Professor Oak cut her off, his tone ice-cold.
Professor Oak had already been in a bad mood that day.
His grandson was hospitalized with injuries, and the Team Rocket incident had caused an uproar everywhere. He really had no energy to deal with this kind of academic exchange.
Besides, that Kabuto was only on loan from Lu Chen for Professor Oak to study.
Professor Oak certainly would not be foolish enough to sell Kabuto himself.
"But Professor Oak, my research is different from other revival techniques. My revival technique uses the power of Pokémon dreams. It's true fossil revival!"
"Once my revival technique succeeds, not only will it revive Ancient Pokémon, but most importantly, it will preserve some of the original fossil's memories!"
"This would absolutely be a tremendous help to our research into Ancient Pokémon, Professor Oak!"
Hearing the vision Professor Juniper described, Professor Oak was briefly tempted, but unfortunately, he still firmly rejected her outright!
"I told you, the Fossil Pokémon aren't for sale."
Professor Oak hung up immediately.
He tossed his phone onto the desk, leaned back in his chair, and sighed helplessly.
Meanwhile, Lu Chen sat beside him and rubbed his chin.
"Professor Juniper..."
Lu Chen repeated the name quietly, his mind beginning to turn.
Professor Juniper is the professor from the Unova Region. If what she said is true...
If her fossil revival technique really can preserve some of a fossil's memories within the revived Pokémon...
Then, as long as I find fossils formed after those that died on the ancient battlefield were buried by rivers, wouldn't there be a chance of finding out what actually happened back then?
After working this out, Lu Chen's eyes brightened slightly. At the same time, he rubbed his chin and said,
"Besides, since she's a professor, she should be pretty rich, right?"
However, Lu Chen still had no plans to sell Fossil Pokémon for now.
After all, even counting every last one, Lu Chen currently had fewer than ten Fossil Pokémon, nowhere near enough to start selling them to others.
Meanwhile.
Elsewhere, at the Cinnabar Gym.
A boy wearing a blue-and-black cloak stood on the battle platform, his hands behind his back, calm and composed. Lucario stood in front of him.
Opposite him, Blaine, the Cinnabar Gym Leader, looked unsettled.
He had already sent out his third Pokémon, his ace Magmar.
As Blaine looked at Aaron before him, his expression was particularly grim.
"To think that even I, Blaine, would one day be backed into a corner!"
"To think I nearly had all three of my Pokémon swept by a junior's single Pokémon! But that's fine! I still have my ultimate ace!"
"Magmar! Flamethrower!"
"Lucario, Aura Sphere."
Aaron's voice was quiet, but every word was clear and assured.
Facing Magmar's Flamethrower as it came at him like a sneak attack, Aaron's Lucario did not even move his eyes.
With a quick dodge, he evaded Magmar's attack.
Lucario brought his palms together, condensing a blue ball of energy between them, then thrust it forward.
Aura Sphere traced a precise arc and struck Blaine's Magmar dead-on, blasting him beyond the arena's boundaries and into the lava below!
At the sight, a commotion swept through the spectator stands.
No one had expected even Blaine, hailed as the strongest Gym Leader, to have all three of his Pokémon swept by Aaron's single Pokémon!
"Who is this Aaron? He's so strong!"
"Isn't his Lucario's Aura Sphere way too powerful?"
"I heard he's from the Hoenn Region! He's been challenging Gyms along the way and hasn't lost once!"
"That's nothing! Haven't you noticed? This Aaron is a legendary Aura Guardian!"
Aaron recalled Lucario, turned, and walked off the battle platform.
In truth, Aaron was not particularly interested in challenging the Pokémon League either.
But after arriving in the Kanto Region, Aaron had made an awkward discovery: although he could sense that the newly emerged Aura Guardian was somewhere in the Kanto Region,
he did not know exactly where the other person was.
But Aaron soon figured it out. Since I can't find you, I'll have you come find me!
Aaron planned to compete in the Pokémon League Conference first, win a championship, and raise his profile.
Besides, his intuition as an Aura Guardian told him
that the other Aura Guardian would definitely appear at the Kanto League Conference too!
And because Aaron had never concealed his identity, the appearance of a mysterious Aura Guardian who defeated Gym Leaders without a single loss still caused quite a stir.
Meanwhile, at Lu Chen's farm.
Ash, Misty, Brock, and Gary, who had just been discharged from the hospital, were gathered around a tablet, watching videos of Aaron's battles.
"This Aaron is really strong!" Ash's eyes shone.
"His Lucario is way more skilled at using Aura than I am!"
"He's an Aura Guardian too?" Misty asked.
"Yeah!" Ash nodded. As a fellow Aura Guardian, he knew all too well how Lucario had used Aura to dodge that attack.
Even Lu Chen's gaze remained fixed on the footage of Aaron battling.
Lucario's positioning, the timing of his moves, the way he controlled his power.
"These battle details and techniques!"
"Could it be..."
Lu Chen was all too familiar with those details.
They were the battle techniques he had taught the first Aura Guardian back then.
Although some parts had been improved, the core remained unchanged.
That fighting style of using Aura to sense an opponent's intentions and seize the initiative was practically a direct continuation of the same lineage.
"Who would have thought..."
Lu Chen murmured, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
"Who would have thought those Aura battle techniques hadn't died out! Has that legacy actually been passed down all the way to the present?!"
For the first time, everyone saw an excited expression on Lu Chen's face.
But what Lu Chen said next startled everyone present.
"How about I enter this Pokémon League Conference too?"
"Huh?"
Ash, Misty, and Brock turned their heads at the same time, looking as though they had seen a ghost.
Ash pointed at Aerodactyl, Lapras, and Gengar beside Lu Chen, then at Gouging Fire on the distant hillside. Even his voice changed pitch.
"Lu Chen, wouldn't entering the Pokémon League Conference be a bit too much like an adult picking on kids?"
Lu Chen smiled.
"But there's no rule saying I can't enter, is there?"
Hearing Lu Chen's words, Gary, who already looked unwell after only just leaving the hospital, instantly turned a few shades paler.
Although, generally speaking, Trainers needed the spirit to charge forward without hesitation and draw their swords whenever they faced an enemy,
this was Lu Chen!
A Trainer even stronger than his own grandfather!
Ash and Gary swallowed at the same time, feeling that the competitive pressure at this Pokémon League Conference was a little intense.
First, the Aura Guardian Aaron alone had already put immense pressure on everyone.
And now even Lu Chen was planning to enter?
At that moment, it was not just Ash and Gary who were dumbfounded.
Even Professor Oak, standing nearby, gave a helpless smile after hearing this.
Professor Oak thought silently to himself,
If Lu Chen really enters, is there even any point competing for the championship?
Never mind those absurdly powerful main Pokémon of Lu Chen's...
Professor Oak glanced at Gabite, who was quietly plowing the fields despite possessing strength at the very peak of Gym Leader level, only one step away from advancing to the Elite Four level. He could not help remarking,
"Even that Gabite who spends all his time plowing the fields would be a mountain no one could climb."