"Excellent work, Lucario. Now try using your Aura to condense multiple fists and strike from different directions!"
At Ron's command, Lucario—who had already succeeded in the first phase by using Aura to lift a branch—began his next trial without hesitation.
With prior experience under his belt, Lucario quickly formed Aura-construct fists and launched them in a coordinated barrage.
To be honest, Ron had long underestimated the potential of Aura.
When concentrated enough, this mysterious energy rivaled—even surpassed—Psychic power in raw force. After all, materials known to block Psychic energy existed, but Ron had never come across anything that could block Aura.
Moreover, Lucario's Aura had undergone enhancement through Fighting Aura, significantly improving its controllability, strength, and range—far beyond what any typical Lucario could achieve.
For instance, the Aura Lucario now emitted had formed a radiant blue energy veil behind him. In both density and volume, it far exceeded that of Lucario at his level.
At this stage, Ron was still focusing on refining Lucario's control over Aura. Later on, he would begin incorporating Pokémon moves alongside Aura manipulation.
And eventually—once Lucario mastered Armament Haki—he would even learn to wrap Haki around his Aura constructs.
By then, a new kind of Katakuri would be born into the Pokémon world.
But Ron knew well—if Lucario wanted to reach that level, there was still a long, grueling path ahead.
"Good, Lucario. Now try forming your Aura into chains or ropes. Strike outward and try binding that large tree."
Lucario paused to think before channeling his Aura into strands. One by one, they weaved together to form a rope that lashed outward and wrapped around the thick tree.
With a tug, the bark began to split under pressure.
Unfortunately, the rope failed to take on the structure of a bone club—a form Lucario wasn't familiar with—causing the Aura rope to snap under stress.
"That was well done, Lucario. But remember—unlike a bone club, a rope's strength lies in its flexibility. Try again, but focus on durability."
Ron stepped in with timely feedback, helping Lucario reflect on what had gone wrong and adjust his approach.
Once more, Aura energy condensed—this time into a taut rope. It snaked out again and wrapped around the tree's trunk.
As Lucario pulled, the Aura rope began to fracture. But he maintained focus, constantly repairing the Aura strands on the fly, adjusting to each minute shift in tension.
"Everyone, keep training around here. Gardevoir, assist with perimeter surveillance."
Seeing Lucario enter a focused state, Ron decided to stay longer to fine-tune the Aura techniques.
Once released from their Poké Balls, Machamp and the others instinctively gave Lucario some space.
Gardevoir spread out her psychic field, multitasking—refining her own mastery of Rokushiki (Six Powers) while scanning the area.
Standing not far from Lucario, Ron watched carefully as Lucario transitioned from clumsy to practiced. The ropes formed from Aura had become significantly more resilient.
The deeper Ron explored Aura, the more he marveled at its strength and versatility.
Sure, the world of Pokémon wasn't the same as that of One Piece, but some concepts translated surprisingly well.
In particular, Katakuri's mastery of the Mochi-Mochi Fruit could serve as direct inspiration for Lucario's Aura manipulation.
Ron's current goal was to help Lucario grow accustomed to shaping Aura into a variety of forms.
"Just like that, Lucario. Now spread your Aura in all directions—then quickly bind the large tree."
Lucario immediately understood Ron's intention. He released his Aura in a wide, outward sweep, forming a glowing circle that encased the tree.
With a flick of his hand, several ropes of Aura shot out and wrapped tightly around the tree.
With a final heave, the long-tormented trunk gave way and split in two.
As the massive tree slowly toppled, Lucario began to pant, his breath ragged and labored.
Training with such an intense outpouring of Aura power was no small feat. Even with Lucario's Aura capacity far exceeding most Pokémon of his level, the fatigue was undeniable—it struck him like a tidal wave.
"You were incredible, Lucario," said Ron, his voice calm and full of admiration. "To have grasped Aura to this degree, and so quickly—it's impressive."
As he spoke, a surge of warmth flowed from Ron's hand into Lucario's body.
Looking up at Lucario, who now stood head and shoulders taller than him, Ron found it hard to believe that just a few months ago, this same Lucario had been a little Riolu who clung to him like a shadow.
No one spoke. The man and his partner simply basked in a brief moment of warmth and tranquility.
After a short rest, Lucario resumed his training, focusing on molding Aura into a multitude of forms—swords, spears, halberds, all came easily to him now. Ron had even once joked about trying to shape it into a Gatling gun, to "riddle the opponent the moment the battle started."
Pushing the limits further, Ron had once imagined Lucario condensing his Aura into a Gundam, or even transforming into a beam of light like Ultraman Tiga.
Sadly, Aura wasn't omnipotent. Replicating someone like Katakuri from One Piece was possible, but achieving full transformation like Ultraman? Still a distant dream.
But Ron hadn't given up. He kept the idea close to his heart, determined to revisit it when Lucario reached the Elite Four level, or even higher—perhaps Champion-tier.
After all, a man must believe in the light of the world.
Night fell, and only then did Lucario stop his training.
A full day of exertion had deepened Lucario's command of Aura, yet there remained a gap between where he was now and true mastery—where Aura flowed as naturally as thought. Reaching the level of adaptability seen in someone like Katakuri was still far away.
Even if Lucario eventually achieved that seamless control, he would then need to train his split focus—attacking with his own body while simultaneously manipulating Aura for coordinated strikes.
The next phase would be tri-focus: during battle, maintaining constant Aura emission to perceive and counter enemy moves in real time.
In Ron's view, Aura was not unlike Observation Haki—more versatile than conventional psychic power and capable of granting insight that went beyond the limits of vision.
If Lucario could awaken actual Observation Haki and combine it with Aura, there was a real possibility of evolving that power even further.
Just imagining the coming challenges made Ron cast a slightly sympathetic glance at Lucario.
Unaware of the grueling regime his trainer had just mentally mapped out for him, Lucario lay curled at Ron's side, sound asleep. The day's training had been exhausting—too much, perhaps, even for someone like him.
Ron gently stroked Lucario's head, then glanced at the ever-alert Gardevoir standing guard nearby.
Activating his psychic abilities, he sat down to meditate—determined to make the most of every precious moment of rest.
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