Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

"No...no way?" Serena covered her mouth in disbelief.

She recognized it too; it was Regice's arm…

Only a single, solitary piece remained, abandoned among a pile of scattered crystals, its broken edges jagged, as if it had been forcibly snapped or broken off…

"Keep going," Xiao Zhi said in a hoarse voice.

He retracted the severed arm and took another step forward.

The pace of their advance slowed down as Ash carefully observed his surroundings... and gradually found more wreckage!

Severed steel claws, shattered rock limbs, and tattered ice crystal bodies... Ash collected these fragments along the way, but he was unable to piece together any of the Regiments back together!

When he finally found Regirock's head lying by the roadside, Ash finally snapped and could no longer contain his anger!

"You bastard!!" he shouted, clenching his fists in a fit of rage.

"Whatever your schemes, come at me! Why drag these innocent people into this?!"

Looking at the severed limbs and fragments before him, he truly did not want to see such a scene.

Yes, the enemy can stop at nothing.

Ash can understand why his enemies would set up all sorts of treacherous schemes to harm him and rack their brains to exhaust his strength... After all, they are mortal enemies, and Ash would sometimes do the same.

But no matter what, you can't be completely devoid of humanity!

What does this have to do with the people of Ordron City? What does it have to do with the fossil Pokémon from the Tree of Beginning and the three legendary Regiments? Why drag them into this, and even harm them like this?!

What Ash finds even more unacceptable is that the one suspected of causing this tragedy is the alpaca type... the representative of the creator god!!

“Ash…” Serena stepped forward and silently took Ash’s hand.

She didn't know how to persuade her lover, and she was also filled with fear.

Even legendary Pokémon are not immune to such ferocious enemies…

(They...are still alive!)

"Huh?" "Who?!"

Ash and Lucario looked up at the same time, and they heard that mysterious voice again, and this time it was very clear!

"Who exactly are you?!" Ash asked in a deep voice.

But after carefully examining it, Lucario suddenly widened its eyes!

That voice really sounds like...

(Please believe... brave warrior, please... come to... the core immediately...) The voice seemed to be greatly restricted, and the words were intermittent, but the message was still accurately conveyed.

The three legendary pillars are still alive, and they want Ash to hurry to the core of the Tree of Origin!

"The waveguide I sensed earlier seems to be located at the core of this tree. It must be transmitting a message to you," Ho-Oh said after thinking for a moment.

"Okay, let's go to the core area first." Xiao Zhi had basically dispelled his doubts.

He also sensed that the waveguide emanating from the core of the World Tree was indeed very similar to his own.

If they are also waveguide users, they probably aren't enemies...

It had previously sent a message remotely, warning me to be careful.

The first warning likely refers to the invasion and occupation of the city of Orudron.

And the second one…

Xiao Zhi quickly reviewed all the situations, but his eyes gradually dimmed.

"Ho-Oh, how much do you know about the Tree of Origin?" Ash suddenly asked.

"It has existed for hundreds of millions of years. You can think of it as the original cradle of Pokémon life," Ho-Oh explained. "The earliest fossil Pokémon mostly migrated from here to find suitable habitats to breed in the outside world. In addition, its existence is closely related to Mew... If something happens to it, Mew will also be affected."

"Then I want to know, if this tree has a problem, can I heal it with waveguide without the power of dreams?"

“Well… converting waveguides into life force should be possible, but it would involve huge risks.” Ho-Oh thought for a moment and asked curiously, “Why are you suddenly asking this? This tree seems to be fine.”

"Yeah...why is it fine?" Ash asked quietly, his tone tinged with sadness.

The one he encountered in the city of Ordron was undoubtedly Dream; the other party was indeed physically weak and severely depleted of power…

But even the dream world turned out like that, so why is this tree still perfectly fine?!

"Solgaleo, Jirachi, could you please come over here?"

Ash is indeed feeling down right now, but that won't stop him from getting things done. Just in case, he uses the Ring to summon his Alola and Wishing Star from Alola.

"Go back with Latias, she'll tell you the details," Ash solemnly instructed. "If anything happens at the castle, prioritize saving people... especially Mewtwo, absolutely do not let it act impulsively!"

"Don't worry, I guarantee I'll complete the mission~" Little Star gave a cute salute, and then left with Sun Goddess and Water City Sister.

"Ash, what are you worried about?" Serena clearly sensed something was wrong.

“My friend may already be on the opposite side of us…” Ash shook his head, seemingly unwilling to talk about it anymore. “Anyway, it’s never wrong to be more cautious… Let’s keep going, we’re almost at the core.”

(Could it really be you, the core?) The group continued forward, but Lucario was lost in thought.

It began to anticipate, yet couldn't help feeling afraid, unsure of what the truth awaited it...

Finally, Ash and his friends arrived at the final area of ​​the Tree of Beginning, the heart of the tree!

“That is…” Lucario was immediately shocked. It spotted a pair of gloves draped over the crystal cluster!

"It really is... Lord Aaron!" Having confirmed that these were Aaron's gloves, Lucario subconsciously activated his Aura, and Aaron's shadow gradually appeared within the crystal cluster.

He looked the same as before, only his eyes were tightly closed, and his figure appeared very ethereal, like a shadow…

"Lord Aaron, you..." Lucario's aura accidentally touched a Time Flower next to the crystal, and the images from that year reappeared.

Aaron came alone to the core of the Tree of Beginning, entrusting his Aura and even his life to Mew, thus ending the war and bringing about final peace!

"Lord Aaron!!" Lucario howled in anguish, clutching the crystal tightly and weeping bitterly...

"Lucario...don't cry..."

"Lord Aaron?!" Upon hearing the familiar voice, Lucario looked up abruptly.

In those still tear-stained eyes, it clearly saw the figure inside the crystal open its eyes!

That gaze, seemingly transcending time, remained as gentle as ever, bringing Lucario a natural sense of security every time they met...

"I'm sorry, Lucario, for sealing you away for so long... I'm so glad to see you again..."

Chapter 982 The Hero of Aura, the Aura User from a Thousand Years Ago

At this moment, the plot takes a major turn. The voice that kept reminding Ash and the aura that Ho-Oh sensed actually came from Aaron!

This Aura Warrior from a thousand years ago did not lose his life, but was sealed in the heart of the Tree of Origin!

"Lord Aaron, why did you become like this?" Lucario asked, his voice trembling with emotion, still unable to calm down.

"It's a long story..." Aaron's phantom shook his head slightly, then turned to Ash, "Later... Hero, could you share some... Aura with me?"

"Okay." Ash nodded silently and sent a portion of the waveguide into the crystal.

With the energy supply, Aaron's body became more solid, and his speech was no longer intermittent.

"Thank you very much," Aaron said gratefully. "You can take a look at that first."

He pointed to another Flower of Time, and after activating it, everyone saw the scene before Aaron's death.

"Lucario, I'm sorry..." As the Flower of Time rewound, Aaron stumbled toward the core crystal until he collapsed to the ground, powerless.

His body gradually became ethereal, with electric currents flashing through him from time to time, each time causing him immense pain.

Everyone listened quietly to Aaron's last words.

"Sealing you away was a last resort; otherwise, you would have followed me everywhere... and suffered the same fate as me..."

"I'd trade my life for... to end a pointless war. I alone would be enough... But I have no regrets... The wonderful time I spent with Princess Lynn and you in that castle, that's the proof of being alive."

"Thank you, Lucario... Every day I spent with you was wonderful. If possible, I'd love to see you again... Lucario, my friend..."

...

"Lord Aaron... I'm sorry! I actually doubted you..." As Aaron gradually disappeared from the Flower of Time, Lucario burst into tears again.

Serena's eyes also reddened, and she leaned gently against Ash's chest.

Behind them, Ho-Oh, Yveltal, and Diancie bowed their heads in greeting.

Aaron was a true hero. He sacrificed his life to stop the war, saving the city of Ordron from being engulfed in conflict and saving countless lives!

Even Ash couldn't help but ask himself these questions.

He vowed to protect the ordinary, but if one day he had to give his life, could he be as resolute as Aaron...?

"Mr. Aaron, what happened next?" After calming down, Xiao Zhi asked, puzzled, "You should have sacrificed your life, but why is your soul still inside the core crystal?"

“It’s not wrong to call it a soul, but to be precise, I was actually preserved in my mind,” Aaron corrected calmly.

"Mind?" Ash asked, puzzled.

"This is the state after using the fourth-order Aura power. I ended up like this by a twist of fate," Aaron explained. "Back then, in order to quell the war, I did give everything to Mew, in exchange for the ultimate power of an Aura user. But after that, my remaining Aura, along with my will, was absorbed into this crystal."

This aura user from a thousand years ago kindly guided Ash in his aura training, helping him understand the true meaning of fourth-order aura power.