Light and shadow flowed slowly through the forest, matching the pace of the group.
Having resolved the Mankey crisis, the team had become quite lively.
One, two, three, four, five—it was now a big team of five people.
Coupled with the accompanying Pokémon, the head count of the party instantly shot up.
The group continued along Route 16, heading towards Gringey City.
However, since Sorrel and Verity did not have bicycles, they could only chat while walking.
"Speaking of which, Verity, Sorrel, how did you guys end up provoking such a large group of Mankey?" Misty asked curiously, voicing the doubt in her heart.
Hearing this, Sorrel composed himself: "I heard that someone recently sighted traces of Entei in the area nearby, so I came specifically to look for it, hoping to try my luck."
His gaze held a yearning and awe for Legendary Pokémon.
...In reality, the vast majority of people in this world were like this.
If one could see a Legend, it could simply be said to be the fortune of three lifetimes.
"Me too! Me too!" Verity immediately raised her hand, chiming in lively.
"I heard a Trainer saw a majestic figure like a volcano in this forest, so I dragged Prinplup over here!"
"As a result, we didn't find the Legendary Pokémon, but instead got surrounded by a group of angry Mankey. Talk about bad luck!"
As she spoke, she patted her forehead with some annoyance.
The Three Legendary Beasts of the Kanto region were quite famous, especially for their gentle nature.
However, the reputation of Mankey and Primeape was quite poor.
The danger level of a creature was not necessarily positively correlated with its strength.
"Entei..." Brock crossed his arms, his tone filled with emotion. "I didn't expect to hear news about one of the Three Legendary Beasts here."
"They are the emissaries under Ho-Oh's command. Their movements are elusive; meeting them is in itself a kind of destiny and luck."
If possible, Brock also wanted to meet one very much.
Little stars immediately popped up in Misty's eyes. She clasped her hands together, filled with longing:
"Suicune! If only I could see Suicune!"
"It is so elegant, so beautiful, like the incarnation of the North Wind, shuttling between clear springs... That is the Legendary Pokémon I want to see the most!"
Just as Misty was immersed in her fantasy of Suicune, everyone coincidentally cast their gazes toward the rear of the team.
There.
Ash and Lucario were walking side by side.
Distinct from the lively conversational atmosphere ahead, a peculiar silence permeated the space between them.
Both had their eyes closed, yet their steps were not disordered in the slightest; they continued to follow steadily behind the team.
The instruction on the Power of Aura had already begun.
This power was mysterious within mysteries, extremely abstract, and the difficulty of teaching it was very high.
Although Sorrel's Lucario was naturally gifted, it was still young after all, and its teaching level was far inferior to Alakazam.
—Alakazam: Let me tell you, this guy is a block of wood! Rotten wood cannot be carved!
What Lucario could do was merely release its own Power of Aura, like casting a pebble into a calm lake, letting the rippling waves touch Ash's senses, allowing him to feel it.
Lucario attempted to describe that sensation to Ash using Telepathy—
*[Rock, flowing water, trees, air, even emotions... all existence possesses its unique Aura. It is not sound, nor is it light or shadow, but a resonance of life, a fluctuation flowing within all things in the world.]
Ash kept his eyes tightly shut, his brows slightly furrowed, doing his utmost to feel it.
He had known long ago that the Power of Aura was by no means easy to learn. The reason this power, which theoretically all living beings could master, was not widely spread was precisely because of its ridiculously high threshold.
Aura is a very abstract thing; it can't even be studied scientifically like Psychic power.
So, this thing relies entirely on luck and "enlightenment."
If you have good luck and achieve enlightenment, then you've got it.
If you have bad luck and get the direction wrong... then there is no "then."
Lucario also mentioned that Aura is often described as the "Power of the Heart." This is somewhat similar to the mental power relied upon by Psychics, yet essential different.
In a certain sense, both Alpha Waves and Aura can be understood as extensions of mental power.
But their nature has undergone a qualitative change.
The most intuitive evidence is that the [Aura Sphere] condensed from Aura is a Fighting-type move, not a Psychic-type one.
Time passed in silent walking.
At first, Ash's perception contained only chaotic darkness and the solid sensation of the earth beneath his feet.
But gradually, within that chaos, he began to capture some extremely faint, indescribable signals.
He felt it.
Not with his ears, not with his eyes, nor with Psychic mental perception, but with some deeper internal sense.
He felt a lively fluctuation emanating from Misty ahead, like a clear stream.
He felt Brock's fluctuation, steady as a rock, reliable and heavy.
He felt Verity's fluctuation, enthusiastic and extroverted like a leaping flame.
He could even vaguely perceive Sorrel's introverted and resilient fluctuation.
Among them, the clearest was Lucario's Aura, burning calmly like a blue flame.
He also felt—Pikachu's familiar, warm, and energetic pulse; Misdreavus's subtle ripples carrying a bit of playfulness and curiosity; and Charmeleon's blazing, high-spirited thrum.
The surrounding trees were no longer merely visual forms.
They emanated deep, slow fluctuations filled with vitality.
The earth beneath his feet conveyed a vast, heavy rhythm.
Even the breeze brushing past his cheeks carried light, flowing traces of Aura.
The perception of Aura was truly magical.
This feeling was incomparably wondrous.
It was as if the entire world had unfolded a completely different scroll in his heart, interwoven by countless flowing rhythms and fluctuations.
Wait?
Aura (Wave Guidance)?
Wave?
Blind man?
Stainless Steel Basin?
Wave Secret Book?
Could the "Wave" in Aura be the same "Wave" as in Wave Radiation?
Ash remembered a certain disconnected dungeon game.
So.
Wave Secret Book · Chapter of Darkness*
First, close your eyes and feel the existence of the Wave.
That is an invisible dark world.
It doesn't need to be very clear, you just need to feel the existence of the entire world... This is the Wave of the dark world.
Wave Secret Book · Chapter of Lightning
To distinguish all things within the darkness and form a clear world; this is the Wave of Light obtained from the darkness.
At this moment, even without eyes, one can see the same world as with eyes.
Wave Secret Book · Final Chapter
The final Wave can perceive all things in the world, see all that one wishes to see, feel all that one wishes to feel. Wherever the Wave flows, power will reach without limit.
Ash didn't know if his train of thought had gone astray.
But he had indeed made a certain perception under this mindset.
"I feel it... I think I really feel it!"
Ash couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice, his tone carrying uncontrollable excitement and thrill.
Although he currently couldn't actively control it yet, let alone apply this power, this successful introductory perception had already taken the most difficult and critical first step.
The first step from 0 to 1 had been crossed.
As for how to go from 1 to 100, 1000, 10000...
That would simply require painstaking practice over a long period in the future.
In short, the future is promising.
The future is promising.
Even if he didn't expect to be like the Stainless Steel Basin from that disconnected city, opening blind eyes to shatter continents.
But.
In the future, at the very least, he wanted to be like Sabrina and not become a weak point in Pokémon battles.
Everyone had different methods of making up for this.
And Ash not only wanted to make up for it, but he also wanted to fight together with his Pokémon.
Bond Unification!
Bond Phenomenon!
Oorah!
Lucario suddenly snapped its eyes open, its pupils filled with unbelievable shock.
—Lucario: Are you the Lucario, or am I the Lucario?
Lucario: Could it be that I am a genius teacher?
One Piece Teacher Ranking
T0: Ryuou, Conqueror's Haki Coating, Fruit Awakening, Three-Club Crash Course. Vice-Captain straight to Emperor level.
Fruit Awakening Crash Course; Conqueror's Haki from being abused by Warlords to Awakening to Coating; stomping Emperors in one step; Charitably donating Homies.
T1: Expert in Ryuou Vocational Training.
T2: Future Sight; One Day, One Night; Bloodline Factor Speed Awakening.
T3: Law-abiding, Conscientious.
T4: Experience Mobs; Misleading Teachers; Mediocre Teachers.
It clearly "saw" the originally dormant Aura around Ash's body. At this moment, it was like a spark being awakened, beginning to produce a subtle and real resonance with all things in the outside world.
Such talent, to perceive the external Aura so clearly on the first attempt, was something it had never seen in its life.
*[Amazing...]
Lucario praised sincerely, its telepathic voice ringing directly in the hearts of Ash and everyone nearby.
[Your heart's compatibility with Aura is high, far beyond my imagination. To be able to glimpse the doorway in such a short time, you absolutely possess a qualification one in ten thousand.]*
Its praise was unreserved, surprising everyone who heard it.
Sorrel wore a look of gratification, feeling happy for Ash, while also confirming once again the extraordinariness of his benefactor.
Everyone present was of a cheerful and optimistic sort; they wouldn't be jealous or unwilling like a certain someone.
After this interlude of Aura cultivation, the relationship between everyone seemed to have drawn much closer.
They continued forward, discussing the wonders of Aura and talking about the upcoming itinerary as they walked.
Unknowingly, the forest gradually became sparse.
The outline of a small-scale town appeared ahead.
The afterglow of the setting sun plated the town's buildings with a layer of warm gold.
"We've arrived," Brock said, pointing ahead. "This is the place that previously hosted the P1 Grand Prix, a small city famous for its Fighting-type culture."
"There are quite a few small towns with their own unique characteristics like this in the Kanto region," Misty lamented slightly.
The first time she met Ash, it was because she was wandering around.
Walking into the town.
A martial atmosphere immediately lunged at their faces.
On the streets, one could see quite a few Trainers conducting physical training, as well as all kinds of Fighting-type Pokémon.
Soon, a Japanese-style house that looked wider and more imposing than the other buildings attracted everyone's attention.
A plaque hung on the lintel, with four large characters written in bold, flowing calligraphy—Fighting Spirit Dojo.
"Fighting Spirit Dojo..." Brock looked at the plaque and explained to his companions.
"Dojos like this that haven't obtained official League certification usually style themselves as a 'Dojo'."
"They often focus on the in-depth cultivation of a certain type. Although they don't issue badges, their strength cannot be underestimated. They are good places for many specialized Trainers to hone their skills."
Theoretically speaking, those who can open a dojo have the level of a Regional Conference Champion.
They could be considered to have reached the lower limit of a Gym Leader's level.
If you were to say their strength was poor, that wouldn't be true.
The highest executive of Team Rocket, Vicious, was probably around this level himself.
But Vicious had Dark Balls.
Dark Balls could boost a Pokémon's panel data strength a bit.
Similar to adding an extra +1 to skill levels, but the deduction to operation points was extremely severe, leaving only the panel data looking good.
In fact, in the entire Trainer system, starting from this level, the number of people further up would begin to decrease rapidly.
It was an extremely flat pyramid structure.
Time, talent, hard work, luck... etc. In the process of climbing up, not a single one could be missing.
Just as they stopped to observe.
On the open ground outside the dojo.
A burly middle-aged uncle wearing a karate gi was engaging in fierce bare-handed combat with a sharp-eyed Hitmonchan wearing red boxing gloves.
The uncle's movements were fierce and powerful, exchanging offense and defense with Hitmonchan. He was obviously a master of fighting.
This level of fighting was already enough to go one-on-one with a Fighting-type Pokémon. Presumably, one punch from him could split monuments and crack stones.
...Although Ash's performance was outrageous, the people of this world were indeed outrageous.
There were indeed many people who could achieve all sorts of incredible things.
Humans actually dueling head-on with Fighting-type Pokémon or something... Emm.
Pokémon—
Name: Human
Type: Normal / Fighting
Ability: Wonder Guard
Skills: ...
Maybe it was roughly like that?
This was indeed quite amusing.
Noticing Ash's group, and especially seeing the extraordinary Lucario beside Sorrel, the uncle's eyes lit up, and he immediately stopped his practice with Hitmonchan.
He wiped his sweat heartily, his booming voice carrying an enthusiastic invitation:
"Yo! You folks look like you've got some skill, especially this young brother and your Lucario!"
"How about it? Interested in coming in to practice?"
"We at the Fighting Spirit Dojo love sparring with strong opponents the most!"
"And I am the Dojo Master of the Fighting Spirit Dojo!"
"I am Shandou!"
The middle-aged uncle shouted loudly.
It could be seen that he was very confident in his own strength.
Sorrel and Verity exchanged a glance and politely declined.
Verity said, "Thank you for your kindness, Uncle Shandou. But we just went through a battle, and our Pokémon need to rest. We have to go to the Pokémon Center first."
This was because they had sustained some injuries in the battle with the Mankey earlier. If circumstances permitted, the highest priority was naturally to go to the Pokémon Center.
Sorrel also nodded in agreement: "Yes, we will definitely visit if there is a chance next time."
Although Lucario hadn't suffered much injury, having arrived in a new city, Sorrel also felt they should go to the Pokémon Center.
Ash looked at the dojo, then looked at the Charmeleon beside him whose fighting spirit had been instantly ignited, the flame on its tail shooting up with a whoosh.
Ash felt there was no need to rush to the Pokémon Center.
The battle with the Mankey earlier could only be called a warm-up; it couldn't be said that they were injured.
Ash's eyes flickered with the light of excitement: "I think we can give it a try! It's just right for Charmeleon to get some exercise!"
"Uncle, please give us some pointers!"
After comprehending the power of the Wave, Ash urgently wanted to give it a try.
Oh.
No.
Spoke wrong, it was the Power of Aura.
And so, in front of the dojo, the group temporarily parted ways.
Sorrel and Verity headed to the Pokémon Center to rest from the previous battle.
Ash, on the other hand, took Charmeleon and prepared to step into the Fighting Spirit Dojo, a place filled with challenges and sweat.
Misty and Brock naturally followed along.
Uncle Shandou, however, was a little disappointed.
After all, he had originally wanted to see Lucario in action.
But it didn't matter.
A fighter's intuition told him—although the cooked duck had flown away, there was another uncooked duck right here!
Today, he would battle him!
____
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