"Lucario, Bone Rush!"
Ron's command echoed through Lucario's mind. Bringing its palms together in focus, Lucario then split them apart—between them materialized a glowing bone staff, forged entirely from aura.
With a swift, fluid motion, Lucario launched into a charge, activating Shave—Instant Step as it surged directly toward Ursaring.
Aura energy flared, and time itself seemed to slow for Lucario. Every movement Ursaring made appeared sluggish, easy to read.
Lucario swung its bone weapon with surgical precision, striking down as Ursaring tried in vain to dodge.
It capitalized on the momentum. The staff in Lucario's hands glowed and splintered into a veil of blue aura that engulfed Ursaring.
Every time Ursaring tried to retaliate, Lucario would evade like a clairvoyant, dancing just beyond reach—then strike back with a bone-cracking blow to its skull.
Watching from the sidelines, Ron remained silent, offering no further instruction. He simply observed.
Until now, Ron had always regarded Lucario's aura as a scouting technique—a way to sense enemies or track hidden threats. It could form Aura Spheres, sure, but he'd never pushed the power further.
But now... watching Lucario in action, it became clear.
Lucario's aura had been amplified by its Fighting Aura, elevating it to levels far beyond that of any ordinary Lucario.
That alone demanded Ron's full attention.
Especially seeing Lucario's evolving fighting style—it reminded Ron of a persona, an image of a perfect warrior, the kind he'd long admired.
"Finish it, Lucario. Aura Sphere, then follow up with Force Palm!"
Having envisioned Lucario's future combat style, Ron no longer wished to waste time. This battle's conclusion was a foregone certainty.
With a swift motion, Lucario hurled its bone staff, then immediately began charging an Aura Sphere.
Ursaring, reeling and disoriented, managed to narrowly dodge the staff—only to see the homing Aura Sphere zeroing in, its trajectory unavoidable.
Boom.
Lucario vanished using Shave, and reappeared directly in front of Ursaring in the blink of an eye.
It unleashed Force Palm—a concentrated explosive force channeled through the body. The impact sent Ursaring flying. The battle was over.
Ron tended to Ursaring's injuries, healing it swiftly, then departed with Lucario, intent on finding a more secluded place to regroup.
Meanwhile, inside the Indigo League Headquarters, in a private Elite Four Conference Room, the sound of rustling papers filled the room.
Lance passed around a set of documents to the other three Elite Four members.
"Take a look—this message just came in from Steven Stone, the Champion of the Hoenn League."
Kanto may not officially have a reigning Champion, but to the outside world, Lance's strength left no doubt—he was the de facto Champion of the Kanto League.
Unfortunately, the rest of the Kanto Elite Four lacked the resolve or prowess to push him fully into the Champion's seat.
"Steven's words are clear—this young man performed brilliantly in the Hoenn League. He even asked if we'd be willing to part with him."
Sitting on the left side of the table, Lance smiled as he spoke.
No matter how others viewed them, the Elite Four of Kanto held legitimate authority—and mutual respect. The central seat at the table remained empty, in honor of the yet-unstated Champion.
"Smart kid. I figured he was just heading to Hoenn to clear his head. Never imagined he'd go this far."
"To be honest," one of them added, "if I hadn't approved his leave myself, I'd be tempted to recall him now."
"Indeed. A talent like that is the foundation of a League. No wonder the Hoenn League tried to recruit him."
"Which is why," added Lorelei, "we should respond in kind. Recognize his contributions with commendation and reward. And spread the word."
"This will remind the people of Kanto that our region breeds prodigies—true talents whose brilliance shines, even far from home."
Listening to the enthusiasm around the room, Lance nodded in satisfaction.
Steven's intent had been twofold: to raise Ron's standing within the Kanto League, and to test the waters—if Kanto didn't value Ron, perhaps Hoenn could offer a home.
Thankfully, no one took the bait. Quite the opposite—they saw this as an opportunity to promote Ron, to reinforce his loyalty to the League.
"Very well," Lance concluded. "Since everyone's in agreement, let's proceed with Elite Four Lorelei's suggestion. As for the matter of the reward, I'll leave that in your hands, Elite Four Bruno. After all, you are Ron's direct superior."
"And one more thing—personally, I hope you'll consider assigning Ron to a new position within the League, to deepen his ties with our organization. Anyone who's spent time with Lily can see what kind of person Ron truly is."
"I won't go into specifics—I'll trust you to make the right call, Bruno."
Upon hearing Lance's words, the other three members of the Elite Four couldn't help but nod in agreement.
For the sake of Lily, Ron willingly walked into a trap set by a trainer on the Elite Four's level.
Even though he had broken through to that very level himself—having even lured in a Pokémon of that caliber—the risks he took would have stopped most people cold.
From that alone, it was clear: Ron was someone who valued loyalty and connection deeply. For someone like that, the League had well-established ways of recruiting them—resource allocation being the most common method.
"I understand," Bruno said, "but I'll be honest—when Ron returns, I hope the Five Great Families will back off with their petty tricks. If they don't, I won't be able to guarantee I can help Ron build those bonds any further."
"I'll go speak with the Nyland family."
After Bruno spoke, Lance stood up, preparing to leave the conference room.
"I'll head to the Ellestad estate."
"In that case, I'll pay a visit to the Agdestein family."
With a quiet chuckle, Bruno rose to his feet, preparing to stop by both the Paulsen and Thune households.
...
Meanwhile…
"Lucario, focus your Aura and pick up that branch," Ron instructed.
"Remember—you must use just the right amount of force. Enough to lift it, but not so much that it snaps."
Upon hearing Ron's voice, Lucario took a deep breath. Then, with controlled focus, it channeled its Aura into a concentrated blue energy. Gradually, the aura shifted shape—subtly forming the outline of a hand.
Staring down at the thin, fragile branch on the ground, Lucario's gaze sharpened, as if facing off against a formidable foe. Carefully, it extended the Aura toward the twig.
But the moment it touched—snap! The branch broke.
"This time, scan with your Aura before you move in again," Ron said, producing another twig before Lucario could retract its energy.
Multitasking, Lucario slowly guided its Aura toward the new branch while simultaneously using its Aura Sense to measure the precise distance between the energy and the object.
Holding his breath, Ron watched silently as Lucario refined its control.
The success of the next few training attempts would determine whether Lucario could wield its Aura like Katakuri once did—a step toward becoming a truly rare and powerful Pokémon in any world, even among legends.
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