In the footage—
The excitement of being so close to Pikachu made Ash's movements even faster! He began to scale the rock walls with such agility that only Lucario could keep pace.
However, as he climbed a steep slope, a crooked, crystalline ray of freezing energy hissed through the air!
Thanks to his lightning-fast instincts, Ash performed a crucial backstep, narrowly dodging the Ice Beam! Had he been a second slower, he'd be a human popsicle.
Ash and Lucario looked up to see a massive entity made of ice blocking their path: Regice, the Ice Titan!
With this, two of the three Titans had appeared to guard the Tree of Beginning. Ash tried to explain that he only wanted to find his partner, but Regice was a mindless guardian programmed for one task: protect the Tree. Anyone approaching was an enemy.
Regice fired another freezing blast, and Lucario, no longer holding back, launched an Aura Sphere that neutralized the attack.
Lucario then covered Ash's retreat, firing a second rapid-fire Aura Sphere to pin Regice down.
As they fled, they ran into Jessie and James, who were being pursued by the other two Titans: Regirock and Registeel! With Regice catching up, all three Titans were now on the scene.
Despite being enemies, Ash didn't hesitate to help. Under Lucario's leadership, the group fled deeper into the Tree.
Lucario, essentially single-handedly, held off all three Legendary Titans, his Aura Spheres firing like a machine gun to keep them at bay!
[Bruno: Holy—! Rapid-fire Aura Spheres?! The speed, power, and stamina... this Lucario has definitely transcended the Champion level!]
[Wallace: Bruno, you're slow. This Lucario was already certified by Brandon and Cynthia. You're just noticing now?]
[Lorelei: Have you guys noticed? Lucario's Steel/Fighting typing perfectly counters Rock, Steel, and Ice. He's the ultimate counter to Brandon!]
[Lance: If Ash had taken this Lucario to fight Brandon back then... Brandon would have been crushed.]
[Brandon: ...]You guys are great! Just using me as a combat measuring stick, huh?! But Brandon knew they were right. Against this specific Lucario, his Titans stood little chance. The power gap was simply too vast.
In the footage—
After briefly stalling the Titans, Lucario caught up with Ash's group. They crossed a narrow stone bridge, and once everyone was across, Lucario severed the bridge with an Aura Sphere. It would only buy them a moment, as the Titans could levitate, but every second counted.
Suddenly, a new threat appeared. A strange, orange Cradily emerged—but it wasn't a Pokémon. Its entire body was composed of a jelly-like orange liquid.
Jessie was snatched up and dissolved into the liquid! James released Cacnea to save her, but the Pin Missile passed right through the fluid. In seconds, Jessie was gone.
Before James could even process it, the orange liquid surged around him. With his last bit of strength, he pulled out a Poké Ball.
"Chimecho, get out of here! Cacnea, run! Don't worry about me!!" Those were James's final words before he was completely swallowed by the orange slime.
[Lance: ...You call these guys 'villains'?]
[Leon: In the face of death, his first thought was the safety of his Pokémon...]
[Bea: James's love for his Pokémon might actually surpass 99% of people in this world.]
[Professor Oak: That orange substance... It's the Tree's immune system. Like white blood cells attacking a virus. Kidd's probes triggered this reaction!]
[Cynthia: So Ash and the others are being treated as a 'virus' by the Tree?!]
In the footage—
Kidd's partner, Banks, confirmed the theory. The Tree was trying to "cleanse" the humans. However, they soon realized a crucial detail: the "antibodies" ignored Pokémon. Only humans were being targeted.
Reaching a fork in the road, Ash made a decision. "I'll lead the Titans away! You guys go ahead! If you find Pikachu, please take care of him! Kidd, I'm counting on you!" "Leave it to me!" Kidd replied, leading the others down one path.
But Lucario didn't move. He stood by Ash. "Lucario, you..." 'Until you find Pikachu, I will stay with you. I will protect you... in his place.' Ash smiled brightly.
"You really are a great Pokémon! I'm sure Aaron would never have abandoned someone as good as you for no reason! Let's find Pikachu, and then we'll find the truth together!"
Ash sent out Corphish and Grovyle to help distract the Titans. As they ran, Lucario whispered in his heart: I believe you...
[Lance: This friendship meter is at 100%! If Lucario doesn't join Ash after this, I'll wash my hair while doing a handstand!]
[Diantha: Saved and recorded. I'm waiting for the handstand!]
In the footage—
While Ash and Lucario successfully lost the Titans in the tunnels, tragedy struck the other group. May, Max, and Brock were all swallowed by the "white blood cells" one by one.
Before they disappeared, they released all their Pokémon to safety. Only Kidd, with her professional agility, managed to survive, but she was devastated.
She had promised Ash she would protect them, and now they were gone.
Scene cuts back to Ash. He reached a massive chasm bridged by glowing blue crystal pillars. Across the gap, at an exit high above, he saw a familiar yellow silhouette. "Pikachu!" "Pika-pi!!"
The joy in their eyes was overflowing. What followed was a classic "Super Pallet Town Human" feat. Despite the pillars being narrow and spaced meters apart, and the wind blowing at gale force, Ash leaped across them like a bird!
Just as they were about to reach each other, Pikachu lost his footing and was swept into the abyss by the wind! Without a second thought, Ash dived into the void! He caught Pikachu in mid-air, hugging him tight and turning his back toward the ground to take the impact.
Before they could hit, a hook-shot tethered to the cliffside swung in! Kidd Summers caught Ash in mid-air and swung them both into a cave opening. "Kidd! Thank you!" "Don't mention it."
Pikachu nuzzled Ash, reunited at last. Lucario, Grovyle, and Corphish arrived shortly after. "I found him, Lucario!" Ash beamed. "Pika-pi?" "This is Lucario. He's my new friend! I couldn't have gotten here without him!"
Suddenly, Mew floated over, holding Ash's hat in its paws. Meowth crawled up behind, panting heavily. "Pikachu... has been playing with Mew this whole time...
I'm exhausted!! Mew, you can teleport! Why didn't you just teleport us to Ash?!" Mew tilted its head innocently and hid behind Ash's hat. 'Mew~' "You forgot?! Forget it... Wait, where are Jessie and James?"
Ash's smile faded as he looked at Kidd. The realization of what had happened to his friends was about to hit.
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