison.

"As you requested, neither of us will use any weapon, but anything we can do with our powers is fair. Lastly, the duel continues until one of us yields or dies. Is that fair for you, boy?"

"Fair enough, General," Aaron replied. If it depended on him, he preferred to defeat him without using lethal force, but he doubted he could force a surrender out of him.

"Please, feel free to make the first move," DeEsper respectfully said.

Aaron wasn't sure he should take this offer. He didn't know that much about General DeEsper, and the writings he had read didn't say a thing about his personality. He had no idea to know how he would behave during a duel. Instead, he chose to put his senses on alert and wait for his opponent to do the first attack, to gauge his abilities.

"If you won't do it… then I will!"

DeEsper's glowed with a blue-purple light, as he outstretched his hand to send out a psychic current towards Aaron. By pure reflex, Aaron's first action was using Detect. Inside his head, he was able to see the psychic waves' trajectory as they flew towards him. Usually unseen by normal eyes except when they made contact with the target, Aaron could see them clearly: they had taken the shape of a large open hand intent on grabbing or pushing him. He also saw a ghostly image of himself jumping to one side to escape it, and that was exactly what he did. The psychic wave opened a large trench where he had been, but caused him no harm.

"Oh, so you could dodge my attack? This is going to be interesting."

Seeing the glow in the General's eyes again, Sir Aaron began creating an Aura Sphere in his hands. A small one, to throw quickly and find a better attacking angle. Before the orb hit him, DeEsper raised his hand, and a translucent barrier raised before him, causing the Aura Sphere to explode upon impact and avoiding damage. Sir Aaron recognized the move as Light Screen, a very powerful one if the glow was any indication.

Trying to circle around his foe, Aaron began forming one Aura Sphere after another, throwing them in quick succession as he tried to hit the General, but he always raised his Light Screen to repel it without effort. Once he got tired of the game, he adopted a horseman stance and lowered his head, which began to glow with psychic energy. Aaron knew what was coming, but was unable to react in time when General shot forward towards him, hitting him with a Zen Headbutt in the stomach, knocking the air out of him and sending him flying. It was like being rammed by a Tauros, fortunately without horns.

"Oof…" Aaron got back up still in a daze, just in time to see a psychic energy blade flying at him.

He managed to step away and the blade flew dangerously close, slashing a side of his outfit, fortunately missing his flesh, and upon glancing at his opponent, he saw he was holding some sword made of pure energy. With a couple of swings, he hurled two more blades as he advanced. Anticipating this, the Rotan Knight brought both fists together and quickly separating them materialized an energy bone, using it to intercept his foe's blade before it could cut him in half.

Both combatants tried to push their weapons against the other for a few seconds, but clearly General DeEsper overpowered Aaron thanks to his size and strength, forcing him to use his entire body's strength to push him back and deliver a couple of direct hits to his knees with his Bone Rush, so he could step away. Still with the bone-staff in hand, Aaron took a moment to catch his breath.

"You're far more skilled than I thought, boy," DeEsper said. "But you should have a bit more initiative. You cannot defeat me if you just defend yourself."

Aaron did not reply, but he knew the general was right. He couldn't win if he just defended himself. DeEsper began throwing more blades with his Psycho Cut, and Aaron spun his staff with one hand to repel them to the sides, while the other readied a very large-sized Aura Sphere for throwing. That time, trying to raise the Light Screen for protection was not enough, and the shock of taking some damage at this attack left him wide open for Aaron to close the distance between them and delivered a series of quick strikes with the ends of his Bone Rush, to the shoulders, knees and elbows, finishing with one to the hand holding the psychic blade to make it dissipate. Aaron opened his hand and placed his palm on the General's, blasting out a green energy burst and pushing him back quite the distance despite his size.

The General fell backwards and upon getting back on his feet, he saw the hand-shaped dent Aaron had left on his armor. He glanced at the boy, noticing he was breathing a bit heavily, and understood that Force Palm could have been lethal had his armor not taken the brunt of the hit. He was young, but he clearly knew how to make good use of his skills.

DeEsper stretched both hands to the sides, and focused to rip out of the ground two large chunks of soil, making them levitate around him and throwing them at his foe. Like before, Aaron used Detect to predict the attack's trajectory and foresee how to dodge it. He jumped to the right to avoid the first, and then rolled over the ground dodging the second, but when he was about to strike, a psychic force stopped him dry. He tried to move but failed, and before he realized he had been lifted off the ground, while the General raised a hand in his direction.

"You were a worthy opponent, boy. I almost pity this battle has to end, but I have a mission to fulfill."

Aaron was feeling the pressure all over his body. It took him all of his Aura training to resist the crushing force of the Psychic attack, but it wasn't easy. He didn't want to do that, but this was no time to keep his aces up his sleeve.

With supreme effort, Aaron fought the Psychic's grip to bring both hands together. For a moment, DeEsper believed he was trying to summon another Aura Sphere, for all the good it would do. However, while it was a sphere he materialized, it was completely different. It was of black-purple spectral energy, giving off similar sparks. The eyes of the general widened for split-second, all that Aaron needed.

"AAAARRGGH!" the knight shouted, firing off the Shadow Ball against his foe.

The shock of seeing that attack weakened the Psychic's hold long enough for Aaron to hurl the Shadow Ball. Upon impact, the general let out an agonizing cry of pain, his focus completely lost, and Aaron dropped on the ground. His body was still stinging with the remnants of the psychic power, but DeEsper was much worse for the wear. He got back up with greater difficulty, and immediately charged with another Zen Headbutt. Aaron this time managed to anticipate it and dodged, throwing him another Shadow Ball for good measure.

From behind, Lucario could only watch how the battle progressed. His master was doing well, but he still hadn't dared to give a decisive blow. At the same time, Lucario was struggling to keep himself out of the fight every time it seemed Sir Aaron was in trouble, but he managed to break free and continue without his help. At the distance, he could see that General DeEsper's Alakazam did the same, gripping tightly on his spoons and holding back the urge to interfere. When Lucario wasn't focusing on the fight, he was focusing on Alakazam, as he felt he could attempt something at any second.

Sure enough, it came to a point the urge was too strong. While Sir Aaron and General DeEsper were having another melee duel using Bone Rush and Psycho Cut, in the middle of the energy weapons' clash, Alakazam's eyes glowed and upon focusing, he vanished in a Teleport flash, then reappeared right behind Sir Aaron, focusing a Psybeam attack between both spoons. Lucario didn't even think: his protective instinct quickly kicked in to spur him to act.

"I won't let you!"

In a burst of Extreme Speed, Lucario moved to get between Alakazam and the fight, kicking up a dust trail behind him. Skidding to a stop, Lucario glared into Alakazam's eyes, and the next thing the Psychic-type knew was that something engulfed in flames came from below and decked him in the jaw, sending him to fall on his back.

"Lucario!" Sir Aaron shouted, stopping the fight.

"Alakazam, I explicitly told you not to interfere!" the General yelled.

Alakazam stood back up, looking at the one responsible for that surprise attack. He rubbed his jaw, and then met his master's angry glare. He then looked back at Lucario, who took a fighting stance himself.

"If you wish to fight someone, I'll gladly be your opponent," declared Lucario. "Bring it."

If he couldn't interfere in Sir Aaron's fight, he would at least make sure nobody else would, and if DeEsper's Alakazam was so eager to help his master, he'd first have to get through him.

Alakazam seemed to accept his challenge and took his stance as well, glaring back at him. Lucario quickly recognized it: that glare meant he was trying to read his mind to anticipate his attacks. Alakazam would be in for a big surprise.

Using Extreme Speed again, Lucario began zigzagging all over the field, kicking up bursts of dusts with each step. Alakazam tried to follow him with his eyes, barely able to keep up. He started charging a Psybeam, and at the same time, Lucario was preparing to counter with an Aura Sphere. Both attacks impacted each other and exploded, kicking up a large amount of smoke. Using the explosion as a distraction, Lucario dashed with Extreme Speed again while Alakazam tried to home onto him. The Fighting/Steel-type suddenly stood in front of Alakazam, and extended his paws to coat them in claw-shaped metallic energy.

Alakazam glared at Lucario and used his power to read his mind and predict his attack. In response, Lucario simply squinted his own eyes and in the last second before getting into striking distance, used Extreme Speed to get behind. Alakazam lost his focus and could barely turn around, before Lucario gave him two hard slashes with his Metal Claw, and then another Blaze Kick in his face for good measure.

'How did…? I should have anticipated those attacks, I read your mind!'

'There's a lot you don't know about me.'

Alakazam tried to read Lucario's mind again, but Sir Aaron's companion simply continued to move from side to side with Extreme Speed. While his sight could follow his movements, Alakazam wasn't fast enough to predict which way he would go next. The reason was quite simple: sensing Alakazam's attempt to intrude into his mind using his telepathy, Lucario used his inner aura energies to create a mental block and shield his thoughts from him. It was a countermeasure he and Sir Aaron had developed against Heart Bloodliners, as they were capable of using mind control at will over any Pokémon of their same type. It was hard, though not impossible, to fight it back, but they discovered that a combination of the aura and having a strong and disciplined mind helped in doing so, even fully overriding it. The unexpected bonus was that it also protected against unwanted mental intrusions, such as telepathy in that case.

Seeing his mind scans didn't work, Alakazam decided to try something different. Firmly holding his spoons when Lucario charged forward again with his Metal Claw, he focused his energies. Both spoons bent and there was a huge burst of psychic light.

"Aaargh!" Lucario shouted as the light flared into his eyes, blinding him.

Taking advantage of this, Alakazam, like his master before him, lowered his head and charged forward for a Zen Headbutt, right in the stomach, pushing him back before he could defend himself. While he tried to get back on his feet, Alakazam began charging another Psybeam. If he couldn't see his attack, he couldn't dodge it.

Nevertheless, just because he couldn't use his eyes for the time being, Lucario wasn't helpless. Another part of the aura training included using it whenever one of the other senses, especially the eyesight or the hearing, could fail. Just as they used it to find the army from a distance, Lucario could 'see' in his head exactly where Alakazam was, and also the Psychic-type energy resonances coming from the attack he was about to execute. Even if he couldn't see with the eyes, knowing where his foe was and what he was doing was enough to use Detect and get to safety.

Alakazam fired the Psybeam. In turn, Lucario crouched over his legs and jumped while he created an Aura Sphere in his paws and threw it, hitting him right on the head. Getting him into a daze, Lucario could charge using Extreme Speed and rammed him with his entire body, and a few seconds later, he began blinking to regain his sight slowly.

"That… that cannot be… how did you know where I was?!" Alakazam shouted.

"The Aura is with me, and that's all I will say," Lucario replied.

Lucario extended his Metal Claws again and charged to begin a close combat. Alakazam had to use his spoons to parry the strikes, surprisingly managing to maintain a hard defense. Lucario had the advantage of being able to move faster, and soon his assault became so ferocious, Alakazam had no choice but to Teleport away to dodge and reappear behind him at quite the distance. In a burst of desperation, he sent out a Psychic attack with both hands, creating an unstable but powerful wave that even created a sonic boom in the area and shook the ground around them.

That sudden attack caught Lucario off guard, and the Pokémon skidded face first on the floor afer being hit by his foe's Psychic. The bright side was that Alakazam wasted a lot of energy, taking a few seconds to regain his focus before trying another. Lucario, who by then had completely regained his sight, charged an Aura Sphere and threw it. Alakazam teleported away to dodge and tried to attack from behind, but this time, Lucario moved in anticipation so as to not to fall twice for the same trick.

Using his sensory abilities, Lucario once again scanned the surrounding area, focusing on Alakazam's energy. Teleport was a very useful move, giving the user the ability to disappear and reappear at will wherever they wanted, and the opponent couldn't predict where that would be. However, as the aura could detect the opponents' energies, that also held true for their attacks, and Teleport was no exception: namely, it created a little energy psychic energy distortion at the place the user would reappear, if only for a split second.

'Now…'

Sensing Alakazam coming from the left side, Lucario instinctively used Detect, right on time to dodge a Psybeam. Immediately he followed with Extreme Speed to circle around Alakazam and try to ram him from behind. It almost worked, but the psi Pokémon managed to predict his intent and teleported away in the last millisecond. Lucario skidded to a stop, focusing to try and predict where he would appear next. He jumped in anticipation, and descended with a Blaze Kick… to meet an unmovable wall.

"What?!"

Just as he reappeared, Alakazam raised a dome-shaped force field. Protect had stopped dead Lucario's Blaze Kick and while he was still shielded below the dome, Alakazam focused energy on his head. Just as Lucario landed on the ground, he saw the Protect crumble and Alakazam charged again with another Zen Headbutt, faster and stronger than before.

"Don't you dare underestimate me," the Psychic-type warned.

Meanwhile, the duel between Aaron and General DeEsper continued, both of them locked in close quarters combat with Bone Rush and Psycho Cut. At that point, the younger knight clearly had the control of the battle, since DeEsper couldn't find openings to strike, and despite his fighting style being mostly defensive, Aaron was able to find ample chances and take them to counterattack.

DeEsper saw through the corner of his eye the duel between his Alakazam and his opponent's Lucario. He had explicitly ordered that nobody would interfere in his duel, and he intended to keep it that way. Of course, he didn't say anything about interfering himself in the other.

'Alakazam, here's something to help you,' he thought as he focused.

As he opened his eyes, they emitted a blue energy that formed several wormholes, through which some psychic electrified energy entered. Sir Aaron didn't seem puzzled at this attack, but DeEsper was counting on that. By the time he realized his intent, it would be too late.

At any rate, the time he took to send his attack gave Aaron ample opportunity to charge another Shadow Ball and hurl it at him. Until then, he hadn't used Teleport, but having ran out of options, he finally resorted to it. He had never fought such a formidable adversary in single combat.

Just like Alakazam, DeEsper attempted to disorient Aaron by reappearing in a blind spot to attack him by surprise, but just like Lucario, Aaron managed to anticipate his movements at the last second and send out a counterattack. Likewise, trying to read his mind to predict his intentions only resulted in running into a shut door he couldn't get through. What kind of mental defenses had that boy developed?

"I'll put all of my energy in this one attack," the General said in a low voice. He began gathering just about the whole power he still had left for one last attack. It was all or nothing.

Aaron couldn't do anything but watch the shinning covering the General. All the energy surrounding him began to focus in his hands. Aaron did the same, coating his own hands with dark energy, and praying that it would be enough to counter whatever attack DeEsper planned.

A wide energy beam was shot forward from the General's hands. Like a Psybeam with the power of a Hyper Beam, if he had to give an accurate description. Aaron countered this beam with two Dark Pulses, firing from each hand a dark wave beam. The knight pushed both hands forward, trying to push back his foe's attack with his own. Seeing that separately they didn't work, he brought both hands together to merge both beams into a bigger and stronger one, but it still didn't push back the opposing beam, only slowing it down.

"More! More power!" DeEsper called out, giving out every last ounce of energy to maintain his own beam, seeing how it slowly consumed his foe's brave yet ultimately useless effort. Soon he would give out.

Aaron gave it all the power he had, but that Psychic beam was a lot stronger than any he had ever seen in his life, even for Psychic-type attacks. Seeing how his Dark Pulse was slowly losing strength and ground, the best he could do was sending a burst of energy strong enough to push it back a bit and then jump out of the way. Or else… he doubted he could make it out in one piece if he took an attack like that.

And so he did. He sent one last push with the Dark Pulse, and before his strength gave out, he rolled aside to get out of the attack's path. The Psychic Hyper Beam or whatever it was called went right past him, traveling quite the distance. Even from afar he could see the impact's explosion, generating a large light column that shot up into the sky.

Even after that attack, DeEsper still could muster enough energy to materialize one last Psycho Cut blade. Aaron responded in kind, and summoned his Bone Rush staff to face him. This time, however, the confrontation was short: DeEsper was left without strength and fell to his knees, unable to keep standing.

"Do you yield now, General?" said Aaron.

"I must acknowledge… you came closer than anyone to defeat me, boy…" he said.

Right then, the skies above them darkened and began crackling with lightning. Aaron was shocked to realize the storm clouds weren't concentrating above them. They were a bit further ahead… above Lucario and Alakazam, who were still fighting, but the former still having the upper hand.

"Wait a moment… that Future Sight attack…"

"Did I ever say it was aimed at you?" the general spoke in a weary voice. "Don't misjudge me, boy. I didn't want anyone to interfere in our duel. I never said that I couldn't interfere with theirs. I just wanted to help my partner, the same way you would have with yours, isn't that right?"

The storm clouds began forming portals. Sir Aaron didn't even think it, his mind was only set on one thing: the massive attack forming above Lucario to strike him down from the skies.

"LUCARIO, OUT OF THE WAY!" he yelled, as he ran.

Lucario was caught off guard by the sudden shout, and then his master tackling him when he was about to deliver the final blow to his opponent. He had no time to complain as he was knocked back to safety, since he saw how Aaron ended up in the radius of a huge psychic lightning falling where he had been just a second ago.

"SIR AARON!" he shouted, but he was unable to do anything. Afterwards, he jumped over Alakazam and with a Blaze Kick to the back of the neck finally knocked him out. "Sir Aaron… Sir Aaron, speak to me!"

Sir Aaron's cape had been torn to shreds, just like his hat, but it seemed to have taken the worst, Lucario hoped, as he rushed over to his master's side. He was still breathing, but the attack, aside from destroying his cape, left quite the scorched mark on his back. DeEsper, still on his knees, gave his men one last order.

"Apprehend him… I am the winner…" And then he collapsed.

"I won't let you!" shouted Lucario. The soldiers rushed to obey the order, taking advantage of Aaron being unconscious, but Lucario wasn't planning on letting them. Even if he had to fight them all, even if he died in his attempt, he wouldn't let them take Sir Aaron.

But right then, when they were about to jump on them, an intense green light appeared, stopping everyone dead in their tracks. The glow was so bright, everyone present had to cover their eyes, Lucario included. The last thing he saw was a small winged shape floating at him, another light burst, and then, suddenly he felt himself dragged by an invisible force, not unlike when they were exploring the ruins. After that, he knew no more…

…

Floating in an infinite void, Sir Aaron glanced around. Everything was dark. All he could see was himself, and strangely enough, his hands seemed transparent. He was aware of himself, but he couldn't feel anything at all, like cold, heat or pain. It was like… like he was a ghost.

"Lucario? Anyone?" he called out, but his voice got lost without echo. "What is going on? Where am I, and how did I get here?"

Did that Future Sight attack actually kill him? Was that the netherworld or some kind of limbo? Everything around him was nothing but darkness and emptiness. No one seemed to exist in that strange place.

However, the void didn't last long. The darkness around him began to dispel when a series of luminous orbs appeared out of nowhere and surrounded him. Strangely, they looked remarkably similar to his and Lucario's Aura Sphere attacks. The Rotan knight had no clue what they were or why they had appeared before him all of a sudden, but slowly and carefully, Aaron stretched out his hand to the closest one, until he finally made contact. And then it happened…

It only lasted a few seconds, but what he saw was enough to chill his blood. In quick succession, a series of flashing images showed him what seemed to be mankind's progress. Society marching on at giant steps, the founding of new nations, and how humans and Pokémon slowly began to live more in harmony with each other. But on the other side, there was something else. In his current time, bloodliners were strange occurrences. All those who had this kind of power were considered 'privileged', one in a million, as they said. But in that world he saw, they had multiplied by thousands, most of them being women. A conflict loomed over that world; among so many of them, there were those who denied their gifts and chose to stay hidden, those who chose to fight to protect their loved ones, and those who chose to use their powers for dominance and personal gain, as if said power gave them the right to rule the world. These opposite ideologies would clash against one another, and unleash a conflict like never seen before in the history of the world. A war in which mankind would be trapped in the middle of those who bore the power of Pokémon and the soul of humans, those who connected both worlds would determine their fate.

"But what…?"

Sir Aaron was unable to keep seeing that any longer, and just let go of the orb. What had he just witnessed? Was he seeing… the future? A distant future, from a world he would never live to see? Despite the horror these visions gave him, he fought back, and touched the remaining orbs one by one. There wasn't much difference; each and every one of them showed him similar visions, except with different people who bore different abilities. However, the general vision in all of them was identical: the world didn't seem to accept those who had these abilities. Mankind saw bloodliners with wariness, fear, and sometimes even hate just for existing. It was horrible, depressing…

But as he reached the final orb, the visions became more hopeful. They started with a young woman, who looked vaguely familiar. Brown hair, no older than eighteen if he had to guess, sitting next to a window and holding a sleeping baby boy in her arms. He had small tuft of black hair, and strange z-shaped facial marks on the cheeks. The baby suddenly woke up and began crying, but the woman softly cradled him in her arms and kissed him on the forehead to calm him down, whispering some words Aaron was unable to hear.

The image then changed, showing the woman and the boy a few years ahead. The boy was probably now six or seven, and had some bruising marks evidencing that he had gotten in a fight with someone. The woman kneeled, and opened her mouth to say something, but Aaron couldn't hear what she said. The boy frowned slightly, and then the woman just smiled and hugged him.

Then, a third shift showed the boy a few years older, now looking around ten. It was then that Aaron began noticing there was a certain passing resemblance between them. Was it just a coincidence? The young man was now dressed in a strange outfit, wearing an oddly large glove in his left hand and a peculiar hat on his head, which he turned around for some reason as his face adopted an expression of enthusiasm, and performing a strange pose, he threw with his non-gloved hand a small ball with full force. Was that some kind of sport from the future?

Next, the boy had fully reached his middle teen years. With a similar but different hat to the one he wore before, and wearing clothes predominantly blue, he was now walking across a forest path, accompanied by a Pikachu. Both of them radiated seriousness and determination in their demeanors. Shortly after, others joined them, six young women close to his age. On one side, he could see a red/orange-haired girl dressed in yellow, another with dark skin and a long mane of dark purple hair that looked a bit wild, and yet another shorter in stature with fairer skin, short light purple hair and eyes of the same color. On the other side, there was a honey-blond-haired, another brunette with blue eyes dressed in red, and lastly one with long, dark blue hair wearing a white hat on her head. Who were they, and why did they follow the boy?

And then, the boy himself, still in a similar age as the previous vision, maybe one year older at most, was standing in the middle of what seemed like a… coliseum, perhaps? A large crowd watched around as the boy stretched his hand forward and his Pikachu jumped off of his shoulder. On the other side, his opponent, who had a passing resemblance to him save for the auburn hair and his clothes, did the same. His own Pikachu jumped forward too, his small scruff of fur on the forehead telling him apart from the other.

Finally, there was a much more ominous vision. The boy, perhaps now closer to Aaron's current age, stood in a completely dark scenery, with his eyes closed. He seemed focused, and a few seconds later, he opened them, emitting a powerful blue light around himself, dispelling the shadows and revealing a sinister-looking hooded figure. The hood fell backwards revealing a large crown and red, evil eyes that faced against the blue glow the boy's eyes had created. Placing his hands together, the boy focused what Aaron recognized as an Aura Sphere attack, increasing it until it reached a considerable size, as big or even bigger than he and Lucario were able to make it, then pulled it back and hurled it forward, straight to the crown-wearing, red-eyed figure. The attack exploded in a brilliant light and Aaron was unable to see more, as the glow ended up blinding him.

However, now he knew something… that boy, he was like him, and somehow knew there was a connection between them. But who was he? Those parallels, that physical resemblance… could he be a carrier of his lineage? The fact they both shared the same abilities couldn't be a coincidence.

"… Aaron! Sir Aaron… wake up!"

And then a familiar and distant voice called out for him. It was a voice he recognized well. But he couldn't leave now, he needed to see more...

"Don't you dare leave me now! If you die now, I swear I will never forgive you!"

Lucario… Lucario was calling out for him. There was no choice. He couldn't see more for now. He had to answer his partner's call. He turned around and walked away from the visions, in the direction where Lucario's voice became stronger. He had to return... he had to…

…

He slowly came back to. His eyelids were still heavy, and as he slowly took notice of his surroundings, he felt a pair of paws over his chest, radiating a warm energy. He slowly regained his sight and managed to make out Lucario's face.

"Hmm… wha… where am I?"

"At long last!" Lucario shouted, his voice a mixture of relief and annoyance, as he removed his paws from Aaron's chest, and falling to his knees as he began to pant. "I… can't… hold… anymore…"

"Lucario!" Aaron shouted. "What happened? Where…?"

'Do not worry.' An unknown, feminine-sounding voice rang inside his head. 'I was able to rescue you guys and return you to your proper time.'

Aaron glanced around, realizing they had returned to the ruins where they previously had been, and when he looked up, he finally saw who had spoken. A small green Pokémon, with its head bigger than its body, large blue eyes framed by black, and a pair of wings protruding from its back.

"You are… a Celebi?"

'I am sorry you had to go through that,' Celebi said. 'You should not be exploring these ruins. The spots where I leave a remnant of my power for time-traveling can be dangerous.'

"Remnant of your power… wait a moment, what do you mean I shouldn't be exploring these ruins?"

'The answer you look for is not in this place. I am afraid another entity who tries to interfere with the natural flow of time sidetracked you from your path for its own amusement, and by the time I realized, you had already been flung into the past.'

"I don't understand," Aaron replied.

"I think that doesn't matter now," Lucario said after he regained his breath. "We are back to where we belong. It's all over."

"No… I wouldn't be so sure about that." Aaron got back up. "When I took that Future Sight attack… something strange happened. I had some visions."

"Visions?" Lucario asked.

"I'm not sure, but Future Sight, as the name implies, sometimes allows the user to see what will happen, even though the reach window is limited. But when that attack hit me…"

'You are not wrong,' said Celebi. 'The visions you just saw are from a very distant future, one where your lineage will play an important role.'

"My lineage… do you mean, that boy I saw, he's my descendant?" asked Aaron. At Celebi's nod, Lucario glanced at his master.

"Sir Aaron… will you care to explain me what did you see while you were unconscious?"

Taking a deep breath, Aaron began relaying what he saw, at least the parts he remembered the most, preferring to omit the most traumatizing details. He focused mostly on the visions showing the boy's growth, since those were the most intriguing. Especially because of his passing resemblance to him, and for showing the same abilities as him. As he finished, Lucario was thinking the same thing as him.

"I… cannot believe this… a descendant of yours?"

'It is true,' said Celebi. 'That youth has a great future ahead, and his actions are going to change the world, but he will have to go through many harsh trials, and he won't be able to do it alone. He will need someone to support and guide him.'

"I still don't understand," said Aaron, all the more confused.

'You will know in due time. For now, with you two back in your proper time and place, you must continue your roles in history, and so do I.'

Celebi began to float above them. She knew they had questions, but it was neither the time nor the place to give the answers. She did intend to tell them, when they were ready.

'The answers to this enigma will be clear in our next encounter. Once Sir Aaron's heir sets foot in Rota, it will mean the time has come. Until then, please continue your studies about bloodliners. He will need that knowledge as well.'

Saying this, she began to glow in a green light, and vanished. Sir Aaron and Lucario stared at the spot Celebi had been just seconds before, more confused than ever. But something was for sure: when a Legendary Pokémon voluntarily approached a mortal, it was no coincidence. Having a close encounter with one of them always implied great importance.

…

After leaving the ruins behind, Aaron and Lucario continued their journey. Despite the questions that lingered after their little adventure in the past and the encounter with Celebi, thinking about them would distract them from their duty, which, as they had been told, was to continue their studies about bloodliners. They still had much to research, many mysteries to solve about them…

"Pidgoooooooo!"

The loud squawk and the sound of wings flapping snapped Sir Aaron out of his thoughts. Upon glancing above, he saw an avian silhouette approaching. Once it was close enough, he recognized it as his Pidgeot, who then landed before them and respectfully bowed.

"Hey, glad to see you," said Aaron, getting close to pet his plumage. The bird enjoyed it for a while, before extending the bag he carried on his talon.

Imagining what it could be, the knight opened the bag to extract the content. It was a small scroll. Upon opening, Aaron immediately smiled as he recognized the handwriting. Lucario didn't know how to read human writing, but he knew that particular smile very well.

"A message from your lover, I assume?"

"Indeed, it's from her." Aaron proceeded to read.

A young woman from a small village called Kanto, outside of the south border of Rota. A humble young lady, but kind-hearted and, if he could say it, very beautiful. She had generously taken him to her home one night he had gotten sick while traveling through that village, and since he made occasional stops over there, he frequently visited her.

Sir Aaron's expression suddenly turned surprised, and without further words, he rolled the scroll back and pocketed it. Lucario didn't get what was going on, he just saw his master getting behind Pidgeot to hop onto his back.

"We have to go to Kanto Village, immediately."

"Why?" Lucario asked. "Bad news? Something happened to her?"

"Not at all," said Aaron in a calm, yet urging tone. "But Hanako needs me to be by her side in this moment. You will understand when you see it."

Lucario wasn't sure of what he meant, but he did know how important that woman was for Sir Aaron, so he said no more words and hopped onto Pidgeot's back. Aaron gave him a few pats on the neck and the bird took off, going south to Kanto Village.

All the way, Aaron kept his sight forward. Lucario occasionally looked into his eyes, but he never glanced at Lucario. The knight barely blinked. Lucario knew that stare: it always meant something important was happening, or about to happen very soon.

Several years after…

The Tree of Beginning. Rota's most sacred place, where only a few would be allowed in. Sir Aaron would have felt most honored to step on this holy land, if it wasn't for the actual reason to come here.

Just as Celebi had promised, in their next encounter she would tell them what they had to do, and how to help Sir Aaron's heir even if he was in a distant future, without having to time-travel. The answer was simple: Sir Aaron wouldn't be the one to do it, Lucario would be, but he'd take the 'slow path'.

As Celebi explained to them, time-traveling was extremely risky, and even those of her kind had their limits about that kind of power. For starters, the further one traveled to the past or the future, the more the risk of not being able to survive the trip, or getting stuck in the void of time and space for all eternity, a fate many would consider worse than death.

So the alternative was to seal Lucario in an artifact that could be guarded and kept safe for over a thousand generations, until the heir appeared and awakened him. The artifact in question was a staff with a crystal made of the same material as the time flowers on the tip, and this would serve as the container.

'Are you guys ready?' Celebi's voice asked. She wasn't alone: the Mew who resided in the tree was coming along too. The pink Pokémon playfully flew around the human and his partner for a while.

"We are, there's no turning back now," said Aaron. "Even so, I'd like that you explained to me again why you need me here in the first place."

'It is vital," Mew said. 'As you know, the roots of the Tree of Beginning spread all around the kingdom of Rota, and they bring life to everything in it.'

"Yes, I know." Aaron nodded.

'We need you to give the tree a portion of your spirit,' Celebi continued. 'After you imbue it with part of your energy, it will become part of the tree, and with the roots all over Rota, once your heir sets foot in the kingdom, the tree will sense it.'

"Is that how you will recognize him?" Aaron asked, intrigued. It actually made sense, even though he still found hard to believe that his lineage would live on through so many centuries in the future, let alone be so important to the world.

'Follow me,' Mew said, prompting him to go to the tree.

Sir Aaron complied and approached the main root, the very heart of the Tree of Beginning, so to speak. Mew and the tree were one and the same, and they were connected, so whatever one of them felt, the other would do too. With that in mind, Aaron stretched out his hands and closed his eyes to focus his energy. He would gladly give up that part of his spirit to the tree. It was a small price to pay so as to help his lineage when the time came.

Aaron's hands became illuminated in aura energy, and it fused with the tree's root, which glowed in the same fashion, absorbing it slowly. The effort left Aaron exhausted, but he didn't take long to recover. The process had been succesful.

'You made it,' Mew said. 'That portion of your spirit will reside here until the right time comes.'

Sir Aaron nodded. That was the easy part. Now, it came the hard one. He grabbed the staff and held if before his partner.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" he asked.

Lucario stared back at him, very serious. "I am sure."

"It hurts me to think we'll never see each other again," said Aaron. "We have gone through so many things together, and have learned a lot from each other. All this time and all those memories are very precious to me."

They both remained silent. The farewell would be much harder the more time passed, so it was better to make it direct and quick, before they changed their minds.

"Lucario, you were more than a disciple or a partner to me. You were my best friend, and I'll always treasure the time we spent together," said Aaron. "I have nothing left to teach you, so please, help my heir as much as you can."

"I will," Lucario promised in a solemn tone. "Thanks to you, I reached new heights, and I discovered things I never imagined I could do. I will ensure that everything I learned will be passed on to your heir."

"I know you will," said Aaron, then turning to glance at Mew and Celebi. "Alright, we are ready."

Both Legendaries began imbuing the staff's crystal with their respective powers. Celebi would create an enclosed space, a sort of pocket dimension where Lucario would remain sealed, while Mew would induce a deep sleep on him, so he wouldn't feel like more than a single night had passed once he woke up. He would remain there until Sir Aaron's true heir could free him. The staff would only react once the heir had awakened his abilities enough to break the seal. Once that happened, Lucario would wake up in a completely new world.

The process completed, all that was left was for Lucario to tap on the crystal. The two exchanged one last glance before the Pokémon reached with his paw. He was turned into a bright blue light and absorbed by the crystal. In matter of seconds he was no more. The crystal's glow turned dimmer until it finally died down. Sir Aaron remained silent, his glance fixated on it.

"Goodbye, old friend."

He then glanced at Mew and Celebi, who both offered him farewell gestures as well. His task in that place was complete, so it was time to leave.

As he carried the staff in his hands, the Rotan knight made his way back home. Now he had to give it to Lady Rin, and request for it to be well-guarded and protected until his heir arrived in Rota. When would that be? In a hundred, maybe in a thousand years? He didn't know, but in any case, he'd pray to Arceus that Lucario would be able to guide him in that crusade he would eventually have to face.

FIN.