Chapter 330: The Power of Aura
"I will. In this tournament, I'll show everyone just how miraculous the power of Aura truly is!"
Hikaru's aura pulsed through the air.
(Old) Lucario nodded silently, then returned to his work tending the fields.
Hikaru waved to his own Lucario.
Before hopping onto Latias's back, Lucario respectfully bowed toward (Old) Lucario and then leapt up.
After kindly declining the offers of food and drink from the local farmers, Latias entered [Divine Concealment] once again, vanishing into the sky as a streak of light.
Below them,
(Old) Lucario looked up slightly, a gentle wave of relief in his heart.
He understood—
With the departure of this human trainer's Lucario,
his own era had officially ended.
But so what?
…
High in the sky,
Hikaru turned to face Lucario directly.
Lucario twitched his nose and spoke through Aura: "What's wrong?"
Hikaru got straight to the point.
"Tell me, what exactly did you learn from Old Master Lucario?"
Lucario's crimson eyes shimmered faintly.
"Master, try using your Aura to sense me."
Hikaru did as instructed.
But the moment his Aura stretched out,
he froze.
Lucario was standing right in front of him—
but in his Aura perception, it was as if there was nothing there.
What…?
Lucario spoke calmly,
"Master once said: 'All things possess Aura. But each has its own unique resonance.'"
"To put it simply: if you can sense the Aura of everything and merge with it… then all of it becomes an extension of yourself."
"The core of my training was simple—to experience the lives of all living things."
He raised his hand. The wind streamed gently past his fingers.
"Right now, you can't sense me, because my Aura has become the flowing wind."
"…?"
Hikaru nodded slowly.
That sounded… profound.
But wait, wasn't this kind of like Latias's [Divine Concealment]?
With such Aura manipulation and stealth…
Was Lucario becoming a… ninja assassin?
That could actually work great for the prelims!
"No, it's not the same,"
Lucario shook his head.
"Master, try looking at me without using Aura."
"Huh?"
Hikaru withdrew his Aura and focused his eyes on Lucario.
The more he stared, the more he felt…
Lucario's presence was strangely faint—nearly invisible to his senses.
Just then, Lucario's gaze sharpened.
"Forgive me, Master."
He suddenly launched a sharp punch.
A violent gust swept across Hikaru's face.
The blow stopped inches from his cheek—but the sensation of standing in a raging storm lingered.
Latias sensed the sudden spike in energy and turned to glance back.
Seeing everything was fine, she relaxed.
Lucario explained,
"That was Aura transmission. I can now simulate wind, fire, water… and channel them through Aura."
Hikaru's curiosity was piqued.
"Try another."
"Alright…"
White light surged around Lucario's fist. He struck again.
This time, the effect was different.
Before the blow landed, Hikaru felt as if he were being slammed by a powerful current.
He could hardly breathe.
There was weight, pressure—the drowning sensation of being deep underwater.
Before long, Hikaru instinctively reactivated his Aura.
And just like that, all those sensations vanished—dispersed by the gentle flow of his own Aura.
Lucario looked a little sheepish.
"My understanding isn't as deep as Master's yet… I can only replicate the feeling. My master could cause actual damage."
Hikaru nodded in approval.
"No worries. This is already incredible progress."
In Pokémon battles, even when two sides are equal in strength,
type advantage often creates subconscious fear.
Like how a mouse fears a cat.
Ground and Rock Pokémon instinctively fear Water.
Grass-types flinch before Fire.
Flying-types avoid flying in thunderclouds—not just because of wind, but fear of lightning.
Even Latias, despite being master-tier, dislikes snowy and icy environments.
If Lucario could simulate those elemental sensations,
he could create fear or hesitation in the opponent—even without real attacks.
Back in Kyoto—
Hikaru cheerfully released all of his Pokémon to welcome Lucario's return.
It was a small celebration, a reminder of the bond they all shared.
At the same time, he issued a new command:
In the upcoming Youth League, each of you must give your best and fight with pride!
During the announcement,
Greninja was trembling with excitement, fists clenched.
This kid had been waiting for this day.
Though… Hikaru had a bad feeling he might choke in the tournament.
Still, Greninja had something to say.
He couldn't help but ask:
"Why do Pokémon like Charizard, Gardevoir, Latias, and Lucario all seem to have some kind of next-level evolution? Why not me?"
Hikaru gave an awkward smile.
"Sorry, you… don't have Mega Evolution."
Greninja deflated immediately.
He had been so hyped for an epic transformation moment—why was he left out!?
(╯°口°)╯︵┻━┻: "Ku-gwah...!"
"I'll see if I can find you a Bond Evolution tag someday,"
Hikaru offered with a pat on his shoulder.
"Ku-gwah?" (What's that?)
"It's kind of like Mega Evolution," Hikaru explained. "Just hang in there."
Greninja's eyes lit up in hope.
After the little party,
Hikaru and Gardevoir cleaned up the house with Psychic.
He opened his phone—
The system had just added him to a new chat group.
Hikaru muttered the name aloud:
"Zhongqing University Trainer Team—Current and Alumni Members."
There were over 700 people in the chat.
It looked like a group that included every school team member from each graduating year.
[Coach Gu Cheng]: @Everyone This is this year's new varsity team members…
Moments later,
Coach Gu added him to another group:
Zhongqing University 2009 Varsity Roster.
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