Although Ash had already decided that his Aura development would begin with martial arts and Aura Sphere, the actual implementation was still largely uncharted territory.
Especially Aura Sphere.
On paper, it was only a single move.
And while Ash didn't currently possess a Skill Disc for Aura Sphere, obtaining one wouldn't be difficult given his current wealth and connections.
The problem wasn't acquiring the move.
The problem was learning it.
Teaching a move to a Pokémon was simple.
Teaching it to himself as a human was an entirely different matter.
This wasn't the first time Ash had tried.
Whether it was virtual Skill Discs copied by the system or physical Skill Discs (TMs) purchased from the Pokemart, he had never successfully learned a Pokémon move himself.
Aura Sphere might be different.
It might not.
Either way, he could always acquire a Skill Disc later and experiment.
But not now.
Tomorrow marked the beginning of his Aura combat training.
There wasn't enough time.
Besides—
Before learning long-range energy attacks, he hadn't even mastered close combat yet.
Trying to learn Aura Sphere before mastering basic fighting skills felt a bit like trying to run before learning how to walk.
Too ambitious.
Too impatient.
"Which means..."
"For the foreseeable future, martial arts training should be my highest priority."
"I'll combine martial arts with Aura."
"First, learn to infuse my close-combat attacks with Aura power."
"Once I've accomplished that, then I can focus on Aura Sphere."
"After all, I still have four years before officially starting my journey at ten."
"There's no need to rush."
Sitting at his desk, Ash continuously wrote notes into his notebook.
One line after another.
The rough plan he'd created earlier gradually became more detailed and complete.
Soon, an entire Aura combat development roadmap had taken shape.
However, another question remained.
If he was going to learn martial arts—
Which martial art should he learn?
The Kanto and Johto regions shared many cultural similarities with Japan from his previous world.
As a result, Karate was by far the most common martial art.
Ash didn't dislike Karate.
Not at all.
But whether in his previous life or this one, he'd never actually studied it.
And at the moment, his schedule was already packed to the brim.
People often assumed that after delegating much of the Skill Disc store's workload to Melanie, Ash had become much more relaxed.
The reality was quite the opposite.
Every day was filled with responsibilities.
Every morning he trained his Pokémon.
Every afternoon he visited the Viridian Gym to learn from his cheap teacher, Giovanni.
After that, he still had to host livestream consultations for the online clinic.
And recently, because Ash's Feebas Beauty Guide had just been released, he was also helping promote sales through livestream marketing.
After dinner, he brought his Pokémon to the City Battle Arena.
Bulbasaur required special attention due to its unique circumstances, so Ash also had to take it separately to the Pokémon Battle Hall for practical combat training.
Then there was Aura meditation every night.
Healing wild Pokémon during spare moments.
Reading.
Studying.
Chatting with his three girlfriends.
Spending time with his mother.
The list went on and on.
In short—
Even after handing much of the Skill Disc business over to Melanie, Ash remained incredibly busy.
That meant his Aura combat training could realistically only be integrated into the morning training sessions alongside his Pokémon.
And since training would begin tomorrow, finding a Karate dojo and formally apprenticing under a master simply wasn't realistic.
"Karate can wait."
Ash considered his options.
Maybe he should rely on the martial arts he'd learned in his previous life instead.
He hadn't studied many.
Just three:
Judo.
Kendo.
And Jujutsu.
The judo and kendo had been basic courses he'd taken in school.
Nothing special.
Jujutsu, however, was different.
That was something he had trained in seriously for years.
Back then, he had enrolled in a long-established martial arts academy in his hometown.
And he had spent real money studying under a genuine master.
Because of his status as an orphan, Ash had suffered severe bullying during school.
It wasn't until he spent nearly a year training Jujutsu and working out at a gym that things changed.
Only after developing a powerful physique and gaining real fighting skills did the bullying finally stop.
As a result—
His understanding of Jujutsu ran far deeper than any other martial art.
A smile appeared on his face.
Unlike martial arts focused on health and philosophy, Jujutsu was created for combat.
For real fighting.
For defeating opponents.
Its techniques were explosive.
Aggressive.
Direct.
Exactly what Ash needed right now.
A martial art designed to rapidly increase personal combat power.
"Besides..."
"This world doesn't have Jujutsu."
"If I train in it, future opponents won't have any experience dealing with it."
The more Ash thought about it, the more appealing the idea became.
Once he made up his mind, he immediately began drafting a dedicated Jujutsu training plan.
At first glance, Jujutsu seemed to be little more than a collection of throws and joint locks.
In reality, however, it was part of a much broader martial tradition.
The school encompassed numerous disciplines.
Not only Jujutsu.
It also included:
Aikijutsu.
Atemi-waza.
Kansetsu-waza.
Nage-waza.
And many other techniques.
Nor did the curriculum end with unarmed combat.
It also taught a variety of traditional weapon arts.
Kenjutsu.
Iaijutsu.
Bōjutsu.
Jōjutsu.
Naginatajutsu.
Sōjutsu.
And more.
In his previous life, the two disciplines Ash had studied most seriously under his master were Jujutsu and Laijutsu.
His martial arts talent had been quite good back then.
The old master had genuinely liked him.
Even when Ash couldn't afford additional tuition fees, the master had still been willing to teach him wholeheartedly.
However, Ash's original goal had never been becoming a martial artist.
He simply wanted enough strength to protect himself.
Because of that, even though the master had been willing to teach more, Ash had deliberately limited himself.
His time and energy were finite.
In the end, he focused exclusively on Jujutsu and the Laijutsu—the two core disciplines he liked most.
Thinking back on it now, he couldn't help feeling a little regret.
"If I'd learned a few more styles back then, that would've been nice."
Still—
The regret only lasted a moment.
Because this wasn't his previous world.
This was the Pokémon world.
A world where Pokémon dominated combat.
Even mastering only Jujutsu and the Laijutsu was already more than sufficient.
"Honestly..."
"Jujutsu alone is probably enough."
At present, Ash's control over Aura wasn't yet refined enough.
The most he could do was shape Aura into surgical scalpels and stitching needles for healing purposes.
Creating an entire Laijutsu out of Aura?
That was still beyond him.
At least for now.
Which meant weapon training would have to wait.
His starting point would be Jujutsu.
Fortunately, Ash wasn't the type to chase unrealistic goals.
He wasn't disappointed at all.
Instead, he leaned back in his chair and grinned.
"Besides..."
"Jujutsu is already cool as hell."
The thought alone filled him with anticipation for tomorrow's training.