The Tree of Beginning was, in itself, a singular lifeform.

The spectral fossil Pokémon acted like white blood cells—swarming to devour perceived invaders.

This wasn't something Mew could control.

"Jessie and James… they couldn't have—" Meowth's voice cracked.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the path ahead.

Steven came sprinting into view, trailed by an entire army of fossil specters.

His suit jacket was slung over one shoulder, white dress shirt fluttering as he ran—yet his face was alight with exhilaration.

"Ah, Natsume-sensei! You're alive!" Steven waved cheerfully.

"Why are you leading a whole mob here?!" Natsume shrieked.

"Got a bit carried away seeing all these fossils," Steven chuckled.

The phantom horde surged toward them.

"Mew, can ya stop these white blood cells, meow?!" Meowth begged.

Mew hesitated, then nodded firmly.

"Wait—!" Natsume's face paled.

But Mew had already closed its eyes. A gentle radiance unfurled like dawn.

In an instant, the Tree of Beginning shuddered—rejuvenated.

The specters halted mid-charge, dissolving into motes of light.

Jessie and James tumbled free from the fading swarm, reuniting with a sobbing Meowth.

"We're saved!" The trio clung together, bawling.

Lucario stared at the luminous glow. "This power… the same that ended the war?"

Steven grinned at Natsume. "See? All handled."

Natsume's jaw tightened. "No. It's gotten worse."

The ground quaked violently.

Trees withered. Crystals dimmed.

"Mew…" Mew's cheeks burned feverishly as it collapsed into Natsume's arms.

"What's happening?!" Ash spun in alarm.

"To put it simply," Natsume cradled Mew, "the immune response failed. The 'infection' wasn't purged—so Mew and the Tree are both crashing."

A thunderous CRACK split the air.

The waterfall outside ran dry. A colossal crystalline branch snapped, shattering mid-fall.

Lucario's pupils shrank—memories of that day flooding back.

Yet without hesitation, it shut its eyes, sensing the Tree's core. "Follow me!" it barked, already sprinting ahead.

Natsume adjusted his grip on the feverish Mew, then glanced toward the corridor's end.

A roar of divine wrath shook the roots.

Three titans emerged—Registeel, Regice, Regirock—their very presence smothering the air.

This wasn't a fight words could solve.

Steven exhaled, shoulders squaring.

"Natsume-sensei… this is what I feared."

Natsume groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have jinxed it earlier—"

The Three Guardians.

The very beings that had brought Steven to his knees in another timeline.

Steven's gaze darkened—flashes of Hoenn's cataclysm flickering behind his eyes.

Then, slowly, he breathed out.

"Take Mew to the core, Natsume-sensei. It's our only chance."

"But you—"

Steven raised a hand, silencing him.

"I'll hold them here."

No room for argument. Only steel-clad certainty.

The light-haired man loosened his tie. Dress shoes clicked against crystal.

He stepped between the Three Regis and Natsume.

A kiss to his lapel pin. A kaleidoscopic burst of light.

"METAGROSS!!"

The white Metagross roared, arms splitting into four fists, battle aura igniting like a supernova.

Steven's hair whipped in the wind as he stood tall behind his Mega-Evolved partner, eyes locked on the deities.

"Let me show you..."

A smirk. A champion's poise.

"...who truly stands above all!"

...

At the core of the Tree of Beginning...

The cavern shimmered with crimson crystalline glass.

With Mew weakened, the entire tree trembled on the brink of collapse.

Lucario stood silent—until its gaze locked onto a pair of gloves resting atop the glass.

"These are..." Lucario rushed forward, kneeling. "Sir Aaron's gloves..."

"Natsume-sensei." Ash's voice wavered as he spotted a crystallized flower on the ground. "This is—"

"A Time Flower," Natsume confirmed. "It replays the past."

Ash crouched, reaching toward the bloom—and suddenly, visions flooded his mind:

War loomed. Sir Aaron sought out Mew, offering his life to quell the conflict through the Tree's power.

He had sealed Lucario in his staff... to ensure its survival.

Even if it meant bearing Lucario's hatred, Sir Aaron deemed it the only way.

Natsume's eyes flickered.

A tug at his pant leg. He glanced down to find Squirtle gripping the fabric.

With a soft smile, Natsume took Squirtle's hand.

Lucario stood frozen.

The final image: Sir Aaron's peaceful smile.

Wordlessly, Lucario pressed a paw against the crystal where its master last rested. Then it rose. "I know how to save the Tree."

"You mean..." Ash's throat tightened.

"Mew..." Levitating weakly, Mew drifted toward Lucario.

"Mew?" It tilted its head at Natsume, who followed close behind.

"If you form a bond with a Pokémon..." Natsume sighed, smiling. "You're responsible for it. I'll stand with you."

"Mew~!" It giggled—then coughed, floating feebly before Lucario.

"Aura... guide me!!"

Lucario thrust out its paws. Surging aura poured into Mew, the blinding light threatening to tear Lucario apart.

Natsume's breath hitched.

He knew what came next: Lucario's sacrifice to save the Tree...

But as for himself—

He stared at his gloved hand, fingers curling slowly.

Hadn't he already decided?

"My aura matches Sir Aaron's, right?" Ash jammed on the gloves, shouting. "Then I can do what he did!"

"What?!" Lucario whirled—just as Ash's hands erupted with radiant aura.

"Aura, guide me!" Ash roared.

Agony ripped through Ash and Lucario alike.

The aura storm swelled outward.

Beyond the core, Steven—still holding off the Three legendary titans—coughed into his fist, wiping blood from his lips.

"Told you," he grinned, eyes blazing.

"This'd be one hell of a trip."

Ash's consciousness frayed in the white inferno.

Then—a hand settled on his head.

"Ash."

He looked up through the pain.

A young man stood above him, dark hair swaying, gaze profound.

His fingerless glove rested gently on Ash's hair as he smiled.

"Congratulations."

Natsume's lips quirked.

"You passed Professor Oak's evaluation."

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