Future Pokémon Master

The strong light from Celebi disappeared after a while. Once Ethan felt the glare was gone, he cautiously opened his eyes. What he saw left him completely stunned. In front of him was a village, with interlaced fields and scattered houses creating a picturesque, farm-like scene.

However, Ethan was baffled about why there was suddenly a village in the forest they had just been in moments ago. Beside him, Riolu was equally shocked after opening its eyes. Was all this related to Celebi? Ethan suddenly realized something, but no matter how hard he looked, he couldn't see Celebi anywhere.

Just as Ethan was searching for Celebi, a childish voice came from behind him.

"Excuse me, is this the Lucario Kingdom?"

The sudden question startled Ethan, and he didn't know how to respond, since he didn't even know where he was. Ethan had no choice but to turn around and apologize to the questioner.

"I'm sorry! I don't know where this is!"

"How could you not know? There's a Riolu following you. This should be the Lucario Kingdom."

Turning around to answer, Ethan saw the questioner clearly. It was a little boy of seven or eight years old, carrying a huge backpack, wearing a black cap tilted at an angle, with striking dark blue hair and eyes.

"Does the fact that I have Riolu with me have anything to do with this being the Lucario Kingdom?" Ethan asked, still puzzled.

"It is said that there's a special village between Mount Coronet and Veilstone City in the Sinnoh region. It's where Lucario lives, known as the Kingdom of Lucario. Most people who live in the Lucario Kingdom are accompanied by Riolu or Lucario, and since you have a Riolu with you, I asked."

The little boy's explanation made Ethan understand instantly. It turned out the boy's misunderstanding was due to Riolu. So Ethan explained.

"You misunderstood. My Riolu hatched from an egg and has nothing to do with the Lucario Kingdom. This is actually my first time here, and I have no idea where this place is."

Ethan's explanation seemed to disappoint the child, whose previously happy and excited demeanor dropped to disappointment.

"I thought I found it! I followed the map, and this is supposed to be between Mount Coronet and Veilstone City. So far, I've only found this village, so it must be the place! I'll go ask in the village! Thank you, big brother!"

The little boy said this and started heading back to the village, but Ethan decided to follow him. Since he didn't know where he was, there was no harm in tagging along with the little boy to check it out. Besides, if this was indeed the Lucario Kingdom, perhaps they could see many Lucarios.

"Why do you have to find the Lucario Kingdom? What do you want to do there?" Ethan asked, curious about the boy's motives.

Seeing Ethan following him, with Riolu in tow, the little boy explained as they walked: "You should know that Riolu and Lucario are called Aura Pokémon. They can use a special power called the Aura. I want to learn how to use this power, so I've been searching for Lucario's kingdom."

Ethan finally understood the boy's purpose, but wondered if ordinary people could learn to use Aura. He suddenly remembered that the Aura Guardian Aaron could use Aura. Could it be that this boy had heard too much about Aaron's legend and thought anyone could learn to harness Aura?

"Little friend, have you heard many stories about Aura Guardians and think everyone can learn to use Aura? That's impossible!"

"Aura Guardian? What's that? Can he use Aura too?" The little boy clearly didn't know about Aura Guardians and had never heard related stories, so he was very curious.

"Don't you know the Aura Guardian? The Aura Guardian is the one who used Aura to stop the war and protect Orudran City! Haven't you heard of this story?"

"Brother, your story sounds made up! Don't say I haven't heard it before. Even if I had, I wouldn't believe it. How could anyone think of my name as a hero?"

My name? Ethan was puzzled by the boy's remark. What did he mean by thinking of his name as a hero?

"You mean, your name is Aaron?"

"Yes! My name is Aaron, and I was born in Rota Street in the Kanto region!"

The boy's answer completely shocked Ethan, because he knew the legendary Aura Guardian Aaron was born in Rota Street in the Kanto region. Could this boy be the legendary Aura Guardian? But that didn't make sense! How could an Aura Guardian still be a child? And he also said he wanted to learn to use Aura—wasn't that the legendary Aaron?

If the boy was indeed the legendary Aura Guardian, and he couldn't use Aura yet, it meant they were in a time before Aaron mastered Aura. How had he suddenly traveled through time? At that moment, Ethan thought of Celebi. Yes, the strong light must have been caused by Celebi's ability to time travel.

Ethan realized he had been brought to a time before the Aura Guardians by Celebi for some unknown reason. What was Celebi's purpose in bringing him and Riolu to this place? Ethan couldn't figure it out, but he knew that if he followed Aaron, he might discover something.

"Aaron! You said you were going to Lucario's kingdom to learn how to use Aura. How do you know you have Aura?"

Although Ethan's words were slightly questioning, it did not cause any dissatisfaction in Aaron. Aaron patiently explained to Ethan.

"Actually, I don't know if I have Aura. I can just feel the inner thoughts of Pokémon at certain moments and hear some of their thoughts. As far as I know, the Aura possessed by Riolu and Lucario can also do this, so I guess I might have Aura too. If I really have Aura, then I want to stay in Lucario's kingdom to practice."

Isn't this too unfair? Is he born with Aura? He can feel the inner thoughts of Pokémon and hear their thoughts. This ability is incredible. No wonder he can become an Aura Guardian. Ethan suddenly felt extremely envious of Aaron's talent.