Su Bai had to admit—he didn't know much about the power of Aura.
But in this world, everyone understood a simple truth:
Power never falls from the sky. Every ounce of strength must be earned through hard work and discipline.
Even now, in a world where Pokémon had long appeared and become part of daily life, earning a Pokémon's recognition, building bonds, and training them into true partners—none of it was as simple as it looked.
A Pokémon's combat ability was directly tied to the strength of its trainer.
In that sense, this world wasn't all that different from the original Pokémon world.
In the Pokémon Adventures manga, for example, the members of the Pokémon Fan Club never trained their Pokémon for battle. As a result, even the swiftest escape artist, like an Abra, couldn't avoid being captured or harmed by villains.
Pokémon were fundamentally pure creatures—blank slates.
It was the trainer who wrote their future.
And as for the power of Aura... it clearly wasn't something anyone could just stumble into.
Still, the fact that Xiao Zhang had responded to it at all meant he might actually possess the potential to wield Aura!
"The power of Aura, huh…"
Su Bai's thoughts drifted as he recalled all he knew about it.
Aura, along with the Power of Bonds, Power of Overcoming (Super Transcendence), and psychic abilities, was one of several special forces recognized in the Pokémon world.
Yet even within that world, the definitions surrounding these powers were often vague and lacking in detail.
Compared to Zhou Xiaofei, who had already grasped a refined form of the Power of Overcoming, Aura seemed to be the more commonplace force.
There were many humans in the Pokémon world capable of using Aura. These individuals—called Aura Guardians—wandered far and wide, doing good and passing on their techniques to others with Aura potential.
The key was: not everyone could learn it.
You had to be born with the potential to sense and wield Aura.
The how of learning it, however, was never clearly explained. Of course, characters like Ash Ketchum—blessed with plot armor and protagonist privilege—weren't exactly a fair benchmark.
But what that did prove was this:
Aura is not a power beyond the reach of humanity.
And now, Lucario was attempting to transmit Aura directly to Xiao Zhang.
That could only mean one thing—Xiao Zhang truly had the potential!
Su Bai wasn't just hopeful—he was deeply intrigued.
What would happen when the power of Aura collided with the rules of this world?
Zhou Xiaofei's Overcoming power had undergone a transformation when adapted to the laws of this reality.
So then—what of Aura?
What changes would occur when it encountered a martial artist from this world?
Su Bai's calm analysis helped settle Pei Jingguo's nerves a little.
Still gripping his long sword, Pei Jingguo sat down on a nearby rock, his gaze fixed firmly on Xiao Zhang.
At that moment, Xiao Zhang seemed utterly lost—engulfed in a sea of fog.
His consciousness was spiraling downward, endlessly falling into the depths.
Ripples of energy—soft, chaotic waves—reverberated around him.
Each wave carried emotion: silence, rage, joy, anxiety...
All these chaotic feelings flooded into Xiao Zhang, completely unfiltered.
He was like a lone canoe on a boundless ocean—tossed about by unseen tides.
He had no idea how to process these emotions. All he could do was drift with them.
His consciousness—his sense of self—began to dissolve.
Wave after wave of foreign emotion surged through him, breaking down his identity.
He felt like he was being swallowed—no longer a person, just another droplet in the endless tide of Aura.
He was becoming one with the Aura.
"Ruuu~~…"
Lucario, who had remained silent with eyes closed, let out a soft, regretful cry.
It slowly shook its head at Xiao Zhang and sighed.
Then, without hesitation, it raised both fists—arms level, spikes glowing faintly—poised to release a wave of Aura and pull Xiao Zhang back.
Pei Jingguo's brow furrowed at the sight.
From the communicator orb on his chest came Su Bai's solemn voice:
"Diancie says… Xiao Zhang's consciousness is being completely overwhelmed by the Aura."
"If this continues, he might never wake up again."
"Lucario admits it acted recklessly. It truly believed Xiao Zhang had the right potential."
"But don't worry—it can still use Aura to guide his consciousness back."
Inside the Pokémon Center, Su Bai and Lu Liangpeng exchanged a heavy look. Both wore expressions of disappointment.
In fact, Lu Liangpeng looked even more heartbroken than Su Bai.
"Sigh… this power of Aura really is something else."
"Xiao Zhang has always been an exceptional learner. He respects his teachers and always absorbs new skills quickly."
"The only reason he's been overshadowed is because Pei Jingguo's talent with the sword is just too monstrous."
"But if Xiao Zhang could master Aura… then honestly, I wouldn't be so sure who'll surpass who in the end."
This kind of praise wasn't thrown around lightly—especially when the comparison was with Pei Jingguo, a man who had repeatedly allowed his Honedge to drain his life force in pursuit of strength.
If Xiao Zhang was a genius, then Pei Jingguo was a fanatical monster.
So for Lu Liangpeng to even suggest Xiao Zhang might one day surpass him showed just how highly he regarded the power of Aura.
Of course, as an educator, he also hoped for the emergence of new power systems.
Su Bai nodded slowly. Just as he was about to sigh, his eyes suddenly went wide!
Then—
He snatched up the communicator again, disbelief in his voice:
"Pei Jingguo, what are you doing?!"
On the screen, Lucario was just about to touch his fists together and unleash the Aura to retrieve Xiao Zhang's consciousness—but Pei Jingguo was gripping Lucario's wrists, holding him back!
"Pei Jingguo! Do you not understand how serious this is?!"
"Lucario would never lie about something like this!"
"If we let Xiao Zhang's consciousness fade inside the Aura, he'll be lost forever!"
Su Bai ran his hands down his face in frustration.
These trainers, for all their strength, had their flaws.
Their combat instincts were a huge asset when training Pokémon—but when it came to these kinds of situations, their unpredictable behavior was beyond what Su Bai, once an ordinary man, could anticipate.
Lucario stared in shock at Pei Jingguo.
Its wrists were pinned; it couldn't unleash its Aura.
And since Pei Jingguo wasn't an enemy, it refused to attack.
Even so, Lucario began to panic.
Its calm, steadfast eyes flickered with anxiety as it called out again and again.
Just when it began to wonder whether it should fire an Aura Sphere at Pei Jingguo…
Pei Jingguo finally spoke.
Staring at Xiao Zhang—still as still as stone—he murmured:
"I know Xiao Zhang... He's a stubborn mule."
"A guy who dreams every day of defeating me—do you think he'd give up in the middle of a breakthrough?"
"We have to believe in him. Just like you did in me, Boss Su Bai—when you trusted that I could tame my Honedge."
He glanced at his Honedge beside him.
The Pokémon's single eye blinked with a smile of approval.
And at that moment—
Xiao Zhang's body trembled ever so slightly.