The next morning, David woke early as usual. Ever since he'd received Zorua, he hadn't slept in—except for the occasional day off to rest and recharge.
He picked up the incubator from his nightstand, cradling it in his arms, and activated his Aura to resonate with the Pokémon Egg inside.
After returning home yesterday, David had discovered something remarkable: whenever his Aura came into contact with Riolu's Egg, it would become especially active. Through his Aura, he could actually feel the joy emanating from the unhatched Pokémon.
So now, whenever he had free time, he would resonate with the Egg using his Aura—even during meals.
After breakfast, David was about to head out with Zorua when he reached the front courtyard and spotted an unexpected visitor already waiting there.
A tall, beautiful young woman stood in the courtyard, dressed in blue jeans and a simple white short-sleeved shirt. Though her outfit seemed casual, she exuded a sharp, confident aura.
She didn't look much older than twenty, but that commanding, almost regal presence was already unmistakable.
"Sis! You're back!"
David's face lit up when he recognized her, and he called out happily.
The person in the courtyard was his older sister, Aria.
Before the world had changed, Aria had always been exceptional—brilliant in her studies, well-liked, mature, and dependable. She was the natural leader among their childhood friends, definitely one of those "other people's kids" that parents always talked about.
David had been a good student too when he was younger, but he was more reserved and, frankly, a bit lazy. Besides a few close friends, he didn't really enjoy participating in activities or socializing. Aria, on the other hand, had actively participated in everything since childhood, winning countless awards.
And now, after the world's transformation, his sister had become even more extraordinary.
She'd been the champion of the high school league. In her first year of university, she'd completed official challenges at eight first-level Gyms, joined the University team, and led them to victory in the Cloudspire High School Cup as their star player. Now in her second year, Aria was set to become team captain. She was already considered one of the rising stars among the new generation of trainers in the Cloudspire Alliance.
Thanks to her formidable strength, striking appearance, and commanding presence, Aria had earned the nickname "Dragon Queen" from her many fans. When David had first searched for information after the world changed, he'd even watched recordings of her tournament matches from that year.
The Cloudspire High School Cup Alliance Tournament was an annual event organized by the Alliance—the highest-level competition that student trainers in the Cloudspire Alliance could participate in.
With very few exceptions, almost every powerful trainer in the Cloudspire Alliance had made their mark on the High School Cup stage. It was the same stage David would stand on someday. But before that, he needed to achieve the goals he'd set for himself.
Right! He'd decided—becoming a legendary trainer would start with winning the Rookie Cup.
"David!"
Aria smiled warmly when she saw him.
"Sis, didn't Dad say you'd basically be staying in Magic City for the summer?" David asked, slightly surprised.
Their father had mentioned that the Magic City University team was undergoing a leadership change this year, with Aria becoming the new captain. The new High School Cup competition would begin in October, and to prepare for it, Magic City University was holding a closed training camp during the summer. As the incoming captain, Aria naturally wanted to defend their championship, so it made sense for her to stay there.
"This is the year you officially become a trainer, so of course I had to come back and see you," Aria said. "I originally planned to wait until the top sixteen round of the Rookie Cup to visit, but after two weeks of training, I got a few days off, so here I am!"
"Thanks, Indeedee! Long time no see."
While talking to David, Aria handed her luggage to the approaching Indeedee and greeted the Pokémon warmly.
"So, how was it? How did your first competition feel? And is this your starter Pokémon?"
Aria smiled and asked about his tournament experience, looking at Zorua perched obediently on David's shoulder. She reached out and gently petted the little fox's head.
"Honestly? No real challenge at all. The opponents in the preliminaries were too weak for me and Zorua, right, Zorua?"
"Zoro~"
In front of his sister, David didn't bother being modest—he spoke truthfully. Indeed, in those ten preliminary battles, aside from the Elekid in the final match, there hadn't been a single Pokémon that could exchange more than a few moves with Zorua.
The skill gap between trainers could be massive. Speaking of that kid with the dramatic flair—his name was Ch... Chri...Christopher, wasn't it? Theatrics aside, his actual training skills weren't bad at all.
Hearing her younger brother's assessment, Aria gave a subtle nod of approval. Then she pulled out a Poké Ball.
"How about this then? Since you didn't use your full strength in the competition, would you like to battle this little guy?"
"Roar~"
A blue and black figure materialized before them. David looked closely and saw it was none other than Deino—one of the pseudo-legendary Pokémon.
[Name: Deino]
[Type: Dark/Dragon]
[Energy Level: 19 (Ordinary)]
[Gender: ♂]
[Ability: Hustle]
[Potential: Deep Purple]
[Held Item: None]
[Moves: Dark Pulse, Earth Power, Fire Fang, Tackle, Dragon Rage, Focus Energy, Bite, Headbutt, Dragon Breath, Roar, Work Up, Crunch, Astonish]
David studied the spirited Deino before him. A pseudo-legendary species, an energy level near the normal-tier ceiling, and an impressive move pool—without question, this was the strongest Normal-level Pokémon he'd encountered to date.
"Well? Want to battle? If you impress me, there's a reward in it for you," Aria said with a smile.
This Deino was a new Pokémon she'd recently caught during summer vacation and hadn't had time to train yet. Its strength was perfectly positioned at the top of the Ordinary tier, making it ideal for testing her younger brother's abilities.
"Of course! This is a rare opportunity. But Sis, even though Deino is strong, my Zorua won't lose to any Pokémon."
David spoke with absolute confidence. Though Deino was formidable, he firmly believed that when the energy levels were comparable, Zorua wouldn't lose to any opponent.
"In that case, let's go!"
Aria led Deino toward their backyard. Seeing this, David scooped up Zorua and quickly followed.
A moment later, the siblings arrived at the battle arena in their backyard.
Even though it was just a home arena, its specifications and quality were impressive. As David and Aria took their positions on opposite sides of the field, an electronic screen rose from the sidelines and automatically lit up.
A familiar face appeared on the large screen—the electronic referee, Rotom, was ready. With Rotom's call of "Battle start!" the siblings' sparring match officially began.
"Go, Deino!"
"Give it everything you've got, Zorua!"
Under their respective trainers' commands, the battle between Zorua and Deino officially commenced.