Chapter 329: Lucario
"Seriously? The champion of Huaguo's Youth League might be taken by a foreign trainer?"
"Knew it. Huaguo's trainer education is a joke. Always treating Pokémon like partners…"
"These Pokémon are so naive. Just feed them, and they'll obey..."
...
As Hikaru scrolled through video after video, his eyelids twitched.
He hadn't expected that in just one month, so much chaos would erupt.
These comments—clearly bot-driven.
"All of them are peak master-tier..."
Staring at the footage, Hikaru chuckled faintly.
If that Sakura Nation trainer really made it into the main competition, things could indeed get a little troublesome.
Too bad for him—
The Youth League preliminaries followed a "battle royale" format.
And with Lucario's Aura powers and Latias's [Divine Concealment],
Hikaru could definitely pull a few sneaky tricks.
"Wh-What's wrong?"
Latias asked cautiously from the side, having noticed Hikaru's shifting expression.
It was the first time she had seen this side of him—his face tight with grimness. It made her a little anxious.
Usually, Hikaru was always calm, kind, and warm.
Even when facing crises, he handled them with humor and composure.
"I'm fine."
Realizing his expression had darkened, Hikaru quickly smiled. "Let's go, Latias. It's time to find Lucario. I think we'll really need his help this time…"
"Oh, okay…"
Seeing him smile again, Latias didn't ask further.
As long as she was by his side—he would take care of everything.
...
Huaguo Ministry of Education
Two elderly men sat across from each other, locking eyes.
They were both Deputy Ministers.
One, Xie Ming, President of Zhongqing University.
The other, Yu Hui, President of North Huaguo University.
Though both were past fifty, neither was backing down.
Finally, Xie Ming sighed and broke the silence.
"Old Yu, how's it looking on your end?"
Yu Hui shook his head. "If even you can't find a solution, what can I do? I checked—we've only got two trainers with peak master-tier Pokémon this year. And they each have only one."
Xie Ming raised three fingers. "I've got three. Still only one each."
Under normal circumstances, Xie Ming would've been laughing by now—
after all, statistically, the championship chances were better for his school.
But today, both of their brows were tightly furrowed.
They had been handed a directive from above—
This year's Youth League Champion must be a Huaguo trainer.
If a trainer from Sakura Nation walked away with the title,
even if it had no actual impact, it would become fuel for propaganda.
Sakura Nation would certainly make a show of it—
Spouting nonsense like "Huaguo's youth trainers are weak and incompetent."
No matter how you looked at it, getting metaphorically pissed on was still disgusting.
After another long silence, Yu Hui asked, "What do we do?"
According to the Youth League's rules,
as long as you're under 24,
any trainer is eligible to enter.
The Youth League had been running for decades.
While it wasn't rare for foreign trainers to compete—
Not once had a non-Huaguo trainer taken the championship.
It was too late to change the rules now.
Doing so would cause an even bigger stir, with critics accusing Huaguo of cowardice.
Xie Ming sighed. "The guy clearly came prepared. Our best hope is to eliminate him during prelims. Those Pokémon obviously don't share any real bond with him—and from the looks of it, the guy himself isn't physically strong either…"
He was right, but—
Would someone really make that much noise without backup plans?
It wasn't going to be easy.
Maybe some dark horse trainers from outside the school system could rise up...
"Let's hope so…"
Yu Hui sighed again.
This was an obvious trap.
And yet, they couldn't do anything about it.
...
Aura Town
To Hikaru's surprise,
Lucario wasn't training in the high-Aura zones of the Qinling Mountains or by the Tree of Life.
Instead—
He was just outside Aura Town, in the plantation fields,
helping the locals with post-harvest fertilizing.
Not just his Lucario, but also Ryōgetsu's Lucario.
Occasionally, they even chatted with the farmers.
"..."
Hikaru had Latias silently descend.
With [Divine Concealment], even a level 90 Aura Master Lucario couldn't sense her presence.
This trait…
Frankly, calling it a red-tier ability felt like underselling it.
It could easily be gold-tier.
[Pokémon: Lucario]
Trait: Justified
Gender: Male
Talent: Champion
Level: 46
Skills: Mega Punch, Extreme Speed, Swords Dance, Bone Rush, Aura Sphere, Close Combat...
Equipped Tags: Martial Master (fixed), Kaio-ken (fixed, layered with dark force)
46?
Six levels gained in just two months—pretty amazing.
Hikaru gently released a pulse of Aura.
Ryōgetsu's Lucario, currently pouring fertilizer, paused for a beat—but carried on as usual.
Meanwhile, his own Lucario instantly picked up on the Aura signature,
turning to look toward the sky.
Latias slowly revealed herself from invisibility.
The moment Lucario saw her, Hikaru could sense the surge of emotion in him—
which quickly calmed.
"You've come,"
Lucario conveyed via Aura.
Hikaru raised an eyebrow slightly, impressed by how much more composed Lucario had become.
He responded with Aura: "Yeah, I'm here."
His sudden arrival didn't cause much of a stir.
The nearby farmers blinked in surprise, then greeted Hikaru with warm smiles.
He returned each greeting with a grin,
before turning his attention to the two Lucarios.
Ryōgetsu's Lucario narrowed his eyes as he looked at Latias beneath Hikaru.
Since Ryōgetsu's passing, very few things had shaken his emotions.
Yet this Pokémon... could evade his Aura?
That was... unheard of.
Still, he didn't care much.
His role now was simple—
Protect Aura Town and the great Qinling Mountains behind it.
Hikaru bowed slightly.
"Thank you."
Ryōgetsu's Lucario shook his head.
"No need. Your Lucario has great potential... Go. Restore the glory we once had."
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