Chapter 13: The Secret of Mega Evolution is Mine!
I knew it was important to move quickly on with my journey, but I also had to make sure my Pokémon team was strong and ready for action, so I decided stay in the Cave of Reflection for a while, training my Pikachu. She was quick and eager to please, zapping wild Pokémon left and right. I taught her new moves, and we quickly became a strong team. When we stopped for a lunch break, I caught her digging around in my purse. I thought she might have just been looking for a few more berries and was about to offer her some, when instead she pulled out a random stone that I had picked up somewhere earlier. It was a Thunderstone! Before my eyes, Pikachu began to evolve into Raichu! She must have sensed or smelled the stone and dug for it to evolve herself. Certainly, we had a nice strong team now, and I felt prepared for my next challenge as we left the cave again and headed back towards the city.
Shalour was a small city... if you discounted the northern half of it. My eyes were immediately drawn to the large, imposing tower separated from the rest of the city by a thin sand bank and stone fortress walls. As I was staring up at it from among the buildings, the fat twerp and the ginger twerp showed up. This was apparently the Tower of Mastery where we were supposed to learn from Mega Evolution from the self-proclaimed guru.
I left the boys and headed up to the tower on my own. It was just as impressive inside as it was out, completely open with nothing but a small room and a large Lucario status standing in the center. A large spiral ramp round along the walls, leading to the top.
Inside the room, I met the Mega Evolution guru, Gurkinn, and standing next to him was Korrina, who was apparently his granddaughter. We introduced ourselves, but the guru insisted on waiting for everyone before he would tell us what he knew, so we killed the time waiting for the others by chatting, though I avoided speaking much with Korrina, letting my rage for her smolder in silence.
Finally, everyone had arrived - all three twerps and James, still in that ridiculous outfit - and the Mega Evolution guru could begin his story. He babbled on for quite some time, but I was able to get the gist of it pretty easily: in order to have a Mega Evolution, the trainer must have a specific item (a Mega Ring) and the Pokémon itself must have a Mega Stone. If those two elements were in place, and the Pokémon and the trainer had a strong bond, the Pokémon would be able to Mega Evolve, a temporary transformation that would give the Pokémon even greater power.
Gurkinn sighed sadly, shaking his head as he continued. "Since Professor Sycamore entrusted each one of you with a Pokédex, I would like to give these items to all of you... I'd like to share them with you, but..." He grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, but presently, I have only one Mega Ring... It's a very precious item. That's why my research isn't getting anywhere... So, I want all of you to decide among yourselves which one of you will be the one who challenges the Mega Evolution successor."
I had to get my hand on that Mega Ring. I was ready to fight everyone I needed to, tooth and nail, to get my hands on that Ring for myself and for the Boss. James must have seen my determination, since he quickly backed down and said he didn't want it. The ginger and fat twerps also declined, leaving just me and Ash, who insisted on a Pokémon battle for it.
I felt as if I had been blasted off, my stomach rising to my throat. A Pokémon battle with Ash? No way this could end well, no way could I win this fight. I've been battling the kid for years and the only victories I've been able to claim have come as the result of tricks and cheating, and never ended up amounting to anything anyway. But still, I had to try, I had to give it my best. I clutched the Pokéball with my Raichu, smiled, and told the twerp to bring it on.
He opened up with a Pokémon I hadn't seen before, a Meowstic. I had been expecting his Frogadier and was prepared with Raichu, but it still only took a couple hits to bring the psychic cat down. When he swapped to a Dark-type Absol, I also switched to my Lucario, beating it down quickly and handily with some well-placed Fighting moves. His last Pokémon (Only 3, really? Shouldn't he know enough to actually catch a lot of Pokémon by now?!) was his Frogadier, so I swapped back to Raichu, sweeping him under the rug.
I couldn't believe it; I'd beaten Ash, and relatively easily, too! He was also surprised at my win, but not as much as he was disappointed. He wished me well and relinquished his claim to the Mega Ring, but it wasn't mine yet. In order to get the Mega Ring, I'd have to beat Korrina again, this time in her home turf with her Gym-strength Pokémon.
I took the rest of the day off, doing research and preparing for the Gym battle. Korrina and her lackeys would all be using Fighting-type Pokémon. Considering that type's weakness to Flying- and Psychic-type moves, Gardevoir and Skarmory would be my most useful Pokémon. I drifted off to sleep in my room at the Pokémon Center, still contemplating my moves.
The next day I slept in, awakening late morning for a hearty brunch with my Pokémon. Well-fed and well-rested, we headed off for the Shalour City Gym, home of Korrina, the killer of Braixen. the gym was set up as a large skating rink, with four trainers skating around and doing tricks. I popped onto my skates and chased the first one down for a battle. Upon beating him, I learned the method of how I would reach Korrina; each successful battle raised a section of ramp for my to slide to the center where Korrina was presumably waiting. With speed and precision, I skated my way around the rink, defeating the remaining trainers in turn. Finally, I could reach Korrina, but when I skated my way to the center ring, she was nowhere to be found.
"Time for Lady Korrina's big appearance!" She called from above, flipping down into the circle. I stared at her blankly, my rage smoldering coldly.
"Haha, I'm just messing around with you!" She insisted, laughing pathetically at her own joke. She must have realized I wasn't in a laughing mood when she responded sarcastically, "I know, you're rollin' in the aisles, right? I already know you're a strong Trainer, so let's get this show on the road!"
Glad that she had suspended the small talk, I quickly sent out my Skarmory, ready and anxious to finish this battle. I held nothing back as I slammed against her Pokémon with speed and power, quickly knocking out both Mienfoo and Hawlucha. Her final Pokémon was a Machoke, and she seemed to refuse to let this one go, healing it again and again with Hyper Potions as Skarmory dived at it again and again with Aerial Ace. I finally landed a critical attack, slamming it out of the arena circle and down to the lower level of the gym. It landed with a sickening crack and lied still. I didn't know if it was dead or just incapacitated, but I didn't care. I'd beaten Korrina and with ease, not even close to losing a single Pokémon. I stood proud and firm on my side of the stadium, head held high.
For her part, Korrina looked over the edge at her Machoke, shoulders slumped. She spoke quickly into her holo caster to get medical attention for the Pokémon, only afterward turning her face to address me. "You fought me ferociously, much more so than our previous battle in Geosenge, I'm impressed."
"In loss, we find strength," I replied cryptically.
Seeing that I wasn't in much of a mood to talk, and probably more interested in the condition of her own Pokémon, she quickly handed me my badge and a TM. I thought that was going to be all and was about to ask her about the Mega Ring when she beat me to the punch. "Look… I do have to apologize. You'll have to make it up to the top of the Tower of Mastery if you want the Mega Ring. I'm sorry for sending you this way and that. I swear, I'm not giving you the runaround! You've done great rolling with the punches. So great that I'd like to ask you a favor… Battle me again, won't you? But this time, it won't be just another Gym Battle… I want a battle between equals! As two Trainers who can use Mega Evolution! I'll be waiting for you with Lucario at the top of the Tower of Mastery!"
Another battle with this girl. I sighed, accepting her terms. Not like I had much of a choice; I needed to get my hands on that Mega Ring! Korrina headed down to the bottom level to check on her Machoke while I went to the Pokémon Center to heal up my Pokémon and get ready. We all had a snack together while I waited to head to the Tower of Mastery; I didn't know how long Korrina would be, and I would rather wait here than sit in that tower waiting for her.
After lunch and a stroll around town, I figured we waited long enough and I headed back to the tower. James and Gurkinn were having a conversation inside and the guru gestured for me to head up to the top of the tower to meet with his granddaughter. I walked up the huge ramp, occasionally peeking into the rooms along the wall as I went, until I reached the large balcony where Korrina was waiting for me.
She was leaning on the edge of the balcony, both Lucario by her sides. Looking out into the sea, she didn't even turn to face me when she began to speak. "I really love this place! When I'm here with my Pokémon, looking at the wide-open sky above, all worries disappear, and I feel like I can do anything!"
After a beat, she turned around, tossing a small black object at me. I caught it instinctively; it was a black bracelet that fit snugly on my wrist. The Mega Ring. She was talking about it, but I tuned her out, my gaze falling instead towards one of her Lucarios, the one that was attracted to me for some reason, the one that killed Braixen.
As Korrina talked, the Lucario came up to me and put a hand on my arm. I hunched down and looked into its eyes. We couldn't speak, but just in that moment, I felt a bond stir between us, and I knew it was sorry, that it was apologizing for killing my friend, the apology I'd wanted from Korrina but never received. My eyes filled with tears and I relived the death of my friend all over again, and Lucario's did, too, both of us mourning.
Eventually, Korrina realized that something was going on with us. "Hmm? Lucario, what's wrong?"
The Pokémon walked back to its trainer and they seemed to have some kind of conversation without words, similar to what I'd experienced with Lucario only moments before. I could only hear Korrina's side of the conversation. "Lucario, are you sure? ... You want to battle alongside that Trainer? ... I don't know what to say... I'm a bit shocked that some traveling Trainer seems to have a stronger bond with you than I do... Haha! Well, she must be something special!"
Korrina stood up and faced me again. "So, whaddya say, Jessie? Will you and Lucario battle against me and my Lucario? A Lucario-on-Lucario battle! It will be nothing short of riveting. They both have Lucarionite in hand! How about we get this show on the road?"
My first experience with Mega Evolution would be with the Pokémon who'd killed my best friend. It seemed like a cruel joke. On the other hand, it seemed like I really did have some sort of bond forged with the Lucario, and it felt bad for what had happened. I could live with that, and I don't think Braixen would mind. I gestured the Lucario over to me, and the battle began.
My first experience using the Mega Ring was pretty exhilarating. I could almost feel it pulling towards the Lucario, wanting to be used. I rose my wrist high in the air, unleashing the power, and Lucario started glowing bright, just like a evolution. With a flash of light, he was transformed before my eyes, taller and with a stronger presence, the sense of power barely restrained. Lucario was eager to attack and jumped into the battle quickly, trading blows with the other. We won, barely, and mostly by getting the first shot in; it was a very even match.
"What an explosive battle!" Korrina exclaimed, as breathless as I was at the ferocity of the Pokémon. "I could tell that both Mega Lucario didn't hold anything back! With strong bonds like that, you shouldn't have any trouble triggering your Pokémon's Mega Evolution!" She pursed her lips before continuing. "I think it would be best if you took that Lucario along with you on your journey. It's quite apparent that you two make a truly incredible team!"
I looked down at Lucario and clasped hands with it, silently thanking it for the battle. Now that the battle was over, it had gone back to its regular form. It seemed so small. "I appreciate your offer, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to turn you down. This Lucario, unfortunately, reminds me of too many bad memories, and I already have one of my own."
Korrina cocked her head. "Really? I thought you two would have made a great team..."
"Yes, really, I'm sorry."
I turned back to Lucario again and addressed it directly. "Thank you for your apology and your kindness."
With another wordless response, Lucario expressed an understanding of my decision and held out a hand to me. He was holding the Lucarionite that he'd used during the battle, offering it to me, for my own Lucario to use. "Are you sure you want to give this to me?" I asked quietly. "It seems very valuable." It nodded and pushed the stone in my hands insistingly, then walked back towards Korrina and stood next to her. I nodded back at both of them, then headed back down the ramp, eager to get back to the Pokémon Center so I could compose my message to Giovanni. The secret of Mega Evolution was mine! And with a Mega Ring and Mega Stone of my own, I would be well on my way to becoming a formidable trainer.
