Auron blinked.
He looked up and found that the hand pressing down on the Pokémon egg belonged to Soren Li.
"What exactly do you want?"
He was mildly exasperated. How was this guy still following him around like a ghost?
"Fight me."
Soren said it with complete sincerity—face dead serious, reason simple. He didn't have any complicated agenda. He just wanted a match against Auron.
Auron spread his hands. "My Pokémon aren't with me right now. How am I supposed to fight you?"
Soren grinned, flashing two rows of bright white teeth. "Heh—not my problem."
That was such a ridiculous answer that Auron actually laughed. "Fine. Let's do it, then."
"When?"
"Give me a minute. I'll call them over."
Soren nodded. "Sure, works for me." He stepped aside and trained his eyes on Auron with obvious curiosity.
Auron smiled, tucked the Pokémon egg into Serena's arms, and began making his preparations. *Today I'm going to leave a lasting impression on you, whether you like it or not.*
"Should I lend you my Pokémon in the meantime?" Serena asked with some concern as she watched Auron close his eyes.
"Same here, sensei—mine are available too," Tim added.
"Ours as well." Lena gave him a quick nod.
Auron opened his eyes and looked at his friends' worried expressions. "Tim, put your Pokémon away. I've got it handled. Don't worry about any of it—I'll beat him so badly his own mother won't recognize him."
Tim laughed. "Okay, I believe you."
Once everyone had settled, Auron closed his eyes again and began releasing Aura.
In an instant, his vision shifted to grey. His awareness cut through every barrier in its path and spread outward—countless Aura signatures lit up across the grey expanse, four of them blazing far brighter than the rest.
At the same moment, back at the research institute: Ashen Vale, Grandpa Ashford, and both their Lucarios all felt the pulse reach them and locked onto Auron's wavelength.
*"Lucario—feel like making a trip?"*
*"I'll go."*
*"Works for me."*
Ashen's Lucario jumped at the idea and immediately signaled to the other Lucario through the Aura channel.
Grandpa Ashford's Lucario had no objections. It gave Auron a nod through the Aura-space and quietly withdrew. Ashen and Grandpa Ashford each pulled back their own Aura and returned to whatever they'd been doing.
Neither of them knew exactly what Auron was up to—but since he hadn't called for them personally, they understood: nothing to worry about. Nothing serious.
*"I want to come too! Auron, it's been so long!"*
Just as Auron was about to close the connection, another presence muscled its way into the Aura Chat Group.
His thoughts clicked immediately—he knew exactly who it was. A smile crossed his face. *"Sure. When Lucario comes through, have it bring you along. It knows how to find me."*
*"Got it! Woohoo!"*
Auron opened his eyes and turned to Soren Li, offering a slow, unreadable smile.
"Come on—battle room first."
He said it to the group, then turned and crooked a finger at Soren.
Soren fell into step without hesitation, following them toward the back of the Pokémon shop.
When Auron had designed the shop, he'd deliberately set aside a section in the back—a space modeled after the battle floors of an official Pokémon Training Center, complete with a compact arena and a full spread of training equipment. He'd built it from day one. This was, somehow, the first time he'd actually used any of it.
Behind the training room was also a hidden door connecting directly to the breeding grounds of the research institute. That was precisely why Auron had been able to call for help so easily.
They'd barely settled in when the hidden door swung open and two Pokémon stepped through.
Ashen Vale's Lucario. And Grandpa Ashford's Kommo-o.
The last-second voice in the Aura Chat Group had been none other than Grandpa Ashford's Kommo-o. Unlike Ashen, Grandpa Ashford, and both their Lucarios—who had all joined the moment Auron's Aura swept past them—Kommo-o had actually been one of the *first* Pokémon Auron's signal had reached. The instant he felt that familiar wavelength, he'd recognized it and immediately started pushing his way into the connection. And yet, for all that early start, he'd still only made it in at the very last second—instead of joining naturally, the way the others had.
Even so, that was already something. After all, Ashen's own Kommo-o still couldn't *proactively* enter an Aura Chat Group at all.
"Woohoo!"
"Long time no see, Kommo-o."
Auron greeted Grandpa Ashford's Kommo-o with a grin.
The two Kommo-o were the same species and polar opposites in temperament. Ashen's Kommo-o was a homebody—if there was no pressing reason to leave, he practically never came out of his personal training room. Grandpa Ashford's Kommo-o was the exact reverse: if there was no pressing reason to stay inside, he refused to be indoors. Outside of eating and sleeping, he was always out roaming. Even lying under a tree catching some sun beat four walls and a ceiling as far as he was concerned.
Right when Auron's Aura had swept past, Grandpa Ashford's Kommo-o had been stretched out peacefully under a tree in the breeding grounds, soaking up the afternoon sun.
"Since your Pokémon are here—let's begin."
When those two apparently unremarkable Pokémon walked in, Soren was briefly thrown. He pushed past it and pressed forward. He'd been waiting long enough. Even if these weren't the Pokémon from Auron's freshman tournament roster, it didn't matter—everyone had more than two Pokémon on hand.
*Shame, though,* he thought privately. *I was hoping for a Charizard-versus-Charizard match. Word is, he has one.*
Auron smiled, then glanced at the two Pokémon. "Which one of you is going first?"
Lucario stepped forward—but before it got there, Kommo-o's small claws snagged it and tugged it back.
Lucario conceded with a resigned smile and gestured: *go ahead, all yours.*
Auron didn't particularly care which one went. This was basically a stomp match—either would do.
He took up his position on the arena floor, Kommo-o at his side, radiating barely-contained excitement and pride.