(A/N: Bonus Chapter! Thank you for your continued support! And don’t hesitate to leave a like if you’re enjoying the story!)
It appeared that Pokéblocks held the same irresistible appeal for legendary Pokemon as they did for ordinary ones, a universal weakness that transcended legendary status.
After experiencing those supreme-quality treats, Mew nearly abandoned the Tree of Beginnig to follow John on his adventures directly.
John had indeed tried extending such an invitation. For a brief moment, Mew genuinely hesitated, its large eyes reflecting genuine consideration. But ultimately, the legendary Pokemon shook its head with what seemed like genuine regret.
John suspected the only thing preventing Mew’s departure was its symbiotic bond with the Tree of Beginning. The ancient guardian simply couldn’t abandon its post, no matter how tempting the prospect of adventure might be.
He’d lost the chance to recruit a top-tier legendary Pokemon.
If Mew had actually agreed to join his team, John wouldn’t need to worry about gradually building strength through various challenges. He could march straight to the Elite Four and demand battles! No need to study the intelligence reports his senior brother had prepared, no strategic planning required, just overwhelming legendary power.
Then he could challenge the Champion directly!
Alas, such dreams would have to remain exactly that, dreams.
Having obtained what he’d come for, John prepared to leave the Tree.
His primary purpose in entering this place wasn’t treasure hunting, after all, but training his Pokemon in the ways of Aura power.
While the Tree of Beginnig provided an excellent environment for Pokemon to absorb and understand Aura, it was entirely unsuitable for practicing destructive Aura techniques.
Particularly his plan to teach his Pokemon the Spiral Aura Sphere technique.
With that kind of devastating power, he might accidentally blast a massive hole through the Tree’s crystalline structure. At that point, having Aura or not wouldn’t matter, the Three Reggie’s would probably launch him out of the secret realm like a cannonball!
Moreover, maintaining Aura throughout his entire body was exhausting work. Even with the Aura Gloves enhancing his abilities, John couldn’t sustain such energy expenditure indefinitely.
Therefore, John planned to divide his training time strategically. His Pokemon would spend periods near the Tree of Beginning absorbing power and understanding its nature, then move to safer distances for actual combat technique development.
Greninja’s combination of UltimateWater Shuriken and Spiral Aura Sphere still wasn’t meeting John’s standards. This trip provided the perfect opportunity to refine that technique.
"These are my last Pokéblocks," John said, offering Mew the remaining supreme-quality treats. "Eat them slowly, I’ll be visiting regularly while I’m training in this realm."
Wobbuffet, watching from its Pokeball: "Wobbuffet!" (Translation: Hey, those were mine! #°Д°)
Since Mew enjoyed them so much, John figured he could always make more later. He might not be able to mass-produce the supreme-quality versions, but excellent-grade Pokéblocks would make perfectly adequate snacks.
Hearing John’s promise to return frequently, Mew stopped its pleading for more treats.
"Mew~~! ο(^∇^)ο" The legendary Pokemon performed a delighted aerial loop, then floated alongside John as he departed.
Retracing his path through the Tree of Beginning, John soon passed the elderly Graves family member again.
The elder seemed to sense something different this time. His eyes snapped open, studying John intently, then shifting to observe Mew escorting the young trainer, before finally noticing the gloves adorning John’s hands. His expression grew contemplative.
As a Graves family member, he’d known about Mew’s existence for decades. Due to the legendary Pokemon’s generally friendly disposition toward humans, his family had even established communication and maintained cordial relations with it.
But... he’d never witnessed anyone develop such an obviously close bond with Mew.
Especially not a first-time visitor to the Tree of Beginning.
"What’s your name, young man?" the elder inquired.
"John," he answered honestly.
"John? Are you the John I’ve heard about, the old principal’s student?" The elder examined him more carefully.
From his tone, this man seemed to be an old acquaintance of his teacher.
"You know my teacher?"
"Of course! Your access to our sanctuary we have protected for centuries was granted in exchange for a favor I owed him," the elder replied with a chuckle, rising from his cross-legged meditation position.
"You can call me Uncle Graves. Your teacher and I were classmates, more or less!"
"Uncle Graves," John responded politely. Since this was someone from his teacher’s generation, the respectful address felt entirely appropriate.
The elder nodded approvingly, then his gaze shifted to the gloves John had received from Mew. "Did it give those to you?"
John glanced at Mew questioningly.
"Mew~~! ο(^∇^)ο" The legendary Pokemon nuzzled John’s cheek affectionately.
Uncle Graves nodded thoughtfully, then made a surprising announcement. "Those gloves once belonged to my grandfather."
"Oh, I should probably return them then—"
"Don’t be nervous! Since Mew gifted them to you, they’re rightfully yours," the elder interrupted. Then, to John’s amazement, he produced another glove and offered it. "This is the matching piece. It’s useless to me now, so I’m giving it to you as well. They work best as a pair, and consider it a meeting gift from your me, otherwise that old professor will never let me hear the end of my stinginess!"
John accepted the second glove, immediately feeling power flowing from it as well, though not with the same intensity as Mew’s gift.
Apparently, this glove hadn’t simply acquired power through prolonged exposure to the Tree’s energy. The material itself must possess special properties for channeling Aura.
"After you leave this place, show these gloves to the guard at the Sanctuary’s entrance. He’ll escort you to our family’s private library." The old man settled back into his meditation pose. "We’ve accumulated considerable research on Aura power techniques over the generations. Since you possess genuine Aura talent, it would be wasteful not to nurture it properly."
"I meditate and practice here year-round, so feel free to seek guidance if you encounter difficulties."
"Thank you so much, Uncle Graves!" John’s gratitude was entirely genuine. This was an incredible stroke of fortune. His original plan had involved slowly experimenting with Aura power through trial and error, but now he had access to generations of accumulated Graves family research.
Instead of fumbling through the basics, he could leap directly to advanced techniques!
John bid farewell and prepared to leave the World Tree, eager to explore the family’s Aura archives.
"Off you go, then." Uncle Graves resumed his cross-legged position and returned to his training routine.
As John departed the Tree of Beginning, Mew accompanied him only to the crystalline entrance.
"Mew~~!" The legendary Pokemon waved from the doorway.
"Goodbye, Mew!" John waved back warmly.
Once he’d moved beyond the Three Reggie’s patrol range, John exhaled in relief. His Aura reserves had nearly reached their limit, if he’d delayed another few minutes, those ancient guardians probably would have ejected him from the premises themselves.
He retrieved Gardevoir’s Pokeball and released his partner.
"Teleport us away from the Tree of Beginnig, please," he requested. "We need to head back toward the realm’s entrance."