Right now, Xiao Zhang felt like he was drowning.
But unlike someone gasping helplessly for air, there was a single, persistent thought echoing through his mind—
"I must become stronger!"
That one thought anchored his flickering consciousness, keeping him tethered to sanity amidst the chaos.
Aura surged in from all directions like crashing waves—disorganized, wild, and overwhelming. It neutralized every emotion he had, leaving only that single, burning will.
The desire to grow stronger remained untouched.
And Pei Jingguo, the man Xiao Zhang had always chased after, knew him all too well.
"That guy's a stubborn mule!"
"He might give up on anything else, but he'll never give up on getting stronger!"
Within the trance of Aura guidance, Xiao Zhang shouldn't have been able to hear anything from the outside world.
Yet strangely, amid the storm of chaotic Aura, the pulse radiating from Pei Jingguo's own Aura managed to reach him—delivering that one, unwavering belief.
In the endless dark void Xiao Zhang was trapped in, his own Aura flickered—
A spark of defiance erupted in his mind, charging deep into the core of his being!
It was like a single ray of light piercing through the black.
And though that light sprang from his obsessive need to defeat Pei Jingguo…
It was enough to pull him back.
"You've got some nerve, calling me a stubborn mule…"
"You damn freak!"
Lucario's eyes went wide in disbelief.
Suddenly, Xiao Zhang's mouth opened—and those words tumbled out.
Then, with a gasp, he broke free from his rigid, trance-like state and collapsed heavily to the ground, landing on his rear with a thud.
"Pei Jingguo… Even if I die, I'm gonna beat you before I go!"
Xiao Zhang's face was drenched in sweat, as if he'd just clawed his way out of death itself. Escaping from the Aura realm had clearly drained him deeply.
Despite his strong fighter's physique, his lips were pale as paper.
Pei Jingguo immediately let go of Lucario's wrists, broke into hearty laughter, and clapped Xiao Zhang on the shoulder.
"That's the Xiao Zhang I know! I knew you could pull through!"
Xiao Zhang weakly took the bottle of water offered to him, his gaze conflicted as he looked at Pei Jingguo.
"I… owe you one."
But then, as if embarrassed by his moment of vulnerability, he quickly downed a large gulp of water and added stubbornly:
"Once I beat you, I'll try to make it look less humiliating—for your sake. Consider us even."
Pei Jingguo chuckled and said nothing. He simply hugged his longsword and sat back down on the stone, smiling quietly.
At the Pokémon Center
Everyone watching through the monitor—Su Bai, Zhu Jianyuan, and the others—finally let out a collective breath of relief.
"He's okay… thank goodness."
Lu Liangpeng's face had gone pale, and he thumped his chest repeatedly to calm his nerves.
Behind him, Mr. Mime extended a large hand, gently patting the old principal on the back.
Clearly, Pei Jingguo's sudden interference with Lucario's Aura rescue had given the elderly principal quite a fright.
Su Bai stared at the screen and muttered:
"He made it out… Did he really grasp the power of Aura?"
Even without knowing the exact details, one thing was obvious—Xiao Zhang had been in grave danger just moments ago.
If it hadn't been life-threatening, Lucario would never have panicked so intensely.
So… had all that effort and risk paid off?
"Ruu…"
Lucario let out a hesitant growl, looking at the now-conscious Xiao Zhang with uncertainty.
Su Bai glanced at Diancie, and the Jewel Pokémon immediately began to translate Lucario's thoughts.
"The power of Aura is the power of the soul."
"Only those with truly kind and just hearts can comprehend it."
"Such individuals are willing to give up everything for what they believe is right."
"When awakening Articuno, Xiao Zhang and the other trainers did show that kind of resolve."
"That's why Lucario was willing to help guide him into the Aura."
As Diancie translated with animated gestures, Su Bai gradually pieced together the full picture.
Aura is a force of the spirit—of the heart.
To understand it is to perceive the Aura of all things, and to send one's own Aura in return.
When trained to its peak, Aura can even allow telepathic connection, enabling minds to communicate directly.
Of course, just having a "righteous heart" doesn't guarantee mastery of Aura.
To truly wield it, one must possess both the moral strength and the innate potential.
Xiao Zhang's actions had merely earned him the opportunity to be guided.
Whether he could actually master it—would depend on his own abilities.
Lucario had believed Xiao Zhang could do it.
But for some reason, Xiao Zhang had still lost himself within the Aura realm.
On this point, Su Bai actually understood the situation better than Lucario did.
"Aura originates from the world of Pokémon," Su Bai murmured. "Without the system's help, assimilating power from another universe was never going to be easy."
Even eating food has to suit your taste—so how could something like Aura, a spiritual force foreign to this world, integrate seamlessly into the body of someone from here?
In this world, an Awakener's strength system was fundamentally different.
Martial artists cultivated energy and physical strength.
Whereas Aura required mental and emotional discipline.
The two were essentially incompatible.
By all logic, Xiao Zhang—who had never even touched the concept of Aura before—shouldn't have been able to claw his way out of that spiritual storm on his own.
But somehow… after receiving Pei Jingguo's unwavering belief—
Xiao Zhang's stubborn will to never give up was awakened.
That defiance, that refusal to lose, just so happened to resonate with the spirit-centric philosophy of Aura.
And that resonance… carved out a path for Xiao Zhang in the midst of the chaos.
A jumbled, chaotic breakthrough—but a breakthrough nonetheless.
Su Bai stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"So… has he actually mastered Aura now?"
"Martial artists cultivate strength and energy. Aura focuses on the mind and heart…"
"If that guy really has learned Aura, he might actually have a shot at surpassing Pei Jingguo one day."
"But something still feels off…"
Even though Xiao Zhang had emerged from the Aura realm, Lucario didn't look convinced. He still seemed… unsure.
Xiao Zhang downed the last of the water and exhaled slowly.
Then, under Lucario's tense stare…
He closed his eyes and slowly raised one hand.
"It should be something like this, right?"
"Feel the Aura… guide the Aura…"
This time, Xiao Zhang didn't fall back into that chaotic storm.
It felt… different.
Like learning to walk—once you figured it out, you never forgot.
Even Xiao Zhang couldn't explain why he could suddenly sense Aura.
But one thing was clear:
He had taken the first real step toward controlling it.
"Aura Sphere!"
With a deep breath and a firm shout, Xiao Zhang thrust out his palm.
Lucario's eyes bulged in disbelief.
"Ruuuu?!?"
Aura Sphere?!
You just learned to sense Aura and now you're casting Aura Sphere?
Had it misjudged him this whole time? Was this human actually a genius?
Even Pei Jingguo—lounging beside his longsword—looked up in surprise, all attention now focused on Xiao Zhang.
In the Pokémon Center, Su Bai and the others held their breath.
Xiao Zhang extended his arm, and a faint light began to swirl around it.
His face strained as if struggling to maintain it—
And then… BANG!
"Pfffffft…"
A sound barely louder than a wet fart burst from his palm.
A tiny, pathetically weak blob of Aura drifted out.
It floated gently to the ground… and nudged a pebble.
The pebble rolled half an inch… and stopped.
Silence.
"Oh, for f*ck's sake!"
Back at the Pokémon Center, Su Bai couldn't hold back a string of curses.
"You had us thinking you were about to unleash some Heaven-Piercing Dragon Palm, and that's what we get?!"
"You seriously call that an Aura Sphere?!"
"Even the stray dog passing by would be embarrassed!"