The Kanto Frontier Brains crowded around the sickly, bearded man on the hospital bed. They each had worried faces on, masking their sadness and despair. Scott walked, having gotten off the phone.

"He's coming."

"Good..," the man on the bed whispered.

Ash hung up the phone. They had arrived in Coumarine City, where Ash was supposed to get his next gym badge, but now he wasn't. He wore a dark expression the worried his travel companions.

"What's wrong Ash?"

"Guys, we gotta go to Kanto."

Annabelle was asleep, Scott and Brandon were talking quietly between them, Tucker and Lucy had gone to the cafeteria to get food. Greta stood next to the bed as Noland was talking with doctor.

The doctor quietly exited as Noland addressed his colleagues and family.

"His condition isn't getting better, but it's not getting worse. The Tuberculosis was in too deep when he was brought in." Noland paused as they looked at Spencer, Palace Maven and the authority figure of the group that gave advice in times of trouble. He had been sick for a few weeks and when he wasn't getting better they brought him to Celadon Hospital, where he was diagnosed with Tuberculosis. "The doctor says he has about a week. At most ten days."

They all look devastated.

"No need to worry, friends." His voice cut the air like a knife. "Young Ash will be the perfect replacement. Scott, you have my Will?"

Scott nodded silently and pulled out a scroll. It had all of Spencer's last wishes.

"When will he be here?"

"Few days."

Spencer smiled as he drifted off into a deep slumber. The group didn't want to leave the room, but they had to. Tucker took off his mask as they exited the room and took a deep breath. It was good to get top notch air.

"What do we do now?" Annabelle asked the group. They were silent until Brandon spoke: "We wait."

Ash hurried off the plane and sprinted to Celadon Hospital. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie couldn't keep up. 'Please be alive,' Ash thought as he dashed through the streets. He rounded a corner and burst through the hospital doors. He ran to the desk and gasped out "Where's Spenser?".

Ash quietly entered the room with Scott. He walked up to the man that saved his life from a Beedrill Attack three years ago. A tear fell from his eyes seeing Spencer in this state. Spencer coughed heavily as he motioned Ash to come closer. He complied and gingerly walked towards the elder.

"Ash, take over the Battle Palace. It needs a strong trainer that really connects with nature. You're perfect for this."

"Spencer, I don't thi-"

"Don't let me down." The heart monitor flat-lined. The Palace Maven had passed. Ash fell to his knees and sobbed on Spencer's death bed. Scott placed a hand on his shoulder and told him there was nothing Ash could've done to save him.

The other Frontier Brains walked in, Ash's friends with them, all fearing the worst. Everyone bust into tears. Lucy cried quietly to herself and Brandon left the room, not being able to bear it. Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie had never seen Ash so broken.

They all left the room, the body being taken to the morgue. Scott broke the silence.

"So Ash, what do you say?"

Ash straightened his back. Serena looked at him in confusion.

"It'd be deplorable not to take it."

The Frontier Brains smiled at this.

"Ash, what are they talking about?" Serena asked worriedly.

"I'm taking over the Battle Palace. It was Spencer's last wish."

"He also left you these." Tucker handed Ash nine Pokéballs. "These were Spencer's official Pokémon. We thought that you'd want them..," Lucy trailed off.

Ash took the Pokéballs, grateful for the gift.

"Um, Ash?" Annabelle whispered.

He turned and looked her in the eyes. The low lighting in the hospital hid her blush. "He wanted you to have this."

Noland presented Spencer's Staff, wrapped in purple silk. "He said it will tell you all you need to know."

Ash firmly gripped the Staff. The blue veins on the Staff glowed bright, as did Ash's iris'.

"No way..."

"You're an Aura User. Just like Spencer," Brandon stated.

Ash nodded. "I am a descendant from Sir Aaron."

Brandon closed his eyes and sighed deeply. "What does that mean?" Annabelle asked.

"It means he will be greater than Spencer in Aura use, since he is so young."

The Frontier Brains gasped. Brandon turned towards Ash, he placed a hand on his shoulder. Their icy gazes met. "Young man, you will accomplish great things in life."

They all smiles at hearing Brandon say something nice.

Ash turned his gaze to the gray door of Spencer's former room. "When do I start?" Ash whispered.

They all looked at Scott, who sweat dropped at their reaction. "Well, the process is you train for six months, spending three months with a Frontier Brain of your choice and one that chooses you. Then you design your facility and symbol. But in your situation, you just need to train."

Ash cheered on the inside. "But," his cheers died down, "you need to capture more Pokémon, and train them. You need a minimum of 75 Pokémon as a Frontier Brain."

"But why does Spencer have only 9 Pokémon?"

"Those are his official ones. He used all the Pokémon in the forest surrounding the Battle Palace."

Ash nodded and looked at the bulb of the Staff. He saw an illusion of Spencer. 'I won't let you down.'