Seeing Golbat return to normal, Auron Vale smiled in satisfaction.
Then, following his daily routine, he began jogging laps around the clearing.
Inside Ashen Vale's research lab…
A shadow slipped quietly inside.
Off in the distance, beneath the waterfall, a humanoid Pokémon was still training in the water.
Suddenly, it turned its head sharply, its gaze locking on a patch of undergrowth.
From within the bushes, another humanoid-shaped shadow slowly emerged.
"What do you want from me? Sneaking around like that isn't a good look."
Ashen's hands didn't stop moving as he wrote in his report, but the threat in his voice was clear to anyone listening.
"Came to borrow something from you," the figure said as it approached.
"Not much of an attitude for asking a favour," Ashen replied flatly.
The figure placed a hand on Ashen's shoulder, leaning in close to his ear.
"Then tell me—what is the proper attitude for borrowing something?"
Ashen, annoyed, slapped the man's hand away.
"Let me finish writing this paragraph, then I'll deal with you."
As the light gradually illuminated the figure's face, his features became clear—a man in his thirties with neatly cropped hair and a hint of stubble on his chin.
Having his hand swatted away didn't faze him in the slightest. Still smiling faintly, he tilted his head to sneak a glance at what Ashen was writing.
With the light casting sharp angles on both their faces, the scene looked dangerously like the kind that would fuel fujoshi imaginations.
Ashen turned his head away and leaned back.
"Get lost! Can't you let me finish in peace?"
Ashen glared at him irritably.
"Haha, who knows how long you'd take if I let you be? This is the quickest way to snap you out of writing mode," the man said with a chuckle.
Ashen had a mild touch of germophobia and didn't like people getting too close—especially to his face. The only one allowed near there was his wife.
Fixing the man with a look, Ashen said, "Your old man's staking you out in Vantora, you know. You've got some nerve showing up here."
At that, the man's expression soured, the easy smile disappearing.
"What can I do? The official notice came down—the Secret Realm's about to open. I can't avoid it."
This middle-aged man was none other than Flint Jonas's son, Dax Jonas.
He'd already heard that Flint was lying in wait for him in Vantora, but skipping out wasn't an option. The Dragon Nation authorities had issued the assignment, and he'd already accepted. Changing personnel at this point wasn't realistic.
In fact, the officials were probably hoping Flint would get a chance to give him a good scolding—maybe even force him to settle down and have children. A top-tier Trainer who spent all his time wandering without starting a family was, in their eyes, a waste of good lineage. They didn't want to see such talent die out.
If Dax had requested to be replaced, the authorities would have found endless excuses to refuse.
Ashen twirled the pen in his fingers.
"Fair enough. When does the Secret Realm open?"
"Probably in the next couple of days. The spatial fluctuations are getting stronger."
"Alright. My son's going in too—keep an eye on him for me."
Dax raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Your son? Little Ze? Been a long time since I've seen him—wonder if he even remembers his uncle."
"Wait, hold on. Isn't he taking the college entrance exams this year? Didn't he just get his first Pokémon a couple of months ago? Why's he going into the Secret Realm already?"
Something seemed to click for Dax as he spoke, and his eyes widened.
Ashen rubbed his temples.
"Tell me about it. I've got a headache over it myself. But he's insistent. What can I do? He's already asked for my Gengar to protect him."
Dax relaxed at that.
"Well, if your Gengar's with him, he'll be fine. That thing's a beast."
"For extra safety, I'm planning to send Lucario with him too. But still—you'd better watch over him. He's your nephew."
Dax waved it off.
"Sure, no problem. With Lucario and Gengar along, I'll just be the chaperone. Piece of cake."
Then Dax suddenly started grinning.
Ashen narrowed his eyes.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. Bisharp's here too."
Ashen smirked.
"Brought him along, huh? Have they fought yet?"
"Almost."
Right on cue, a loud BOOM erupted outside.
Dax spread his hands.
"Now they have."
Ashen's eyes lit up with interest.
"Shall we go watch?"
"Let's."
Beneath the waterfall…
The moment Lucario sensed the shadow, he hurled an azure-blue Aura Sphere straight at it.
The black figure's forearms gleamed silver as it brought them up in a Slash, cleaving the Aura Sphere cleanly in two.
The split projectiles whistled past on either side, slamming heavily into the ground behind.
BOOM!
The dark figure stepped into the light—a Bisharp, its expression hard and cold.
With a flick of its wrist, it levelled one arm-blade at Lucario, the tip pointing straight at him.
Lucario allowed the faintest of smiles, nodding once.
Bisharp caught the gesture and lunged forward, arms crossed before its chest. Green light flared as it brought both blades down in a savage arc.
Lucario didn't flinch. In his hand, Aura energy condensed into a long, staff-like bone weapon.
Only when Bisharp's strike was nearly upon him did Lucario raise the bone to block.
Bisharp missed the opening and, without pause, coated its blades in silver-white light again, hacking at Lucario in rapid succession.
Lucario's defence was flawless. With the bone staff in hand, he met each Slash perfectly, his timing precise.
After several exchanges, Lucario suddenly struck back, smashing Bisharp away several paces.
Now it was time to counterattack.
In a blur of Extreme Speed, Lucario closed the gap. Bone staff in his left hand, his right fist gathered biting cold—Ice Punch!
At that moment, Auron appeared at the edge of the battlefield, eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the two battling Pokémon.
A few moments earlier…
While running laps around the clearing, Auron had heard a loud crash nearby.
Startled, he sprinted toward the sound. Months of regular training had left him quick on his feet, so it didn't take him long to get there.
Even so, by the time he arrived, Lucario and Bisharp had already exchanged several blows.
He saw Lucario drive an Ice Punch toward Bisharp. The Steel-type crossed its arms to block, absorbing the blow but still being knocked back a good distance.
Auron felt a rush of excitement, barely restraining himself from shouting encouragement. He recognised Lucario immediately as his father's partner, but had no idea where the Bisharp had come from.
Neither Pokémon paid the human observer any mind.
Lucario chuckled softly and pressed the attack.
Exploiting the moment while Bisharp was still steadying itself, he closed in and swung his bone staff in a cross-shaped strike. The blow landed before Bisharp could dodge.
This time, Bisharp didn't just stumble back—it was sent flying, tumbling end over end.
Auron's pulse quickened. He recognised the move as Cross Chop—a Fighting-type technique that was four times as effective against Bisharp's Dark/Steel typing. If it had been a critical hit, Bisharp might not have been able to stand at all.
Unfortunately, it wasn't. Under both Auron's and Lucario's gaze, Bisharp pushed itself upright from the water, using its arms for support.
Lucario gave his bone staff a twirl before levelling it sharply at Bisharp once more.
(End of Chapter)
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