"I can sense the aura of all things in heaven and earth. This aura… it can also be understood as energy, or as a kind of wave…"
"And in this world, that energy is known as Aura!"
"Then… does that mean I'm an Aura Guardian?!"
In that instant, Yozora grasped the truth.
Only now did he realize—the ability he had possessed since childhood was actually something so remarkable: the Power of Aura!
In this world, everything contained energy—some strong, some weak.
This inner current of energy was known as Aura.
Because of its unique nature, most people could not perceive it. Only a very rare few were able to sense Aura, and such people were born Aura Guardians!
"Not only that… Aura Guardians can do more than just sense Aura. They can wield it. For example, gathering the Aura within their body and then releasing it as… an Aura Sphere!"
Muttering under his breath, Yozora suddenly thrust out his hand.
In that moment, a glowing blue orb of energy formed in his palm. Seeing this, Yozora's face lit with joy—but his excitement caused the energy to destabilize…
The barely condensed Aura Sphere immediately dissipated into nothingness.
Yozora felt a trace of regret, but far more joy.
He had realized it now. His failure just then was simply due to lack of practice. With time and training, he would surely be able to master it.
"Compared to Aura Sphere, for now, I should focus on using my sensing ability more…" Yozora chuckled inwardly, and once again set off with Charmander at his side.
This time, however, he constantly reached out with his Aura, searching for the breath—the wave—of Moon Stones.
By the time he reached the fifth floor, his harvest was astonishing. In addition to the eight stones he had taken from Team Rocket at the start, he had dug out sixteen more.
Of course, every single one of them was a flawed Moon Stone.
From this, it was clear: mid-grade or even high-grade Moon Stones were truly rare treasures.
Upon reaching the fifth floor, Yozora noticed a group of people gathered ahead.
Their clothing was luxurious, and one of them, like him, held a golden shovel.
The others seemed to be laughing at that person.
"Hahaha! Hey, Everett, are you really that stupid? You actually spent a full five hundred thousand just to buy a shovel? He told you it was a golden shovel and you actually believed him? You've got no brains at all. To me, that thing's clearly just an ordinary shovel with a layer of gold paint slapped on!"
"Yeah, Everett, if it were really a golden shovel that boosted treasure-hunting rates, then you'd have gotten something by now. Why are you still just like us, not even unearthing a single stone?"
"Haha, this is killing me. A plain old shovel, painted gold, sold for five hundred thousand… and someone actually bought it!"
"Right? Too easy to make money this way…"
Their mocking laughter left Everett's face burning red with shame. He could not get a word out.
At that moment, Yozora walked over openly, golden shovel slung over his shoulder.
He froze suddenly. Something tugged at his senses. He stepped aside, pointed to the ground, and began digging furiously.
"…"
The sight left the group speechless for a beat, before they burst into wild laughter. Some laughed so hard that tears ran down their faces.
"Hahaha…"
A blond youth clutched Everett's shoulder, laughing so hard he could barely breathe. "Everett, I never thought there'd be someone even dumber than you!"
Everett forced a smile, casting Yozora a look of sympathy.
Just by appearance, he could tell Yozora was nothing but a commoner.
Everett, on the other hand, was the son of a wealthy merchant. To him, five hundred thousand was nothing—being tricked was just a joke among peers, no real harm done.
But for a commoner like that boy? To him, five hundred thousand must have been a fortune.Wouldn't his life become terribly difficult after this?
The thought filled Everett with a faint, inexplicable sense of superiority.
The others only laughed harder.
But then—
When Yozora climbed out of the pit, clutching a vivid green stone in his arms, everyone present froze.
The blond boy's smile stiffened instantly. He stared at the stone for a long moment before blurting out in shock:
"That luster… pure emerald green, with almost no impurities… it can't be wrong. That's a mid-grade Moon Stone! Worth over a million!"
The words struck like thunder. Everyone, Everett included, was struck dumb.
A million-Pokédollar treasure stone—none of them had found even a single one after all this time. Yet this boy had casually dug one up right in front of them.
Could it be… the golden shovel really worked?!
"Hey, I'll give you a million—sell me that golden shovel!" a black-haired youth stepped forward.
"Thank you for your business."
Yozora smiled faintly and agreed without hesitation. A million hit his account in an instant.
Golden shovel? Pure nonsense. Without the Power of Aura, not even a diamond shovel would have helped.
"Idiot! There's no such thing as a golden shovel. That brat just got lucky! Jin, you're just as much a fool as Yihao!"
The blond youth, furious that someone had actually bought it for even more—at a million—glared at Yozora with barely concealed malice.
Yozora only shrugged, unconcerned. The money was already his—why care what they thought?
As an Aura Guardian, he could clearly feel the intent within others' Aura, whether warm or dark.
He knew these youths weren't truly malicious. They were simply born into privilege, used to looking down on others, carrying an innate sense of superiority.
Yozora didn't care—but he certainly felt no goodwill toward them.
He also noticed that each of them wore the same badge on their chest. Not a Gym Badge, but an insignia of the Pokémon Technical Institute.
The so-called Pokémon Tech was a cradle for the children of the wealthy. Its tuition fees were astronomical, far beyond the reach of ordinary families.
Of course, such outrageous tuition did come with certain benefits.
It was said that…
Students of the Institute's junior division had strength equivalent to Trainers with two Gym Badges.
Students of the intermediate division were equal to Trainers with four Gym Badges.
Those of the advanced division rivaled six-badge Trainers.
And graduates? Supposedly, they possessed the strength of eight-badge Trainers… so much so that any Institute graduate could bypass the usual Gym challenge requirement and directly participate in the regional League Conference.
Yozora remained unimpressed. Such things… only a fool would believe.
How could flowers raised in a greenhouse ever grow truly strong?If they really had strength, wouldn't it be more convincing to go out and win the Badges themselves?
Still, the League had its difficulties. After all, these were the sons and daughters of magnates and tycoons. If they spent that much money and got no privileges at all, it would hardly make sense.
(End of Chapter)