Chapter 25: All Things Have Their Own Aura

  On one side, Riolu and Machoke were receiving potion treatment. On the other side, Poliwhirl continued to face down the enraged Pidgeot.

  A breeze rustled through the forest, making the treetops sway with a soft "swish, swish," underscoring the tense standoff. Finally, unable to contain its aggression any longer, Pidgeot fred its wings with a steel-like gleam and sshed toward Poliwhirl.

  Many of the surrounding trees had already been toppled from the earlier cshes, leaving Pidgeot a clear line of attack. It lunged forward at arming speed, closing the distance to Poliwhirl in the blink of an eye.

  "Water Gun!" Once again, the signature Water-type move came from Poliwhirl's mouth as a torrent of water sprayed out.

  "Whoosh—!"

  Pidgeot twisted aside midflight, slicing through the water jet with its Steel Wing, still pushing forward relentlessly. Poliwhirl remained unfazed, sending one water jet after another. Finding these attacks tedious, Pidgeot continued to cleave through them, letting the scattered spray soak into the ground beneath.

  Seeing Poliwhirl's attacks fail to deal any damage left Riolu, watching from the sidelines, so anxious that he stamped his foot. Despite the futility, Poliwhirl kept firing Water Gun, the watery glow of its Water-type energy visibly fading from overuse.

  "Gah—!"

  Although it wasn't harmed, the water still dampened Pidgeot's feathers, irritating it. Letting out a sharp shriek of anger, it brought its wing down with fearsome force.

  "Poliwhirl!"

  Takuma shouted worriedly as he watched the Steel Wing nd. Dust billowed out around the impact. When it cleared, Poliwhirl stood there, trembling but still upright, having withstood Pidgeot's fierce attack head-on.

  "It hung in there this time, but what about the next strike?" Riolu muttered, just as concerned.

  Striking home with that blow, Pidgeot rose skyward again, anger intensifying as it noticed Poliwhirl still standing. The steely glow reappeared on its wings, poised for another Steel Wing.

  "What do we do? What do we do?"

  Riolu desperately wanted to help, but he was in no condition to fight. Though the potions had given him back some HP, his body still throbbed with pain from earlier, and it took every ounce of concentration just to summon his usual moves. Never before had he felt so utterly outmatched—just one stray hit from Quick Attack had nearly knocked him out.

  In the past, even if his opponent was at a higher level, no one in Sunrise Valley had ever posed such lethal danger. Fights there were more akin to training. Besides, none had been a full 20 levels above him. Level differences in this world could be huge—especially after evolutions raised a Pokémon's base stats significantly. And Pidgeot, being a fully evolved species, was no mere mid-stage Pokémon like Poliwhirl or an unevolved one like Riolu or Machoke.

  Anxiety, fear, worry, and helplessness whirled into a storm inside Riolu's mind. The pressure weighed on him, and his face kept shifting through conflicting emotions.

  Sensing something off about his comrade, Machoke tried to speak: "Hey, you—"

  Before he could finish, Riolu felt a sudden snap, like a mental string breaking. There was a roaring sensation inside his head; the world in front of him blurred chaotically.

  "Ah—!"

  Riolu clutched his head, letting out a piercing scream.

  "Riolu! What's wrong?!"

  Takuma cried, clearly panicked by Riolu's torment, but powerless to help. All he could do was fret and watch.

  Just then, out of the corner of his eye, Takuma noticed his own small backpack, discarded on the ground. Something dawned on him. He lunged for it, rummaging around until, "Got it!"—he retrieved an old little bell.

  Hurrying back to Riolu, Takuma held the bell next to the trembling Pokémon. "I found this in that b. The notes said it was meant to calm something. I don't know what exactly, but if it's for calming, maybe it can work on Riolu too!" Without further dey, he gave the bell a vigorous shake.

  "Ding–a–ling, ding–a–ling—"

  A clear, gentle ringing echoed, not particurly loud, but strangely resonant. It cut right through the din of battle, reaching everyone's ears.

  All who heard it—Takuma, Machoke, and Poliwhirl—felt a wave of tranquility sweep over them. Even the ferocious Pidgeot seemed affected; the savage glow in its eyes began to fade somewhat.

  For Riolu, the bell's soothing notes gently dispelled the negativity clogging his mind. His pounding headache subsided along with the surge of dark emotions, repced by a sense of crity and calm.

  "Wh-what is this…?"

  Finally steadied, Riolu looked down at his paws in astonishment. A blue-green radiance flickered around them, rippling outward in faint concentric circles—unlike the raw, explosive energies of typical types. This glow felt strangely serene and resonant.

  "Could this be… the legendary aura…?"

  He remembered from games and anime that aside from normal Pokémon moves, there existed various mysterious powers in this world: the superpowers of mind and spirit, or relics that allowed unique forces. Among them was the power known as "Aura." Riolu (and its evolution, Lucario) were hailed since ancient times as "Messengers of Aura," born with the innate ability to sense and control this wave-like energy. Through dedicated practice, they could master aura at tremendous heights.

  And with Mew's earlier hint that Riolu or Lucario no longer existed in this world, only he—"Riolu"—might be able to wield this lost power. Feeling an incredible surge of awareness, Riolu realized he had awakened the ability to sense aura, triggered by his emotional onsught and the calming effect of Takuma's "Clear Bell."

  A faint glow came from the blue gem on Riolu's neckce as well.

  In Riolu's newly awakened sight, everything changed:

  Takuma's aura glimmered with bright crity, reflecting youth and liveliness.

  Machoke's aura flickered unsteadily, probably due to injury.

  Poliwhirl's aura, battered by Pidgeot's savage attacks, looked like a small fme battered by the wind, faint yet stubbornly alight.

  But as Riolu focused on Pidgeot, his breath caught. The bird's entire form was wreathed in a deep, nearly bckish-red aura. It oozed an oppressive dread like a bottomless pit, though faint streaks of the usual blue-green aura flickered beneath that crimson darkness.

  "Frenzy… aura…"

  Though Riolu sensed something crucial, it eluded full comprehension—like a veil remained in the way.

  Just then, the bell's ringing ceased. Without its pacifying notes, Pidgeot's gentler expression twisted back into a feral snarl. In Riolu's aura-sight, the red swirl around it fred again, drowning out those few blue-green sparks.

  "Not good—get back!"

  Another devastating attack loomed. With Poliwhirl already on the brink, there was no way it could withstand another assault. Machoke, potions still not mending his bruised body and depleted strength, could only grit his teeth, stepping forward to shield Poliwhirl somehow.

  "Caw–caw—!"

  Like a herald of doom, Pidgeot screeched, lifting its hardened Steel Wing once more for a crushing blow.