Korrina paused at the base of the steps from the sand to the opening entryway. “This is the Tower of Mastery. I’ve met many strong trainers in my time as a gym leader, but the ones with exceptional bonds with their pokemon, I bring them here.” She side-eyed Chad, with a mischievous smirk. “Though I think you were interesting enough to bring anyway; I want to see how grandpa reacts.”
“Hmm, Korrina, aren't you supposed to be at the gym today?” The man asked, jotting down a few final notes before moving over to greet the pair.
Korrina laughed, intercepting the man with a hug. “Grandpa, I’m not that irresponsible! I just finished my last match for the day and wanted to bring someone interesting for you to meet.” She stepped aside, motioning with a sweep of her arm to the Charmeleon standing hesitantly by the open door.
The man eyed Chad, taking notice of his backpack, the scarf, but pausing on the belt of pokeballs around his waist. “Granddaughter, I’m afraid you’ll need to explain this one to me. Is it a rare pokemon?”
The gym leader giggled, as the ‘rare pokemon’ shuffled awkwardly in place. “You could say that; I’d like to introduce you to Chad, the region’s first and only pokemon trainer.” She used her fingers to air-quote and emphasize the word, but the reveal caused the old man’s expression to crack with a hint of excitement and fascination.
Stepping forward, the man offered his right hand. “Well, Chad, it certainly is historic to meet you,” he commented, shaking hands with the orange lizard. “I should introduce myself properly. My name is Gurkinn, the Mega Evolution guru. I don’t suppose you know what Mega Evolution is, do you?” Chad shook his head no.
“To put it simply, Mega Evolution is a temporary evolution for pokemon who are fully evolved; a whole new level of power!” The guru shouted in excitement, throwing his hands in the air for emphasis. “However, that power comes with conditions, requirements for activation. First, you must possess a mega stone attuned to the specific pokemon. My research so far has shown that each stone has a unique coloration and is tied to a single species. For example, this is what I have named ‘Lucarioite’!” He explains, motioning towards a perfectly smooth sphere in a stand on the table. Inside, swirls of blue, silver, light brown, black, and gold flutter around in a mesmerizing mix.
“Just as its namesake, this stone allows a Lucario to Mega Evolve. The second piece is a counterpart, the mega bracelet.” He pulls a thin black bracelet with a clear gem embedded in the top, and several odd markings carved into the inner and outer band. “The trainer wears this bracelet to help act as a conduit and trigger the transformation. Which is where the third part comes in; you and your pokemon need a strong connection, as you channel your energy into the bracelet to empower the evolution.”
Korrina rolled her eyes so hard her head tilted sideways. “Ugh, Grandpa, can I just show him? And can we borrow a bracelet and your Lucarioite? I have a feeling…” The young woman was exaggerating how bored she was, likely angling for this from the beginning.
Gurkinn leered at his granddaughter with a knowing smile. “I see, so that’s why you’re really here. Come then, let us test your hypothesis dear.” He grabbed the fancy stone and ushered Chad in front of him, both trailing the bouncing Korrina who was already racing up the nearby stairs. “My apologies, Chad, but it appears you’ve been drafted for an experiment.”
Gurkinn handed the stone to Chad, who stood entranced by its beauty before looking towards the guru for guidance. “Simply give the orb to your Lucario, equip the bracelet, and focus on your bond.” He summarized, placing the mega bracelet from earlier into the lizard’s other hand. With a shrug, Chad gently slid the hoop onto one of his claws, getting it all the way to the base where it dangled loosely.
Reaching for the black ultra ball with his free hand, he released his newest team member, Lucielle, who did not appear surprised the group was in the tower. At least not as shocked as Gurkinn upon seeing one of his granddaughter’s pokemon appear with another trainer. “So, the mega trial?” Lucielle asked, accepting the mega stone from her ‘trainer’.
“Seems like you know what’s going on. Should I even be wearing this ring? I don’t know if our ‘connection’ is anything like they described…” Chad inquired, pointing at the mega bracelet.
“Yea, this is a bit of a weird situation…” Lucielle admitted, while Gurkinn and Korrina played charades in the background, with him motioning towards Lucielle several times. “You might need to pass her the role of trainer for this one.” She suggested, pointing towards a ball on Chad’s belt that wiggled in response.
Accepting the situation, Chad released Ginette from her ball, as the frog promptly slid the bracelet off the lizard’s claw and held it out towards Lucielle; all in the time it took for her corporeal body to solidify. “On one condition; you need to put the bracelet on my wrist.” She demanded, extending her left hand towards Lucielle.
In a violation of biology, Lucielle’s blue cheeks shone bright red through her fur, with Chad chuckling as he ambled over to stand beside Gurkinn. The old man was confused at the shuffle, while Korrina was practically vibrating in excitement. Collecting herself, Lucielle slid into character as she knelt down and delicately held the frog’s hand aloft. “Ginette, do you solemnly swear to fight by my side, through poison and paralysis, the good times and the rough, until death do us part?”
Ginette, despite blushing as red as Chad’s tail flame, merely huffed. “You didn’t have to lean into it,” she whispered, earning a mirthful chuckle from the jackal who slid the bracelet on without further fanfare. Immediately, the gem on the bracelet began to glow brightly, inspiring a knowing smile from Lucielle before she strode into the arena.
“I knew it!” Korrina shouted, as she tossed a familiar great ball onto her side of the field. “Luca, let’s give our good friend a strong send-off, yea?” As the light took shape, Luca appeared standing upright with his arms crossed.
“What, think you’re too good for me now?” He snorted dismissively, his aura beginning to flare with rage. His stance shifted lower, as he prepared to pounce. Behind him, Korrina’s mega bracelet began to shine brightly. “I’m going to beat you both, then drag you back home with us.”
Lucielle threw her head back laughing. “Luca, I’m breaking up with you.” She stated, standing upright and exuding confidence as her opponent’s rage was inflamed.
Korrina raised her arm up high, the bracelet acting like a lighthouse, as she shouted across the field. “Let’s give this our all, show me the strength of your bond!” Immediately, Luca began to glow and change.
“Lucielle, win this and I’ll do that thing you liked later tonight!” Ginette shouted, raising her own bracelet up high as her teammate also began to glow and grow.
“Fascinating!” Gurkinn remarked, having pulled a recording device out and capturing the trial as it unfolded. “This is the first time I’ve seen a pokemon Mega Evolve without a human!” Both lights faded to reveal a mirror match of two Mega Lucarios, as Luca quickly crossed the field to land the opening blow. In a split-second, Lucielle had formed her signature white bone staff, using the bulbous end of the large femur to swat away Luca’s left fist.
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
Luca, steadily succumbing to his rage, spun up a white orb with his off-hand, driving it at his now ex-girlfriend who brought up the bottom of her staff to parry. Contact between the two energy weapons led to an outward gust of wind from the point they touched, as energy flared off violently from the contest of raw power. Sensing her follow-up attack coming, Luca’s left claws began to shine with bright silver energy and extend into a set of claws, which he used to block the other end of her staff before it could crash down on his right forearm. Unlike the intersection of the ball and staff, his claws drew a loud screech and bright sparks as the two angled to create an opening in the other’s defenses.
“Just because you figured out your fancy tricks doesn’t mean you’ll win!” Luca shouted, pushing back with all four limbs to gain some distance and reset their positions. His body surged with brown ki, muscles growing beneath his blue fur before he duplicated the silver claws from his one hand to the other hand; even including his feet.
“I’m not worried; you were always rather shit at finding my openings.” Lucielle taunted, earning a hearty laugh from Ginette and a struggling cough from Chad and Korrina. With a smooth ‘crack’, the staff split in half, joined in the middle by a link of what appeared to be a chain. She swung the nunchucks with showmanship before changing her stance, one hand flat and aimed at Luca. With a grin, she curled her fingers, inviting him to make the first move of round two.
Enraged, the jackal leapt across the arena to hit her with a spinning kick, for it to be blocked by the nunchucks. Keeping his momentum, he spun around to swing with his other foot, forcing her to dodge right into where his hand was waiting. A scratch across her arm drew first blood, which she punished him for with a solid strike to his knee. The two danced, trading light blows while blocking or dodging the stronger ones. Luca eventually changed things up and started trying to weave in additional attacks with his white spheres. Lucielle changed her strategy, accepting more hits from his metallic claws in exchange for landing more of her own strikes with her weapon which had split and shifted into a pair of tonfa.
Then, Luca lost focus, attempting to go for an all-in attack with two white balls. She capitalized on the opening, landing a solid kick to his stomach and winding him. The two balls dispersed, as did his claws, as he lay folded over her knee. Luca slid off her leg, landing limply on his side as he coughed and tried to breathe. Before he could recover, she rolled Luca onto his back and straddled him, with her right leg kneeling on his chest below the steel spike. He grinned in amusement. “Love the view, babe–” She punched him hard across the jaw, fist coated in rampaging Ki.
“You never asked what I wanted.” Holding him in place with her knee, she punched him with her other fist, again to the jaw. “You never listened to what I had to say, especially when I said ‘No’.” Another punch, back to the main hand. “Your entire concept of a relationship revolved around what I could do for you, and nothing else.” A fourth punch, again with the off-hand. Luca was barely conscious, wheezing and bleeding as his face looked like it had been hit by a freight train.
Lucielle stood up and stepped back, dismissing her former boyfriend as anything but the trash he was. “I would say this has been a toxic relationship, but even a poison type would have been a better person than you.” With a strong wind-up, Lucielle kicked Luca hard between the legs and sent him flying across the field. Mid-air, his body glowed again before rolling to a stop at Korrina’s feet as a normal Lucario.
“Bravo! That was amazing!” Gurkinn shouted, putting away the camera to clap as he approached the field. Meanwhile, Ginette had attempted to tackle Lucielle from behind, only to be swept up and swung around by her larger girlfriend. Having recalled Luca after his second defeat today, Korrina hustled over to join the celebration. Lucielle set Ginette down, as she reverted to her original form and offered the reappearing Lucarioite back to the guru.
Gurkinn held up a flat palm towards her, refusing the stone. “No need; you two have given me so much revolutionary data I’d say you earned both the mega bracelet and mega stone. Two major breakthroughs in a single day might be enough for this old man.” He jested, as his granddaughter lightly elbowed him. Chad, zapped by a bolt of inspiration, dug around in his backpack before pulling out the stone reward from the Cyllage City gym, holding it up to Gurkinn. Accepting the orb, the old man studies it before taking a picture with his holo caster. “Fascinating; if this is a mega stone, it's one I have not seen before. If you figure that out, be sure to come back and show me!”
“Alright, Alright! I get it, I’ll be sure to give them my thanks next chance we get.” Chad groaned, pulling Ginette’s ball as he began to take off the belt and backpack. She took in the sight of the river while he worked to fasten the buckle sufficiently tight. Sliding the backpack straps over her shoulders, Chad looked her straight in the eyes. “I have an idea what you’re thinking, but just get us to the other side before you do it, please?”
Ginette rolled her eyes before nodding in agreement, returning her team leader to his ball and clipping it to the magnet on the belt. Sprinting in a running start along the beach, she leapt out over the water; letting the bubbly blue energy enshroud her feet before landing. The result was similar to ice skating, as she glided across the surface of the mildly turbulent water. In all, it barely took her a few minutes to cross the river before reaching dry land on the other side, where she enacted her plan and released everyone but Chad.
“Team meeting!” She called out, gathering the three’s attention, all of which waited expectantly. “I want to discuss our plans going forward, since there’s now five of us, and I expect Chad will bring up type advantages as justification why maybe only two or three of us will get to fight at each one.”
“That isn’t exactly the wrong idea, depending how bad the match ups are.” Lucielle supplied, earning a nod from Gaston and an eye roll from Alexandre.
“Anyone who throws in the towel because of typing isn’t someone I can respect. The disadvantage just makes your victory that much more euphoric.” He chimed in, asserting his position as a battle maniac.
“Comments noted, but maybe I should explain first,” Ginette continues, sliding the backpack off onto the ground and pulling a familiar notebook from it. “Up next is the grass gym, and if memory serves, the black tea enjoyer will have Chad handle that on his own.”
“Preferential treatment,” grumbled Alexandre, kicking the dirt. Gaston rolled his eyes hard enough to nearly trigger a Rollout.
“Beyond that,” Ginette continued to prevent a fight, “up next would be the electric gym. Gaston and Alexandre will tag team that one, especially once we give Alexandre his shiny rock.” This earned a greedy smile from the pink rabbit, forcing an elbow nudge from Lucielle.
“After that is the fairy gym, which from what I remember implies it should primarily be handled by Alexandre and Lucielle.” The two in question shared a fist-bump, or a close approximation of one.
“The last two are going to be a problem though. My evolution is our only counter against psychic types, and the toughest gym will be relying on Chad and Lucielle. Everyone else on this team will have a serious weakness. Do you see where I’m going with this?”
“So he gets the most time in the spotlight; are you arguing for someone to take his place?” Alexandre responds with a wobble of his ears. “Because I would happily take front and center for every battle from here out if you’re worried, little miss.”
“No,” Gaston intercedes, his experience highlighting the main issues. “The first issue is how much is riding on Chad, but the main one is that the battles won’t be evenly dispersed. While I may not be suggesting my increased participation, I will note both Ginette and I only have a contribution for one more gym each.”
She nodded in confirmation. “That and we haven’t yet met the final team member, who may throw that out of balance. Unless our gracious Narrator cares to show us behind the curtain?”
“We can work with that, but it also reinforces what I’m trying to say. We know what kinds of opponents we need to prepare for, and with Chad’s help we can watch some recordings—“
“Watch what?” Gaston interrupted, as he and Alexandre eyed the frog in confusion while Lucielle smirked.
“The humans can capture the images and sounds of battles, allowing them to plan for their opponents. Korrina has a lot of videos available, and she used them to help myself and the other gym pokemon improve.” Lucielle supplied, adopting the airs of a teacher.
“Then why are we talking about it? Bring up one of those videos!” Alexandre demanded, the battlelust shining in his eyes.
“We can only watch them at the red and white buildings in human towns.” Ginette supplied, crossing her arms.
Alexandre, visibly upset at the answer, slammed his front feet into the dirt. “Fine! Weird voice guy, speed up time so I can either watch these fights or engage in my own!”
Clipping the pokeball back on the belt, the frog pouted. “You didn’t need to do that for me,” she grumbled, before releasing Chad from his ball. There was a knowing look before she sighed and returned herself to her own ball, causing the belt to slide off her energy form and onto the ground.
“It sounds like I should keep an eye out for some trainers then. Do either of you want to walk with me, or would you also prefer the comfortable stasis?” Chad offered, slipping his arms into the backpack straps.
Gaston shook his head no, vanishing in the red light, while Lucielle shrugged and nodded. “If you don’t mind, I would appreciate hearing your story; should you be willing to share.”
Bite, Stomp, Rock Tomb, Dragon Dance, Hone Claws, Rock Smash, Bulk Up, Detect, Protect, Dragon Tail, Ancient Power, Stone Edge, Rock Slide
Peck, Focus Energy, Double Kick, Poison Sting, Horn Attack, Dig, Venoshock, Sludge Bomb, Poison Jab, Earthquake, Bulldoze, Protect
Detect, Protect, Extreme Speed, Aura Sphere, Close Combat, Bulk Up, Power-Up Punch, Bone Rush