"Honorary member?"
"A Pokémon Ranger?"
"Ash?!"
Dawn and Anabel were both wide-eyed in disbelief.
"Yep, that's right," Kellyn replied with a smile. "This is something the Ranger Union headquarters insisted on. It's a small token of appreciation for everything Ash has done to help us."
With sincerity, Kellyn personally handed over the honorary ranger badge to Ash.
"Ash, I've still got something important I must take care of, so I won't be joining you from here on out. I need to safely return Riolu to its homeland. This is where we part ways."
Just as Kellyn turned with Riolu to leave, Ash placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Kellyn … I can sense Riolu's aura. And this little guy—he trusts me. I want to go see Riolu's homeland for myself too."
"Lucario Kingdom, huh?" Dawn's eyes lit up with excitement. "Sounds like an amazing place!"
"Piplup!" The little penguin Pokémon echoed her excitement, bouncing up and down.
Suddenly—SCREEEEECH!
The screech of brakes tore through the air, followed by the beating of wings.
Three Fearow and three Golbat swooped down out of nowhere.
"There! Found Riolu!"
"Report to Hunter J immediately!"
"Target acquired!"
Heavy boots pounded the ground as a squad of identically dressed men emerged from the trees.
"It's them! They're Hunter J's lackeys!" Dawn yelled, stepping in front of Riolu. "What are you creeps trying to do to him?!"
Anabel joined her without hesitation. The two girls stood protectively in front of Riolu.
"Riolu!" the little Pokémon cried out and turned, ready to run.
"Don't be scared, Riolu. With me here—nobody's taking you away."
"Ash's voice was calm, yet firm."
"Pika!" Pikachu leapt up onto Ash's shoulder as his eyes glowed with Aura energy, sending a pulse of calm directly to Riolu's heart.
Riolu relaxed.
Pokémon like Riolu and Lucario, beings deeply attuned to Aura, instinctively trusted humans with that same gift. That connection couldn't be faked—it was felt.
"They've caught up with us…" Kellyn stepped forward, steeling his nerves. "Ash, I'll hold them off. You take Riolu and get out of here. Their mission is to capture him. I've been dancing circles with them for days."
As he lifted his Capture Stylus, ready to engage—
"Pikachu, handle it," Ash said simply.
"Pika!"
Pikachu leapt from Ash's shoulder, landed like lightning—then unleashed a powerful Discharge!
ZAP!
All six flying-types were instantly grounded, smoking and twitching from the electric onslaught.
"Consider this my gift for being made an honorary ranger," Ash said, casually dusting his hands. "These poachers? Let's call them a welcome present for Officer Jenny."
The ambushers, still reeling and half-conscious, looked utterly dumbfounded.
Before Kellyn could even react, the whole situation was resolved.
Now all that remained was calling Officer Jenny.
Ash activated his Aura—his senses instantly expanding.
Aura Detection Radius: 5 kilometers.
Whirrrrr…
His senses extended outward like sonar.
He was searching for Hunter J herself. If she was nearby, he'd be more than happy to deal with her as well.
But… nothing.
Those goons had clearly alerted her, because somewhere high in the sky, aboard her cloaked airship…
Hunter J cursed under her breath and called for a full retreat.
She wasn't taking any chances.
Ever since her last humiliating defeat, the mere mention of Ash's name had become a hard line for her—if he showed up, she bailed. No questions asked.
Back on the ground, Ash's Aura picked up something else.
A man—one who had already arrived at the secret exchange point, eager to receive Riolu as part of a shady deal with Hunter J. But after getting a message from her that the mission was off, he was desperately trying to flee.
Too bad for him.
Ash, Kellyn, and the others intercepted him before he got far. His attempt to escape? Crushed.
Officer Jenny, already en route, arrived just in time to take him—and J's captured henchmen—into custody.
Not bad for Ash's first day as an honorary Pokémon Ranger. Even Kellyn, the top ranger in the region, couldn't stop praising him.
With Riolu now safe, the group traveled to the Lucario Kingdom's ancient stronghold—an old castle steeped in mystery and history.
Though technically a "branch" of the original Lucario Kingdom in Kanto, this castle held relics and traditions all its own.
As they explored, an elderly man—the very one who had carved Riolu's statue—welcomed them.
"The source of our heritage lies in the Kingdom's original sanctuary," the old man explained, guiding them deeper into the castle. "There, an ancient staff said to belong to the original Hero of Aura is still kept. While we don't have that artifact, we do have something… similar."
He pushed open a massive wooden door.
Inside the room, there was nothing. No furniture, no decorations.
Only a single large pool.
Within it bloomed spiral-shaped blossoms of bluish-violet hue—mystical, luminous.
"This," the old man said with reverence, "is the Time Flower. Said to hold incredible powers. It's tradition in our kingdom for Riolu to pass its legacy on, generation after generation… waiting for the one destined to receive it."
The old man turned to Ash.
"You, Ash… you sensed Riolu's Aura. Why don't you try? Legend has it that the chosen one will cause the Time Flower to react."
Ash looked at the spiraled blossoms, glowing gently in the water.
He reached out…
Fingertips touched a petal—
BOOOOOM—!
The flower lit up in a swirl of brilliant light—shimmering like a galaxy had bloomed from the water.
Everyone in the room froze.
The old man's eyes widened, then moistened.
"He made the Time Flower react… and he can sense Riolu's Aura… It's him. He's the one we've been waiting for all these years…"
"Riolu~~"
Riolu's eyes were full of awe as he looked up at Ash.
So this is the one… the person his Aura had always been searching for.
No wonder their souls had resonated so deeply.
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T/N:
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