Pokemon X & Y Reimagined

Chapter 22: Let's Go! Awaken Aura Bond!

Ash and Serena returned to the campsite. Once there, they told Clemont and Bonnie about the mysterious deer pokemon over dinner. Bonnie's eyes lit up and she barraged them with countless questions about it.

"I wish we could have seen it." Clemont sighed.

"Maybe you can, it could still be around the lake somewhere." Ash said.

"Ash, maybe we should ask your dad about it." Serena said.

She soon regretted saying this after seeing Ash's smile vanish. He went quiet and glanced across the lake at a separate campsite where Felix and his Lucario rested. Pikachu and his other pokemon tried to nudge him, but Ash did not budge. An uncomfortable silence overtook the camp. Despite weeks going by, none of them dared to ask Ash why he seemed so distant from his father.

However, Serena realized this was a festering wound and for Ash's sake, she had to do something. Mustering her courage, the young woman put a hand on his shoulder, and asked. "Ash, what happened between you and your father?"

"What happened?" Ash sighed. "Nothing happened, nothing at all. That's the problem. When I was a kid, my father left one day to become a pokemon trainer. At first I was excited. I imagined him becoming a champion and famous trainer. I wanted to be just like him. But it didn't take long for me to understand what it meant."

Ash stared back across the lake again.

"My dad only visited home a few times a year. Then once or twice. By the time I left for my journey, I was lucky if he came to see me at all. The last time I saw him was over three years ago just before I left for Sinnoh."

"Huh? But why?" Bonnie asked.

"He always said he had important things to do. I guess he was an aura guardian this whole time."

"Ash." Serena muttered. "If he's here now. Maybe you should take advantage of it."

"Serena, it's not that easy. You guys had dads who were around you whenever they could be. Mine-"

"But he was there. He saved you in Lumiose, twice." Clemont countered.

"Maybe, but it doesn't change the fact that he's a stranger to me."

"And it'll stay that way unless you do something about it." Serena said in a stern tone.

Her words stuck with Ash all night. He struggled to fall asleep and was not alone. Lucario sat outside his tent, staring off into the distance. Ash wanted to go and comfort him, but could not move without waking Pikachu. Instead, he reached out to Lucario via their aura bond. Lucario did not respond at first, but Ash persisted.

With a groan, Lucario crawled inside the tent and lay down beside him. Trainer and Pokemon exchanged unsure glances at each other. "Lucario, if you really want to see our connection in past lives. Let's try it together this time."

A hint of a smile broke across Lucario's mouth. Closing their eyes, Ash and Lucario joined their aura. The world around them transformed into an ethereal plane of blue light and a series of white doorways. Something like his premonition called out to Ash and Lucario from one of the doorways. Taking Lucario by the paw, Ash led him inside.

The duo found themselves transported to somewhere familiar to Ash. He blinked upon realizing they stood in the tree of life from years earlier. The hidden world remained as beautiful as Ash remembered, but something about it felt different, as if they were not truly there.

Lucario growled and Ash saw them. Several medieval soldiers in red armor alongside pokemon in the same attire tried to charge inside the tree when two aura spheres forced them back. Ash and Lucario watched two indiscernible figures battle the invaders together, driving them off. Despite all their efforts trying to discover who they were, the two remained concealed.