The performance of Ash's Lucario completely redefined Korrina and Gurkinn's understanding of Pokémon battles, showing them that a Pokémon's level wasn't everything.
It was a revelation for Misty and the others as well, opening up a whole new world of possibilities.
In the past, Ash relied on three main methods to battle opponents stronger than his team: Mega Evolution, Aura Fusion, and the power of Legendary Pokémon.
That last method was accessible to only a select few Pokémon—such as Venusaur and Charizard.
Beyond those three standard tactics, Ash also possessed Pikachu's Bond Phenomenon form; while similar in principle to Mega Evolution, it granted an even greater boost in overall power.
Now, Ash had gained yet another method for overcoming superior opponents—though this one was exclusive to Lucario.
Unleashing one's full potential—100% of it—is easy to talk about, but how many Pokémon in reality could actually achieve it? Not a single one.
At least, none among the Pokémon owned by typical Trainers; Legendary Pokémon or those that had reached the "Divine Realm" were a different story entirely.
It was no wonder Korrina was tempted; the prospect was simply too alluring.
This wasn't just about a sudden surge of power in battle; it meant achieving twice the results with half the effort during daily training. If she could master this power, her Pokémon's growth would see a massive, qualitative leap.
Korrina knew, however, that this was merely a fleeting, unrealistic wish.
Not only was Ash preparing for the Silver Conference, but even if he had the time—why would a complete stranger...
...go out of his way to train her Pokémon?
Korrina had only made the comment as a joke.
Yet, after a moment of thought, Ash looked at her seriously.
"I really can't spare the time to train your Pokémon specifically; I'm already fully occupied looking after my own team. However, if Gym Leader Korrina needs, I can give you the training method for controlling Aura."
Ash had never been a stingy person. To him, the technique for controlling Aura wasn't some closely guarded secret that couldn't be shared.
Besides, he had gained a great deal from his time with Korrina. The battle had enabled him to help Lucario harness that unique power—something that might have otherwise taken a long time to achieve. He felt a sense of gratitude toward both Korrina and Gurkinn.
Throughout his journey, he had received selfless help and gifts from many Gym Leaders; now, it was his turn to give back.
Korrina was taken aback by his words and hurriedly waved her hands in refusal.
"No, no! I was just joking—how could I possibly ask you to hand over your training method? That's your exclusive technique!"
She knew full well that for a Trainer with a Lucario, such a training method was more precious than even a Pseudo-Legendary or Legendary Pokémon. How could she accept such a gift for nothing? It would be far too shameless—even though, deep down, she truly longed for it.
"It's alright," Ash said with a smile, waving his hand dismissively.
"Keeping something like this under wraps doesn't make it any more valuable. It's better to share it so that more Trainers raising Lucario can benefit. Besides, it's not something you can master just by glancing at it; even with the method, success depends on talent and hard work. You'll need to be prepared for that, Gym Leader Korrina."
"But..."
"Korrina, accept it," Gurkinn suddenly spoke up.
His words left Korrina stunned. Why would her grandfather say that?
Accepting such a significant gift without a clear reason felt...
"Don't worry, I'm not asking you to take advantage of Ash. Here, take this, Ash." Gurkinn unfastened a cloth pouch from his waist and handed it over.
Ash exchanged a glance with Pikachu and took the pouch. "Old Man Gurkinn, what is this...?"
He weighed it in his hand; it was surprisingly heavy. What could possibly be inside such a small pouch?
"Just open it and see for yourself." Gurkinn tilted his chin upward, signaling him to go ahead and open it.
Ash didn't stand on ceremony and untied the cloth bag. A smooth, round gemstone came into view, bearing a unique pattern carved into its center—
"A Mega Stone?!" Ash looked up in surprise.
He never expected Gurkinn to offer a Mega Stone in exchange. He had originally intended to share the training method with Korrina for free, without asking for anything in return.
However, it was clear that neither Gurkinn nor Korrina felt comfortable accepting such a gift without giving something back.
That was why Gurkinn chose to offer a Mega Stone in exchange.
Although Mega Stones had become somewhat more common over time, their numbers were still a mere drop in the ocean compared to the vast number of Trainers worldwide.
A single Mega Stone on the market could even be traded for the Egg of a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon—a testament to just how precious they were.
By offering a Mega Stone, Gurkinn was making a significant investment. While it was hard to say whether the Aura training method or the Mega Stone was more valuable, the difference between the two likely wasn't huge.
After all, Ash was merely providing a training method; he wasn't guaranteeing that Korrina's Lucario would achieve the same results as his own—specifically, the ability to manipulate Aura to unleash 100% of its energy.
Thus, the two items were roughly comparable in value.
The issue, however, was that Ash hadn't expected any reward at all. Just as he was about to decline, Gurkinn cut in: "Please accept it, Ash. If you don't, Korrina and I won't be able to accept your training method either."
"Exactly. We couldn't possibly accept such a precious training secret for free with a clear conscience," Korrina added, nodding repeatedly in agreement.
"Well... alright then. Thank you, Gym Leader Korrina, and you too, Elder Gurkinn. As for the training method—I'll write it down for you in a little while." Ash hesitated for a moment, then finally tightened his grip on the bag and nodded to the two of them.
He could sense a familiar power emanating from this Mega Stone—a power that belonged to Lucario!
However, the color of the markings at the center of this Mega Stone was completely different from that of Lucario's standard Mega Stone; this implied that it could unlock a different Mega Evolved form for Lucario.
To think that Lucario actually had two Mega Evolved forms—the experts in the group chat had never mentioned that to him.
"Um... I'd like to ask, which Pokémon does this Mega Stone belong to?" Ash could sense the power within the stone, but Misty and the others couldn't.
Misty, who was holding Togepi, asked Korrina and her grandfather out of curiosity. Korrina looked at her grandfather with a puzzled expression; she had no idea which Pokémon the stone belonged to—or even when her family had acquired it in the first place.
Gurkinn paused before speaking: "I don't know either. This stone was passed down through the generations alongside Lucario's Mega Stone. Our family possesses three Mega Stones in total: two are for Lucario, and this is the third one."
"We did wonder if this might be another Mega Stone for Lucario, since research shows that a single Pokémon can have multiple Mega Evolved forms. However, tests revealed that Lucario didn't react to it at all."
"Furthermore, nothing matching its appearance has ever appeared in the official Mega Stone encyclopedia, so it remains a mystery which Pokémon it actually belongs to."
There are still many Pokémon capable of Mega Evolution that have yet to be discovered, so the appearance of an unknown Mega Stone isn't unusual; regardless, that didn't diminish the stone's value.
After a moment of silence, Ash spoke up: "Actually, this is a Mega Stone for Lucario."
"Lucario?! That's impossible—my Lucario didn't react to it at all!" At these words, Gurkinn—who had remained unflappable until then—wore an expression of disbelief.
He had previously tested this specific Mega Stone on his own Lucario, but the result was that nothing happened.
The other two ancestral Mega Stones worked instantly, whether used with his Lucario or Korrina's.
For a Pokémon to undergo Mega Evolution, a bond between the Pokémon and its trainer is required in addition to the Mega Stone and Key Stone.
There was no doubt about the bonds Gurkinn and Korrina shared with their respective Pokémon; one was a longtime companion, the other a partner who had grown up alongside them—their connections were unbreakable.
Therefore, a failure to Mega Evolve due to an insufficient bond was clearly out of the question.
Nor could that particular Mega Stone be the one meant for Lucario.
"I'm telling the truth. If you sense it using Aura, you'll find that this stone resonates with the fundamental genetic essence within Lucario. It's just that... the stone's power seems to be locked away, which is why Lucario shows absolutely no reaction to it."
Ash's claim couldn't be verified; after all, aside from Ash's Lucario, there was no one else present capable of using Aura.
However, neither Gurkinn nor Korrina's Lucario had reacted to the stone in the slightest—and they, too, were capable of manipulating Aura.
If they hadn't detected it, then Ash's Aura must simply be something more unique.
Neither Gurkinn nor his granddaughter doubted the truth of Ash's words; there was no point in lying about such a matter, and Ash wasn't the type of person to deceive others.
So... was this really the Mega Stone meant for Lucario?
"It doesn't matter if it's the right Mega Stone for Lucario or not. I said I'd give it to you, so take it. If it eventually allows Lucario to evolve into a new form, just let this old man take a look at it then." Gurkinn didn't dwell on it too much.
He had already given away the Evolution Stone; how it was used or which Pokémon it was for was up to Ash.
If it truly turned out to be another Mega Evolution form for Lucario, he would be just as happy.
After all, it was a new form discovered by his own family—
—a new form!
As for whether to use it on his own Pokémon, that didn't really matter; he and his granddaughter already possessed a Lucario Mega Stone, so even if another form existed, it wouldn't allow for a further tier of evolution.
Unless that form represented a state higher than the standard Mega Lucario—like an evolution beyond Mega Evolution—it wouldn't be of much practical use.
That was why Gurkinn could be so nonchalant about it.
"In that case, I'll accept the stone. Thanks, Old Man Gurkinn, Gym Leader Korrina."
"Just call me Korrina; hearing 'Gym Leader' over and over sounds a bit weird." Korrina patted Ash on the shoulder, a bright smile on her face.
Although she had served as a Gym Leader for some time, she wasn't used to being addressed by the title constantly—especially not by someone her own age.
Besides, she didn't want to create distance between herself and Ash; she considered him a friend, and constantly being called "Gym Leader" would change the nature of their relationship.
"Alright, we'll be heading off soon, Korrina. I'll write down the training methods for controlling Aura right now." Ash nodded and changed how he addressed her.
Gurkinn brought out paper and a pen from inside the Gym and handed them to Ash. Ash held the pen with an air of confidence... but one second, two seconds, and then three seconds passed, and everyone noticed the tip of his pen still hadn't touched the paper.
"Um... haha, I think I don't actually know how to write it down." Ash looked up and gave an awkward, sheepish smile.
Pikachu flopped straight onto the ground, unable to bear looking at his Trainer; Misty pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head helplessly, while Brock and Serena also wore expressions of awkwardness.
"I knew it! You were so confident about writing down the training method for Aura, Ash, but in reality, you've always taught your Pokémon through hands-on experience—
—you don't know a thing about the theory behind it!" Misty remarked with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
While Ash was certainly skilled when it came to using Aura, teaching others was a completely different story.
Ash could only teach through physical demonstration; trying to explain the theory was like speaking a foreign language. It was already a minor miracle if he could manage a vague "do it like this and that," let alone provide a detailed explanation.
"Ahem! What kind of talk is that? Who says I can't teach? Just you watch!" Feeling a bit put on the spot, Ash retorted defiantly before stepping up to Korrina.
He then extended two fingers and pressed them against Korrina's smooth, fair forehead.
Korrina looked at Ash, who was now mere inches away. It was the first time a male other than a family member had touched her forehead, yet she felt no aversion—only curiosity about what Ash was doing.
"Hang on a sec, Korrina. I'm going to use Aura to transmit the memories of how I use it directly to you. It's much faster than learning the theory!" As Ash spoke, the Aura energy within him began to flow into Korrina's body.
This method of instruction was actually quite similar to the time with the chat group; however, the chat group had done more than just impart training techniques—it had directly transferred the Aura of the "Hero of Aura" (Ash) into the recipient, allowing for an instant, massive leap in power.
In this instance, he was merely transmitting knowledge to Korrina.
While it wasn't as extraordinary as the chat group's simultaneous transfer of power and knowledge, for an ordinary person, it was still a miraculous feat!
Korrina could clearly sense a new set of memories and knowledge appearing in her mind—information regarding Aura...