Psychics.
After the arrival of Pokémon in the world, a small number of Trainers who lived alongside Psychic-type Pokémon for extended periods eventually awakened extraordinary abilities of their own.
The number of registered Psychics worldwide was approximately 1,000, with abilities ranging from weak to overwhelmingly powerful.
Weaker Psychics could at most use minor telekinesis to bend spoons.
As for powerful Psychics, some could lift entire buildings, others could trigger explosions capable of destroying towns, and some could invade people's dreams, turning their victims into helpless puppets.
The specific abilities of Psychics varied greatly from person to person.
The power of Aura was also considered a type of psychic ability.
A powerful Psychic was practically destined to become an exceptional Trainer as long as they received proper education and resources.
There had been considerable debate about whether Psychics should be permitted to use their abilities in official battles. Eventually, the Pokémon League approved their use, developing a theory everyone could accept:
"Trainer and Pokémon are one and the same."
Since a Pokémon's abilities were considered an extension of the Trainer, the reverse must also be true—there could be no double standard.
If anyone disagreed, they were welcome to try defeating the opponent's Pokémon themselves.
In the competitors' lounge, everyone was engaged in heated discussion.
"Damn, Cade!"
"I never expected Cade to be a Psychic."
"And judging by the strength of his abilities, he's no amateur. For someone his age, his psychic talents are remarkable."
"Elite Four Carter himself and Mrs. Carter aren't Psychics, right? So he's not an inherited case, but a first-generation Psychic."
"None of the first-generation Psychics have ever been weak."
"I thought Roy would win, but now it's hard to predict the finals. After all, Psychic-types have an advantage over Fighting-types, and Riolu is naturally at a disadvantage..."
Everyone in the competitors' room glanced at Roy, who stood a short distance away.
They couldn't help comparing their situations to his. The championship that once seemed within Roy's grasp now hung in the balance—a deeply uncomfortable position.
At that moment, Cade returned to the lounge, surveyed the room, and walked directly toward Roy.
The spectators' eyes brightened with anticipation.
Fight! Fight!
Cade folded his arms across his chest, his face bearing an unmistakable trace of arrogance:
"You're quite good."
"Capital University ranks in the top twenty nationwide, but it's merely average on a global scale. China only has two truly world-class universities—Central and League. My original goal was to attend one of those institutions..."
"If not for my father's instructions, I wouldn't have enrolled here at all. The quality of students is inconsistent, and they... aren't worthy of witnessing my psychic abilities."
"I revealed my Psychic powers specifically for you to see."
"Only you barely qualify to be my rival!"
Hearing this, the spectators who had been eagerly watching the exchange suddenly looked displeased.
Being insulted while just trying to watch the drama?
If you can't speak respectfully, don't speak at all!
"What's his problem? Doesn't he want to be champion?"
"Exactly!"
Whispers erupted around them.
Cade didn't bother engaging with these "minor players," as he considered them. He kept his gaze fixed on Roy and continued: "I want to ask you something. Who's standing behind you? Who's funding you?"
There were certainly geniuses in this world.
But even geniuses needed to obey certain fundamental laws. Roy's current strength far exceeded what could be explained by "talent" alone.
His rapid growth surely required precious resources.
Except for special cases like Snorlax, ordinary Pokémon that didn't train actively and simply grew naturally didn't have expensive daily food costs.
But once a Pokémon began serious training, its cells absorbed energy voraciously. Even feeding them the most common Pokémon food would cost at least tens of thousands of Pokédollars monthly if one wanted to meet their energy requirements.
With Riolu's accelerated strengthening, the energy required by its body was massive, and the quality needed was extremely high.
What Riolu consumed was definitely not ordinary food—it had to be premium resources.
Where did Roy get that kind of money? What connections did he have?
Therefore, many people, including Cade, believed someone must be funding Roy from behind the scenes.
Roy laughed and said, "If I told you that I haven't received funding from anyone at all, would you believe me?"
Cade snorted coldly, his expression clearly saying, 'I'm not a fool.'
Seeing this response, Roy shrugged. "Since you already have your answer, why bother asking me?"
Roy didn't particularly dislike Cade—after all, the other trainer hadn't directly mocked him.
...just another pampered young master.
It was evident from Cade's behavior that he was excessively arrogant, so arrogant that it bordered on naivety.
He could have easily won the semi-finals without revealing his true powers, but his emotions drove him to expose himself as a Psychic, just to prove his worth to the audience and commentator.
The finals were about to begin, yet he couldn't restrain himself for even an hour.
...If Cade had withheld his Psychic revelation until the finals, he definitely would have caught Roy by surprise.
Roy felt somewhat fortunate. He looked at Cade, who stood there with an arrogant expression still waiting for a proper answer, and suddenly spoke with genuine seriousness:
"Let me state this again!"
"I, Roy, have reached this point through my own hard work!"
The system is just an aid! he added mentally.
"You!" Cade frowned. "If you don't want to tell the truth, fine, but don't patronize me."
With that parting statement, the Elite Four member's son stormed off angrily.
Roy smiled, then took the opportunity to leave the competitors' room. He walked to a secluded area where no one could see him and opened his system interface.
Riolu's popularity value had risen to a full 560,000 points by now, and it was still increasing.
Originally, Roy had planned to save these points. After winning the championship, he intended to choose his second Pokémon before spending them...
But after witnessing Cade's Psychic abilities, he suddenly felt less confident.
Browsing through the wide-ranging catalog of items, Roy finally decided to invest in a power-up, considering his opponent's Psychic advantage.
[Deducting 150,000 points, exchanging for proficiency-level Aura Power. Remaining points: 410,000.]
In an instant, his Aura sensing ability, which had previously been just a small sapling, grew explosively into a towering tree reaching dozens of meters high. Roy felt his mental energy suddenly increase multiple times over.
Unable to contain his curiosity, he experimented with his new Aura power.
Aura was a form of spiritual energy.
All conscious creatures possessed Aura, though most couldn't perceive or control it.
Each person's "Aura signature" was unique, like different radio waves.
Now, Roy could clearly sense the positions of every living being in the entire competition venue. Everyone's Aura appeared as a cluster of blue flames.
The visualization reminded him of the "Presence" power from "Shakugan no Shana," an anime he had watched in his previous life.
As long as Roy remembered a creature's Aura signature, they couldn't escape his perception, regardless of disguises or physical changes.
Furthermore, Roy could also detect the surface emotions in everyone's consciousness.
This meant that if any future opponent planned to use deception against him, he would sense it immediately.
Most importantly...
"Come out, Riolu."
The white light flickered, and Riolu looked at Roy with piercing eyes. It could sense external events even from inside its Poké Ball and had felt Roy's powerful Aura surge moments ago.
Instantly, Riolu understood what Roy intended to do.
For Psychics like Cade, only Pokémon of the same Psychic-type could receive their enhancement blessing.
This power wasn't compatible with other types such as Fire or Water.
In fact, this subtly restricted Cade's development path, forcing him to specialize in Psychic-types to maximize his natural talents.
It would be pointless for Roy to try developing Psychic abilities like Cade's—Riolu couldn't receive those blessings.
But Aura power was different.
Lucario was known as the "Aura Pokemon" in the Pokémon world. Even though Riolu hadn't evolved yet, it was born with a natural affinity for Aura manipulation.
"Ready?" Roy asked.
"Rio!" Riolu barked expectantly.
"My Aura is very powerful—brace yourself."
With those words, Roy focused his mind and attempted to channel his Aura power into Riolu's mental space.