(A/N: Bonus Chapter! Thank you for your continued support! And don’t hesitate to leave a comment or powerstone if you like the story!)
Outside the Avian Sanctuary, the sky hung gray and overcast, as if a blanket of fog had enveloped the entire Graves family estate.
At the realm’s entrance stood a large garden where more than a dozen people had gathered. All the trainers who’d entered the Sanctuary alongside John had already emerged.
"Is anyone still inside the Sanctuary?" Uncle Graves asked the stationed guard, his weathered face showing growing concern as the closure deadline approached.
The guard consulted his checklist, scanning the assembled crowd with his eyes.
"There’s still a young man named John," he replied, clearly someone who didn’t get out much in social circles, judging by his straightforward manner.
The gathered trainers exchanged glances among themselves.
John hadn’t emerged yet? Could he actually intend to remain trapped inside the realm?
"John?" Uncle Graves murmured, checking his watch. Approximately twenty minutes remained before the realm would seal completely.
If John failed to exit within those twenty minutes, he’d be imprisoned in the Realm for at least a full year.
Just as the Patriach prepared to enter the realm himself to search for John with barely twenty minutes remaining, the spatial crack flickered slightly, and John stepped through.
"Mr.Graves!" John spotted the elder immediately and hurried over to greet him respectfully.
The old man nodded with visible relief.
Good, now he wouldn’t need to make that emergency rescue trip.
After waiting another ten minutes, the Realm’s dimensional rift slowly contracted and finally vanished into nothingness, like water rejoining seamlessly after being sliced by a blade.
The gray overcast sky cleared as well, revealing brilliant azure blue.
Everyone present with waveguide talent could clearly sense the Aura concentration in the surrounding air rapidly diminishing.
While the Graves family territory maintained higher aura density than most locations, that power still originated from the Sanctuary Realm. Now that the realm had closed, the waveguide energy had lost its source, causing natural concentration levels to decline.
Nevertheless, compared to other regions, the Graves estate remained an excellent location for training and developing Aura abilities.
"You may all depart separately," Uncle Graves announced to the group, then looked specifically at John. "If you wish to continue your studies, feel free to visit the Graves family library anytime."
With that, he turned and walked away, followed closely by a Lucario.
"Thank you, Uncle!" John called after him gratefully, though he had no immediate plans to linger. He’d already absorbed the knowledge he’d sought, and now possessed a clear development plan for his Pokemon’s aura training.
Retrieving Arcanine’s Pokeball, John released his partner and began the journey down the mountain, leaving the other trainers to exchange bewildered looks among themselves.
Walking through the "Graves Territory" forest, John checked his phone.
During his month-long isolation in the Avian Sanctuary, all outside communication had been completely blocked. Though he’d notified Emerald before entering and posted on social media about his month-long training retreat, messages had still accumulated steadily.
John replied to them one by one as he traveled.
Riding Arcanine back to the nearest city, he then flew directly back to Grassmere City. By the time Salamence delivered him to the Ranch, evening had already settled at 10 PM.
"Everyone, go get some well-deserved rest!" John announced, releasing his Pokemon from their Pokeballs.
This past month, the team members who’d mastered aura, especially Greninja, had trained intensively. But even Pokemon without Aura abilities hadn’t wasted the opportunity.
The "nourishment" provided by concentrated aura had enhanced everyone’s training effectiveness far beyond normal outdoor conditions.
"Ninja!" The Pokemon responded enthusiastically.
Salamence and Gyarados soared into the evening sky.
Garchomp and Steelix began Digging toward their underground lairs.
One by one, they took advantage of the darkness to return to their respective dens.
John stretched wearily and headed toward home. After a full day of travel, exhaustion weighed heavily on him. Tonight called for a hot shower and proper rest. Throughout this past month, he’d limited himself to just three hours of sleep daily, desperately trying to maximize every moment in that "limited-time training ground."
Only three hours of sleep per day, and that was with the Three Orbs’ assistance! Any ordinary person attempting such a schedule would probably have said goodbye to the world permanently.
Tomorrow morning, Emerald would provide the ranch’s monthly income report.
"Togepiii! grooter(≧∇≦)º" As he opened the door, a little bundle of joy rushed straight toward him.
John scooped up the tiny Pokemon in his arms.
"Sorry I was away for so long."
"Togepi~~" Togepi waved its little hands, showing no sadness about John’s extended absence, only pure happiness at seeing him again.
"Wobbuffet! (´༎ຶོρ༎ຶོ`)" In stark contrast, Wobbuffet emerged from its Pokeball with tears streaming down its face.
"Togepi! (ㄟ‸ㄟ)" Togepi immediately jumped from John’s arms to comfort the distraught Wobbuffet.
Apparently, those two had formed the real emotional bond here.
Nearby, Delibird stood with hands on hips, wearing the expression of an adult who couldn’t be bothered with such dramatics.
"Did you miss me?" John asked, patting Delibird’s head gently.
"Deli!" Delibird immediately crossed its arms, turned its back with an indignant huff, and flew to the window to pretend interest in the "scenery."
"Still as stubborn as ever," John chuckled.
The household Pokemon went about their evening routines.
Gardevoir used Confusion to dust the entire house.
Hariyama donned an apron and began preparing a late dinner.
"Let’s keep supper light tonight, just bring me a bowl of wontons," John requested before heading upstairs for his shower. A light meal would help him sleep more comfortably.
Togepi and Wobbuffet quickly claimed the living room television and started up their video games.
Suddenly, a small pink head poked through the window, startling Delibird from its scenic contemplation.
"Deli?!" Delibird squawked in alarm.
"Mew~~" Mew waved a tiny greeting before its petite form zipped into the room.
Gardevoir, busy with her dusting duties, immediately noticed the newcomer.
"Garde~ (Are you looking for our trainer?)"
"Mew~~" Mew nodded enthusiastically.
"Gardevoir! (He’s showering upstairs, wait down here first!)" Before Gardevoir could finish her explanation, Mew’s attention had already been captured by the two little figures bouncing around on the TV screen.
On the sofa, Wobbuffet and Togepi were engaged in an intense fighting game battle.
"Wobbuffet!! (I will definitely beat you this time!!)" Wobbuffet gripped its controller like a warrior facing mortal combat.
"Togepi~ (Current score: 14,215 to 1~)" Togepi announced cheerfully.