David's mother's family, the Lloyd family, had risen to prominence during the founding years of the Alliance.
Their ascent was relatively recent, so there was nothing like an ancestral estate to speak of. The Lloyd family was based in Sol Province, and while they held several properties in Treasure City, their primary residence wasn't there.
It was in a smaller, third-tier city situated between Treasure City and the regional mountain capital — a quieter place, tucked away from the major hubs.
David spent half a day getting there, combining a train ride with a Corviknight taxi service before finally arriving.
It would be so much easier if Corviknight services offered long-distance inter-city routes.
He thought this as he stepped off the last leg of the journey. Switching between transport modes was genuinely tiresome. A single Corviknight ride from door to door would have been far more convenient.
Though he supposed he hadn't accounted for a certain large pink Pokémon that spent its days roaming the wilderness with a hammer, eyeing every passing Corviknight. Getting knocked out of the sky mid-journey would certainly make the trip more eventful, if nothing else.
On arrival, David skipped the Lloyd family's main residence in the city centre entirely and headed straight to a quieter spot on the outskirts — the family's Fighting Dojo.
It was the natural order of things in a world shaped by Pokémon. Facilities that trained and housed Pokémon needed space, and space meant the outskirts. The city centre simply couldn't accommodate them.
The dojo itself occupied a generous footprint. Despite its location away from the city's core, it drew a steady stream of visitors — Fighting-type trainers arriving for exchanges and guidance, and regular tourists coming to see the place for themselves.
One distinction worth noting: this was a Fighting Dojo, not a Fighting Gym. That difference mattered. A Gym was an official Alliance institution, subject to strict oversight and formal regulations. A dojo like this was privately operated, which meant considerably more flexibility in how it was run.
The Lloyd family's reputation was built on Fighting-type Pokémon. The family's founder had been celebrated for his mastery of them, and that legacy had shaped every generation since — with one notable exception. David's mother was a Psychic-type specialist through and through; aside from her Gallade, she didn't train a single Fighting-type. The rest of the family, however, had carried on the tradition without interruption.
The dojo had earned a name for itself not just within the Eastern Alliance but in the broader global fighting community as well. Its presence alone was enough to make this otherwise modest city a genuine destination, drawing Fighting-type enthusiasts from across the region year-round and contributing noticeably to the local economy.
"Grandpa! I'm here!"
David made his way directly to the backyard upon arrival and called out to his grandfather, who was stretched out comfortably in a lounge chair, soaking up the afternoon sun.
This part of the dojo was the inner area — accessible only to family members and the dojo's core disciples. It wasn't open to visitors.
Those core disciples were a different category from the students who paid to learn the basics. They were the ones being groomed to carry forward the dojo's deeper teachings and secret techniques.
For David, none of these distinctions applied. The staff knew him on sight as Master Lloyd's — his grandfather's — beloved grandson. Nobody was going to stop him.
David had visited the dojo a handful of times over the years. It felt more familiar than his father's ancestral home, which he had only seen once as a very young child and could barely recall.
"Ah, it's you. Grandpa's been looking forward to this."
His grandfather set down the newspaper he'd been holding, took a proper look, and broke into a warm smile.
"Heh, I took advantage of the holidays to do some travelling first! And look, Grandpa — I've already got three badges."
David produced the three badges he had collected and held them out for his grandfather to see. The silver intermediate badges caught the light cleanly — and the Hundred Flowers Badge, with its special Gym Leader mark in the corner, drew a noticeably wider smile from the old man.
The two of them talked at length, catching up properly before David's grandfather eventually guided the conversation toward something more purposeful.
"Your mother mentioned that you've awakened Aura. And that you caught a Riolu."
"That's right — here, watch."
David opened his palm and let his Aura flow outward, shaping it into a clean, stable Aura Sphere that hovered in his hand without wavering.
It was easy to forget, given how rarely David used Aura in actual battle, that his ability with it had been growing steadily ever since it first awakened. A significant part of that growth had come from an unusual source — helping his Zorua safely absorb the concentrated negative energy from the Light Stone. David had served as a filter for that process each time, and each time it had left him thoroughly drained.
But that repeated strain had quietly strengthened him. His Aura control had deepened considerably because of it.
"And the Riolu has since evolved into Lucario."
"Luca!"
David released Lucario, who stepped forward and stood at attention.
Part of the reason for this visit was exactly this — David had been hoping to give Lucario a meaningful opportunity to grow. The Pokémon had been watching its teammates advance rapidly and had responded by training with an intensity that bordered on relentless. Not a moment of downtime went to waste. David had watched it push itself day after day and felt genuinely moved by it.
"Good. Very good."
David's grandfather studied Lucario carefully — the strength of David's Aura, the conditioning evident in Lucario's bearing — and nodded with deep satisfaction.
A thoughtful look crossed his face then.
Aura ran in the Lloyd family's history. The founder, David's great-great-grandfather, had been a formidable Aura user. But after him, no one in the family had ever awakened it again — not in all the generations since.
"Put the Aura Sphere away for now."
He said it gently but with purpose.
"Your Aura is strong, but your technique is rough around the edges. Stay at the dojo these few days — your great-grandfather left behind training insights and notes that are kept here. It would do you good to go through them carefully."
He paused, then turned his attention to Lucario.
"As for your Lucario — it's well-trained, I can see that. But it doesn't have a proper foundation in martial arts."
It wasn't quite a question.
"You're right," David admitted. Lucario had learned some fundamentals from Gallade, but formal, systematic martial arts training was a different matter entirely. That kind of foundation couldn't be built through diligence alone.
"Come with me then." His grandfather rose from his chair without further explanation and headed into the house.
"Come on, Lucario — I think something good is waiting for you."
David gave Lucario a meaningful look, then followed after his grandfather.
Lucario blinked.
Was it finally its turn?