The Aura Warrior, Descendant of Sir Aaron!
"Luca!"
Lucario nodded in response.
The pendant-like feelers on either side of its head suddenly levitated into the air.
At the same time, Lucario dropped to one knee, placing a glowing blue paw gently onto the ground.
Aura—activated.
"Ash, when you said you were training Lucario's Aura powers, what exactly did you mean?"
Anabel gave him a strange look as she glanced around the area.
"The core island of Iron Island should be the hotspot for Steel-type Pokémon activity. But take a look—there's not even a shadow of a Steel-type around. Something's definitely wrong."
Ash knew the real reason, of course. Team Galactic had unearthed ancient ruins on this central island.
The entire structure—known as the Iron Ruins—was crafted from extraterrestrial meteorite materials.
And that gave it extraordinary influence.
Once the meteorite's immense internal energy is activated, it can resonate with the island's core, producing a strange kind of pulse.
This special pulse has a profound effect on Pokémon living on the island.
It throws Steel-type Pokémon into total disarray.
Ash knew all this—but he couldn't exactly just say it.
Besides, his Lucario was a successor of the Aura lineage.
It should be capable of the same feats as previous Aura Warriors.
"Yeah, I'm getting that feeling too. And what's even weirder—Riley's been training on this island, but there's not been a peep from him," Dawn said as she hugged her Piplup, eyes scanning their surroundings.
From the moment they set foot on the island, Dawn had been alert.
But there had been no trace of Riley. Not even signs of a training camp.
"Something's fishy. Both of you—stay close to me, got it? Pikachu, I'm leaving Dawn and Anabel's safety in your paws."
Ash gave Pikachu a firm nudge on the shoulder.
"Pika!" Pikachu nodded and leapt from Ash's shoulder into Anabel's arms.
Both girls nodded seriously.
Dawn, however, also pulled out a Poké Ball of her own.
"Come on out, Swinub! Ash, we can help too if things get rough. Piplup, Swinub, I'm counting on both of you!"
Piplup hopped to the ground and flanked Dawn on one side, while Swinub took the other.
"Luca, Luca!"
Lucario stood back up, retracting its Aura. It murmured a few things to Ash, a light blue shimmer tracing around its body.
Aura energy—pure and clear.
But it seemed to be resisting something… an external interference.
Ash nodded. "Looks like it's just as we suspected. Most of the Steel-type Pokémon on this island must already be in a state of frenzy."
"You're exactly right, my friend. A pleasure to meet you all—my name is Riley."
"Luca."
At that moment, a man in a navy-blue gentleman's outfit appeared. He had spiky hair and a confident air..
Standing beside him… was another Lucario.
Two Lucario now faced each other.
"I'm Dawn."
"I'm Anabel. This is Ash—and his partner, Pikachu."
"Pika!"
Everyone introduced themselves briefly.
"Mr. Riley, what do you think is happening on this island?" Anabel asked, frowning.
"My Lucario tells me it's been sensing a strange disruptive pulse. If left unchecked, it says it too would fall into a frenzied state. Fortunately, it can use Aura to block the interference—for now."
"I'm guessing Ash's Lucario told him the same thing. The pulse is triggering confusion among the Steel-types on the island."
The group continued walking and talking.
Ash observed Riley more closely—he bore a striking resemblance to Sir Aaron, the legendary Aura Guardian.
Even the surname matched.
And that Lucario… was already level 48.
That's high-tier Gym Leader level. Very impressive.
"Riley, I have a question. It's okay if you don't want to answer…"
Ash still had to ask.
"Go ahead," Riley said with a puzzled look. He didn't think anyone in Sinnoh could possibly know about him—he was from far-off Kanto, after all.
"What's your relationship to Sir Aaron, the Aura Guardian?"
"Luca!"
The question made Riley's Lucario snap to alert instantly.
Riley raised a hand to calm it, then looked at Ash in surprise.
"…I don't know how you know that name, but yes—Sir Aaron is my ancestor. My family has carried the legacy of Aura for generations."
"I knew it." Ash nodded. "That makes sense. So you're a descendant of Sir Aaron."
"If you ever visit Rota Kingdom, you'll understand why I asked. But for now, let's deal with the Iron Island situation. My Lucario's already locked onto the source of the disturbance."
Riley was growing more curious by the second. Even his hometown… this kid knows it?
In their family tradition, each Aura user would embark on a global pilgrimage upon turning 18.
They would visit all branches of Aura across the world.
Riley had currently reached the Sinnoh region in his travels.
The two Lucario moved in sync—stopping occasionally—before locking on to a specific direction.
The group followed without hesitation.
BOOM!
Roooooar!
Suddenly, the ground ahead gave way in a thunderous collapse!
A massive sinkhole opened before them!
A giant Steelix erupted from the earth—its eyes glowing red, clearly in a berserk state.
Next to it stood an Aggron, also glowing red-eyed and violently roaring.
There were also two Graveler and a single Metang.
Steelix whipped its tail—hurtling it straight toward Dawn and Anabel!
"Pika!"
But Pikachu met it head-on—with Iron Tail!
One strike.
Pikachu's Iron Tail crashed against Steelix's tail with overwhelming force, rebounding it right into Steelix's own face—instantly knocking it out!
Ding! [Congratulations, host. Pikachu has defeated Steelix and earned 12,500 battle experience points!]
ROOOOAR!
That one Iron Tail had lit the fuse.
Aggron and the two Graveler charged in without hesitation!
PS: Let's leave the Metang aside for now. We'll soon be heading to Gale Town… and that's where a shiny Metagross awaits.
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T/N:
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