Korrina looked at Lucario, which was displaying such deep respect, and a puzzled expression crossed her face. Although her Lucario wasn't the type to be unruly or defiant, he possessed a certain pride of his own; usually, he would offer nothing more than a nod when greeting others.
He showed deep respect only when facing her grandfather's Lucario—not merely because the elder Pokémon was immensely powerful, but because he had been personally trained by that very Pokémon.
This was the first time he had ever shown such profound deference to a stranger.
"Lucario, you..." Korrina looked at her partner, her face filled with bewilderment.
Her Lucario was not the sort of Pokémon to bow his head easily. Even before her grandfather's absurdly powerful Lucario, he had maintained only the proper level of respect—never had he performed a formal, ninety-degree bow like this.
What on earth was going on?
Ash was stunned as well; he instinctively reached out to help Lucario up but hesitated, feeling it might be inappropriate. Instead, he scratched his head and offered an awkward, sheepish smile.
"Um... there's no need to be so formal. This is our first time meeting, right?"
Lucario slowly straightened up, his crimson, slit-like pupils remaining fixed on Ash, clearly revealing the awe he felt.
He raised a hand, pointing first at Ash and then at his own chest, letting out a low growl.
Ash was the only one present who understood Lucario's meaning, and this realization made him understand why the Pokémon was acting this way.
"So, he sensed my Aura... Ms. Korrina, your Lucario is amazing!" The Aura within Ash was usually concealed deep within his body; even most Pokémon capable of using Aura couldn't detect it.
The fact that Korrina's Lucario could sense it proved he possessed exceptional mastery over Aura. Although he was currently only at an intermediate Gym-battle level, his mastery would likely allow him to easily defeat opponents of the same rank.
"Aura? Isn't that a power only Lucario can master?" Korrina blinked her azure eyes and looked at Ash in puzzlement.
"I guess I'm a bit unique; I can use the power of Aura, too," Ash explained simply. As he focused his mind, the vast, ocean-like Aura within him surged forth, manifesting visibly around his body.
In an instant, the air in the entire Gym seemed to freeze.
An invisible pressure radiated from Ash like a rising tide. It wasn't born of malice—it was a pure surge of energy—yet it made everyone present skip a beat.
Misty and Brock had experienced Ash's Aura before, but usually, he channeled it by synchronizing with his Pokémon; instances of him simply releasing the raw energy like this were incredibly rare. As far as they could recall, the last time he had done so was during his hand-to-hand clash with Mewtwo.
After several months, they felt that Ash's Aura had grown significantly stronger.
Serena's beautiful eyes widened; this was the first time she had felt the power within Ash so directly. It was like standing before a slumbering behemoth—even the slightest hint of its presence commanded awe and reverence.
Was this a power a human could possess? To think such terrifying strength had been lying dormant within Ash all along. Ah!
No wonder Ash was able to fight side-by-side with Mewtwo against a Legendary Pokémon of Lugia's caliber.
Yet, what truly left a staggering impression was Korrina's Lucario.
Previously, Lucario had only vaguely sensed the terrifying Aura within Ash; now, however, as Ash unleashed that power outwardly, the sheer intensity of that familiar yet vastly superior energy forced Lucario from a stooped posture down to one knee, his head bowed low in reverence.
To his senses, the purity and magnitude of this Aura surpassed anything he had ever known. Even the power of Gurkinn—his longtime partner of decades—paled in comparison, like a mere stream beside the vast ocean.
A thought flashed through his mind like lightning—
This was the power of the legendary Hero of the Aura!
An ancient legend had been passed down through generations of the Lucario clan. Long ago, a human had mastered the power of Aura to a level surpassing even the Pokémon themselves—so much so that their ancestors had willingly followed and fought alongside him as partners. That human came to be revered by posterity as the "Hero of the Aura."
And now, that legendary power had appeared before him without warning. Moreover, Lucario could sense that a fellow Lucario existed within Ash as well—a connection that...
That kind of presence... Could it be that the Hero of old has been reincarnated?
"Lucario, what's wrong?" Korrina exclaimed. She had never seen Lucario lose his composure like this before. Even if someone possessed the power of Aura—or even if that Aura were slightly stronger than Lucario's—it shouldn't be enough to make him lose his cool to this extent!
Just then, an aged yet vigorous voice rang out from the depths of the Gym: "That is because the Aura within that young man has reached a legendary realm."
Everyone turned toward the sound and saw a burly old man with a full beard and hair as white as snow walking slowly out of the inner chamber. He wore a fighting outfit similar in style to Korrina's; despite his advanced age, his stride was steady and commanding, and he exuded an aura of spirited vitality.
"Grandpa!" Korrina cried out in delight.
The man was none other than Korrina's grandfather and the former Gym Leader of the Tower of Mastery—Gurkinn.
Gurkinn walked up to Ash and studied the young man closely with eyes that were cloudy yet sharp. After a long moment, he let out a soft sigh: "In all my years, this is the first time I've seen a human cultivate the power of Aura to such a level. It's no wonder Lucario lost his composure; the Aura you possess has likely reached the Champion level—or perhaps even the peak of the Champion level, hasn't it?"
"Grandpa, what are you saying?! How is that possible?!" Korrina looked at Ash in disbelief.
Aura at the peak of the Champion level implied that Ash possessed combat power at the peak of the Champion level—yet Ash was merely a human!
A human possessing combat power at the peak of the Champion level... Is he even human?
"It is not impossible," Gurkinn said, shaking his head while keeping his gaze fixed on Ash.
"Legend has it that a thousand years ago, there was a Hero of Aura named Sir Aaron. He quelled a global crisis using the power of Aura, and the Lucario by his side was said to have reached the realm of the gods," Gurkinn said slowly.
At this point, he looked at Ash with a gaze full of deep emotion: "The story of the 'Divine Realm-class' Lucario is impossible to verify—no one knows if it's fact or fiction—but the Aura Guardian who quelled the chaos was very real."
"Although I don't possess the power of Aura myself, I am, after all, the trainer of a Lucario at the peak of the Elite Four level, and I'm quite sensitive to Aura. Ash, I suspect your Aura is easily on par with—if not superior to—that of Sir Aaron from a thousand years ago."
A hush fell over the room.
While Misty and the others knew Ash was strong, they had never imagined his Aura could rival that of the legendary Aura Guardian.
Ash himself scratched his head sheepishly: "Um... well, it's really not that extraordinary."
In reality, Gurkinn's estimate was far too conservative; the Aura within Ash went well beyond the peak of the Champion level. However, there was no need to reveal the full truth—it wouldn't do to scare them—though, to be fair, Korrina was already quite shaken.
"With Aura like that, it's no wonder you've trained your Lucario to be so powerful. You didn't come here just for idle chatter, did you? You're here to challenge the Shalour Gym, right?"
"Yes." Ash nodded, his expression turning serious. "I'd like to challenge Gym Leader Korrina."
The unexpected reaction and attitude shown by Korrina's Lucario had been a surprise, but this little interlude hadn't made Ash lose sight of his primary objective at the Shalour Gym: challenging Korrina.
Ash had never pitted his Lucario against another of its own kind before. Even though Korrina's Lucario was at a lower level than his, Pokémon battles weren't decided solely by levels; sparring with a fellow Lucario would surely offer his own partner some valuable insights.
"Alright, then I'll act as the referee. How about we make it a one-on-one match? Both you and Korrina want to see your Lucarios face off, don't you? A three-on-three battle would be a bit too drawn-out," Gurkinn suggested.
"Of course!" Korrina's eyes lit up. Naturally, what she wanted most was for her Lucario to spar with Ash's Lucario; now that her grandfather had proposed it, it was exactly what she had hoped for.
Ash smiled as well. "I'd love nothing more."
"Alright! Let's start right now!" Gurkinn swept his arm out and moved to the edge of the arena in a flash; despite his age, his movements were astonishingly agile.
Korrina spun on her skates and glided to the other side of the arena, calling out loudly to her Lucario, "Lucario, get fired up! Our opponent is incredibly strong!"
"Lucario!" Lucario took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the instinctive fear of that overwhelming Aura within him, and a burning fighting spirit ignited in his eyes. The stronger the opponent, the more his fighting spirit was stirred!
With a few agile leaps, Lucario followed Korrina to the other side of the arena.
Ash also took out a Poké Ball and tossed it gently. "I'm counting on you, Lucario!"
A flash of light appeared, and a sleek, powerful figure landed steadily on the arena floor.
Blue and black fur, long and powerful limbs, a sharp gaze, and an aura of Aura energy faintly swirling around him—it was Ash's Lucario.
The two Lucario faced each other from across the arena; the moment their eyes met, it was as if sparks flew in the air!
They sensed the presence of their own kind in each other, yet they also felt something vastly different.
In terms of raw power, Ash's Lucario was clearly superior, but in terms of battle experience, the opponent's Lucario held the advantage. Even though Ash's Lucario had reached the Elite Four level of strength, his number of actual battles paled in comparison to the other's.
After all, Ash's Lucario had only been born six months ago!
Korrina's Lucario could also clearly sense that while the Aura within his opponent wasn't quite as terrifyingly overwhelming as Ash's own, it still far surpassed his own—truly the Lucario of a Trainer worthy of the title "Hero." However, his opponent was no slouch either; any gap in Aura capabilities would simply have to be compensated for with superior battle technique!
"Both Lucarios are sensing each other through the power of Aura," Gurkinn said, standing at the edge of the arena with a gratified smile on his weathered face. "It looks like this battle is going to be interesting."
Misty and the others stepped back to the sidelines, watching the unfolding situation intently.
Serena whispered, "Misty, who do you think will win?"
Misty answered without hesitation, "Ash will win, of course. No matter who the opponent is, Ash always wins."
Misty's faith in Ash was absolute. Setting aside the matter of her being his girlfriend, she had been by his side since the very beginning of his journey—never once leaving him—and had witnessed every single one of his battles.
It was hard to believe that a Trainer who had started as a novice had lost only two matches in his entire career: one against Lorelei (an Elite Four member who fought with the skill of a Champion), and the other against Cynthia—the Sinnoh Champion and the world's second-ranked Trainer among the Masters Eight.
Aside from those two bouts, Ash had never known defeat; he would win this time, too!
"I believe Ash will win as well," Serena said earnestly, her eyes filled with trust in him.
On the field, Gurkinn raised his right hand, his voice—aged yet resonant—echoing throughout the Gym: "The rules are one-on-one; each side uses a single Pokémon, and the first to lose the ability to battle loses the match. Now then..."
He swung his arm down sharply!
"Begin!"
"Lucario, Mach Punch—double time!" The moment Gurkinn's voice fell, both Trainers commanded their Lucarios to use the exact same move; both sought to seize the initiative!
Before the words had even fully faded, both Lucarios vanished from their spots!
The sound of air being torn apart rang out as two blue-and-black figures slammed into each other in the center of the arena! "Bang!"
As their fists collided, a visible shockwave rippled outward, and the fighting arena beneath their feet instantly spiderwebbed with countless fine cracks.
Korrina's Lucario's pupils contracted sharply—the opponent's Mach Punch clearly surpassed his own in both power and speed!
The first blow sent Korrina's Lucario flying backward. Before he could even react, Ash's Lucario unleashed a second punch—a solid, direct hit that sent him hurtling through the air!
"Lucario, adjust your stance!" At Korrina's command, he engaged his core muscles, his limbs slicing a sharp arc through the air as he forced his body to twist and right itself mid-flight!
He landed steadily on the ground, but the damage from that punch remained; his right arm was still trembling slightly, and the spot where he'd been struck throbbed with pain.
And that was just a Mach Punch; had it been a Close Combat move, he might well have been incapacitated by now.
The gap in their strength was even wider than he had imagined!