Fireworks blood across the night sky as the castle buzzed with festival energy.
Tonight's banquet would crown Ash as the "Aura Guardian"—a title bestowed by Queen Ilene herself.
Natsu and Steven also received invitations from Queen Ilene.
"It's not the accompanying relatives and friends, but the Queen's personal invitation?"
Natsu looked at the gold-plated invitation in his hand and said in surprise.
The ssenger said with sha: "You are joking... How can I let you two condescend. Of course, it is an invitation prepared for distinguished guests."
"Mr. Steven, your na is really useful." Natsu looked at the Hoenn Champion beside him and said with emotion.
"There is another possibility." Steven smiled, "Maybe the Queen is inviting you and taking along."
The ssenger trembled when he saw the two Trainers in front of him suddenly started to brag about each other.
One is the Hoenn Champion.
The other is sensei, the "Aura Warrior" of this session, whom the Queen has specifically appointed as a friend——
How dare I say anything!
Natsu smiled and said, "Please tell the Queen that Mr. Steven and I will attend the dinner tonight."
The ssenger scurried off like a startled Rattata.
The banquet began at seven sharp. Ash, as the guest of honor, had already left for the grand hall.
Natsu and Steven ascended the castle's stone stairs to select formal attire.
"A suit fits best," Steven remarked, adjusting his white tuxedo and Key Stone lapel pin.
"When in Ro," Natsu fastened his black tailcoat—gold embroidery at the cuffs and collar, custom-made by royal tailors.
"Pokémon can dress up too," Steven noted. "Aren't you accessorizing yours?"
Natsu turned to see Sylveon curiously sniffing a tiny princess gown.
"Sylveon?" It tilted its head adorably.
With a devious grin, Natsu pounced—
"Sylveon! o(≧д≦)o!!"*
After surviving the flurry of ribbon slaps, he admired his handiwork:
"Sylveon..." The Sylveon blushed, examining its frills.
"A perfect princess!"
"Sylveon~"
Clanking armor announced Sirfetch'd's arrival—polished helt gleaming, stance heroic.
"Sirfetch'd!"
Gengar followed, sporting a top hat, monocle, cane, and fake beard.
"You're here for the buffet, not a silent film role!" Natsu groaned.
Gengar ripped off the beard with a grin: "Gengar!"
Should've said so earlier! Ti to feast!
...
Inside the opulent palace,
Ash stood dressed in Sir Aaron's ceremonial robes, gripping a staff awkwardly, his face twisted in discomfort.
"Hero, please stop fidgeting," Butler Granny whispered. "You must maintain the hero's dignity until the party ends."
"But I'm so hungry..." Ash whined pitifully.
"Just a little longer!"
Ash sighed, then suddenly brightened—Natsu-sensei had arrived!
As Natsu and Steven stepped into the grand ballroom, all eyes turned toward them.
Steven, ever the composed aristocrat, offered a practiced smile, nodding gracefully to those they passed.
Natsu, too, drew attention—
Though, admittedly, so of those stares might have been directed at the impossibly adorable Sylveon beside him.
"Pikachu~!"
Pikachu bounded over joyfully, circling Natsu twice before leaping onto his shoulder.
Natsu scratched Pikachu's head and chuckled. "Waiting for Ash to finish playing hero, huh?"
Since Ash had to maintain his image, he couldn't keep Pikachu with him, leaving the little Pokémon to wander freely.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu tilted its head, as if not quite understanding.
Natsu shrugged. He wasn't the Chosen One of Viridian—no way he could explain things to Pikachu properly.
"Just hang tight," Natsu said, rubbing Pikachu's soft chin. "I'll keep you company for now."
At the word "play," Pikachu's eyes lit up.
"Pikachu!" It nodded vigorously.
Now, with Pikachu perched on one shoulder and Togepi balanced on the other, Natsu cut an interesting figure.
"Ahem." Steven glanced at his phone and suddenly smirked.
Natsu shot him a look.
"..." Steven smiled innocently. "I'm going to grab so champagne. Would you like so, Natsu-sensei?"
Oh, so now you're changing the subject!
Natsu's phone buzzed. He checked the group chat and froze.
A new photo had been uploaded—him, with Pikachu and Togepi on his shoulders.
Steven: Image attached
Gold]: So cute! (Referring to Togepi)
Yellow: Pikachu's adorable too!
Natsu-sensei]: Natsu-sensei is pretty cute too, y'know!
Lt. Surge: ???
Lorelei: Shaless!
Brock: Wait… is that Pikachu Ash's? It looks a bit different.
"Huh?" Natsu glanced at the fluffy Pikachu beside him. "Does it?"
Brock shook his head. "Maybe I'm imagining things..."
The party had been underway for a while now, and a steady stream of young won approached Steven.
"Sylveon! (▼皿▼#)"
Natsu, anwhile, enjoyed relative peace—thanks to Sylveon's intimidating glare warding off unwanted attention.
Content with the quiet, Natsu tilted his head back, studying the palace's grand ceiling.
A massive mural depicted Sir Aaron quelling an ancient war—clad in blue robes, wide-brimd hat, and wielding a crystalline staff… just like Ash, currently slouched on the throne.
"Yaaawn~" Ash stretched lazily, catching Natsu's gaze. He grinned sheepishly. "Heh."
Natsu sighed.
If Sir Aaron knew his legacy was being upheld by this knucklehead… he'd probably despair.
Steven, ever the social butterfly, remained trapped in a circle of admirers.
anwhile, Natsu—now an impromptu babysitter—carried Pikachu and Togepi toward the buffet.
Macarons, soufflés, tiramisu… rows of desserts glistened under the chandeliers.
Though Natsu had little interest in extravagant delicacies, the food was decent.
"Only about twenty years shy of my own cooking," he remarked smugly.
Pikachu stared at this shaless human, then suddenly bead.
"Pikachu!"
"Hm? Where are you—" Before Natsu could finish, Pikachu hopped down and vanished into the crowd.
Just then, the elegant Queen Ilene rose, announcing the official start of the ball.
Natsu and the little ones stayed firmly planted by the food.
Natsu & Gengar: (￣～￣) Munch.
A trainer's gotta eat!
"Squirtle~ ヾ(?■_■)"
Squirtle lifted its head from the plate, staring up at the mural. Slowly, it adjusted its sunglasses.
A legendary Aura Warrior…
No wonder I've felt my power surging since we arrived.
"Squirtle!" Its eyes sharpened.
This is the perfect ti to train!
Amidst the music and feasting, Squirtle dropped and began one-ard push-ups.
"Executive!"
Natsu turned at the sudden call.
owth waved excitedly at him from across the room.
Natsu blinked, then sighed.
Should've known.
Wherever trouble brewed, these three were never far behind.
...
After hearing owth's story, Natsu sighed deeply. "So, you followed the 'Twerp' all the way to Caran Palace by plane?"
"Yep, the flight ticket was crazy expensive, ow! Good thing we made a killing from the Christmas gacha!" owth said.
Seeing the speechless Executive, owth grinned. "Don't worry, Executive! We'll definitely catch Pikachu and hand it over to you, ow!"
"..." Natsu-sensei's expression suddenly turned serious. "owth."
"What is it?"
"Once this mission is over, you're all being transferred to the Africa branch."
Natsu's voice was eerily calm. "The Team Rocket there... could use so developnt."
owth froze for a second before forcing a laugh. "Y-You're joking again, ow."
Natsu chuckled and said nothing more.
"..." owth began to panic.
Just as owth was scratching his head in distress, Natsu finally spoke. "No need to catch Pikachu for ... Just focus on selling cards."
"Do that, and I'll overlook this little... unauthorized mission of yours."
"Thank you, Executive!" owth burst into tears.
That being said...
Natsu looked up at the sky.
Those three actually staying put and not causing trouble... Yeah, I have my doubts.
"By the way, where are Jessie and Jas?" Natsu asked.
owth jerked his chin toward the dance floor. "There."
Following his gaze, Natsu saw "Sweet Lina-Jessie" dancing with Steven, hearts practically glowing in her eyes.
anwhile, Jas was gracefully waltzing with a noble girl, his posture and manners clearly professional.
When partners switched, Jessie and Jas ended up together again—both imdiately making disgusted faces.
"I'm gonna go scout for food elsewhere, ow!" owth announced, ready to hunt for snacks.
Natsu nodded, idly playing with the ribbon on Sylveon's (Princess Dress Limited Edition) outfit.
"Togepi doo-ee~~" Togepi happily bounced after owth.
"Sirfetch'd, go keep an eye on them. Make sure they don't get lost," Natsu said offhandedly.
"Sirfetch'd!" The armored knight gave a solemn nod and stomped after them.
Natsu fell into thought.
According to the original plot... wasn't there a female adventurer involved?
But at this point, she's nowhere to be seen.
Even w, who should've been a major player, is missing...
"ow~!"
owth ca trotting back, happily rubbing against Natsu's leg.
"owth? Weren't you getting food?" Natsu blinked.
"ow?" owth tilted its head in confusion.
"Use your words!" Natsu snapped. "You can talk!"
Sothing tasty?
A telepathic voice rang out. Natsu stiffened, staring at the owth in front of him.
It darted away before he could react.
Natsu's expression turned odd. Silently, he pulled up the System Pokédex—
[w, Psychic-type, a Mythical Pokémon...]
Well, well. An impostor among us.
"w... nicknad 'Little Ditto'..."
Natsu muttered, lost in thought.
w was notoriously playful, often transforming into other Pokémon to ss with humans and fellow Pokémon alike.
It was lively and curious—but also prone to reckless antics.
Natsu frowned slightly. Logically, w shouldn't be in any real danger here...
Suddenly, the music stopped, snapping him out of his thoughts.
Looking up, he saw the Butler clear her throat. "Now, for the final ceremony of the festival... Let the Aura Guardian take the stage!"
Under the Butler's urging, Ash scrambled to his feet.
"Uh... like this?"
Dressed in a blue formal outfit and wide-brimd hat, Ash mirrored the pose of Sir Aaron from the mural.
Holding the stance, he froze for a second, as if hearing sothing.
"Ma'am... do you hear that?" Ash asked.
"Hear what?"
Queen Ilene smiled gently. "Perhaps you're just nervous."
Ash nodded and raised the staff again.
This ti—
The crystal atop it erupted into blinding light.
...
Over in the dining area.
A yellow tail poked owth's shoulder.
"Stop bothering owth while I'm eating, ow!"
owth was shoveling food into his mouth at record speed.
"Pikachu?" Pikachu tilted its head and poked again.
"Enough already!" owth whirled around—then stamred, "P-Pikachu?!"
"Pikachu~!" Recognizing Team Rocket's owth, Pikachu grinned and crackled with electricity, ready to unleash a Thunderbolt.
"Wait, ow!" owth frantically wiped his mouth. "I'm not here to catch you this ti!"
"Pikachu?"
"A very important person called off the mission!" owth gestured wildly. "So, truce! We're friends now, ow!"
Pikachu scratched its head—then spotted a cheerful Togepi waddling by.
"Togepi doo-ee~~"
"Oh, that's the Executive's Togepi!" owth yelped.
Togepi hopped onto the windowsill, teetering dangerously close to the edge.
"Togepi doo-ee~~ ヾ(●´｀●)"
owth lunged—but Togepi suddenly pivoted away.
"Wha—?!" A gust of wind hit owth as he stared down at the deadly drop below. "HELP, OOOOW—!!"
A pink blur flashed beside him. In an instant, w teleported him back to safety in front of Pikachu.
Both owth and Pikachu exhaled in relief.
"w~~~" Giggling, w transford into a perfect copy of Pikachu.
"Pikachu... (ヾ)`ω´(ヾ)" Pikachu patted its cheeks, wondering if it was dreaming.
w reverted to its original form, beaming. "w~~??(ˊᗜˋ*)」"
owth scratched his head, translating for Pikachu. "It's asking if we wanna play, ow."
Pikachu tilted its head—then nodded. "Pikachu!"
"Fine, ow." owth crossed his arms, eyes closed. "But only for a little while!"
w eagerly flitted over to Togepi next, hoping to invite it too.
But Togepi was already scampering toward Natsu, holding up a cupcake. "Togepi doo-ee~! ヾ(◕°◕°)ノ"
This is delicious! Try it!
"w~~~" w's shoulders slumped, watching with wistful eyes.
After a mont, it perked up again, tail swishing.
"w!"
In a flash of teleportation, w vanished with Pikachu and owth—leaving the castle behind.
...
Natsu chewed the cupcake Togepi handed him.
"Mmm... not bad." Even though he was full, he finished it anyway.
"Togepi~! ヾ(^▽^*)" Togepi patted its eggshell proudly.
Natsu passed one to Steven beside him. "Here, Steven."
Steven's light-blue eyes flickered with surprise before he smiled. "Thanks."
Then, he gazed up at the glowing staff.
"That... must be an ancient Poké Ball," Steven mused.
Natsu nodded, recalling the loyal Lucario that stood guard like a knight.
A pang of nostalgia hit him.
Maybe... this is what a millennia-spanning bond looks like. Aura and fate, connecting Sir Aaron, Ash, and Lucario.
Within the light, the silhouette of Lucario slowly materialized.
Sensing the powerful, familiar aura—
"Squirtle~ ヾ(•■_■)"
Squirtle paused mid-one-ard push-up, narrowing its eyes.
This Lucario... not bad at all.
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