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Resonating once didn't guarantee a second time.
Li Xiang called over Lucario and asked for its willingness.
If Lucario refused, saying it couldn't do it, then he would have to ask this Aura Sage to go back where it came from.
But unexpectedly, Lucario agreed.
"Eh? You can do it?" Li Xiang was a bit dumbfounded. An admin account that no one had been able to log into for hundreds of years, and you can just log in whenever you want?
"Roooo!"
Lucario put its hands on its hips, raised its head with great pride, and looked utterly convinced of its own ability.
As if saying, isn't this something anyone with hands can do?
The Aura Sage beside it grew increasingly awkward.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem, then I'll leave it to you, my kin." The Aura Sage stood up, wanting to hug the dog.
Ultimately, under Li Xiang's glaring gaze, it turned into a pat on the shoulder.
"Let's set the time for three days from now. I'll come up to get you then."
Leaving these words behind, it departed with its kin.
Li Xiang watched them go, muttering about the sage not acting its age, trying to take advantage of a young lady at its advanced age.
But the Aura Sage's answer did solve a small part of the mystery for him.
For example, those omnipresent voices. They turned out to be the Aura of Mist Island.
Although he didn't know why it had chosen Lucario, it didn't seem like a bad thing.
.....
A pleasant breakfast time.
Regarding the Adamant Orb and the delayed evolution, Li Xiang got an unexpected answer from Lucario.
"You reviewed all your experiences, from when you were an egg until now, in your mind?"
A life review before one's eyes?
"Rooo!"
Lucario nodded. It didn't know why this had happened either.
Anyway, after realizing it had evolved, all its thoughts were immersed in the changes to its body, but soon, every single event from the past surfaced in its mind.
And, it hadn't watched alone. Two unknown individuals had watched the entire journey with it.
Li Xiang's spoon froze in place.
[When Lucario finished evolving, I sensed a very powerful will from Trophy Mountain.]
Mewtwo said from the side.
He immediately turned his head. "Willpower? Uxie?"
[Unfortunately, I don't know either, because I've never been able to lock onto Uxie's psychic power.]
Mewtwo shook its head. Being unable to lock onto Uxie's psychic power was, in its view, a disgrace.
This made Li Xiang instinctively glance at Trophy Mountain.
There were only two possibilities. And the invisible wave that had come earlier was clearly Aura.
Does Uxie know Aura? Li Xiang remembered it didn't, but Dialga did, and it was also a Steel-type Pokémon.
But he really couldn't figure out why Lucario would have anything to do with Dialga.
Just by making an "independent declaration," it attracted the attention of the God of Time and Mist Island?
Dog, are you following the template of a heaven-defying protagonist? The kind that's terrifyingly powerful…
But he was also one of the beneficiaries. He'd go ask Uxie about it later.
It would also be a good chance to clarify the relationship between obsession and evolution.
"Eat up! We're having a feast tonight!"
Li Xiang smiled at all the Pokémon. Lucario's evolution was indeed a momentous occasion worth celebrating!
All the Pokémon responded with loud cheers.
Incineroar glanced at Lucario, who was grinning from ear to ear, and felt a little melancholy inside.
Had it... helped it at all?
After the meal.
Mewtwo left the island to continue its galgame protagonist activities.
Li Xiang and Lucario went up the mountain together to "demand answers."
Sure enough, after hearing his accusations, the riddler began to quibble.
[Of course, obsession has something to do with evolution. You just misunderstood the nature of the obsession itself.]
Uxie, as usual, swung on the vines, holding the sandwich Li Xiang had given it, eating while speaking dismissively.
"Was my guess wrong?"
Li Xiang stroked Lucario's ears and head. After evolving, the dog could no longer sit in his lap, but it could lie across his legs.
And it let him touch its head now. Before, it had only allowed that under special circumstances.
[Definitely wrong! I gave you so many hints! How could you still guess wrong?]
Uxie slapped the tree trunk, looking utterly frustrated, as if lamenting a failure to meet expectations. [Lucario's obsession was its inability to evolve!]
Because being unable to evolve became its obsession, that was why it couldn't evolve.
...Oh, screw you!
"Give me back my sandwich!"
Li Xiang stood up and tried to grab the sandwich from Uxie's hand. This guy was just messing with him!
Uxie stuffed the whole thing into its mouth in a few quick moves, its cheeks puffing out bigger than its head, chewing frantically as it flew off the vine to avoid capture.
[There's no taking back a gift once it's given! Mmph, mmph~]
It finished the sandwich, which was almost as big as its face, in just a few bites.
[Alright, alright. Why get so worked up just from talking?]
Uxie flew back to the vine. [Let's talk about something related to your Lucario.]
Li Xiang sat back down, still fuming.
What had just happened was a bit complicated. Overall, it could be summarized as two things.
[One, the natural Aura of this alternate space recognizes Lucario's Aura and is willing to communicate with it.]
[Two, Lucario's Aura has caught the attention of the master of the jewel. That was probably a wisp of its will from its sleep just now. That's all.]
Uxie extended two carrot-like fingers, then yawned. [Ah~ all this talking is making me sleepy.]
"Why? Is there something special about its Aura?"
Li Xiang was very curious. Lucario wasn't a genius by nature; it was just hardworking enough, plus a little bit of a boost.
It had even learned Aura Sphere later on through the Three-Blind Perception Method.
Was there something truly unique about its Aura?
[Go discover it yourself. Why do you always ask me? I've already said more than enough, you know.]
Uxie said, a little impatiently.
A vein bulged on Li Xiang's forehead. He felt like he was throwing a meat bun to a dog, never to return.
"So, will these two things have any impact on Lucario?"
He suppressed his anger and asked.
[Impact? What impact could there be? Oh, there is a little.] Uxie saw Li Xiang's clenched fist and immediately changed its tune.
"What is it?"
[The protection of Mist Island.]
"...That sounds like a passive skill from a game?"
[More or less. Anyway, as long as Lucario is on Mist Island, nothing will happen to it. You saw it before, when I was exhausted, they shared their nutrients with me.]
Uxie shrugged.
'Heeey... so there's an effect like that? Natural recovery?'
Li Xiang looked at Lucario, not expecting such a pleasant surprise.
If that's the case, then it doesn't need to worry about stamina loss... well, mental fatigue is also crucial.
"What about the other one?"
He was somewhat looking forward to the great deity Dialga.
[There is no other.]
Uxie lay on its side, in a seductive pose.
If it weren't for the fact that this creature didn't have nostrils, Li Xiang thought it might even pick them with its fingers.
"No way, why?"
[Why so many questions? When you're sleeping and groggily glance at someone, does anything happen to that person?]
"..."
[Alright, alright, that's enough. Go on down now. I'm tired.]
Uxie began shooing them away.
Li Xiang had no choice but to take Lucario back down.
Dialga had only glanced at the dog while sleeping, yet that one glance had caused such a strong reaction from the Adamant Orb?
He felt Uxie was hiding something, but Lucario's recent experience made him afraid to keep playing the know-it-all.
After all, he had even gotten the very concept of obsession wrong.
...….
Morning.
Facing the newly evolved Lucario, a test was inevitable.
A post-evolution strength test was an old tradition in their team. And it came with the most standard punching bag.
"I'm counting on you, Incineroar."
Li Xiang patted Incineroar's robust chest muscles.
"Roar."
Incineroar didn't really mind. It had been the punching bag for so many years; it was used to it by now.
However,
"Roar..."
Incineroar gestured at the height difference between Lucario and itself, an expression of mockery involuntarily appearing on its face.
It instinctively turned its head and covered its mouth with its paw.
"Pfft."
A laugh that sounded like a fart.
"Rooo!"
Lucario, which had been in a good mood, saw this gesture and its snickering expression. A surge of anger immediately flared up inside it.
'Just you wait, old cat! I'll beat you to a pulp!'
It curled its lip, revealing a chilling gleam in its eyes, and cracked its knuckles.
To be honest, evolving from Riolu to Lucario had taken it from seventy centimeters to one hundred and sixty centimeters. Counting its ears, it was about one hundred and sixty-seven centimeters tall.
For a species like Lucario, which averages one hundred and twenty centimeters in height, this was already pretty good.
And as it spent more time on Mist Island, it might even have a chance to grow a bit more.
But compared to Incineroar, who was currently two meters and ten centimeters tall, Lucario was, without a doubt, a second-class disabled person.
Being only as tall as the other's pectoral muscles was indeed a bit ridiculous.
But then again, Incineroar growing to two meters and ten centimeters was also quite unbelievable.
"Are you ready?"
Not far away, Li Xiang had set up the camera and waved to the two Pokémon.
Both responded loudly.
Thus, the test began.
As per tradition, it started with practicing new moves.
First and foremost was the move Li Xiang was most looking forward to.
Swish!
A sound of wind breaking!
Lucario transformed into a white streak of light, appearing in front of Incineroar as if by teleportation, and threw a punch!
Bang!
White smoke exploded!
Lucario's figure rebounded backward, landing lightly on the ground.
This punch was as fast as lightning, making it completely impossible to track its exact position!
—Extreme Speed!
A Normal-type move with higher power than Quick Attack and better priority in games.
That meant it could provide Lucario with even faster attack and movement speed!
After evolution, its Prankster Ability had disappeared, but whether Lucario's instantaneous burst speed had decreased or increased would depend on the specific situation.
The smoke cleared.
Incineroar brushed the dust off its chest, bared its sharp teeth, and beckoned to Lucario.
Come again!
A single Extreme Speed clearly couldn't do much damage to Incineroar, whose endurance was ridiculously high.
Seeing this, Lucario smiled, put its hands together, and then pulled them apart.
Instantly, a slender, light blue energy bone appeared in its palm.
Bone Rush!
A very classic move for Lucario!