When it came to training with Aura,
Lin Yu eventually found that only Greninja was unusually sensitive to it. None of his other Pokémon seemed to have any talent for it at all.
The anime had described Aura as existing in all living things.
But clearly, only a handful of special Pokémon could actually wield it.
Even with Greninja's natural knack for Aura,
it would never reach Lucario's level.
Not even Lin Yu's own level.
Aura was simply too extraordinary.
June 30th
The final day of the qualifiers.
Competition was fiercer than ever. The air crackled with the tension of battle everywhere.
Those who'd already secured their ranks had nothing to worry about. The real chaos was among those hovering around 50th to 60th place, fighting tooth and nail to hold on.
As the most prestigious youth tournament in the country,
the referees were none other than China's eight National Elite Four Trainers.
They used their own Pokémon to create custom battlefields for the matches.
Even the commentators were Master-rank Trainers.
The event could not have been more high-profile.
The streets of the capital were filled with nothing but battling Trainers and tournament promotions.
Another two weeks had passed,
which meant another round of weekly Entry refreshes.
Lin Yu's luck in June had been poor. Out of four weekly Entries, only one was Blue.
The [Wish Come True] Entry hadn't blessed him with any particularly lucky draws.
But it was an upgradeable one —
and its effect was incredible.
[Blue Upgradeable Entry (Blade Master) — When a physical attack lands, ignore 10%–30% of the target's Defense. Small chance to ignore the effects of Protect.]
A Defense-piercing Entry!
Its upgrade conditions were to ignore Protect 100 times and ignore Defense 100 times.
Easy enough!
He could just have Gardevoir or Latias spam the moves to rack up the count.
After five days, Lin Yu upgraded it to Purple.
[Purple Upgradeable Entry (Blade Master) — When a physical attack lands, ignore 20%–40% of the target's Defense. Small chance to ignore the effects of Protect.]
No major change in description,
but the upgrade difficulty had skyrocketed.
Leveling it further would take at least half a month, so Lin Yu put it on hold for now.
In the end, he equipped the Entry to Greninja.
Ding~!
As night fell,
a deep, resonant bell rang out over the bustling capital.
Every Trainer froze.
Then a wave of bittersweet realization washed over them.
The qualifiers of the National High School Pokémon Tournament were over.
Those who'd clung to the final rankings sighed in relief, joy surging through them.
Making it into the national tournament meant they could choose practically any university in the country.
With only 128 spots available each year, no university — not even the top schools in the capital — would turn them away.
Others who'd fallen just short hung their heads in sorrow.
Nearly all contestants were final-year high school students.
This was their last chance, their final shot at this stage.
The regret of coming so close yet failing would stay with them for life.
I once was only a step away from the national tournament too…
Isn't that exactly what happened to the Grass-type Gym Leader of Shuimu City?
Inside the mansion.
Knock, knock, knock~
Hearing the doorbell, Lin Yu hurried out of the [Training Chamber].
Standing outside was Ye Qingxue, elegant and composed.
He hadn't seen much of her lately.
"Hey, big brother~ Why are you all sweaty this late? What were you doing?"
She grinned mischievously and blinked. "Can I come in? I hope I'm not walking in on anything~"
"What are you imagining?"
Lin Yu tapped her smooth forehead.
He'd been in the Training Chamber drilling Greninja in Aura sensing —
blindfolding Greninja while he and Lucario fired Aura Spheres,
forcing it to dodge and sharpen its perception.
No wonder he was sweating.
Ye Qingxue stretched lazily, her graceful figure on full display, then wandered inside casually.
"Phew, the qualifiers are finally over. What do you plan to do after the tournament, big brother?"
"Me? I'll probably travel. The world's huge — I want to see more of it."
Lin Yu spoke casually.
What was the point of living in a Pokémon world without going on a journey?
"I see…"
Ye Qingxue looked a little disappointed, but quickly brightened. "You didn't lose that stone I gave you, did you?"
"Of course not. Wait a sec."
Lin Yu pretended to go into his room, but actually pulled the Dragon Secret Stone from his system space.
"Good. After the tournament, stay in the capital a little longer. I want to invite you to a Secret Realm with me."
"Please~"
As she spoke, she pouted softly, her sky-blue eyes clear and bright as autumn water, staring at Lin Yu with a pitiful expression.
She looked utterly adorable.
When they were little,
this trick had always worked on Lin Yu.
It still did, even now.
"Alright, alright. I promise."
He nodded helplessly, then reached out and pinched her delicate cheek out of habit.
Soft.
Lin Yu was a wanderer at heart — anywhere was fine with him.
"Yay! Thanks, brother!"
Ye Qingxue relaxed happily.
After the tournament, the Dragon Pool on Dragon Isle should be opening soon.
Lin Yu had never broken a promise to her in his life. Now that he'd agreed,
he wouldn't back out.
When Lin Yu let go, she smiled playfully and tilted her head. "Was it nice?"
Lin Yu wasn't one to be outmaneuvered easily.
He frowned and said sternly: "Flirting with your big brother now? I'll spank you."
He made a move to grab her.
Ye Qingxue panicked: "Ah! Don't!"
Even the closest siblings argued sometimes. Lin Yu still remembered when he'd rescued her from a pack of Rattata as kids.
He'd been furious.
Back at the orphanage, he'd nearly actually spanked her.
It was the first time he'd ever gotten angry at her.
She hadn't spoken to him for days afterward.
Too bad she was all grown up now — he couldn't do that anymore.
"Ralts?"
Mew, who'd appeared out of nowhere, watched the scene and decided she'd come at a bad time.
She'd only wanted to hear the next part of the story…
Why was he pretending he couldn't catch her, while she was slowing down on purpose?
Mew vanished into thin air, thoroughly confused.