"Grandfather!" Korrina exclaimed in surprise.
The person who arrived was indeed Korrina's grandfather, the former Gym Leader of Shalour Gym—Gurkinn.
Gurkinn walked up to Ash, inspecting the young boy before him with his cloudy yet sharp eyes. After a long while, he sighed lightly, "In all my years, this is the first time I've seen a human cultivate their Aura Power to such an extent. No wonder Lucario was so out of control. The Aura Power within you has probably reached the Champion Level, or maybe even the Champion Peak Level?"
"Grandfather, what are you saying?! How is that possible!!" Korrina looked at Ash in disbelief.
Aura Power at the Champion Peak Level, this meant Ash possessed combat strength on the Champion Peak Level, yet Ash was just a human!
Humans possessing the combat strength of a Champion Peak... can this even be considered human?
"It's not impossible," Gurkinn shook his head, his gaze still fixed on Ash.
"According to legend, a thousand years ago, there was an Aura Guardian named Aaron, who calmed a world-class turmoil relying on Aura Power. It is said that the Lucario by his side reached the Divine Domain Level." Gurkinn explained slowly.
Speaking of this, his gaze on Ash was filled with emotion: "The story of the Divine Domain Level Lucario cannot be verified; no one knows whether it's true or false. But the existence of the Aura Guardian who quelled the turmoil is indeed real."
"Although I don't possess Aura Power, I am a trainer of a Lucario at the Elite Peak, so I am quite sensitive to Aura Power. Ash, your Aura Power might not be inferior to Aaron from a thousand years ago."
Silence fell over the audience.
Misty and the others knew that Ash was strong, but they never imagined his Aura Power could reach a level comparable to the legendary Aura Guardian.
Ash, himself, scratched his head a bit sheepishly, "Well... it's actually not that exaggerated."
In truth, Gurkinn's guess was still too conservative. The Aura Power in his body far exceeded the Champion Peak Level, but there was no need to reveal the reality. It wouldn't be good to scare them——Korrina was already quite frightened.
"With such Aura, it's no wonder you were able to train your Lucario to be so strong. You didn't come to Shalour Gym just for a chat this time, Ash. You're here to challenge, right?"
"Yes." Ash nodded, his expression turning serious, "I want to challenge Gym Leader Korrina."
Korrina's Lucario's behavior and attitude were unexpected, but this small interlude did not make Ash forget his main purpose in coming to Shalour Gym, which was to challenge Korrina.
Ash had never let his Lucario battle against its kind. Although Korrina's Lucario was inferior in level to his, Pokémon battles were not solely determined by levels. Sparring with a fellow species would definitely allow Lucario to understand something.
"Alright, then I will act as the judge. Shall we change the rules to one-on-one? Both you, Ash, and Korrina, are likely eager for your Lucarios to face off, right? A three-on-three battle would be a bit cumbersome," Gurkinn suggested.
"Of course, we can!" Korrina's eyes lit up. Naturally, she wanted her Lucario to spar with Ash's Lucario. Now that her grandfather proactively suggested it, it was exactly what she wanted.
Ash also smiled, "I couldn't ask for more."
"Great! Let's begin now!" Gurkinn waved his hand, and in a flash, he was at the edge of the field. Though aged, his movements were startlingly agile.
Korrina's roller skates made a turn as she skated to the other side of the field, calling out loudly to Lucario, "Lucario, stay sharp! The opponent is very strong!"
"Luca!" Lucario took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the instinctive fear of the Aura within, its eyes igniting with a burning battle spirit. The stronger the opponent, the more it fuels his fighting spirit!
With a few leaps, Lucario followed Korrina to the other side of the field.
Over on Ash's side, he took out a Pokeball and gently tossed it, "I'm counting on you, Lucario!"
A flash of light, and a sleek figure firmly landed on the field.
The blue and black interleaved fur, the slender yet powerful limbs, the sharp gaze, and the faintly flowing Aura around it—it was indeed Ash's Lucario.
The two Lucarios locked eyes across the space, and the moment their gazes met, it was as if sparks erupted in the air!
They both sensed a similar presence in each other, but also something starkly different.
In terms of power, Ash's Lucario was evidently stronger, but in terms of battle experience, Korrina's Lucario actually surpassed it. Though Ash's Lucario had already reached the Elite Level, the number of battles it fought was far fewer.
After all, Ash's Lucario was only born six months ago!
Korrina's Lucario could also clearly perceive that although its opponent's Aura Power wasn't as terrifyingly overwhelming as Ash's, it still far surpassed its own, truly befitting a Lucario of a Hero Level Trainer.
However, its trainer was also quite remarkable. The gap in Aura can be filled with battle techniques!
"The two Lucarios are using Aura Power to sense each other," Gurkinn stood at the sideline, a comforting smile on his aged face, "Looks like this battle will be quite interesting."
Misty and the others stepped back to the edge of the field, watching the situation tensely.
"Misty, who do you think will win?" Serena asked quietly.
"Of course Ash will win. It doesn't matter who the opponent is, Ash will win," Misty declared without hesitation.
For Misty, her trust in Ash was unwavering. Not only did her identity as Ash's girlfriend play a part, but she had also accompanied Ash on his journey from the very beginning without ever leaving his side. She had witnessed all of Ash's battles, big and small, with her own eyes.
It's hard to believe that a newbie trainer who has emerged on the scene has lost only two matches so far: one against Lorelei, who reads as Elite but writes as Champion of Ice, and another against Cynthia, the Sinnoh Champion and the second-ranked of the Eight Great Masters, one of the world's top trainers.
Apart from these two battles, Ash had no other losses. This time, too, he would win!
"I also believe Ash will win," Serena said earnestly, her eyes full of trust in Ash.
On the field, Gurkinn raised his right hand, his elderly yet powerful voice echoing throughout the gym, "The match will be one-on-one, with each side using one Pokémon. The side that loses combat ability first will be the loser. Now——"
His arm swung down sharply!
"Let the match begin!"
"Lucario, Mach Punch *2!!!" The moment Gurkinn's voice fell, both sides commanded their Lucarios to use the same move simultaneously, both wanting to strike preemptively!
The words were barely spoken when both Lucarios vanished from their original positions!
The sound of breaking air exploded, and two blue and black figures collided loudly at the center of the field!
"Boom——!!"
Fists clashed, and a visible shockwave spread out, instantly cracking the ground beneath them with countless fine web-like patterns.
Korrina's Lucario's pupils contracted rapidly—the opponent's Mach Punch, in terms of both power and speed, completely overwhelmed him!
The first punch sent Korrina's Lucario flying, and before it could react, Ash's Lucario launched a second punch, striking Korrina's Lucario solidly and sending it soaring away!
"Lucario, adjust your stance!!" With Korrina's words, Lucario's waist and abdomen exerted force, its four limbs cutting a sharp arc through the air, forcibly twisting its body in mid-air!
Finally, Korrina's Lucario landed steadily on the ground, yet the damage from the earlier punch lingered; its right arm still trembled slightly, and the area on its body that had been hit throbbed with pain.
That was just Mach Punch. If it had been Close Combat, it might have been half-paralyzed by now.
The difference in strength between them was even greater than imagined!