"Cole, thank you for sharing so much wisdom with me."
Roy expressed his gratitude sincerely.
What made elders truly respectable wasn't simply their age, but their willingness to share hard-earned experience and life lessons to help the younger generation avoid mistakes.
Roy disliked those who demanded respect merely for being older, but he deeply respected Cole, a mentor who genuinely taught and guided others.
"It's nothing," Cole waved dismissively, genuinely believing his contribution was minimal.
After chatting with Roy a bit longer, Cole departed for work.
As caretaker of the spiritual domain, Cole regularly monitored the Pokémon ecosystem within it. Normally, he wouldn't interfere, but if a species faced extinction, human intervention became necessary.
Spiritual domains were incomplete alternate dimensions of varying sizes.
In larger spiritual domains, the ecological environment remained stable without human intervention.
However, Latias's spiritual domain wasn't particularly large—its ecosystem was imperfect and faced numerous challenges.
Regardless of size, all spiritual domains needed protection against poachers and hostile outside forces.
Roy returned to his residence in the small town. Without internet connection to the outside world and unable to leave town, he could only spend his rare day off watching movies with his three Pokémon.
For Vulpix's emotional well-being, Roy banned "Pokémon Sky"—an ethically questionable drama—opting instead for "The Adventures of Feebas."
The story followed a Feebas despised by other water Pokémon for its ugly appearance—even Muk looked down on it. Despite this, Feebas remained optimistic and persevered through many hardships, eventually evolving into Milotic and earning everyone's admiration.
It was truly an inspiring tale.
Squirtle watched with tears in his eyes, dabbing at them with a tissue.
Roy seized the opportunity to impart positive values to Vulpix: "This story teaches us that with ideals, aspirations, and dedication toward our goals, adversity doesn't matter! True value always shines through in the end."
"Vul?"
Vulpix tilted her head questioningly, clearly puzzled.
Through his Aura power, Roy understood Vulpix's confusion.
"Feebas is destined to evolve into Milotic," she seemed to be thinking. "But what if the protagonist were Muk instead? Would it still be loved by everyone?"
Roy remained silent.
A Pokémon with such realistic and shrewd thinking might not be universally welcomed...
But looking at Vulpix's adorable appearance, Roy decided her intelligence was acceptable and even charming.
That evening, Roy cooked dinner for himself and prepared meals for his three Pokémon following recipes he'd found online.
No matter how delicious Poké Blocks might be, eating them every day would become tiresome.
Variety was important, especially for newborn Vulpix. Roy didn't want her thinking Poké Puffs were the only food in existence.
"Squirtle~"
Squirtle made a disgusted face, indicating that Roy's cooking skills were merely adequate. He gestured that he'd prefer Poké Puffs instead.
Before Roy could respond, Vulpix leaped forward and swatted Squirtle with her paw—a miniature Double Slap attack.
"Lu!"
Riolu nodded approvingly, suggesting Vulpix had done the right thing.
...though he also seemed to find the food somewhat bland.
Squirtle felt deeply wronged, believing himself the only loyal servant while the other two were mere flatterers and traitors.
Vacation time always passed quickly.
That night, Roy lay in bed with Riolu positioned near his feet. Riolu always preferred sleeping near the door so he could respond immediately if an intruder entered.
Squirtle had withdrawn into his shell, resting on Roy's right side.
Vulpix curled into a marshmallow-like ball on Roy's stomach.
Watching his three sleeping Pokémon, Roy's lips curved unconsciously into a rare, gentle smile.
He had truly fallen in love with this world and his life as a Trainer.
Gently stroking Vulpix's fur, Roy recalled the day's conversation about team battle systems.
He didn't want any of his Pokémon to be incompatible with team strategies, relegated to secondary roles.
Riolu, Squirtle, Vulpix...
These three Pokémon had different types and excelled in different areas. At first glance, they seemed to have no common ground for a cohesive team battle system.
'No wonder Gym Leaders and Elites specialize in one or two Pokémon types—it's much easier to form teams without conflicting strategies.'
After careful consideration, Roy discovered the common thread among his Pokémon.
—Psychic energy!
Or more specifically, Aura abilities.
After Latias's blessing, all three Pokémon had enhanced potential for psychic energy.
Vulpix had unique spiritual positioning.
Riolu, once evolved, would become a natural Aura user.
Even Squirtle...
If Roy remembered correctly, Squirtle could learn Aura Sphere, meaning it had the potential to master Aura power.
Roy also recalled Squirtle's final form, Blastoise, and its Mega Evolution—
Mega Blastoise, with its ability "Mega Launcher," which enhanced all pulse and aura moves by 50%!
Coincidentally, Squirtle was already developing as a turret-type Pokémon specializing in ranged attacks.
After Mega Evolution, that ranged firepower would become devastating.
Imagining the battlefield covered by such firepower, Roy felt excitement building.
Trainers in this world hadn't yet discovered Mega Evolution's potential.
Considering Squirtle's ambitious personality, Roy decided to eventually give this opportunity to him...
'Aura power will need to be incorporated into Squirtle's training regimen...'
Roy didn't have specific ideas yet for building his team battle system, but developing the common thread of "Aura power" seemed the right approach.
The next day, training resumed.
To help Squirtle learn Aura power, Roy used his own Aura abilities daily, allowing both Squirtle and Riolu to experience the energy while using Soothe Bells to capture spiritual energy.
Beyond that, their progress depended on their own understanding.
Squirtle had started somewhat late with Aura training.
Riolu, meanwhile, had already begun producing some Aura power independently.
On the fifth day after Vulpix's birth, Riolu surprised Roy.
"Use Force Palm!"
Following Roy's instruction, Riolu clapped his palms together and struck a steel plate.
Several web-like cracks appeared.
Two seconds later, Riolu uttered a sharp "Lu!" and the steel plate seemed to detonate from within, shattering completely.
The standard Force Palm move involved injecting Fighting-type energy into an opponent's body for deeper damage. Striking pressure points could potentially paralyze opponents.
But this "remote detonation" effect was something entirely different.
This wasn't a simple Force Palm.
Riolu had incorporated Aura power into the Fighting energy injected into the target, creating an enhanced version of Force Palm.
The tactical possibilities were enormous. In battle, one could time the detonation of energy left inside an enemy's body for maximum effect.
For instance, interrupting an opponent's move execution at critical moments...
Roy shared this tactical idea with Riolu but received a measured response.
"Lu."
Riolu indicated that with his current control, he could only determine whether the Aura energy detonated within five seconds.
"That's fine. Your control window will expand as your Aura power strengthens," Roy smiled reassuringly.
Riolu was only one step away from evolution.
With a bit more Aura power accumulation, evolution would come naturally.
Riolu's rapid mastery of Aura abilities was largely thanks to the "infinite" Calm Mind method.
The stronger one's mental power, the easier it became to capture and control psychic energy...
Squirtle's progress was substantial too. His mental strength had increased significantly, enabling him to independently learn several Psychic moves. In recent practice battles against Riolu, his reaction speed had steadily improved.
Out of thirty-three simulated battles, Squirtle had managed to win once...
Everything was progressing in a positive direction.