[Pokémon] The Redwood Saga

Sahqoreyth · Jun 14, 2024

His mother glared at them, as she finally discovered the source of all his torn, dirty clothes. But Alex was already walking towards them, eyes on fire. He locked eyes with Sloane, their doughy, greasy dark haired leader. Alex remembered him being a lot more intimidating. Now, he towered over him more than he had as a kid. Were he a more violent man, he might have contemplated how easy it would've been to psychically reduce the repugnant existence before him to pulp, but murder was the furthest thing from Alex Redwood's mind. He disliked the man, absolutely. That would never change. Some things couldn't be forgiven. But he was after something more approaching justice, in his opinion. Or a humiliating lesson, at the very least. Nothing more. True hatred, genuine hatred, he saved for the likes of Ein and Pravus, and without them around, the list of humans he despised had shrunk significantly.

"But that's ancient history, right?" Alex said, far too calm with his tone. He felt his parents in particular watching as they recognized his tone, but he continued anyway. "Lucky for us, we have a non-violent method of settling grievances in this Empire. Come, Sloane. I'm glad you and your obedient lackeys showed up. It's long past time that you and I Battled again, now that I actually have a partner. Properly."

He could see the man's desire to be anywhere else, but to what little credit he had, his eyes didn't waver. It wasn't that he didn't want to try to run, he just simply knew there was no running from a Trainer Battle, at this point. Their eyes had met, and rules were rules. He did shoot for a loophole, though. "The, uh, the…snow! The snow, Alex. It's everywhere. Very high. Been snowing a lot lately. Can't Battle in that, can we. …?"

His words became a question as he watched the much taller man smirk. "We can go out back. I'll clear us some space."

Alex gestured, and the man glanced at his friends. They followed him out, and Alex didn't have to read their minds to guess what they were planning. Whatever plans they had melted as easily as the snow did. They watched in disbelief as the man they'd picked on for years demonstrated, without a Pokémon, that he was in an entirely different class than normal Trainers, or even normal humans, at this point. He breathed literal fire, seemingly with ease, and cleared a battlefield sized scorch mark of space for them. Then, by merely lifting his arms, he gave his family and guests literal front row seats made of stone.

He called out Terra then, unafraid of letting them know his quadruple weakness. Terra's leaves filled the air as he roared, and stunned everyone as the green flash of his aura pulsed through everything around them, and left them feeling…better? Healthier? More…natural, somehow. It was a strange, but not unpleasant feeling. The titanic earth tortoise stared down the three humans, with narrowed eyes. He, more than anyone else, had been in Alex's head enough, seen enough of his past, to recognize their faces, despite them being a bit older now. "This is my Starter. Since I'm a Champion, we'll have a Triple Battle…but I'll only be using two Pokémon, one at a time. You can use everything you have on your belts. In the interest of fairness."

Sloane sneered at him indignantly. "I don't need your Mukking handica-"

"We accept your kindness, Victory League Champion." One of the lackeys, Dane, said. Alex recalled him as being the least willing to mess with him. Most of their encounters, he'd had a look on his face, like he hated being a part of it. As they'd gotten older though, that look had changed into something darker, though from the rumors Alex had heard, his home life was tough. It didn't excuse his actions, but it did put them in perspective. Of the three, Dane was the one he disliked least, mostly because he wasn't a complete idiot, like his friends.

Sloane sent out his Dustox, and if the obedient bug showed signs of recognizing him, it didn't give anything away with its creepy, emotionless face. Dane sent out a rather plain looking Umbreon, and Bryce revealed that his rather brutal Machop was now a fully grown Machamp, at a decent level. For an average Trainer.

"Since I'm handicapped…we shall go first. Terra! Energy Ball. Then Razor Leaf the other two." The three seemed to panic slightly as Terra formed his somewhat iconic ball of dense grass energy. By this point, people were well aware of his favoritism for pulse moves, and Earthquake. Like the Champion he was, Terra drew the energy, condensed it, and fired in under two seconds. He often acted as Alex's bed/couch during their anime binging, and Alex could sense his pride as the perfectly layered condensed energy sphere slammed into the Machamp.

Four super powerful arms caught the attack, as Bryce was too shocked to give his Machamp an order. He opened his mouth to speak eventually, but that was when the orb, at Terra's direction, exploded in the four-armed fighter's face. He went soaring up and backwards at least fifteen feet in the air, before collapsing in an unconscious heap. Bryce looked at his remaining two balls, and then his opponent's super strong starter. "I-It's a monster…" Alex heard him whisper.

Alex just shook his head, and crossed his arms as he continued to smirk and responded to Bryce's words. "Aye. A green monster. Continue, Terra." Razor Leaves joined the other leaves in the air. Some had been directed to act as seat cushions for their spectators, and now, the leaves not being sat upon all moved to Terra's command, like a leafy composer, he roared, and they changed direction towards the Umbreon and the Dustox. To their credit, the two Trainers managed to shout commands this time. Machamp had gone down in the space of maybe three seconds into the battle, and while the Umbreon had a face to show expressions, Alex assumed the Dustox was just as unnerved.

"Silver Wind!" "Double Team, Umbreon!" A Poliwhirl joined the two as they attacked and dodged. The bug typed Silver Wind was actually the perfect counter for Razor Leaf, and the Umbreon seemed stressed, but he and his clones dodged well. The problem was Terra's ridiculous amount of leaves. Eventually, they slashed through every clone, at which point the Umbreon used Dig on his own initiative, managing to survive the attack intact. "Ice Punch!" Bryce called, once Poliwhirl appeared. It glanced nervously at its Trainer as it saw its opponent, and then charged at Terra.

Then, came their counter. "Seed Bomb." Oar shaped seeds hurtled towards the Poliwhirl, who to its credit had enough intelligence to block with his Ice Punch. It was all that kept him from fainting from the hit. At that moment, the Umbreon surfaced from his dig, and with only a shift in his eyes, Terra diverted several Seed Bombs to hammer it before it could land the Dig on him. Alex could tell Terra frowned a bit, as the sheer force of the physical and STAB boosted grass attack from the much, much higher leveled grass tortoise sent the dark fox flying back, past his Trainer, skidding into the dirt, and then the snow. Alex wasn't done though, the Dustox was still a problem.

"Poisonpowder!" Sloane called out. Before the moth could act though, Alex countered. "Don't let it attack, Terra. Bury it. Rock Slide!"

As poisonous spores started falling from the Dustox's fluttering wings, a landslide of powerful stones appeared from nowhere above it and buried it alive. Terra hadn't held back against the Pokémon that had bound up his helpless Trainer. Alex could tell it had also fainted in one hit, as Machamp and now Umbreon had seemed to. As Sloane frantically started digging his partner free, Alex intervened, if only so the Dustox didn't get hurt from the weight while it was unconscious. The three stared in awe at him as he stomped the ground, and then raised his arms. The stones floated up and then landed harmlessly behind the trio, where the rock energy that created them started to disperse, slowly.

Poliwhirl regrouped by his Trainer, as Dane sent out his last Pokémon, and Sloane brought out number two of the three he had. It seemed Dane had a fairly well trained Gallade, while Sloane released a Beartic. That, made Alex's eyebrow raise. They were notoriously hard to train, since they had kept the same uncaring and occasionally cannibalistic tendencies that the Polar Bears they'd evolved from had possessed. That wasn't to say they'd murder a Cubchoo not related to them for no reason, but they would probably knock it out to demonstrate their dominance. As far as he knew, they preferred to, in Unova at least, go after Magikarp and Basculin for their meat. They could also be rather powerful swimmers.

It seemed that Sloane's had been caught thanks to an Ultra Ball, and likely at a high level. It was poorly trained and likely often refused to listen, but as it locked eyes with Terra, the frosty bear's eyes glinted with murder. There was a reason slow moving grassy earth tortoises didn't exactly thrive in Unova, and that was due to Beartic's natural ferocity, and the fecundity of Pokémon in general. Unova, and every territory north of them, had to deal with Beartic populations. They were typically a nuisance, and had learned to avoid humans, but that didn't stop them from rummaging through their trash for food. Every once in a while, a powerful one would rampage, but there was usually a Trainer around with a fighting or rock type that could handle it.

Once their opponents were all called out, Alex said, "Earthquake, and then Stone Edge." Terra shifted his weight and stomped the ground, but he kept his momentum, as his other foot rose, following the massive surge of stone and earth. The Beartic, on his own initiative, Bulldozed through the powerful attack, and thanks to its level, didn't faint immediately. The Poliwhirl Hydro Pumped through part of it, and fell to a knee, but he wasn't done yet. The Gallade had Teleported away, and then back at his Trainer's command, revealing how unused to using it in battle he was. It was a good strategy, but it left his teammates open.

Terra's second foot came down with much greater force as he simply shifted his weight, and their opponents only had time to widen their eyes before the rapidly rising series of stones surged towards the Beartic, hammering him with a brutal strike that sent him flying up and back into the snow much like Umbreon. Before the weakened Poliwhirl and returned Gallade could strike back, Terra vanished into his ball. "That's enough, Terra. Flawlessly done. Canis. You're up." By his measurement, these two might finally push him over the edge, to the same level as the rest of the A Team, a goal he had been training relentlessly to reach. Alex put his hands in his pockets, as the aura hound appeared. "This Battle is yours, my friend. Strike as you see fit."

The rather chill natured Lucario nodded, fell into his stance, and smirked. His eyes burned with psychic blue aura, and then the aura hound vanished with superior agility. The next thing Alex and the small crowd saw was the flash of blue by the Poliwhirl, as Canis used a Pokémon Base swing with impressive form and his aura bone in conjunction. The swing struck the two-legged frog creature across its weak midsection, and it too went skipping across the field, before landing fainted in the snow. Canis had struck its weakest point on purpose, and it was more than enough to finish the tough polliwog.

Canis locked eyes with the Gallade then, but to him and his Trainer's credit, they weren't backing down before such an obvious difference in power. "Let's go, Gallade! Psycho Cut! Don't let up!"

The gallant knight and the aura hound shared a nod, and then they both vanished. A massive wave of aura blew through the corral as the pair of psychic glowing arms collided with the aura bone. Canis began striking, but the Gallade was also attacking. Alex blinked, as he sensed one of the younger Redwoods waddle up next to him. He put up a Barrier, that faded from view instantly, just in case things got too intense.

Allen, or 'Little Al', since he himself was 'Big Al' to their family, murmured excitedly as he watched the battle. Alex had a bit of a shock seeing the five-year-old he'd remembered now much taller and older at eight. "They're perfectly matched! I can't even see the attacks!" He looked up at his cousin in awe.

Alex chuckled, and patted his head. "Look closer, cuz. Gallade is actually on the defensive. He hasn't been able to attack, because Canis is that much faster. He won't be able to block forever." The kiddo squinted, and then his eyes widened, as he saw that Alex was right. He glanced up at his older cousin with even wider eyes, rapidly gaining more hero worship for his relative as seeing him breathe literal fire and being able to watch moves this fast hinted at his power.

"Could you teach me how to Battle too?" He asked quietly, and Alex chuckled.

"Once you're ten…and your parents say it's okay…sure. Get a starter from Eric, and then come find me at the Dragonspiral Tower. The journey there should get you and your partner some experience, and once you arrive we can hone your skills." Alex's Uncle Ed and Aunt Gloria met his gaze as he glanced back at them, but he didn't sense disapproval from his father's brother, or his wife. They lived in town, but in their own house with their two other children, Rose and Abigail, who were the youngest of his generation of Redwoods.

The two looked back at the battle, as the Gallade finally ran out of power for his move, sliding back from the collision of power as the aura bone met his Psycho Cut. Seeing he was out of power, Canis dismissed his weapon with a flourish, and raised his iron-hard paws. "Why's he using his punches?" Came little Al's voice. Alex just chuckled again.

"He wants the Battle to be fair. Gallade is too tired for Psycho Cut now, so he put his aura weapon away. The Battle is as good as over, though." Sloane wasn't calling out his third Pokémon for some reason, and both he and Bryce were watching the clash in awe. Alex knew it was about to end, though. Canis was, at this point, probably better than his Trainer at using the Dragon Style's furious fists. To Alex's surprise, he formed an Aura Sphere in his palm, in a manner that was quite familiar to him and his team. He sensed their amusement as they watched from within their balls.

The two combatants charged, but Alex knew it was over. Canis swirled past his guard, and hammered the condensed, spinning Aura Sphere into the Gallade's stomach at melee range. The psychic warrior's eyes went wide, as the sheer power of the aura sent him hurtling back, and spinning. He sailed over the corral's gate and connected fence, and into the deeper snow beyond it. Dane started trudging over, finding his path cleared as Canis moved enough snow to make a path for him, psychically. They shared a nod, and then Canis's eyes widened as he felt the experience from the relatively easy fight push him over the final hurdle to the peak level a Pokémon could reach. His aura flared as his body reached its absolute peak, pulsing around him, and the nearby humans. Human measurements labeled this achievement as one hundred levels, but Pokémon never stopped gaining experience. At one hundred, or past it, there simply wasn't much of a point in determining their power based on level. At that point, their stats simply stopped increasing. Every Pokémon with a serious Trainer reached that plateau eventually, and as far as Alex knew, there was no way to break past it. They still gained experience, but it no longer caused their bodies to change. That didn't mean Canis was done training though. It just meant he was ready to create his own Signature Move, something Alex intended to help all of his teammates master, eventually.

Alex fist bumped him, as Canis made his way back inside the house, to the party, for a well-earned snack. Upon hearing his favorite food, Alex's mom had whipped him and Po up some meat buns, and Canis hoped, for Po's sake, that he hadn't eaten all of them yet. There would be some brutal training in store if he had, but the kung fu cub would probably enjoy that.

As the cold spectators went inside, murmuring about just how good their relative's little Riolu had gotten, the three losers approached Alex after retrieving their partners. "My last one is just a…baby Elekid. And honestly…" Sloane took a deep breath, and Alex's eyes widened slightly as he sensed the train of his thoughts and the shift in the equations of reality hovering around the edges of his vision. "I don't think I could handle an Electivire and my Beartic. You made it painfully obvious where my skills are…so I'm giving him to you." He said, holding out the black and gold Luxury Ball the baby Pokémon slept in. "As an apology…for what we used to do to you. Please, make him strong in ways that I can't. All I want...is for him to be the Champion I know he can be."

Alex just stared at the ball, and its occupant. Adamant natured, male, and his physical attack stat was at its peak potential already, as were speed and defense. His other stats would need eventual Hyper Training, but he promised to be a monster in battle, if raised properly. "Sloane…you do realize what you're giving up, right?"

The man winced, still holding out the ball, unable to look at it, or him, at that moment. "Just take him. He deserves a Champion Trainer…and I'm not it." His eyes burned with a resolve then, that Alex didn't know he had. "I will train my Beartic, though. Like Brycen. Then maybe one day we'll be able to match you and Fulguron."

Alex took the ball, and the trio departed to their car in front of the house. "Fulguron." He said, quietly. The ball shook, and then opened. The Elekid within was massive, for his age, and Alex revised his opinion of his final form. He would be a hairy, electric titan, with surprising speed and a wide move pool. He looked Alex over and gave a short salute as he made a whirring noise like a motor that Alex's ears heard as a greeting. "Hello there. I'm your new Trainer."

Alex explained their goal to the young sparky Pokémon, and then left him with a pair of clones to face off against Khan while he returned to the party. Still testing his limitations, Alex had his clone in Bostonia selling off the small mountain of valuable treasures within his pack to the various stores in the city. Once they were done at the party, Alex, Connor, and Jess bamfed back to the Palace of Ideals for their nightly rituals, after depositing their teams with the other Pokémon. While Alex devoted his whole self to Jess, as he always did after they'd been apart for a while, he did split off a clone, to get some things done, before he passed out from exertion. Firstly, he called out his Swanna, and explained to her that he'd found a Trainer with an Abra way over in the Hoenn region's Dewford Town. The Trainer in question desired a Swanna for competitions, and Alex admitted that he had no immediate intentions to start competing in contests.

While a little sad, Swanna agreed it was a better fate than sitting around the ranch's pond all day preening her feathers or staying within her ball all winter. He gave her a hug before recalling her, fondly remembering how easily the little Ducklett he'd caught had evolved. When he'd learned to speak with his team, she had been among those who had no interest in battling, but they were all in agreement that this path would both be good for her in general, and significantly increase the power of their team through the trade. Alex saw the genuine love the younger female Trainer immediately had for her once she appeared on the other side, but he kept a mental tether to her, just in case she ever needed help. He just couldn't bring himself to cut away a connection completely, one of the many reasons he disliked trading. The young Japanese Trainer thanked him profusely and promised to make her a Master class beautiful Pokémon.

Alex just nodded, as did his Swanna, and then, the screen went dark. In the deepest parts of his mind, he quietly wondered how he was ever going to handle his mortal partners dying, if trading one on to a more fitting existence tore him up this much. Sure, some had been blessed by Xerneas, but many had not. He resolved to deal with the issue of mortality later, as the most logical solution would be to, near or at the end of their natural life spans, move them and their consciousness into a metallic body, so they could persist longer. But such things, even with the Empire's technology, were very much science fiction.

Trading his Swanna had hurt, but the prize, was worth it. In the quiet of the Palace of Ideal's underground chambers, he summoned the Abra in question, and nodded. Male, fairly close to evolution, perfectly average sized, and sleeping as he floated in place effortlessly, though it seemed to not have been trained. A Modest Mint would sort his natural growth out. He gently woke the Abra up, who didn't seem to realize he'd been traded, and while initially sad, Psi (sigh), as Alex dubbed him, was eventually seemingly on board with their goals. Alex got the feeling he was too tired to really think about what was being asked of him, so he saved it for when the young Abra would become a Kadabra. Given how hard they were to find, train, and evolve, he hoped Psi would willingly join them. In terms of his team's psychic power, which had taken a serious blow now that Arthur was occupied, all he wanted to immediately train next was a Metagross, and ideally, a shiny variant. He'd always liked the idea of having one, like Chairman Stone of the Devon Corporation did.

Having enough partners to train already though, and knowing the odds of finding a shiny Beldum, the clone focused on his next task: testing the limits of how far he could venture from his body, before vanishing. He had the clone in Bostonia gather Po and Shruikan's balls and set out. Shruikan carried Po's in one claw, with a firm grip, tucked up against his scales as they shot out over the Atlantican Ocean. Just in case he vanished before they came to Paldea. The trip took several hours, and by the time they arrived in Paldea, Alex was feigning sleep back at the palace, while he focused on piloting his clone. The further it went, the more energy it took to sustain, but as he adjusted the link and psychically ran it through the lines of energy across the planet, he found the draw lessened. It would take time, but he could theoretically send them as far as necessary, so long as his main body was unoccupied and there was a psychic source to keep them tethered through.

While he did his mental gymnastics, Shruikan searched for and spotted the aforementioned sea cave that Tao's friend resided in. Alex recalled his intimidating black dragon, and instead walked in beside Po. Inside, they found a shallow pool of very clear blue green water. In the center of the pool was a very, very old Carracosta, and the longer Alex looked at him, namely his shell, the more he was convinced that he was looking at the oldest living example of the species. The oldest Relicanth alive had certain rock striations after millennia of existing in the ocean, and this Carracosta's shell was similarly old looking, though he was no geologist. If he knew Tao before he'd split, he had to be at least three hundred, though for the ancient sea turtles, that was apparently still a young age for them. Alex smirked, as he sensed Po immediately desired to battle it.

The two approached the balancing sea turtle, who was holding himself upside down on the surface of the water with only a single tip of his arm fin. Po coughed, stood tall, not unlike his Trainer, and in a deeper, but still epic voice said, "Hello there. I am Po. I have come seeking the Dragon Scroll."

The ancient Carracosta opened one rocky, crusty eye, and glanced at Po, then, slowly, at his human partner. His lips cracked next, sending flakes of cerulean blue rock to the water under him. He was smiling, Alex realized. Then, suddenly, and with surprising speed, the ancient turtle rotated on the water into the standing upright standing position his kind used for land travel, sometimes. Usually, they had to be older to go very far ashore and not get caught by a grass type or predator. Alex felt a chill up his spine as he recognized how the turtle moved. It was exactly like Tao. Spiraling, perfectly fluid, almost unnaturally so, like air resistance simply didn't exist for him. He'd thought that was just part of his draconic heritage, but apparently true mastery of the Dragon Style allowed one to move in a different manner entirely.

The ancient Pokémon smashed off his shell then, in a loud display, as weathered rock chunks and hardened rocky scales fell away, revealing fresh layers beneath. Alex watched, impressed at just how long rock types, with experience and enough life energy perhaps, could last eons. "Such kind Auras." The turtle said, slowly and shakily moving his head as he looked at both of them. "What brings you to my humble cave?"

Po glanced at Alex, cleared his throat, and repeated, "I am Po! This is my Human, Alex. We're here to claim the Dragon Scroll, that I might become…a Dragon Warrior!"

"Dragon Warrior…?" The Carracosta said, sounding puzzled. He stared at Po, then. "You'd have to be a Kubfu to become one, my gray, indistinct new friend." The ancient lips widened into a bigger smile, and Po chuckled awkwardly, then looked up at his Trainer for help.

Alex peered closer at the turtle and nodded. His eyes were almost completely white. He could renew the rock and skin of his body, but the fleshy parts also aged. Alex focused his power then, slowly, as he had to channel it very far, but the turtle made no move to stop him, simply smacking his lips, and keeping that smile on his weathered face. As the Heal Pulse eventually washed over the Carracosta, his eyes regained their silvery blue color, and he blinked, standing a little straighter as the cells and base components of his soft tissue, like joints and so on, were restored. It could turn out to be a temporary restoration, but given how slowly the creature decayed, Alex had likely given him quite a few more years.

"Oh my…such powerful Psychic energy…but refreshing! I feel a thousand years younger. You have my thanks, Aura Guardian. Now then…" The elderly Pokémon trailed off in his sentence as he looked between the two of them with less shaky swings of his long neck. He seemed about to ask him why they'd come, when he remembered he'd already done that. His brain's neurons were firing a little quicker too, after the Heal Pulse. "Right…the Dragon Scroll! If you are here, you must have been sent by the Original Dragon." The pair nodded in sync. "I am glad he is whole, again. Now where did I…"

The ancient stone turtle looked around confused, as he realized that time and erosion had changed his cave quite a bit. "Oh dear…this pool used to be much deeper…" He looked down, and then looked up at the pair, and shrugged. "It seems the scroll has likely been washed out to sea."

Alex was about to turn and leave, when he paused. There was something…sly in the turtle's manner. The genuine smile now had a hint of…mischief? He groaned inwardly. Another test from another ancient recluse. The Carracosta gave an imperceptible nod, and then his eyes shifted to Po. Alex nodded again. It seemed the test was for his partner. Thus, Alex knelt to his level, though they were eye to eye at that height. He'd grown in height, as well as muscle mass, and Alex was genuinely proud. He'd put in the work to burn most of his fat, and though his love of food and late-night snacking would likely always leave him a little chubby, his extra padding had actually come in handy numerous times, namely with blocking the fighting typed energy of his opponents. For some reason, those who struck nerves or energy points with honed finesse only received a slight jiggle for their efforts, before Po brutally countered them, usually with his very Zen Headbutt.

He pondered his words carefully, not wanting to give the game away. In Po's head, though Alex had no doubt the ancient turtle could divine the essence of what he was saying, he told the young cub, "Po. I sense the Dragon Scroll is somewhere nearby. Very close. If not around the cave, then within it. You must be the one to find it. Only you can truly become the Dragon Warrior. I'm just your Trainer, and I already have an epic title. This one is all yours, bud."

That seemed to excite the cub. "Yes." He said with strong affirmation and an epic tone. "I shall find the scroll on my own…and my Legend…shall begin!" He dashed out of the cave then, and Alex simply floated in the air cross-legged, confident the young cub had what he needed move wise to succeed. He knew pretty much every TM his species could learn, and he was high enough in level to have mastered Counter. He was ready, of that, Alex was sure.

Alex intended to actually get some sleep as he entered his trance resting state, but the Carracosta had other plans. "It just occurred to my old mind that I do not know your names."

Alex opened his eyes but didn't mind chatting with the seemingly very friendly ancient being. He got the impression he needed to use all of his titles, though, for some reason. "I'm Alex Redwood. Champion of the Victory League, Tamer of the Original Dragon, Wielder of the Light, and a direct contributing liberator of at least…four Regions." He finished, recalling Norstad, Fornia, Koria, and Albion. He didn't consider what he did with the Nexus as counting, and besides, that had been mostly Arthur who had actually made closing the Nexus work.

The Carracosta nodded his head to each of his titles. He nodded after Po, then. "And him?" His smile was genuine, and it seemed he'd forgotten the young cub's name already.

"He's…Po. He journeyed on foot all the way from Eous to Unova to seek out someone who could teach him the Dragon Style of Kung Fu. He's worked hard to be ready for evolution…and he's become a good friend."

That, made the ancient turtle smile. "So, you know our style, mine and the Dragon's. And you believe yourself fit to teach it?"

Alex felt a familiar tingle go up his spine as he processed the turtle's tone. "Yes, I do."

He guided his real body quietly out of the palace's bedroom, pulled on his clothes, and then switched positions with his clone. He set the clone to pretending to scroll on the Pokénet in the hall outside his chamber, while Lux slept. Nox awakened, in his shadow, as he physically appeared in the ancient Carracosta's cave. He was gathering power for the upcoming World Tournament, which as a dark ghost, required long hours of infusing ghost and dark energy into his very essence, but this intrigued him. Bound as he was to his human's shadow, he'd figured out he could appear under whatever clone he desired, if it was within sight. If it was further, he needed help from Alex to reach it.

Once he switched, the Carracosta grinned. They were of a mind, it seemed. "I would know your name, ancient one." Alex said, as he formed the power for a battle-ready aura shield, one capable of tanking a hit from a creature that could one shot a tanker ship hull with a fin.

"I am the Turtle Sage, Oogway. Senior Master of the Dragon Style of Kung Fu, and the first Pokémon to wield it in a manner unlike any Human had before us." He fell smoothly into his approximation of a stance in their shared style, as Alex did the same, for all the good it would do.

Then, of course, Tao chimed in as well within his head as he locked eyes with the Carracosta. "He is the one who unlocked the synergistic relationship between Truth and Ideals. A master of both Harmony and Focus. That revelation unlocked my full potential. He is the Eldest Sage, and yes, functionally immortal."

Alex just nodded. He had no doubts he would lose. He was fully aware the Swamp Sage had not gone all out against him but went hard enough to match his level of strength. His true power lay in his secret, custom psychic techniques, though Alex knew he saved those for the direst of situations, and never for offense. Alex put Oogway on the same level as the Mewtwo he'd been briefly and brutally instructed by.

The rocky turtle glanced behind him, and then waggled a fin in the universal gesture for 'bring it'. Alex didn't hesitate, he leapt forward as his aura surged to life, now a balanced blending of both psychic and dragon energy. Since dragon energy enhanced the other types, except fairy and ice, by dominating them and strengthening them, he'd essentially done the same thing to his shield. It was hard enough to hold off several genuine hits from Canis, which made him less paranoid about snipers, now. A Lucario's steely punch was, quite literally, comparable to a bullet, and he knew his aura hound had struck with more force than a rapidly fired projectile could maintain. A close-range shot might crack the shield, but most bullets would simply be crushed flat. Unless they exploded, too.

As he approached, Oogway's body seemed to crumble away, and Alex's eyes widened as he recognized a proper Shell Smash. With new, blinding speed Oogway spun past his guard and hit him with a heavy fin full of momentum. Alex went sailing, but psychically caught himself, not unlike a Mewtwo in freefall, which was where he'd learned the trick. His body looped in the air as he killed his inertia and landed on two feet, his shield still intact.

Deciding to utilize his newest technique, he crossed his fingers before him, and sent a multitude of clones at Oogway, who simply smiled. "Wonderful. More targets." More rocks fell away from the Kung Fu master, and if he'd been fast before, he was rapidly approaching the ludicrous speeds that shelled Pokémon could gain when they lowered their defense enough. It did tend to regrow from the move quickly after a battle, but he still had never really used it on Terra. Appreciation for the speed it could give, speed that could match a certain World Champion's electric rodent, perhaps, was beaten into him, as Oogway whirled through his clones in a blur.

Again, Alex changed tactics. His clones replenished their numbers, and began Teleporting around, finally managing to land a few hits on the ancient turtle, whose brows furrowed when they connected. Apparently, he hadn't been expecting to get hit. Three clones came at Oogway at once as the landed hit stunned him, followed by another dragon palm strike on his very lowered defenses. He stumbled back, as a clone slid along the shallow pool's floor, and hammered Oogway with a large amount of dragon energy stored in his absurdly large feet.

He wasn't after damage, but movement. Oogway tanked the attack on his fins, but it still sent the five-foot-tall turtle with a surprisingly low bodyweight, even lower now after all the shell smashing, soaring up into the air. Alex directed his clones then, and they Teleported up to Oogway's stunned mid-air form, each unleashing a signature strike of their style be it as a kick or a punch, all at once.

Then, Alex blinked, and somehow, with only an unrecognized blur of movement and yet another Shell Smash, Oogway tore through every clone in a perfect circle above him all at once, utterly stopping his Redwood Barrage. A faint blue blur was all Alex could make out at his maxed speed, and he arced downwards before landing smoothly back on the pool's rippling surface with a single fin tip, much the way Alex and Po had first found him. He chuckled at the human's expression. "Does my mastery surprise you?"

"What…even was that!? That was no Move…not a normal one anyway." According to his clone's physical input, the strikes had been surprisingly hot, for coming from a water type.

Oogway began doing what Alex could only describe as breakdancing on the water's surface, as he deigned to explain, and powered up his next attack. Alex had a feeling it was Rapid Spin, and that it would hurt a lot with his speed and attack power raised six stages. Much of his rocky body armor was simply gone after all the smashing, and his shell was an uneven lumpy mess, but Alex knew Oogway was currently at a level of speed and attack power that would very easily defeat, if not kill him.

"What is time, but motion? What is motion, but the generation of heat? Are not heat and energy two different words for the same thing? When you comprehend that, you will understand how I moved through your clones so easily." Oogway smirked at him from his spinning position, and then vanished. Alex didn't wait, he Teleported, but he still felt the immense heat from the Rapid Spin as he reappeared. He briefly wondered if Oogway might be trying to injure or kill him, and then wondered why he would do such a thing. Then, he looked around.

Whatever had brought a figure like the Eldest Sage to this place, the Dragon Scroll was probably the only thing this far from Paldea of any significant worth. And he and Po just marched right in and asked for it. While Oogway might have befriended the Dragon, his student was another story altogether. A competitor, in a competition Alex knew, thanks to Oranguru and Tao, had an ulterior purpose, in drawing out the world's strongest Trainer. He didn't know why they didn't just turn to Ash Ketchum for whatever hidden purpose the Sages had with the World Tournament, but he fully intended to find out for himself.

Alex pondered the turtle's words, as it watched him, expectantly. For this, he turned to the vague patterns of the universe swirling around his vision. Motion created kinetic energy. Somehow, Oogway was converting it to thermal energy, perhaps by moving so fast, the mere shifting of his mass through space caused the particles around him to move rapidly enough to generate enough heat to be damaging. Thankfully, Alex had a firm grasp on heat manipulation. His eyes widened, as the formulas led him to the answer of a long-sought issue, he'd been having with his firebending.

He moved rapidly then through the forms of the Korian Dragon Dance he'd learned from Avatar Wan, and sure enough, he felt his inner energy balance out into separately charged pools, but this time he guided the heat around him, from his body, interconverting it from the kinetic energy of his movements. As much heat as he could control was channeled through his very being, between the two separated pools of energy and enhanced with his power. Oogway's eyes widened as blue-white lightning lanced forward from Alex's fingertips in a wild, destructive blast.

Oogway dodged gracefully, merely shifting to the side and tucking in his head under the wild arcing bolts. He looked back at Alex with a slow nod after seeing the damage. "I see now why the Dragon thinks so highly of you, enough to train you. Enough to send you here. Train hard, with the concepts you have seen here. It will…widen your pool of Moves." The old turtle let his six stage boosts go then and Alex stood up, glad that the turtle's desire to kill him had simply been intense training. Then, he noticed Po by the cove's entrance. He'd been watching the whole time.

"Holy Muk! Alex! You learned Thunderbolt!" The kung fu cub enthusiastically swore, and then cheered, and both Alex and Oogway chuckled.

"I suppose I did, Po. It's about time, really. Now all I need is to master Ice Beam, and I'll be a quarter of the way to Tao's level of manipulation." He looked back at Oogway, then. "Can we please let him read the Scroll now?"

Oogway just smiled at them. "If he can find it, certainly." He began balancing on one fin invertedly once again, and while Alex left Po to search, he examined his hand and his nerves for damage. It seemed his intense and purposeful boost to the kinetic energy produced by the dance hadn't injured him significantly. He also realized he didn't need that many movements. There was a limit to how much kinetic energy he could interconvert within his bodily energy network into heat, which manifested as a bolt of plasma after being run through his pools of positively and negatively charged energy, in perfect balance within him. Thus, the limiting factor on his Thunderbolts was how quickly he could generate body heat, and then strike.

As Po looked around fruitlessly for the Scroll, finding only rock chunks, Alex looked at Oogway, who was smirking at them. There was nowhere to hide the scroll, though being a rock type, Oogway could likely have hidden it away in the rock somewhere. Glancing around, Alex dismissed that notion. With how much water the cove got, the stone would've eroded. Infact, the only stone that likely wouldn't erode so easily was Oogway's, and that, was when his eyes fell on the turtle's shell. Sure enough, there was a scroll shaped indentation in the rock, though as Alex noticed it, the graceful sea turtle shifted to balancing on a single rocky toe, instead of his fin.

Alex nodded in understanding. Couldn't make it too easy on Po, after all. Alex wondered where the scroll could possibly be, since Oogway's shell was properly smashed now. As Po looked to his Trainer for guidance, Alex looked upward at where his Redwood Barrage had utterly failed, and he smirked. Following his gaze, Po's eyes widened as well. Embedded in the stone making up the cove's ceiling was a scroll container made of finely carved jade, and the end that wasn't buried in stone had the carved head of a dragon on it. From what Alex could see, it seemed to resemble Tao's head. "This is your test, Po." Alex said, once more using his own epic tone. "Retrieve the Dragon Scroll."

Po growled to himself, staring up at the scroll with burning desire in his eyes. "Times like this, I wish I knew Rock Tomb." He murmured, as Oogway moved out of the way, giving Po space to make an attempt for the scroll. First, he tried simply jumping, and then extending that jump with Aerial Ace, which got him pretty high up, but not high enough to reach the stone ceiling. Next, he examined the smooth, weathered stone walls, and found them too hard to Dig through. Trying that would probably ruin the cove too, which he didn't want.

After a solid five minutes of thinking, Po finally had a plan. He yanked on the white fur hanging down from his head and felt his power and focus surge. The only moves that would get him height were Aerial Ace, Acrobatics, and potentially Fire Punch. Aerial Ace let him essentially perform a double jump, but it was too short. Acrobatics was useful, when there was some sort of handhold to cling to, and thanks to Connor's Infernape, Ardor, he could Fire Punch hard enough to propel his relatively light body with the flames.

Looking around, he only had rocks to use, thus, he gathered the larger chunks of Oogway's smashed shell and debris from the lightning bolt, punched the stone walls of the cove, and then securely fitted the stone chunks inside. Slowly but with determination, Po punched and jammed enough stones to reach the top of the cove, at which point Alex gave him an Ether for Acrobatics, as he was running low on power. When he finally felt ready, he Bulked Up his muscles, focused his energy, and then jumped on the lower jutting stones with Aerial Ace. Once he reached those he'd painstakingly embedded in the ceiling, his Acrobatics came in handy.

He swung from one rock piece to another, before finally leaping for the Dragon Scroll. Mid leap, he realized he wasn't close enough, at which point, he held a fist forward. Flame engulfed it, and the fire energy pulled him a little bit further into the air, giving him the final boost to reach the scroll. As he grabbed it, Po cheered, but then lost his composure as it rather easily came loose and sent him hurtling towards the pool below.

He winced as he expected a hard impact, but then Po opened his eyes after a moment, when he felt himself floating, like when his Trainer levitated his ball. Alex had caught him once again and lowered him into the water. Po stood, staring at the scroll in awe. He ran his fingers over the imperial red engraving depicting a very familiar dragon, the same one the jade ends of the scroll case depicted as well. Po looked up at Alex as he approached. "Tao has existed for many eons. I imagine he's traveled all over the world, as it suited him. He's not the only Legend to have done this, either." The elemental birds, while evidently capable of reproducing like Lugia could, also had cultural representations in ancient human cultures all over the world. Also, like Lugia, he had no doubt that those who were proper Guardians were on a level worthy of their Legendary status.

Po looked at Oogway then, and the ancient Carracosta nodded, with a warm smile. "You have recovered the Dragon Scroll. You may read from it, Po. Read it, and become…a Dragon Warrior."

Po's eyes were on fire, and he eagerly examined the case for some sort of opening mechanism. Finally, he tried poking the eye slots, which seemed to do it. The lid popped open and back, revealing the actual scroll inside. Po handed the case to Alex, and then took the scroll, opening it slowly as he held it away from him, expecting some sort of outpouring of draconic power. Then, he looked at it properly. He blinked twice, then looked up at Alex. "It's blank…"

Alex blinked as well. "What? Blank?" Po showed him, and Alex examined both sides. One had Tao as part of a Yin Yang symbol, which was the back side, and the other side was some sort of reflective gold-tinged material that shone in the dim cove.

They both looked at Oogway then, who just smiled at them. "Look harder, young Po." The young bear did as instructed. "Do you know the meaning of the words Kung Fu?" Po thought for a moment, then wisely shook his head. He would've said 'martial arts', but in his heart he knew there was much, much more to kung fu. Oogway continued. "Achievement. Skill. Excellence of Self. One can have strong Kung Fu in cooking, tailoring, Contests, Battles, it does not matter. It applies to all aspects of your life, far beyond combat. It is mastery of oneself, and their dedication to achieving Balance in all they do."

Po stared at his reflection in the scroll. "It's my Kung Fu…" He took in his reflection now, with this new body hardened by a master Trainer, and his powerful Pokémon partners. His kung fu had become strong. He had become strong. He smirked at his reflection. As he accepted that and was about to toss the scroll away, his eyes began to glow with the light of Infinity. He saw myriad paths before him. One, led to him, as an Urshifu, blowing away an entire mountain top with only a single punch. Down another, he saw an entire forest of mighty trees fall to the relentless surging power of his strikes. Yet another path showed him on all fours, using speed and powerful single strikes in the form of punches and kicks, moving more like a tiger than a bear. But the path before him now was different from the others. It was most similar to the Water Scroll's teachings, but it went beyond that, embodying all aspects of life, like kung fu did.

He smiled as he saw his potential future down this path as both a warrior and a teacher and took that step towards the Urshifu he wanted to be. His form grew taller, his muscles grew as well. As the light faded, Alex noted his partner was still very much thicc in the body compared to other Urshifu, but now his well-trained muscles were much more obvious. The fur on and around his knees was folded down, like a Rapid Strike Urshifu, but the pointed tufts of fur on his head were standing up like a Single Strike master and colored an alternating white and black. On his chest fur, was the pattern of what vaguely looked like a dragon's head, outlined in white fur amongst the black fur, and the tuft of hair sticking up from his head was neither pointing up or folded down, but rather splayed into five somewhat serrated looking fur tufts, resembling, at least to Alex's eyes, the frond of a Leaf plant. His smirk widened. This was definitely his Urshifu, and his new fighting and dragon typing promised to be quite powerful.

"A fine Dragon Warrior, indeed." Oogway said, quietly. "Take the scroll with you. It is long past time that I returned to my home, in Eous. It was a pleasure to meet both of you, Alex and Po."

The human and his partner shared a look, and then bowed in perfect sync. Alex spoke, then as he slid the ornate jade case into his bag. "Thank you, for instructing us with your wisdom, Oogway. If you ever need our assistance, you know who to seek out."

The Carracosta gave them a serene nod. "I do." And with that, he walked out of the cove, and then dove into the clear blue waters of Paldea's ocean. The sun was already rising over Paldea and the other regions of Eous.

Alex and Po stood at the same height now, and took in the morning. "Get some rest, Po." Alex said. "We'll be taking today off, since it's Festivus, so enjoy it. Now that you've evolved, you're finally ready for some Ultra Training."

Po arched his brow and in his deeper, but no less awesome voice said, "Ultra Training?"

Alex nodded sagely. "Training that will help you reach the same level as my other partners…and help you ascend beyond it, too. Once you achieve that level…we will begin working with the Light. You'll be able to Purge the Shadow wherever you go."

Po cracked his knuckles, grinning at the idea of facing Shadow infused enemies. His brothers had spoken of facing them in the war, but Po had not yet had the chance to take one on. "I look forward to it." With that, he returned to his ball, and Alex bamfed back to his clone, who was still idly scrolling. He rejoined Alex prime, and then he slipped quietly back into his room. Jess was still sleeping, and she resumed clinging to his larger frame as he rejoined her, and quickly fell asleep. This part of the world still had some hours to go before sunrise, and he slept heavily until it was time to awaken.

Cimitero Di Rossi - Italia Region

Giovanni Rossi looked at the grave that marked his mother's final resting place. The massive Mediterra Mountains, pretty much always in view from anywhere in Italia thanks to their size, surrounded the white stone cemetery, and while the Rossi family owned the cemetery, other people were buried there. They were just not nearly as important, and served only to, in the eyes of the now passed Madame Boss, add to the aesthetic of the cemetery.

The people who mattered, namely the Rossi family and their favored associates, had a large portion of the area devoted to their family tombs. The only people in the area now though, were members of Team Rocket's Italia branch. Italicized red Rs were very prominently displayed on their chests, but aside from that, the Rocket uniforms were the exact same as those seen in Japan with their primarily black color.

Giovanni thought back to the last conversation he'd had with his mother, the night before. She'd been furious. She had been informed of the disaster in Paldea that Giovanni had okayed, and of the number of seasoned Rockets, trained Pokémon Hunters no less, who'd been easily captured by the Dragon Emperor. She'd cussed him out on her deathbed, raspily shrieking about how the family organization was now seen as even more of a joke by the other families in Italia.

A dark smirk formed on Giovanni's classically handsome, older face. There was no eulogy, today. The sun was out, and it was a gorgeous, temperate Festivus Day in Italia. Giovanni finally had what he'd been waiting years to inherit, a bittersweet gift, but a good one. The family business was now completely his. After his fluke of a loss in Kanto, he'd essentially been stripped of his authority by his mother. She'd even tried to take him out of her will, but he had top lawyers from Japan already working to edit the document.

He turned to the assembled high-ranking Rockets and realized that he would have to regain their respect. "Requiescat in pace, Madre…" He said softly in his final goodbye to the woman who'd made him into the Boss he was. He had no intention of ever coming back to this place. Not while he was alive anyway. He put on his classy fedora, red and black like the rest of his outfit, in front of his mother's now sealed grave, and raised a fist. His powerful baritone rang out, loud enough for the 'forces of good' who were undoubtedly spying on them, to hear. "Madame Boss is Dead." He stated, as his smirk became a grin. "Long live Team Rocket!"

The silence that followed his words was longer than he could accept, but then, in perfect unison, the gathered Rockets answered him. "Long live Team Rocket!" Giovanni hid his reaction under the brim of his fedora, and then called in his ride. He was very much violating the many norms and traditions his people considered sacred, but he also had no Muks to give about such trivial nonsense. The gathered Rockets frowned, as his helicopter buzzed the cemetery, and dropped a ladder down to Giovanni.

The Rocket Boss tipped his hat to his underlings, and then the ladder retracted mechanically. He climbed into the helicopter and flew away, back to the Rossi family's headquarters. They had holdings all across Italia, but their main base was a precarious estate that was connected to the region's southernmost coast by an artificial bridge that the family could raise and lower at their discretion. This bridge, and the automated electricity shooting turrets mounted atop the estate, were what kept the Rockets from worrying about the police or the International Ranger Force. Thus, it was the only one of their bases to proudly and obviously fly the italicized capital R that symbolized Team Rocket's branch in Italia.

Once Giovanni disembarked, he shifted his dark grin to the short, somewhat rotund man who'd helped his aged mother keep the organization, and her many stock options, running. It was fair to say the man was running Team Rocket as a whole, but his loyalty was to the Rossi family. "Tonio. I want you to find Fiero (Fee-eh-ro) and bring him out of stasis. Then, bring him out to the practice field, to me."

"Of course, sir. The field has already been cleared, cleaned, and prepared for training. Are there any more of your Mother's edicts we'll be breaking today?"

Giovanni was in too good of a mood to care for the man's snide tone. He, and everyone else in the Italia branch of the organization, were in mourning. Such slights could be forgiven…at least until the mourning period ended. "All of them, Tonio. Our Japan branch once again has full access and start sending over some of the Supremi we've had on standby. Our Japanese comrades are severely outmatched."

Tonio frowned, his narrow eyes narrowing even further as he peered at Giovanni. "Giovanni, sir... The Supremi Project was suspended years ago. The ones who remain will not live much longer, and the others, well…genetic instability from the Shadow either caused their bodies to fail or made them too berserk to control."

Giovanni paused in striding down the poorly lit carpeted hallway and turned to the man. "The berserk ones…bring those down to me as well. I'll break them in on our practice field. See how far gone they are." He continued walking then, leaving the sputtering Tonio to sigh, and then do as ordered. He, at least, knew better than to question the Boss. "And summon the troops down there, as well! We need to have a little…pep rally. Send them down once they've all arrived."

The Rossi estate's training field was massive, despite the relatively little land the estate had to work with. Three League stadium sized fields jutted out from the three lower parts of the sheer cliff sides that gave the estate its vaunted protection. Covered in reinforced opaque glass that could stand up to missiles and Hyper Beams, they also sported plenty of vitamins, and items meant for making a Pokémon as strong as possible, as fast as possible.

Tonio appeared within five minutes, and Giovanni grinned as he saw his first Pokéball. The air around him grew notably hotter as the useful servant came closer and offered him the ball. "Your Charizard, sir." Behind the man, a pair of grunts was wheeling a sealed container, designed to force massive amounts of pressure upon the Pokéballs within. This was the technology used when humankind opted to contain Pokémon who went out of control. The League had useless bleeding-heart practices, like rehabilitation into the wild, but Team Rocket had used them to contain the ultimate example of a Shadow Pokémon. Infused as eggs with Shadow Mewtwo cells, those who hatched became absurdly powerful examples of their species. Unfortunately, Shadow Mewtwo's cells had a tendency to obliterate cells that were not Shadow Mewtwo's, so the Pokémon in question hadn't lived for very long.

In Italia, Team Rocket had used them like living grenades, throwing them at police buildings or public areas, while they robbed their targets, usually banks, blind in the chaos. Eventually, Team Rocket had agreed, after being recognized as an official party within the Italia governmental structure, to cease their use of the Supremi, and to cease creating them. Giovanni hadn't been around for that, however. He'd only seen the brutal opening stages of their testing, and the impression had stuck in his long years all but exiled in Kanto.

He tossed Fiero's ball, and after decades of being restrained, the massive Charizard roared loud enough to vibrate the air upon his release. His tail flame was only briefly orange, before it shifted to blue, with an intense white core at the tail's tip. "Fiero!" Giovanni boomed, causing the proud fire lizard to turn towards him. His eyes turned from angry to a mix of sadness and happiness. He was glad to see his Trainer, but he also saw a lifetime of evil and ambition in his dark, narrow eyes.

Nevertheless, he approached Giovanni, who scratched under his jaw, and locked eyes with his starter Pokémon. "Hello old friend…" The two gently pressed their foreheads together. "My Mother is finally dead. You'll never have to go into stasis that long again. I swear it."

The Charizard spat a white cinder from his toothy maw at the mention of his mother, and her death. This was the reaction Giovanni had seen from most people, and her own Pokémon. With the exception of her Emolga, most people and Pokémon were glad to hear that the Crone had finally expired. "I need your help breaking in some of the Supremi." Giovanni continued. Fiero snarled, eager for a fight. "Good. Bring out the first!" Giovanni ordered.

A mechanical arm with the sealed container moved to grab one of the ornate Dark Balls and pushed it out of the unit and into the free air. Sensing the lack of pressure, the abomination of science within roared free of confinement. It was a Garchomp, but its color was off, a mix of light blue and light purple. It was a contrast with his crimson eyes that briefly flared with a familiar Shadowy tint. The Mewtwo part of its DNA was expressed through its almost comically long tail, that still had the fins of a Garchomp, but the dexterity of a Mewtwo.

The abominable Garchomp locked eyes with Fiero and roared, but Fiero didn't wait. He was a pent-up blur and launched into a brutal Dragon Claw. The Charizard snarled as the Garchomp caught his claw, and the pair entered a brutal back and forth. Giovanni knew that strong as Fiero was, the Shadow infused Supremi would win that contest. "Dragon Toss!" Giovanni ordered.

As the Garchomp countered hard, Fiero ducked, and grabbed its rough skin with a pair of Dragon Claws that sank into its scales with ease. Then, Fiero flapped once into the air, and brought the Garchomp down hard into the earth as he lifted the abomination up and over his head in a fine example of a fighting typed move like Seismic Toss combined with Dragon Claw. The Supremi roared in fury and began digging into the field. Fiero started flying, and Giovanni noted the deep claw marks on his own leathery skin were bleeding. "Dragon Pulse." Giovanni said, knowing his starter would strike when he could.

The Garchomp surfaced, using the Dig to launch itself into flight towards Fiero. A hint of fear or maybe simple wariness appeared in its mad gaze as Fiero's raging sphere of dragon type energy shifted from dark blurple to a sparking crimson, black. In seconds the powerful orb of energy was launched at its target, making contact as the mad Pokémon flew straight into it.

The Garchomp went sailing back hard into the ground and crashed there in a heap as it struggled to keep fighting despite the lack of HP. It gave a pitiful gurgle as Fiero and Giovanni appeared at its impact crater. "Well done, Fiero." The Boss said, scratching his partner's jaw as he eyed the very poorly trained Garchomp.

He jumped into the crater with the Garchomp, and it growled at him, trying to lift its claws to slash him in two, but too weak to do so. "You have been poorly trained." Giovanni said, testing how well the creature understood and comprehended him. "I intend to correct that incompetence." A single claw weakly raised towards him, and then hit the broken ground. The large dragon slid its unusual body towards him and tried to bite at his leg.

Giovanni rolled his narrow eyes and recalled the creature. He slid the Dark Ball back into the vacuum sealed and pressurized container. To the grunts in the room he said, "Have everyone in rows in here by the time I put these somewhere safe." Before he rolled the Supremi away himself. There were five balls in total, including the Garchomp. The other species were Electivire, Rhyperior, Midnight Lycanroc, and a Weavile.

Giovanni brought them to his new office, and sighed as he examined the case. Then, a voice rang out from the quiet office. "What's wrong, Uncle? Feeling guilty for your part in creating those abominations?"

Giovanni smiled as his niece stepped out from the shadows. "Isabella. Look at you, all grown up. And the Champion too, I hear. Finally back from fornicating in Indius, hmm?"

A dangerous look crossed the Italia Champion's lovely features. "I heard a certain Rattata had snuck back into Italia. And lo, here you are. Scheming with the Supremi. As expected of Team Rocket's Boss."

Giovanni simply chuckled, hands in his pockets and ready to summon Fiero if necessary. "Actually, I was thinking of sending them to your little friend in the foothills. I need them cleansed of Shadow, and I don't have time to beat them all into submission daily until their hearts open again. They'll be dead by the time they're cleansed through friendship."

Isabella glared at him. "You need a Light Wielder. If you give them to me, I can make sure the rest of their lives are free of trauma."

Giovanni paused, and then finally nodded. "At least with you, I know where they'll be." His eyes widened then, as she psychically levitated the Supremi from their case, and into the air around her. She seemed to wince a bit as they struggled for freedom, but they stayed shut by the intense red aura surrounding them. Giovanni was impressed, as he knew how much pressure was needed to keep the Dark Balls closed. "Picked up psychic powers in Indius, did you?"

"Galar, actually." Isabella answered. The silence started to drag on for a long moment before Giovanni spoke again.

"Was there something you needed from me, niece?"

Isabella shook her head. "I came to say goodbye to Nonna. And to warn you not to Muk things up. We've finally managed to coexist somewhat with the Rockets in Italia. We don't need you and your…ambitions…throwing a Grookeywrench into our hard work."

Giovanni smirked at her. "That's a very generous 'our', Isabella. I've heard what you've been acting like, as Champion. You should return to doing as you please. It's what our family does best."

Isabella looked like she was about to attack for a moment, when an unexpected calm came over her suddenly. She just shook her head and glared at her uncle. "You've been warned, Rocket Boss. Do not disturb the peace. You won't like what happens to you."

With that, she stormed out of his office, the Supremi still floating around her, as she made her way outside, and then promptly flew away on her Noivern.

Giovanni watched her leave and smirked to himself. Italia's Champion, from what he'd heard, was in Indius more than Italia these days. Which meant his homeland was unprotected. He strode out onto the balcony of his new office, to the sight of a Rocket Rotom Drone, and grinned. Giovanni gripped the railing, his sharp, narrow eyes staring into the Drone Rotom with the camera, while three more appeared showing him the ranks of their organization arrayed in lines on the practice fields.

He took a deep breath, allowing the gravity of the moment to settle in. "Team Rocket," He began, his voice carrying the weight of authority, "for too long, we have played by the rules of a government that neither respects nor understands our true potential."

Murmurs of agreement and nods rippled through the ranks. He continued, his tone growing more impassioned. "We've been content to operate in the shadows, complying with regulations and avoiding the full extent of our power. But I ask you, where has that left us? In a position of subservience, caged by the very laws that we could easily bend to our will."

He paused, letting his words sink in. "The time has come to cast off these shackles. No longer will we be mere pawns in the government's game. We are Team Rocket! Our ambition knows no bounds, and our capabilities far exceed those of the Police or the Rangers."

Giovanni's eyes blazed with determination. "From this day forward, we will enter a new age of conquest and power. We will seize control of this country, bend its institutions to our will, and harness its resources to expand our reach across the globe. We will be the masters, not the servants!"

The grunts erupted into cheers, the fervor spreading like wildfire. Giovanni raised his hand for silence, and they quieted. "Our path will not be easy. There will be resistance, and we will face challenges. The first of these…will be weeding out the weak Trainers among us. As you all no doubt know, our endeavors in Japan were halted by a once in a generation Trainer with genuine skill. But his partners grew strong on the weak Trainers we used in our endeavors. If another 'Red' appears in Italia, we will crush them, before they grow stronger."

His fists clenched the balcony rail, the Rossi family signet ring that signified his position as the Boss, or Don, as they called his contemporaries in Italia, clear on his hand. "To that end, you will pair up, and Battle until you and your teams run out of energy. Then, the Consigliere will sort you by rank. Everyone will have a part to play in this organization, but only the best will be our enforcers, and reap the rewards that come with that honor." He raised a hand then, and shouted, "Begin!"

As he watched his more competent grunts get to work, Giovanni looked out over the vista, taking in Italia's natural splendor, and Nuovo Napoli shining in the distance. He grinned. It was good to be home.

Sahqoreyth · Jun 26, 2024

Chapter 55: Odyssey of Ascendance, Part 4

The Dragonspiral Tower - Unova Region

"So, you see…peace, is a Lie. There has always been what we Humans call War. The strong always prey upon the weak, and any breaks from that slaughter are temporary." Proditor said to the pair of impressionable Padawans. He was still disguised as one of them, and so far, had not been discovered. He'd left his Shadow infused teammates behind for this mission but had caught a new member he'd dubbed Balmut. He was a rather large and foul-tempered Hippopotas that he'd encountered on his path from Castelia City to the Dragonspiral Tower. By the time he'd arrived at the tower, Balmut had become a mighty Hippowdon that had yet to be beaten by Unova's road Trainers.

"That…doesn't sound like the Dragon's teachings…" The less promising Padawan murmured. She was a young teen, a redhead with pale skin and freckles. She was also annoyingly close to the most promising candidate Proditor had found so far, who now responded to her.

"It's part of Balance, Allie." The dark haired and dark eyed teen, Damon, replied. "There's periods of calm and periods of conflict. But the conflict always comes back. War is as inevitable as peace...but you're right, that doesn't mean peace is a lie." He met Proditor's gaze evenly. "Peace is worth striving for. Worth protecting. Worth keeping for as long as possible, for as many Humans and Pokémon as possible." Allie nodded at him, and Proditor had to resist rolling his eyes. He recognized the spark in her gaze, even if Damon seemingly missed it.

Proditor nodded his normal looking head in agreement. "My point," He growled, "Is that pretending 'peace' will never end, is nonsense." He looked to be a bit older than the pair, but there was no age limit on who could train as a Scale. Thus far, he'd been preoccupied with not giving away his nature during the strenuous training the Padawans were put through by Champion Hilbert. He was seemingly as chill as the Dragon Emperor, until it was time to train.

At that moment, one of their peers turned up the television in the common room they were chilling in. "…has been confirmed in all seven Kingdoms of Eous. The Thunder Warrior Legions have officially stopped their centuries long slaughter on their border with Eous. That's right folks, the Imperium and the Kingdoms of Eous are once again in a tentative peace. Just in time for Festivus."

Proditor and the others were watching now, along with the rest of the Padawans. "And who do we have to thank for this Festivus miracle, Rachel?" Her male co-host asked.

"Apparently, our very own Dragon Emperor, believe it or not. It seems he and Champion Jiyoshi of Indius are pretty good friends after that match they had. According to our sources, the two worked together to orchestrate the peace. Champion Jiyoshi contacted the Kingdoms, while it was Emperor Redwood who apparently had a face to face with the Imperator and convinced him to stand down. I…wait, one moment, folks…" Rachel said, holding her earpiece.

Her co-host picked up her dead air. "Apparently Mr. Redwood heard you, Rachel, because he's offering to join us on set. As in right now. Somebody grab a chair!" He shouted to the staff.

"He's not actually…" Proditor said in disbelief, before he realized he was speaking aloud. Nobody said anything, but there were a few smirks in response to his words. Sure enough, within a few minutes Alexander Redwood was sitting very casually in a hastily acquired chair.

"Ari. Rachel. Thanks for letting me on with such short notice." He started, smiling genuinely as he used his calm baritone.

Ari chuckled, but Rachel was in reporter mode. "It's a pleasure, Emperor Redwood. Any time you want to, erm, I believe 'bamf' is the term, to our set, feel free to do so." She crossed her fingers together then, and Alex seemed content to let her keep going. "We've been reporting on your exploits all month. I'm sure you know, but almost all of the houses you've created, by hand, have been brought to modern standards of comfort."

Alex gave a chill nod with a small smile. "Good. Very good. It looks like everyone will have a home this Festivus, and there's peace in our time." He let out a deep breath and seemed to relax and slump a bit. "My Granduncle said something like this wouldn't be possible. I'm glad we were able to prove him wrong."

Ari nodded then, chiming in. "I'm sure the late Professor Redwood would be proud, sir. What you've done for this nation is comparable to what your predecessor, the first Dragon Emperor achieved in his time."

Alex shrugged. "Most of what we are building was either already there, or used to be, millennia ago. I'm just fulfilling what I was taught were the basics a government should provide to its people." He sat a little straighter then, and his cloak was smoothed out by his stupidly large hands beneath it. "Housing is one such thing. Food, is another."

Rachel chimed in then, incredulity in her voice. "What? Don't tell me now that you're going to feed the whole Empire!"

Alex chuckled, though it was a bit awkward. "Well…yes, but also no. I'm going bigger." His trademark smirk appeared, as he took in the anchor's reactions. "See, I've been talking with leaders the world over, Tao and I, that is, and the plan is to feed everyone. For free. I haven't gotten word about the Imperium yet, but Japan, Rio, Galar, and the entirety of the Dragon Empire are all on board, last I checked."

She still looked incredulous, which made Alex chuckle. "How exactly are you going to feed half the planet, or more, for free!?"

Alex leaned forward now, clearly interested in telling her, her audience, and eventually the world. "Honestly the credit has to go to the group of Blueberry Academy graduates who created the Item Printer. My brother and his team collaborated with them once they got the idea to use Infinity Energy and Pokémon materials to create...pretty much anything, from items to food. The machines we'll be mass producing will, as I understand it, be capable of creating any food menu item, from a low number of almost any Pokémon material, and or berries. But there is one that we can synthesize with solely Infinity Energy. We're calling them Dragon Burgers. Plant based. Rather delicious. Capable of feeding the hungry, any time, anywhere there's a machine. For the low, low price of Nothing." Alex didn't brag often, but on this one, literally feeding the entire Earth, he was going to. A little.

The two reporters/newscasters shared a look. Ari spoke then, "That's…I mean…you do realize what this will do to the food industry right? An industry your family is a part of, no?"

Rachel chimed in as well. "You could…probably generate infinite money from this kind of invention, so why wouldn't you?" She seemed more confused, than anything.

Alex held up a hand, while Proditor and the others just watched, mostly in disbelief. He could tell from the Padawan's thoughts that he wasn't the only one who understood what the end of resource scarcity meant.

"The food industry will simply have to shift to something else. Berry farming, becoming a Pokémon sanctuary, it's up to them. They will adapt as the housing industry has, with our help every step of the way to reduce panic. Either way, our current methods of food production were finite. There's a limited amount of people we can feed with the current system. We were running out of land, and the land will only produce for so many years before it needs a few to recover. The new system will feed everyone. Forever. I'm sure there will be people who prefer 'authentic' cuisine, and that's their choice to spend their currency on. But for the families with hungry kids that don't have currency in obscene amounts, this will change their entire lives. It will also severely cut down on the number of Pokémon being hunted for food." Alex paused, only to take in more air, as he turned to Rachel, and answered her.

"I probably could make enough money to control everything, forever, with this kind of invention, you're right, but that's the primary difference between me, and the 'rich elites', Rachel." He said with literal air quotes, "Money is not my God. Greed is not my creed. I refuse to kneel at the root of all evil, the exact same way every single other Human leader has done for almost four hundred thousand years now, since we let them impose the yoke of Currency around our necks! Instead, I am choosing freedom, and life, for my people. I will tear this root out completely. I will give the people solid homes and free them from worrying about hunger ever again. That, is worth more than all the currency in existence, to me."

He turned towards the main camera broadcasting them live. "For those of you in the food industry, or invested in it, I need you to do me, and the Empire, a favor, and remain calm. The Empire has instituted hopefully temporary pricing limits on every other sector while we prepare to roll these machines out, to prevent anyone from giving in to their greed while we adjust to the radical changes that will no doubt come with such a large change. You should all be aware though..." He paused, letting it grow, as he delivered the real news. As big as eliminating hunger was, far, far more people, depressingly, cared about money. The idea of putting something with imaginary value over the value of human beings was simply asinine, to him. "The long-term goal of the Dragon Empire and every single one of our allies, is to remove the use of currency entirely. Hoarding it and getting stressed out about it is not necessary."

Alex stood up then, and the two newscasters shared another look, but didn't throw off their Emperor's groove. "We are entering a new age on this planet. Our technology has increased to the point where the impossible has come within our reach, and we can finally rid ourselves of all the horrors that currency has inflicted on our species. It was once a necessary evil. No longer. We are going to build a utopia the likes of which has only been dreamed about in science fiction, until now. There will be challenges, there will be those determined to keep the status quo and the illusion of privilege their currency gives them, and they will try to sabotage these changes. There will be attempts to kill me, and those who help me bring about this change. But we will overcome them. I came here today to promise my people, and the Human race, that by the time I and your leaders are through, not one of you will have to struggle to survive ever again. We will shift our focus to inventing, creating, and building upon what we have laid down now, so that those who inherit our hard work will have nowhere to go but up. And I do mean that literally." He smirked, and then sat back down, looking between the two shocked newscasters.

Ari just looked lost, as he tried to picture the kind of world that was about to exist, and the problems that would come with it. Thankfully, his co-caster remembered she was still live on the air. "That's…quite a declaration. But I imagine being able to feed one's family will be quite appealing to a lot of people."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Those struggling to live, will have more to spend elsewhere. And those with far, far too much excess currency will be able to spend it on food as they always have, by getting far too much and throwing away over seventy percent of it."

Rachel smirked at him. "I see someone saw my report on the Gladstone family's leftovers from their Festivus party."

Alex nodded. "Though, in my experience as their neighbor, those leftovers usually make meals for like, two weeks. Or longer. It's not exactly sitting in a trash bin. But I can confirm your report did spur my future mother-in-law to give a significant amount of it to those in our town who had…less impressive holiday dinners."

Rachel just shook her head, at which point Ari chimed in. "You mentioned that our descendants will have nowhere to go but up…literally…do you mean…?"

Alex nodded. "I can confirm that we do have a functional space craft. Last I checked everything is made, we're just welding it all together. You'll know when our new space program launches. It's going to be quite a sight."

Ari sat up a little straighter. "Space program? And a ship? Please tell me it has a name."

Alex chuckled. "Well, I actually found the skeleton of a prototype space-capable ship in the Arcean Church's Sacrean bunker. We moved it to Unova and have since improved upon and brought the original designs to life. Though, uhm…the designs aren't exactly… 'original' themselves." He continued chuckling.

"What do you mean?" The man asked, brow furrowing.

"They were calling it the Enterprise, and the original shape of the craft was…pretty much what you'd expect from Star Trek or Poké Trek. I like to think we've made the Enterprise into a proper ship, by this point. One that Chaan Luc Pikard would be proud of." Alex's smirk broke down then as he laughed again, and the other two joined him, slightly less enthusiastically. They were still subtly processing the imminent collapse of the food industry, and apparently currency in general.

Eventually, Rachel looked up at something behind Alex, probably some sort of light signal showing they were out of time, and said, "Well that's our time for tonight, folks. Dragon Emperor. You've certainly left us with a lot to ponder tonight. I agree with you though...if these machines can do what you say, the time has come to move on from currency. Thank you for joining us."

Alex nodded, still as chill as ever. "Thank you for having me. I'm going to be much more…accessible, now. So, if there's ever anything of pressing concern you wish to speak to me directly about, just let the Tower know, and I'll make time for it. That offer extends to the other news networks as well."

The newscasters did their boilerplate outro then, but when they looked back at Alex's chair, he was gone. Back in the Dragonspiral Tower, word was spreading like mad. Proditor listened in carefully to the hushed conversations, willing to risk discovery if it meant gaining an idea of how the Scales viewed their leader and his actions.

Many assumed there was some kind of ploy here for him to grab more power with, but the counters to those arguments, namely that it was, from what the now publicly available machine designs showed, a device controlled both by a Rotom and a larger connected system, would prevent any one person from controlling it beyond its programming, which was to exchange Pokémon materials for food.

Not twenty minutes after the announcement, another murmur went through the Tower, as the Empire revealed they had machines capable of producing items, any items, from the same kinds of materials as well. Lumber, concrete, even gold. These machines were more complex, and thus would be given out slower to those the Empire trusted not to abuse them. With the oncoming machines was also a guide, by the new Professor Redwood, explaining how to safely gather Pokémon materials from over nine hundred species without significantly impacting their health.

Proditor, for his part, was rapidly reconsidering his plans to convert one of the young Scales to his cause. Redwood reminded him far too much of Galar's first Hero King, and the rumor was that he was only growing stronger. Apparently, he'd been sighted in multiple places at once, which meant he had either mastered or created a technique that allowed clones of himself to persist and get things done. With that kind of coverage, stealing some of his Padawans would likely draw him directly to Proditor, and his pawns in Subterra.

Proditor could also clone himself, but without an intact Mind Plate, and weapons for his clones, Redwood would likely outmatch him. He also had not tried it since reviving. Perhaps as an undead Shadow being, he couldn't create clones anymore.

Either way, his instinct told him to avoid Redwood until he had a more solid power base. He needed a region with modern technology, and a burgeoning but as yet untapped psychic population. He called up his ghost-cased Phone Rotom, and examined the modern regions of the world. Galar was firmly under the influence of it's League Chairman, Leon, who was famous for not losing battles. Kalos was part of the Dragon Empire, and their psychics were probably already being trained. Paldea seemed to be controlled by a pantheon of powerful and morally sound Trainers, but then he found Italia.

Their Champion did as she pleased and was quite strong, psychically, but often away. The government of Italia was, from what he could tell, a conduit for its people, but the real power in the region was controlled by the so called Five Families, each of which infamously had an evil team's worth of people at their beck and call. They also seemed to control most if not all of the important positions in the government. In short, it was the ideal place to hide, as Redwood's influence didn't seem to reach there. Yet.

With his course decided, Proditor prepared to abandon his efforts in the Original Dragon's lair. Far above him, in the small forest that had now grown at the top of the Dragonspiral Tower's terrace that had played host to Legendary battles and meetings of Governors, General Hilbert looked down upon the man who was, as far as he could tell, pretending to be something he wasn't.

"We should confront him, Tao." Hilbert said, calmly, and not for the first time.

Tao's massive white head and black throat filled his peripheral vision. His calming baritone thundered in Hilbert's skull in answer. "You could. But it will not change much."

Hilbert whirled on the Dragon of Unova, his usually chill demeanor eroded with the knowledge he'd had of this threat to his students for several days now. "And why not!? He may well be who Alex is looking for! We should at least question him."

Tao rumbled in his lengthy throat, and Hilbert watched quietly, as he knew the dragon was using his power. "The future is...clouded by Shadow. There is more of it gathering than ever before, and the Traitor is the focal point. Only Alex or Arthur could slay him as he is now. It is as though...something is pulling more Shadow Energy to our planet..."

"Well, I'm tired of waiting. I'm not just going to let the man who started the Dark Times walk out of here. Not without testing his skill for myself." Hilbert declared, before flying after the man, who was walking at a quick pace away from the restored tower.

Tao was smirking, but only for a moment. His halves had chosen their Tamers well. It was Hilbert's nature to seek out the truth of the situation, and Tao was okay with that. His actions would not disrupt their future's path, that much, he could see.

Hilbert tailed the man, who seemed to be traveling on foot for the moment, until he was into the wilds between Icirrus City, and the rest of civilization. An ideal place for a battle, and one that many Trainers met in, while traveling. Especially in modern times, since the Original Dragon returned. "Oi!" Hilbert shouted, as he stepped out from the trees. The plain faced man, still in the Gi of his students, stopped abruptly, his eyes widening as they took in who was approaching him. "Before you leave…Successor…I demand a Battle."

Proditor processed the man's words, and chuckled, as he looked downward. "I had a feeling the Dragon sensed my presence."

"From the moment your foul essence darkened our door." Hilbert answered. "But he isn't going to attack you while Alex isn't here. And so far, as far as we know anyways, you have not actively striven to break the laws of our civilization. You've sought out your partners and been a good Trainer to them. It is because of this, that Tao has decided against eradicating you. For now."

A smile cracked the man's face, and as it did, the facade faded away, revealing the dark robed form Proditor typically wore, since his revival. "Tao…so he did actually nickname the Original Dragon." Proditor chuckled, and then met Hilbert's eyes. "I am amenable to non-hostile relations. I can abide by the laws the majority of the world follows, as well. I am not unreasonable." His attractive face's smirk widened almost unnaturally then. "But I'm guessing you want a Battle, before you're sure you can just let me walk away."

Hilbert's eyes narrowed. "Of course. I know you've only got one partner right now, so we'll make this one on one. No items." He raised a plain, very old looking Pokéball then, and Proditor brought out his comparatively newer and much more modern Ultra Ball. They threw at the same time, and a majestic Serperior, Caesar, appeared alongside a rather large Hippowdon, who went by Balmut. Hilbert's face tightened, as he realized that the Hippowdon was not the same level as when he'd last seen it. Before it was just strong enough to be able to endure Hyper Training. Now, it had to be, in terms of level, in the eighties or nineties. Caesar saw this as well, and his fronds extended and sharpened. Neither had expected an actual challenge, handicapped as the Successor was by not using a Shadow infusion.

Balmut, for his part, had been the lucky receptacle for the rather large amount of Exp. Candy that Proditor had stolen from his fellow Padawans. He'd wanted the foul-tempered earth hippo to be strong enough for whatever they faced on the road, but he had not foreseen a Champion battling them. He could tell the Serperior was at the height of its power, too, all but guaranteeing they would lose. Unless they were clever.

There was a brief, tense silence before Proditor shouted, "Dig, Balmut!"

"Razor Leaf."

Balmut was under the ground as sharp leaves filled the air, but Hilbert and Caesar had a plan. They were taking no chances against a Trainer like the Successor. The sharp leaves remained whirling about the space, and the ground gave away nothing in terms of Balmut's location. Despite their size and mass, Hippowdon could move with ease through the ground thanks to how their bodies worked.

"Fire Fang." Proditor said, after a moment. Within seconds, the ground rumbled all over the area, and a massive form broke the surface, wreathed in flames as the Hippowdon's mighty jaw tried to make contact with the regal grass snake.

"Frenzy Plant." Hilbert countered. From where each of the Razor Leaves had landed, massive vines erupted rapidly from the earth, surrounding the fiery earth hippo, and then arcing directly towards his massive body. Having natural instincts for battle, Balmut shifted his attack from Caesar, to said vines, chomping through them with his massive teeth, and spinning within his place in the earth, making a sandy fire tornado briefly.

The vines stopped momentarily, but he was still caged by the massive, unnaturally thick growths. Then, Hilbert spoke again. "Finish it." Pushing through his oncoming exhaustion from using his most powerful move, Caesar urged the frenzied plants to strike again, and they did so. Balmut tried biting through them again, but this time, he simply wasn't fast enough.

Proditor grimaced, as he figured his partner was down, but then realized, he wasn't. They weren't done yet. "Earthquake!" He shouted, knowing that it would be impossible to dodge at such close range. The ground under Caesar shattered, and tired as he was, he found himself buried by the powerful stones. Proditor knew there was no way he was unconscious yet, though, and followed up on his attack. "Use Earth Power to bury it in magma!"

Hilbert frowned. Earth Power's damage was typically calculated from how hard the exploding ground struck its opponents. Very rarely, could Pokémon using it summon actual lava alongside the move, but Balmut seemed to have no issue about creating such a large hole in the planet's crust for a battle. The General winced as the earth beneath his stunned Serperior exploded, but he was quick to counter, as the magma began to bubble up from the gaping wound in the planet. "Scenario Terra."

Caesar nodded, and used his own power to dig into the shattered earth, away from the forming lava pool. Then, there was a bright flash of green energy, and the entire area shook as the same vines from Frenzy Plant appeared again, spearing through the broken chunks of earth from the Earthquake to form massive, writhing vine-based shish kebabs of stone. They rose above Balmut, and then began ferociously hammering him into the ground, which was slowly caving in from the destruction the battle was creating. Once at the bottom of the new depression, more vines erupted from all around it, entangling the mighty earth hippo and fainting it.

Proditor sensed his partner faint and sighed. "That's about what I expected, from a Champion's starter. Did you learn what you wanted, General Hilbert?" He asked, as his tone turned to one of mockery.

Without another word to him, Hilbert raised a green shard, mega evolved his Serperior, and then had it fly off on its Mega Form's leafy wings. As Hilbert left and Proditor watched him go, he felt Shahir contact him through their team's mental web. "We have found them. One is potentially sleeping beneath Twist Mountain. The other is in Paldea. His armor resides somewhere within Mesagoza." Proditor grinned, as he fed his Hippowdon a Max Revive. Shellraiser, Shahir, Rapax, and Toraigon were all part of his original team. Immanis, his Scolipede, was still alive, and Blues, his Ceruledge, could likely be coaxed into possessing his armor once more. That only left Optimus to find, with Balmut, Mordred, and Morgana's Grendel filling out the rest of his team. He knew Malum had no intention of returning to him, as the Malamar was more focused on his own schemes since his Trainer had died. Proditor intended to retrieve him anyway.

Losing only two of his original ten permanently was quite lucky, and he knew once Balmut reached the peak of his power and embraced the Shadow, he'd be as monstrous as his predecessor, who'd also gone by the same name.

Within a few hours, Proditor had reached Twist Mountain, and given that it wasn't Scolipede's usual habitat, Proditor figured his poisonous megapede was likely hibernating deep under the mountain. Ice types liked to make the upper levels their home, but further down one could find Heatmor and their prey, Durant.

Proditor used the Durant tunnels and his malleable body to move deeper into the mountain. The further he went into the earth, the more unique the minerals composing the mountain became. There was a power to them that he did not recognize, but he continued on.

This deep into the planet's crust, the main species he found were Carbink, but eventually, he followed his psychic bond to his ancient partner to a large cavern. Even with all he'd seen in his long life, Proditor found himself in awe. A massive crystalline tree filled the center of the cavern, and all around the area he saw strangely glowing plants. Herbs of some kind, as he looked closer at them. He gathered large amounts of each color, before he approached the head of the gargantuan Scolipede that was hibernating around the base of the tree.

Judging by the cavern, Proditor assumed the mystical herbs and the power of the tree had somehow kept his partner alive over the long millennia. He'd been quite surprised when he learned Immanis was still around, after being revived. Looking around, Proditor eventually saw the crystalline green and purple sphere he'd used to contain the violent megapede in ages past.

With one more of his handmade crystals intact and in his possession once again, Proditor called his partner's name. "Immanis!"

Like a magic word opening a doorway, the massive Scolipede's titanic yellow eyeballs snapped open, and looked around. They narrowed, as they saw their stash of delicious herbs had been pilfered. Slowly, the Titan Scolipede rolled onto its four legs, and looked around, remembering the noise. A familiar noise. A noise it knew came from a human and had some meaning to them. Its thoughts were still fuzzy. They had been ever since he'd first eaten the herbs and they had cleansed his shadowed mind. Finally, the titan found the human, and its sleepy eyes widened.

Proditor grinned up at his little Venipede, just glad he was still alive. Somehow, the Shadow had left him, which had no doubt contributed to his massive increase in size, lifespan, and level. Eventually, Proditor figured out what must have cleansed his partner. "It's me, Immanis. It's Cassius. I have the rest of the team, too. Mostly." Slowly, the fog of memory cleared after eons of running on instinct, and genuine happiness at seeing his human, and his brothers, took over.

Proditor summoned the rest of the team, then, and before their Shadow infusions could cause them to attack each other, the only sound they respected filled their ears. "My friends! We find ourselves in a new, modern age. One where the convenient healing devices can detect Shadow Infusions. Some of you have already been cleansed, but most of you have not. And since I will need you as we travel, for now, I am going to free you of the Shadow."

Shellraiser's thick blue brows crashed together, but the Blastoise did not otherwise react. He disliked losing the power the Shadow gave, but if it meant he could be used in combat, he would gladly go without. For now. Balmut seemed ambivalent, and was eyeing the massive Scolipede, clearly itching to test his might against a Titan. Grendel, who had been retrieved by Morgana after his failure to defeat Arthur, Lancelus, and the other Gallade, and then passed to Proditor's care when she was crushed to death, seemed to have the same reaction as Shellraiser, but seemed obedient.

"Toraigon and Rapax will remain infused. Cleansing you would be pointless, as your levels are already at their max, so if the Muk hits the Fan Rotom, you two will be the ones on deck to handle it. If you get captured, do not worry. I will retrieve you. Now come. It's long past time that we all enjoyed a meal together."

Being in the Dragon Empire, he had access to their typical food, which seemed to be burgers, tubular shaped meat referred to as 'hot dogs' and other things that one could grill on the portable camping set that modern Trainers used to feed their teams. He learned that quite a few ingredients simply did not keep well in his infinite void Shadow storage, but he did manage to pull together a passable amount of food. He'd used a herb of every color from his stash on the burgers, which had seemed to agitate Immanis, but the Scolipede calmed once he got some of the food.

Proditor watched his team and their status carefully as they ate his culinary creation and nodded as he saw the Shadow fade from them. Then, he saw their stats start to increase. The bored-looking Rotom in his phone woke up as tracking their sudden and rapid shift back to homeostasis took a lot of computing power. By the time the numbers stopped rising, every single member who'd been infused had grown by at least three feet. They had become prime examples of their species, ancient paragons of the power that Pokémon could grow to wield. Proditor grinned. Not one of Italia's five families would be able to stand against him, with a team like this. And the International Rangers and the local Policia wouldn't flag him for having Shadow infusions either.

As they finished, Shahir spoke to him, mentally. "Blues should be here. And Optimus. I would like a meal where we can all enjoy and benefit from those herbs."

Proditor nodded in agreement. "They might actually somehow make Rapax and Toraigon stronger. Once we find Blues and Optimus, we'll eat a proper feast together, Shahir, worry not."

Then, Shahir said something in his booming mental voice that made Proditor flinch. "How are you feeling, after the meal?" The raised human looked down at his body, and noted his aura was much more subdued. His cloak and garments seemed normal, not flaring with fiery waves of evil.

Proditor shrugged. "Amazing, actually…but I can tell the Shadow's influence has waned. For now, I will keep it this way. Back into your spheres, my friends. First, we will retrieve Malum and Blues, and then, onto our next target. The Italia Region."

Some Time Later… - Naranuva Academy, Paldea Region

Festivus had come and gone without Cassius Proditor even noticing. He'd retrieved Malum on Festivus Eve and made the Kalos Police look like absolute fools as he did so, thanks to Shahir's portals. He had only able to find one of Morgana's partners, Grendel, when he'd done the same thing in Rio, but the Grimmsnarl was apparently the only one they hadn't managed to cleanse, for some reason. To Proditor, it was like the Shadow was somehow imbued into his energy network, and not just his body and mind. His status said he was clean after the meal, but Proditor sensed it within his energy network, just waiting to burst out. He hoped that wouldn't get them caught, and opted to keep the Grimmsnarl contained, for now. Very quickly, any trail he might have left went cold before the Scales even heard about the incidents, thanks to Shahir. A day later, a new policy that included at least one Scale for each Shadow Pokémon was implemented across the Empire's prisons, with the goal of rehabilitation and release, or adding said Pokémon to someone's team. Many of those used by the Crusaders were popular battling species, so finding them a willing Trainer wouldn't be difficult, and many people were desperate for a quick and easy powerhouse to add to their team before the World Tournament's rankings solidified into the final thirty-two.

From Kalos, Proditor had gone on foot to Paldea, arriving at Naranuva Academy in the final hours of Festivus Day. He disguised himself as a generic looking returning ten-year-old in a standard outfit that blended orange and purple. They were two colors that should've really never been put together, but oddly enough, the color scheme kind of worked. Once inside the academy, Proditor had no trouble finding suits of long faded Ceruledge lining the storied halls. The trick was finding his Ceruledge.

It took all night, and thankfully, not too long after the sun rose, there was some sort of loud building shaking distraction that kept everyone busy, while Proditor scoured every single ancient nook and cranny of the massive, ancient school in his tiny disguise, and carefully examined each faded Ceruledge he found for the telltale marks on his armor that Proditor had inscribed himself. Distracted as everyone working at the academy seemed to be, not one person noticed him.

Eventually, he did find his Ceruledge's armor, in the deepest, dankest corner of the academy, in levels so old and low scientists had no idea what they'd actually once been used for. Blue's aged form crumbled when he touched it, all save for the unique band he'd created in the past to bind the shards of defeated Polteageists together. He still sensed his partner though, and then realized why. His friend had reincarnated, and somewhat recently, too. He almost decided to just find another Charcadet, but he knew how Shahir and the others would react and resigned himself to the new spark. He would no longer be Blues, he'd have a new flame and a new name, but at his core, he'd still be their brother.

With unnatural speed from jumping from shadow to shadow, Proditor headed out of Mesagoza's eastern gate, and quickly came upon his target. He was sprinting, at full speed, towards Mesagoza, eyes locked on the giant academy's Pokéball in the distance. "Oi!" Proditor shouted, causing the Charcadet to stop sprinting. Its eyes narrowed, and it fired a large Ember at him. Proditor's form swirled and shifted back to his usual appearance, and he psychically dissipated the attack with a snap of his fingers. The Charcadet's eyes widened as it charged forward again, then saw his face. Proditor knelt down, meeting his fierce eyes as the tiny burning warrior slowed, and stopped. "Do you know who I am?" He asked quietly.

The Charcadet shook his head. From what Proditor sensed, he was eager, desperate even, to find his younger brother. A Trainer had captured him earlier in the day, and the Charcadet wasn't going to just let him vanish. He was too precious and special to belong to some human who already had plenty of partners. "But I look familiar to you." Proditor continued. Slowly, the Charcadet nodded. "You and I were friends, in another life. When you wore the armor of a Ceruledge." The Charcadet's eyes widened, and it nodded. It seemed to remember something of its previous incarnation, at least. It had to, given how long Blue's flame had to have burned for, before capitulating to entropy, and the cycle of life. "I can get you that armor again."

The Charcadet seemed to pause, and then shook his head. He needed to find his brother. Proditor sighed, as in all likelihood, his brother was long gone. Paldean Trainers had a tendency to hop regions thanks to their robust transfer programs and universal credit system. He'd learned a lot when scouring the school's computers, which was where he found a detailed guide to every known set of faded Ceruledge armor that lined the school's halls. "I will help you search for your brother. But when we don't find him, come and train with me. You'll have a much easier time searching for him once you evolve. I can help you do that." He offered the night-colored crystalline sphere that seemed to glow with a ghostly fire from within. The Charcadet stared at it, then back at Proditor. It was unnerving how familiar he and this sphere were. But he did want to enter it. He nodded his head, entered the capture sphere, and it pulsed, as it cemented its occupant.

"You need a name, my friend." Proditor said, as the Charcadet was brought out again. "In your last life you chose the name of a heroic figure, known for his shield, and sometimes his sword. You were able to turn your dominant arm into both. This time…we will call you Sparda, and you will be a force akin to a Demon in Battle. The greatest Dark Knight to ever live." He smirked at the reference only he was ancient enough to appreciate, but the Charcadet mulled the name over in his head, and then nodded. He liked it.

South Province, Area Three - Paldea Region

Alex hopped off of Shruikan, as they reached their destination. He'd left home, and Jess, just after his interview, and their parents had, predictably, been furious. Every single one of the younger Redwoods had congratulated him and Eric though, for the younger brother had not escaped his father's wrath either. The fact that these paradigm shifting machines that eradicated his business and devalued his precious currency had been created right next to his house had set him off, and the old man had not been calm when Alex decided to bounce. His mother wasn't thrilled about using Pokémon materials instead of currency, as she erroneously believed them to be dirty creatures, but she at least understood the obvious good that her sons had managed to create. Alex assured her that Tao was also on board, and for her, that had been enough. Her being proud of him was all Alex had really wanted from his parents by this point. His father, as far as he cared, could go pound Palossand. His whinging would be exactly as effective against the changes that were coming, and despite his furious protests, Alex had assured his mother, and Jessica's, that they'd both have a proper unchecked Item Printer, once they were able to safely create materials, as well as food.

For obvious reasons, he and Tao had not distributed machines the world over that could spawn the components for, say, explosives, from Infinity Energy. But the Food Replicators were managed by a Rotom, and were safe and easy to use. They also couldn't be hacked to create anything other than food, as unlike the Item Printers, they lacked an infinitesimal shard of a Plate of every type. He looked out over Area Three of the southern Paldean province and breathed in the fresh air, glad to be back. Marinette and Adrien were still at her parent's place apparently, but he was in no rush to cut her vacation short. With how fast and how far she'd advanced with her partner in justice, they had earned a break.

Aside from intending to catch a Beldum, the Charcadet line had also caught his eye. He knew Arthur would want to train with a Ceruledge, and while Jess had tried to hide it from him, he'd noted her new partner, Rouge. The name was a bit on the nose, but it suited her flame's color perfectly. As he thought of Arthur, his Gallade appeared beside him, smirking at his expression of surprise. "Gwen is with Jess now, and things are…calmer…back home. Nothing Erek and my staff can't handle. So. Here I am. Ready to become a World Champion…if you guys will still have me."

Alex smirked at his Gallade. "I don't know, lads, should we take him back? Canis, thoughts?" As expected, his Lucario leapt forth from his ball with a snarl at his older brother.

"If you want my spot, Your Highness, you will have to claim it." His aura burned to life around him, covering him in fighting energy.

Arthur just sighed, in almost the exact same way his Trainer did. "So, it's like that, then."

"It is." Alex said, looking between them. Two clones of himself split off, and stood by his fighting types, who'd now locked eyes. "This will be good practice against myself…and a lesson, for both of you. Come. Up on that…large, flat mountain in the distance. That should be remote enough not to catch anyone in your Battle."

After a moment to translocate, both Canis and Arthur Teleported to the spot with their clones. After a short session training with Alex, the aura hound had easily grasped the basics of Teleport, not too surprising, given how many psychic moves he could, and had, learned. Moments later, loud clashes began thundering from atop the peak, but Alex prime focused back on his goal. He shot into the air, and began scanning the red rock canyons, so very similar to the Majestic Canyon back in the Empire, for the telltale red flame of a Charcadet.

After about an hour of soaring around, and surprising quite a lot of ground bound Trainers in Naranuva Academy uniforms, he found one with the right nature. A naturally adamant Ceruledge would, he assumed, become as powerful as a naturally adamant Gallade had. Plenty of Gallade loved fighting, but Alex was convinced it was Arthur's nature that had caused him to train tirelessly, hard enough to propel him to the level of the Victory League's Elite Four, and a mint just wasn't going to be able to, in his opinion, fundamentally change a Pokémon enough to be that driven. His Lucario, for example, had eaten a Modest Mint, and yet his personality still remained mild, most of the time his stats may have reflected that nature, but his personality had not changed. Arthur was always able to get him riled up. The proud aura hound did not like how skewed their personal win to loss ratio was.

Alex landed by the Charcadet, who seemed to be struggling to reach a berry. He built up an ember, but it went astray, probably thanks in no small part to his special moves being hot garbage. "Hello there!" Alex said, as he landed behind the tiny fire warrior.

The Charcadet's eyes went wide, and it meeped, before whirling on him, eyes aflame. Alex held out a juicy Figy Berry, and the young Pokémon's eyes went wide, as drool ran from his mouth, dousing his Ember. He was rather hungry, and Alex had his favorite berry dangling before him. He set it down, and the Charcadet looked up at him. "Go ahead." Alex said. "It's all yours, if you'll talk to me, for a bit. Don't worry, I can understand your words."

"Thank you…" He hissed in his fiery voice, before he dug into the meal, grunting softly as the perfect Figy taste rolled over his fiery little tongue. His head flame burned hotter, turning blue around the edges, and Alex smirked. That, was a sure sign that a Charcadet was rather powerful, or ready for evolution. Given how young this guy seemed, he guessed it was a sign of latent power, as yet untapped since he probably didn't have a physical fire move yet.

"I'm putting a team together." Alex started. "We're aiming to be World Champions. The strongest Battlers in the entire world." He gestured to the world around him, and the Charcadet chewed slower, as he realized he understood the human perfectly. Like he understood other Pokémon. "I'd like a Ceruledge on my team, if you're willing to join me. I can make you very strong. The strongest in the world."

The Charcadet looked at him, and then chuckled. "Heh. You're serious." He let out a hum as he swallowed more Figy deliciousness. "I am already strong, Human. How much stronger could you really make me?"

Alex chuckled. He had to admire that disgusting amount of confidence in a Pokémon so young. "Blaze." He said, and the leader of his fire types appeared in a flash of red. He leaned down, as Alex tossed him a large Wiki Berry. He had long since increased his own personal berry farms, and now his clones could tend, gather, and re-plant them whenever they were ready. His stores had quickly grown into the hundreds, though he hadn't grown one of each type to such numbers yet. Figy and Wiki berries were the ones he wanted to max out first, since a rather large number of his partners were naturally adamant or modest or had varying attack or special attack typed natures. Many of them were so defense heavy naturally that he didn't need to raise it further. Blaze eyed the Charcadet, and then looked at Alex as he munched, and swallowed. "Really? This one?"

Alex nodded, and smirked. Despite knowing better, his Charizard still sometimes judged by size. Especially fire types. He smacked his lizard lips, and then locked eyes with the Charcadet. He didn't roar, but a low growl filled the entire area, as the acoustics worked to his Charizard's favor. His tail flame surged, to blue, and then to a white so bright it hurt to look at. Alex immediately started sweating with the rapid rise in temperature. Some Charizard had naturally blue tail flames, but they also tended to set their surroundings on fire quite often. If they were trained, they often ended up staying in their ball or the PC, where their flames wouldn't light anything up. Blaze had long since learned that trick, and mastered how hot he could get going at all times. He could maintain the brilliant white flames for well over an hour.

"What makes you think you can join us, little soldier?" He taunted from his superior height. The longer the brilliant flame burned, the more it seemed to hurt or somehow bother the Charcadet.

Fire leapt back into the little one's eyes, despite how uncomfortable he was finding the Charizard's heat, he stood his ground. He was fire. He would not be cowed by it. "I'm more than good enough for your team." He said flatly, "Although…I have to admit…you are both strong. I can tell." He looked down for a moment, finished off his berry, and then nodded. "Alright." He said, looking at Alex. "Make me as strong as the lizard, and I will fight for you."

Blaze's eyes narrowed, and perhaps because his tail was going so hot, he struck before he even realized he'd formed the Dragon Pulse. It boomed loudly through the canyons, exploding nearly point blank on the Charcadet, and fainted it instantly. "Blaze!" Alex shouted, glaring at him.

"Dragon." He snarled, and only once the semi-conscious whelp had let out a pained acknowledgement, did he return to his ball with a prideful snort. Alex fed the small, fainted fire warrior a Max Revive, and just like that, almost miraculously, an injury that would've likely taken days to completely recover from in the wild became a memory, like it had never happened. Most wild Pokémon knew humans had miraculous healing items, but the young Charcadet had now experienced them firsthand. He could tell it was some sort of potent berry mixed with…something human-made probably, but it definitely worked. He was also glad the Charizard had been holding back. He'd had Pokémon try to eat him before, and he had no illusions that, if the desire to end his life had been there, Blaze could've literally blown him off the face of the earth.

Alex offered him a blurpleish Luxury Ball, but the Charcadet paused. He knew how to enter it; he'd seen enough Pokémon get captured in this area right next to the human's largest nest. "My brother…I should probably tell him where I'm going." Alex nodded, and pressed the ball to him, and while it shook a bit, it eventually dinged. He opened it again, then, and the Charcadet popped back out without really getting to experience the interior of his new home.

"We can leave him a message at the place you two rest. Lead me there. Then, we really do have to get going…but the walk will give us time for a nickname." Alex said, letting the Charcadet lead. "What do you see yourself as, once you evolve?"

The Charcadet pondered. He did sometimes have…strange dreams. Dreams that he was a powerful Ceruledge, one who could change his swords into a shield, and even a very very long sword not unlike a lance, if he pushed his limits. He closed his eyes as they walked, picturing it. "A…a knight. A powerful, dual wielding warrior."

Alex made a 'hmm' noise as they walked, and eventually reached what seemed to be the Pokémon's nest. He set to work leaving a message of flame and scorching that only a Charcadet would be able to fully understand. For his part, Alex was going through his mental list of popular, dual wielding knights that used two swords, and while his nerd brain did immediately settle on one, it was a bit too obvious, though as he went through the list of actual dual wielders, he realized it was actually pitifully short. For Jedi and for Sith. "How about…Tano?"

The Charcadet's flame lessened, and his eyes seemed…disappointed. "I don't know…"

"Okay…" Alex said, sighing. There really was only one logical choice, he just hoped he wasn't dooming his little fiery friend to a hard life by giving him the name. "There is one legendary, powerful warrior in particular famous for wielding dual swords. A master of both the Light and the Dark." The Charcadet's eyes widened, and his flame burned back to what Alex determined was excitement, maybe. "His name was Revan."

The small fire warrior literally shuddered, and then nodded eagerly, as the flame on his head surged. "Oh, I like that one. Rrrevan. Revan. Yes. I shall live up to that name!" He declared, looking up at his new Trainer.

Alex chuckled. Arthur had certainly, and literally, lived up to his. He just hoped this Revan had an easier time of things than his namesake. "Alright, Revan. We'll get some Polteageist shards once I'm done at the Academy." He said, pointing at the massive building visible in the distance. "Then you should evolve once you have your armor…and after that, you'll be ready to train." He gave the small fiery warrior some more Figy berries, and then recalled him, chuckling. Most people these days weren't old enough to have played the Knights of the Old Republic, a game based on the ancient history of the Pokémon Wars Saga, so the name wouldn't be too immediately obvious, except to fellow nerds. With Revan secure and sated, he leapt into the air and hurtled towards the peak that Canis and Arthur were apparently waiting for him to join them on.

As he landed, Canis barked at him, "Finally! We need to Mega Evolve, to settle this!"

"Hold on, Canis." Arthur said, much more calmly. He seemed to have mastered the art of perpetual chill, like his Trainer, and then, Alex realized, Gwen had probably had something to do with that. Arthur had always spent his considerable fighting type endurance on training, but there were other outlets. Alex didn't psychically pry into the details, though, mostly because, ew, but also because he knew his Gallade had been as courteous and honorable as he always was. There were, as his granduncle had often said while inebriated, 'some mysteries of Pokémon best left unanswered'. Alex was more…proud? His little Ralts was officially all grown up. He seemed to have finally taken a rest, too, once Albion was safe. His mind seemed calmer, and less intensely driven and focused on achieving power. He wasn't out of shape by any means, he'd just devoted his time to something other than constant training for a while and seemed to be living his best life. Alex was glad he was back, though. Sensing what he wanted, he called out Revan, who looked up at his new human, and then took in Canis and Arthur.

His eyes widened as he looked between them, though his burning orbs of adoration were inevitably drawn to the Gallade's sword arms, which were ready for battle. "Revan, right?" Arthur said, kneeling down and smirking. "You're about as tall as I was when I met Alex. Stronger, though. I'm Arthur. That's Canis. We'll likely be the ones teaching you the finer points of our style."

The Charcadet's eyes widened, and he looked between all three of them. "You have a style of combat!?"

Canis nodded, taking over. As impressed as Revan was with Arthur and his Excalibur, the aura hound was a more obvious example of a top-level battler. Revan had seen Lucario around before, but those scavenging mutts had been nothing like Canis. He stood tall, proud, fierce, and Revan knew he was probably a very powerful warrior. Arthur was too, but he seemed…better at hiding it? The Charcadet knew who had more experience battling, just by looking, but in terms of age, the Lucario seemed older. Or that was the vibe he got from their new, strange psychic mental link, anyway.

"The Dragon Style." Canis growled. "You will learn it as well, and you will be as fierce as the rest of us."

Arthur winked at him, and Alex smirked. "There's a few…other styles I've been expanding and attempting to master, in my recent free time. I'll show you those, too, once you have your swords. For now…watch and learn, little brother."

Alex chuckled as the eager Charcadet decided that his broad shoulder and height would be the ideal spot to watch from, and once he was comfortable, Alex nodded at the pair. They'd already started, of course, but they'd found their base forms too equal to properly let loose. And Alex prime had all the Plates. Doing some training of his own, Alex levitated two of his rarely used spare Plates to his clones, as Arthur and Canis took their spots again. Activating just two at a time wasn't too difficult, though he had to reach out to the Plates one at a time, once he had, he could activate them simultaneously, but only if he channeled the energy of his bodily network through the clones, and into them. That energy had a much shorter range, before it was just overpowered by the flow of psychic typed energy. It wasn't dragon type, so he assumed it must be normal type energy, or Spiral Power, as his granduncle had called it.

Canis and Arthur were close enough for it to reach them, and resonate with their own bodily networks, propelling both of them to their Mega Forms. Revan's eyes somehow got even wider. "Can…I do that too?" He murmured to Alex, and Alex just smirked. El Primero had famously made good use of Mega Ceruledge since using Plates for Mega Evolution had become a thing. He'd even combined it with Terastallization once, but that had made the Mega Form harder to sustain. As open as the Leagues were to giving Trainers free reign with their battle power ups, they limited it to one at a time in matches, for the safety of the Pokémon. Combining them was only for dire situations, and presumably only the strongest Pokémon, like El Primero's Ceruledge, would be able to maintain it long enough to matter in a battle.

As Canis and Arthur's psychic auras met and began sparking in the air between them, they disappeared in simultaneous flashes, and Revan squinted, only barely following them when Arthur made contact with the steel type. Alex shared his vision, glanced at Revan, who was still looking forward, then focused back on the fight. His psychic gaze could keep up with them, and he noted they hadn't actually used many moves yet. Canis had his aura bone out, but Arthur was simply holding a charged Sacred Sword, and blocking it. He wasn't even wasting Sacred Sword's power to do so. Not with every hit, at least.

Frustrated with his lack of damage, Canis's claws became wreathed in ghost energy that dissipated his aura weapon. Arthur simply raised his Shadow Punches, and kept blocking, but the Mega Lucario did not let up. Alex frowned, as he knew Canis should be aware of Arthur's plan, but he just kept using Shadow Claw. It was at least damaging Arthur this time. A little.

Canis tightened up his attacks, spinning and swirling into them, and using the claws on his feet as well, but Arthur easily did the same thing, and Alex was glad to see he'd been able to perfect Shadow Kick. That was the kind of technique one could make a TM out of. And he wasn't even a ghost type. Furious at how well the Gallade manipulated energy, Canis launched away from their clash of kicks, and then spread his arms wide. Alex winced, as he burned through Shadow Ball's power to conjure multiple spheres at once, dense, as always, but small and fast. They hurtled towards Arthur as Canis, all in the space of five seconds, followed with a massive Shadow Ball that consumed the rest of his power. He was spending his ghost move's energy far too fast, but Arthur was about to show him that. "Watch closely, Revan." Alex murmured, guiding their combined gaze. Time seemed to slow, for them. "This is the difference between level, and experience."

Arthur was moving at about the average jogger's pace to their eyes, even in this slowed view of reality. He danced past the Shadow Ball barrage easily, dropped and rolled under the massive one, and then twisted his malleable body into a crouch, right before Canis, and under his guard. Alex sighed, as his aura hound reacted too slowly. By the time his eyes locked onto Arthur's new position, the King of Albion was already rising like a phoenix, flames effortlessly covering his sword fist as he struck upwards, and let the flames carry him past Canis as he delivered a burning uppercut to his jaw. Canis hadn't taken too much damage so far, but he had taken enough for Fire Punch to knock him out. It didn't help that Arthur also hammered a weak point.

Alex recalled the aura hound to his ball, and fed him a Max Revive, as Arthur walked over, still perpetually calm. "You've gotten better." Alex said, approvingly.

Arthur inclined his head. "It wasn't all fun and frolicking in Albion. C'mon. We should get moving."

Alex nodded, recalled the two backs to their balls, and then flew towards Naranuva Academy in the distance.

Sahqoreyth · Jun 26, 2024

(For this next part, events will be happening concurrently with what Proditor has been up to.)

Mesagoza - Paldea Region

Alex and Khan strode up the infamous staircase to the Naranuva Academy, with the bulky Torracat from Eous getting looks as they did so. Festivus Day had been a good break, but Khan preferred traveling with his team, training, eating together, and relaxing, like they had just done in one of Mesagoza's park areas. He did like some of his so-called sisters, but they'd been shy around the horde of new male faces, and he hadn't spoken to them much during Festivus. He stuck close to his Trainer, and mrowled as he noted that, once on the school's grounds past the gate, the students around them had immediately noticed their presence. They didn't seem hostile, yet, but Khan was cautious by nature, around this many unfamiliar humans.

"It's alright, Khan." His Trainer said, as they approached the ancient mahogany doors, one engraved with grapes, and the other with an orange, just like the pillars by the gate had been. "I think someone mentioned we'd be visiting. You might want to stay in your ball, for this. It'll probably get loud." Khan nodded, more than content to return to his absurdly comfortable pocket plane. He vanished in a flash of black-limned crimson right as Alex entered the academy's foyer. He stared in shock at the decorations. Everything that had once been evenly split between scarlet and violet, was now black and white. Even the floors, which made Alex suspect a powerful psychic had altered them.

Banners with the Dragon Empire's symbol, Tao's symbol, the Taijitu sphere embodying Balance, hung from the balconies leading up to the higher floors of the school's main entrance. Then, he took in the crowd. After endeavoring to get to know his fanbase more, he realized he had two large centers of fans. Those in Unova, who were typically older, had battled him once or twice before he became a Hero of Unova, and those in the expanding global network of schools that connected many States in the Empire, Japan, Galar, Italia, Indius, Rio, and of course, Paldea. Being arguably the oldest academy on the planet, it was Paldea who had begun this global endeavor at solid, fact-based education on everything from Pokémon battling to science, higher mathematics, and the other core subjects that most employers looked for in qualified workers. It was in this interconnected grouping of youngsters that the majority of his fans seemed to reside, though there was no limit on who could enroll based on age in Paldea, he was led to understand that many of the underclassmen were fans of how he battled. Most of the older students were fans of El Primero, who had a much, much larger majority among the student population compared to Alex's.

Alex actually spied El Primero in the crowd, briefly, as they shouted their greeting to him. He forced a smirk on his face and waved awkwardly. Seeing his true skill with crowds, Director Clavell came to his aid. Age had caused his famously impressive posture to stoop and require a cane, but the fiery passion in his eyes had not dimmed to the advancing of his mortal coil. "Emperor Redwood. Welcome. Your Empress said you would visit, and since then, many of our students have been…eager to greet you. I understand you wish to take our Terastal Course, for a Tera Orb, correct?"

Alex nodded, focusing on the old man's friendly eyes as he composed himself. "Aye. Though I could be persuaded to answer a question or two, if that's what the kiddos want."

It seemed he'd spoken just loud enough for them to hear him, because many of them simultaneously shouted 'YES!' as soon as the words left his mouth. Clavell smiled at him. "My very next request was to have you do so. Excellent. Because you're a no doubt busy World Leader, we've decided to expedite your test, as we did with your better half. In light of your status as a Champion, if you agree to face one of the Paldea League's Elite Four, we will grant you a Tera Orb, provided you can safely control it during the Battle."

"Can I pick who I'm facing?" Alex asked, hopefully.

"Obviously not." Came a raspy but feminine voice. Its owner was a rather lovely woman, though she dressed more like a businessman, her outfit was sharper than most men who wore outfits similar to hers, and frankly, she wore it better. He recognized her as Rika of the Paldea League's Elite Four, and wondered if the ancient academy would be able to withstand a clash between two fairly well-known ground type users. Rika smirked at him. "I know that look. But alas, I am not your opponent today. When we discussed who you'd face, our resident Dragon Master very loudly insisted that he be the one to test the 'so-called Dragon Emperor'." She said, using air quotes and a deep mocking voice, seemingly quoting Hassel directly. "He's waiting up in the school's yard, if you'll follow me."

Alex would've picked Hassel anyways, were the choice left to him. The head of the Drachenfel Dragon Masters who resided in Germania had been among those who reportedly did not care for him, though not because of policy or anything like that. By claiming the title of Dragon Emperor, the clan claimed he had somehow stolen it from the first Dragon Emperor's lineage, and he was a man who many Draconid clans claimed blood ties to. They considered Alex an unworthy usurper, as his own lineage was not, by their account, tied to the Harmonia line in any measurable way, and in their culture, only the Harmonia line was worthy of holding that title, and wielding Tao's power. Rika handed him a Tera Orb as they entered the school's elevator, and Alex inhaled sharply as a brand-new kind of energy made contact with his essence.

"Since you were the one to figure out Plates and how to use their shards for Mega Evolution, I'm sure you can figure out how to reach out to a Tera Orb." Rika said, watching him with sharp, but interested eyes.

"It's…this power is…" Alex trailed off, as he gazed into the orb. He felt his vision swirl, as a pair of eyes met his through the crystal and brought him to their owner. He was somewhere sunny and comfortable, on what looked like a beach though as Alex found himself looking at what he knew to be Terapagos, the fur covered crystal turtle met his eyes, and then lifted a paw in friendly greeting. Alex smirked, murmured, "Hello there…" and then pocketed the Tera Orb.

Rika just stared, a smirk covering her countenance as well. "You just saw him, didn't you." Alex nodded. "Fascinating…we theorized they were directly connected to Terapagos, but you basically just confirmed that…did he seem to know what was going on?" She asked, as the elevator dinged.

Alex shrugged. "I think he can guess. He didn't seem averse to me using his power, though." Rika just nodded, and strode out onto the yard, hands in her pockets. Alex followed; eyes wide as he realized just how large the academy school yard was. The stands hidden below the track were already raised, and there was an entrance through them that Rika was leading him to.

She stopped before it and gestured. "Good luck, Redwood. You're going to need it. I haven't seen Hassel this fired up in a long time."

Alex thanked her, and then ducked as he made his way through the opening that was not made for people with his height. He stood and covered his eyes as he emerged right into the glare of the sun from outside the school yard, to the sound of many excited cheers. They were rather high up above Mesagoza, and it was just about noon, by Alex's guess, as he emerged. He looked around, and headed to what he assumed was his side of the field. Then, he turned and faced his opponent.

Hassel Drachenfel stood in the opposing Trainer box, arms crossed, his large, intense golden eyes glaring his way. His blonde hair was now more of a platinum blonde, thanks to age and gray hairs, and his teaching outfit now incorporated a proper emerald green cape that signified his status as a Dragon Master, and the head of his clan. Alex nodded to himself, as even across the battlefield, he could tell the man possessed a fire capable of taming dragon types. It was just like the aura he'd felt from the elder and his people when he'd gotten Maromnis from the Draconid clan residing in the Oath Woods. "USURPER!" Hassel suddenly shouted, quieting the crowd of mostly students with his voice as they heard how serious it was. To many, this was the first time they'd seen their gentle, good natured art teacher so…fierce. He raised an Ultra Ball at Alex. "Today…I redeem the Clans! And all those that have accepted your usurpation without issue, despite your unworthiness! When I'm done with you, you'll be leaving without a Tera Orb and without that stolen title that belongs to MY people!"

Alex heard the crowd murmuring, somewhat concerned. Apparently, their teacher wasn't usually like this. Many had seemed to think this would be a standard friendly contest between two Trainers with a surplus of dragons at their command. But it was clear to all that the old man was furious. Alex stood tall, draped in the leathery black cloak of Alduin's flesh that served as his own proof of Dragon Mastery. His Voice reached all of them, as he calmly responded. "I have earned the title of Dragon Emperor. I passed the Trial of Eight Paths, and I do actually have Draconid blood in my veins, though I admit I never met my great great grandmother to ask her about its source. I accept your terms, Hassel Drachenfel! For a Tera Orb and the title of Dragon Emperor…let us Battle! Six on six, World Tournament rules." As he said that, a Drone Rotom appeared, and displayed their stats. As expected, Hassel was also in the Ultra Class, quite a bit higher up than Alex was in fact, and he made no objection to making this a World Tournament match.

Hassel threw his ball then, shouting, "Archon! Dragon Pulse this Usurper! Blow him away!" Alex's eyes widened, as he threw his own pick. Kalagon emerged on the field, much higher level after the training to elevate his attack power. A clone of Alex was, at that very moment, helping the special attackers raise their own stats on Casseroya Lake, but Kalagon was ready. He should have evolved by now after Earthquaking so many Bisharp and Pawniard, but Alex had a feeling the large Gabite needed the right push to reach his final form. Archon would be that push.

Alex knew of the Archaludon, who was famously regarded as a sacred and ancient dragon type among the Draconid clans. He had, according to their legends, served the first Dragon Emperor, and all those who came after, passed down from descendant to descendant. At some point, the Drachenfel clan had claimed him in Germania, and in Germania he had stayed for quite some time now. The ancient steel titan regarded his opponents for a moment, and then gathered the swirling blurple energy required for a Dragon Pulse. It wasn't condensed, but it did take the form of a draconic head, signifying Archon's mastery of the move, as it hurtled towards Kalagon in the space of seconds.

"Dig!" Alex ordered, but Kalagon just snorted. Alex raised an eyebrow as his partner raised a claw, for a Dragon Claw. Then, that claw started to shine with a familiar light, and Alex understood what he was doing. The claw came down on the Dragon Pulse, dispersing its energy, which then swirled up and around Kalagon as he roared, and used the painful but powerful dragon energy to ascend to his final form. Apparently, all he'd been waiting for was a worthy opponent. The entire school seemed to shake with his roar as the light faded, and the massive Garchomp announced his presence in the world. "You alright, Kal?" Alex asked, as the evolution faded. Sometimes, Garchomp could go a little berserk after evolving. His eyes were on fire, and he was breathing heavily as new and powerful hormones flooded his brain and body, but he nodded at his Trainer, and then dove into the earth, as ordered.

Archon's defense rose sharply as Hassel ordered it to improve its defenses with more iron, but it only blunted the attack that Kalagon delivered as he leapt from the earth with another roar. The damage was still significant, but Archon was nowhere near done, and his defenses rose another stage after the attack, as a blue aura surged up around him. Up close, Kalagon realized just how ancient his opponent truly was. "Blow the runt away!" Hassel shouted, and another Dragon Pulse formed to do just that. Archon didn't show it physically, but his ancient eyes were just as angry as his Trainer's.

"Dodge, Kalagon! Then Brick Break! It can't turn easily, attack from its blind spot!" Alex ordered, but the land shark heard him from across the field. He glided through the air easily to the unwieldy bridge dragon's blind spot, but Archon kept powering the Dragon Pulse regardless. The Brick Break landed, but like Dig, only made its defense rise to a combined total of four stages, now. The damage was significant but lessened by quite a lot at this point. The Dragon Pulse fired, and arced behind Archon in the air as the ancient Pokémon effortlessly controlled the trajectory of his attack. "Get out of there, Kalagon! Back to me!"

Kalagon was already in the ground, as he sensed what his Trainer intended. The Dragon Pulse exploded uselessly as its size was too thick to enter the hole left by Dig. Usually, it was a bad idea to Mega Evolve a freshly evolved dragon type, especially the likes of Garchomp and Salamence, but against an Archaludon with Stamina as its ability, it was very necessary. As Kalagon popped up by his Trainer, panting but still largely unharmed, the slightly damaged bridge dragon prepared another, larger, Dragon Pulse as Hassel's command.

Alex spoke into Kalagon's mind, and his calming Words helped the fresh Garchomp focus. "Peace, Kalagon. You will have a moment to unleash your rage in this Battle. Save it, for now. Archon will eventually counter you, but all we need you to do is weaken it enough for Shruikan to finish." Kalagon wanted to finish the titanic Archon himself, but Alex knew his dodging ability would, eventually, lose to the ancient special attacker's uncanny aim. Still, he was a sucker for his partners. "You really want to finish him, huh?" Alex asked, and he saw the Garchomp grin with malice. He wanted the strength beating such a strong dragon would give him, and Alex nodded. "Alright. We can certainly try. In that case…" He verbalized his next words for all to hear, "Dragon Dance!"

Kalagon raised his fins parallel to each other, and then vigorously brought them down in a vertical motion. Draconic energy surged around the field, and Archon's eyes narrowed, as it watched the stationary Garchomp. Kalagon shifted into a stance not unlike the Dragon Style's then, one fin raised, one fin low, with his center in between them. His legs were similarly simultaneously raised and lowered. He swirled gracefully then and struck the empty air with his left fin. His body shifted, as he struck with the right, and then he brought them both down in a diagonal slash. Power surged around him, and he roared, as Archon finally fired the Dragon Pulse. It had shifted to a deep crimson coloring, once more taking on the form of a roaring draconic head and wings that, at this level of power, reminded Alex very much of Tao's countenance.

"Into the air! Outrun it, and then come around its blind spot!" Alex shouted, as he subtly materialized the armor on his right fist, keeping it hidden under his cloak for now. The Draco Plate fused to the dragonbone began to resonate. Kalagon proved just a hair faster than the drake-seeking pulse that seemed to have a mind of its own, as it was determined to strike its target.

Time slowed for Kalagon and his Trainer, as he came around Archon's rather large blind spot. "Dragon Ace!" Alex called the move, and despite not being on the ground, Kalagon found that flight, and the ridiculous speed it gave him, actually made using his draconic version of Aerial Ace much easier. As he built up the power, his body grew, as Alex raised his Salamence headed fist. Dragon energy surged again as Kalagon struck with his Mega Form's rather damaging scythes, with a critical strike that made Archon's eyes widen in pain, even through four tiers of raised defense.

Unfortunately for Kalagon, Archon had also critically struck, and his violent Dragon Pulse rocked the younger dragon with the power of ages, sending him hurtling into the energy barriers of the field. He hit the ground hard, but was still conscious, as once more his iron will to battle, fueled by his evolution mostly, kept him on the edge of consciousness. He roared at Archon as the massive dragon became limned in fighting energy, prepared to smash him with five tiers of raised defense, but then Kalagon vanished, as Alex recalled him. The ball struggled in his grip, but Alex growled at it. "Calm down. You need a Potion to keep going, and right now, Shruikan can take Archon, and most of Hassel's team. Patience, Kalagon. You're not done yet." The catchphrase seemed to placate his shark dragon, but unfortunately for Shruikan, he would not be able to Mega Evolve while Kalagon retained his power. That was fine though, as the proud Salamence was more than okay with being the first to wield Terapagos's power.

A white and black flash brought out the black Salamence, and Archon whirled as he heard the powerful roar of a worthy rival. The draconic ace of the first Dragon Emperor stared down the draconic ace of the current one, and the energy around the field shifted from dragon, to electric. Archon let out a deep, rumbling snarl through its metallic body, one that Shruikan answered in kind. Alex didn't interpret it as words, but he grasped its meaning. Alex knew Shruikan was not amused with how the Drachenfel clan saw them, and it was disappointing that Archon apparently felt the same way they did. Electricity began to spark over both of them, and their respective auras electrified the field as well, as they clashed in the field's center. The air became heavy as the two top level dragons prepared for combat, and Alex noted Hassel applying his single Potion for the battle cheekily as this occurred. Alex sighed but knew it wouldn't matter. Archon was up five stages of physical defense. His species' special defense was infamously terrible. All that power came at a price. In terms of numbers his special defenses may well have been in the low two hundreds, a rather high number thanks to Archon's level, but Shruikan's attack power was now probably double that, as last Alex had checked after their training by Fury Falls, he was sitting at a terrifying, but unsurprising, four hundred and twenty attack power. In his base form. Because of how Plasma Bomb worked, it would make full use of that strength. That massive attack power came at a cost to speed and other stats, but Shruikan wasn't worried. His vitamin rich diet and his training made up for that loss as much as they could.

Hassel and Alex had the same idea, as both men raised their Tera Orbs. Alex genuinely didn't know what type Shruikan would retain, dragon or electric, but he was willing to bet on electric. Shruikan had always been good at commanding storms, but since whatever he'd gone through in his kind's secret homeland, lightning had answered him easier than before, and he'd gained a few new tricks from it. The first was Plasma Bomb, which was a special attack that used his attack power for its damage, provided it was fired correctly at a high enough speed. The second only happened when he was hit by electric attacks, and Alex knew Hassel wouldn't resist the chance for a Tera powered Charge Shot.

Terastal energy emanated from the thrown Tera Orbs, and it coalesced around both dragon types, as they became the singular type they were at their core. A crystalline shield of aura covered both of them, and a lightbulb containing the lightning bolt symbol of electric types appeared over both of them, before it shattered, and empowered their crystalline shields with electric yellow colored energy. Large tendrils of burning plasma sparked over their respective forms. Alex just stared, grinning, as he saw the 'new' form of Terastallizing. According to his granduncle, the Terastal phenomenon had once caused large, goofy looking crystalline crowns to appear over the Pokémon who wielded that power. However, in the years since a certain Champion of Champions had caught, Tamed, and empowered the Terapagos responsible for Paldea's unique battle phenomenon, it had changed to the current form. The power boost Terastallizing gave had apparently increased, and the silly looking crowns were gone. Alex considered that a win, as he'd seen videos of the old form of Terastallization, and always found those old battles comical to watch.

Any Pokémon would have issues moving around and fighting with such an obnoxiously large piece of headwear, but Shruikan would not suffer from the air drag a massive lightbulb would have undoubtedly caused. Alex let Hassel go first and avoided calling his move at the same time as the elderly Dragon Master. "Electro Shot! Blow them away!"

Alex and Shruikan just smirked, as they knew what came next. "Into the air, Shruikan. Make him work for it." Alex wanted him moving around, slightly weakening Archon's attack. He had faith in Shruikan's trick but taking a full power electric Terastal typed Archaludon's Charge Shot head on seemed like a bad idea, with how high its base power was, and how old their opponent seemed to be. Seconds later, the Electro Shot fired like a railgun, as the electrified terrain had the same effect on the move as rain did. Alex called their counter, then. "Tutaminis!"

Hassel's eyes widened along with his partners, as they watched Shruikan's mastery over his typing in action. He barrel rolled around the Electro Shot, and with great concentration and focus, redirected its energy to coalesce in his mouth. Thunder boomed, as he countered hard, and sent the gathered special attack right back at its source with the same amount of power. Archon immediately recognized the technique, and while he was also capable of it, the force and speed with which Shruikan countered didn't give him nearly enough time to calm his mind and tighten his focus enough to once more redirect the energy. The twice empowered electric attack, at that point more comparable to an electric typed Tera Blast, smashed into Archon, and he growled in irritation, as the overload of electric energy left him paralyzed.

He closed his eyes, as Hassel shouted commands at him, for once ignoring the Dragon Master. Shruikan capitalized on the moment, as he recognized that Archon was preparing to break the paralysis with a surge of his own energy, like most electric types could. Alex called the move, as the rather quick black Salamence hurtled towards Archon. "Earthquake!" The only sign of the move to regular human eyes was the telltale black blur hitting the ground, and of course, the rising wave of solid earth that slammed heavily into Archon, with super effective damage that was nullified by five stages of raised defense. Despite those stats being boosted to a full six, it looked like the Earthquake might finish him.

As Hassel saw his strongest dragon's vitality rapidly draining, he shouted, "Use Rest!" And the titanic bridge dragon stayed conscious, but asleep, as his vitality, in terms of bars and numbers, returned to full.

Alex's eyes narrowed in annoyance, along with Shruikan's. "Dragon Pulse until you're tired. Then finish it with Draco Meteor!" Shruikan moved like the lightning he was encased in, hammering Archon with a Dragon Pulse, and then a line of four of them in a row on his next pass. That, had enough power to knock his sturdy, titanic frame over, but he stayed asleep despite Hassel's calls trying to wake him early. Shruikan wasted no time and fired off the Draco Meteor. His special attack power would be too low to be useful now, but he probably wouldn't need it against the rest of Hassel's team. The purplish-blue sphere of energy went high in the sky, then exploded into multiple energy missiles, all locked onto Archon. They landed with force akin to bombs, one after the other, each one shaking the field, and the school, as they hammered their target.

Shruikan landed, mouth open, wings raised and charged another Dragon Pulse within his sparking maw in case Archon was still up, but as the dust cleared, it was obvious that the titanic dragon bridge had been unable to awaken before he'd taken enough damage to faint. Shruikan fired off the Dragon Pulse anyway, making it explode in the air, as he put a claw atop Archon's fainted form, and roared at the crowd. There was a pause, and then, the students went wild. Shruikan looked quite pleased with himself as he basked in the cheers, and he jumped and glided back to his spot, as Hassel recalled his team's strongest powerhouse. Alex was just glad they'd brought it down before it was able to use Body Press. If it had woken up after that Earthquake, he was fairly certain six stages of defense would've made the fighting move a single hit KO.

Enhanced and Terastallized as he was, Shruikan easily swept the next four members of Hassel's team. His Noivern had simply stood no chance against the Terastal empowered Plasma Bomb that had hammered it. His Haxorus had blocked one Dragon Claw, but after a Dragon Dance, the next one OHKO'd him. His Dragalge had put up more of a fight with its varied move pool and access to poison techniques. It was able to Thunderbolt Shruikan's Plasma Bombs before they landed, and getting close with Dragon Claw was a bad idea. Dragon Pulse and Sludge Bomb kept Shruikan on his claws, but he did eventually close to strike with Dragon Claw, at which point he took a Sludge Bomb to the face and was poisoned. He'd knocked Dragalge out though, leaving him weakened against Hassel's Dragonite.

In a masterful display, Shruikan, despite being poisoned, managed to hammer the thicc dragon with multiple Plasma Bombs. It kept using Extremespeed or Dragon Rush to drive Shruikan to the ground, whereupon it attempted to land Earthquake and Stone Edge. Shruikan was well aware of how to dodge Earthquake, and while a Stone Edge did connect at point blank range, it came at the cost of Dragonite taking a Dragon Claw directly to its chest and fainting from the sheer power the black Salamence had reached. Shruikan was utterly spent as the mighty dragon knight finally went down, still poisoned, and on his last legs in terms of health. Thus, Alex switched him out.

Hassel had grown quiet after Archon was beaten, but his stern, aged face betrayed nothing, and he battled with the ferocity one would expect of a Dragon Master. The fire in his fierce eyes never dimmed, despite watching his team of dragons getting defeated by only one of Alex's. Alex recalled Shruikan as the Dragonite fell and smirked at his ball. "You were masterful, Shruikan. I hope that was a good workout." He felt the ball shake, as his dragon affirmed that it had been. Had Shruikan not been at the peak of his power and speed, Hassel's team would've been quite difficult. As it was, Shruikan barely had any power left for his moves, and Elixirs and Ethers weren't allowed in matches following World Tournament rules.

He brought out Kalagon again, as Hassel retrieved his last ball, and frowned at his choice. He knew he had no chance of beating Redwood at this point, but Alex could tell he had no intention of him and his ace losing to a freshly evolved Mega Garchomp. His mistake was in assuming Kalagon was as weak as a fresh Garchomp. His level had risen quite high, before he'd finally been able to evolve. His muscles were well defined, too. He was slimmer than the females of his species, but the hard hours he'd put into strengthening his body showed now that he was an adult.

"You have a quadruple weakness. Dodge Stance." Alex informed Kalagon. The Mega Garchomp simply tensed up, as Hassel's Baxcalibur, probably the strongest known living example of the species, took the field. It was similarly intimidating in presence, like Archon had been, and the air got colder as it opened its eyes and glared at Kalagon. Alex wasn't having any of that, though, and he took the initiative. "Sandstorm! Keep your distance, stay hidden, and smash it with Earthquake!"

"Snowstorm!" Hassel countered, "Find it, and use Icicle Crash! No mercy!" As the snow and sand competed for dominance over the field, Alex had to watch the Drone Rotom. Their screens allowed viewers to see the combatant's body heat through field effects, and Alex intended to make use of the nearby floating screen. He saw Hassel try to do the same, but it seemed age had afflicted his vision, as he squinted at the screen through the sand and snow and frowned. Hassel was essentially blind now, which was good. Now all they had to do was take down that monster of an ice dragon before the sand and snow dissipated.

"Dig." Alex said, watching the screen as Baxcalibur homed in on Kalagon. His Garchomp dove gracefully into the ground like it was water. Moments later, the ferocious Dig attack connected, and Kalagon roared at Baxcalibur as the larger dragon glowed with ominous ice typing. "Fly up and out of there!" Alex shouted, knowing what Icicle Crash would do, if it landed.

Hassel saw his opportunity and claimed the momentum as their attack missed again. "Freeze the Sandstorm in place!" Baxcalibur roared, and its Snowscape, which boosted its defense, latched on to the conjured Sandstorm. Alex felt his spine tingle, as he realized Kalagon was visible. The Trainers shouted commands simultaneously.

"Ice Beam!"

"Dodge! Dragon Dance!"

Alex was glad for Hassel's choice, despite the danger it posed. Had he used Glaive Rush, Kalagon might have been knocked out, since its sheer power, combined with a fall from that height, would have likely fainted Kalagon even if he continued his streak of hanging on by a single hit point after a devastatingly powerful move from a much higher-level opponent. Ice Beam though, he could handle. As Kalagon tucked in his wings and spun in the air rapidly rotating, the draconic energy he released naturally wanted to avoid the freezing beam of ice that lanced forward from the titanic dragon below, and all Kalagon had to do to dodge was follow the energy's aversion to the freezing cold beams. This was a trick Dragonite typically used, clever as they were, to dodge the ridiculously common move from the water types that lived in the oceans of the world. Being an ocean adjacent species, typically, Dragonite had adapted their moves to avoid their natural quadruple weakness. Shruikan had copied them, remembering well the way the Dragonite on Draconis Mons had moved, when they dared to, and now Kalagon made use of the trick as well.

"Restart the Sandstorm!" Alex ordered, and with a mighty roar, the sandstorm returned in force as his Mega Garchomp's control over the damaging particles overpowered Baxcalibur's waning control over his snow. "Excellent! Now, unleash your wrath! Outrage!"

The sand roared louder, as Kalagon finally drew on the complicated mix of adrenaline, anger, frustration at being recalled against Archon, and taking so long to evolve, all at once. Sand and blurple flame covered the entire battlefield, and Hassel grimaced. Newly evolved, and already fighting like Cynthia. By the time Redwood reached the Superior Sixteen, and he would be at least in the top thirty-two once he managed to take down his Baxcalibur, this Garchomp promised to be a real contender. But it still wouldn't defeat his starter. "Stop it in its tracks!" Hassel roared in a commanding tone that cut through the howling sand whipped up by a Mega Garchomp, "Blizzard!"

Alex swore. Kalagon would be too angry or confused to Dig. "Don't let it charge up, Kalagon! Attack!" There was a savage roar of acknowledgement through the haze of draconic rage, and Alex nodded as he saw the icy blue light within the storm get smothered as sand and blurple flame surged. Judging by the Rotom's screen, the two dragons had devolved into a brawl, and were trading powerful blows. Thanks to his Mega Evolution and his rage though, Kalagon was winning. Garchomp had perfect instincts for constant attack moves. Alex watched Kalagon carefully, and as he began to tire, shouted, "Good! Now Dig deep and get your head straight!"

Kalagon drove Baxcalibur back on the screen, smashing him across the head with his tail before leaping into the ground again. Baxcalibur roared with genuine fury, as it seemed the Outrage had finally stirred its blood. The field shifted from sand to snow once more as the Blizzard it never managed to use was fired off, turning the battlefield into an environment akin to its home. Thanks to their typing, Baxcalibur tended to be territorial kings of the Mediterra mountains and were able to survive and thrive in those freezing, massive altitudes. Unfortunately, Garchomp infamously handled such environments poorly, but Alex wasn't too worried. The hits Kalagon had taken had not been actual moves, and while damaging, he was still very much in the fight.

"Position yourself!" Alex called out, "Then Draco Meteor!"

"Bury the field in ice, Baxcalibur!" Hassel ordered, knowing how Garchomp did in the cold. Another Blizzard completely covered the field, making it a winter wonderland. Alex wasn't worried, though. Suddenly, from one of the holes left by Dig now hidden in the snow, a Draco Meteor shot upwards, exploded, and then arced towards Baxcalibur. "Ice Beam the meteors!" Hassel ordered, never losing his cool.

Once more the school shook as the Mega Garchomp's powerful attack did what Alex and Kalagon wanted. Several meteors seemed to randomly hit the field, while most went for Baxcalibur. Unfortunately, a special attacker he was not, and in terms of special defense, the icy dragon titan was lacking. Several orbs of potent dragon energy struck home, and then came the Garchomp. Too late did Hassel notice, the explosive force from the Draco Meteors had cleared the field of snow. Alex didn't waste their chance on another Sandstorm, they needed to attack before Baxcalibur's defenses rose any higher. By his best guess, he was up three stages thanks to all the snow, but the sand had also been steadily damaging him for some time now.

"Draco Impact!" Alex shouted, as Kalagon began charging towards his target. He leapt into the air, flying and gaining speed as dragon energy wreathed his body. He was essentially using Dragon Rush, but without the inaccuracy rushing caused, and combining it with the force of a Giga Impact. Hassel realized that this was the moment. A hit from a move that strong would likely take down his icy titan, but one Icicle Crash or Ice Beam would be enough to stop the Garchomp. It was a lower level, and a single hit on the glass cannon would shatter him. He'd forgotten how annoyingly fast the shark dragons were.

"Icicle Crash!" He shouted, but unfortunately, Hassel had missed something rather important. While Kalagon had hidden and cleared his head of confusion, he hadn't been idle under the icy field as the Blizzard raged. He'd been dancing. By the time Baxcalibur raised its fists covered in ice energy, Kalagon was already at his throat. The enraged Mega Garchomp lived up to his species name and went for the neck. Dragon energy flared. Ice energy hammered him a moment later, and the two mighty dragons were engulfed in an explosion of snow, sand, and ice.

While Hassel expected a double knockout and welcomed a draw against such an obviously well-trained pair of dragons, he stared in shock as the smoke cleared. Kalagon was panting, hard, his entire right side covered in ice, but he was still very much up, while Baxcalibur was very much not. The victorious shark dragon roared viciously, with enough force to shake the very air, and shatter the ice on him, before his Mega Form faded, and he slumped to a sitting position. There was a brief pause, and then, once more, the students went wild. Kalagon weakly raised a fin towards them, but then returned to panting, his consciousness fading as the freezing cold finally began affecting his body.

Alex bamfed him away from the fainted ice dragon, and with some timely firebending, kept his friend from fainting or shutting down internally. "You always fight so hard for me, Kalagon…thank you." He murmured. His Garchomp gave a happy growl and spoke after the Max Potion took effect. He seemed thrilled to not be weakened anymore.

"You wanted me to be the Best. We are." He stated, as he stood back up to his new full height. For the first time, Alex appreciated just how tall Kalagon was. He knew Rick also had a max sized Garchomp, the aptly named Goliath, and Kalagon was already a match for him, in terms of size, if not level. Eager to get to Selva Muerta, Alex went over the list of the fifty or so lads he was training, which was about how many clones he could make at once and have meaningful training sessions, without his brain shorting out. At a certain point, even his Harmonia enhanced mind reached a limit on how much sensory input it could process and control in a timely manner. Once his newer members evolved, all they'd be waiting on was Revan's armor, which he either had to forge himself, or find someone who knew how.

Alex strode along with his massive Garchomp looming behind him, towards Hassel, and his freezing titan. Hassel recalled him as Baxcalibur stood, and growled at Kalagon, before the older man faced Alex, his wrinkled brow furrowing. "I cannot deny your mastery of Dragons…" Hassel started, "But I cannot condone giving away a title that rightfully belongs to our people."

"Your people don't seem to have a problem, Elite Four Hassel." Alex said, using his own title, as this was, technically, supposed to have been a Tera Orb Certification match, and not a draconic grudge match. The old man flinched, as he seemed to remember that. "The only ones with a problem are all in Castle Drachenfels. Perhaps you've been ingesting too much Imperium propaganda. I earned that title. The Original Dragon chose Me to be Dragon Emperor, because I was the one who literally fused him back together. I don't give a single Muk what your Clan thinks. The Dragon approved of me. I passed the trials. He claims I am doing well in my post. Until that changes, I will not relinquish the title over nonsensical claims of ownership from a clan that aren't even Unovans."

Hassel's face showed he was fighting down an anger filled response to what he perceived as arrogance, but then, he laughed. "At least you have the right temperament. And the right skills." He held out a hand, and the ferocity was replaced by a genuinely kind smile. "I can admit when my judgment has erred. You are worthy of wielding a Tera Orb, Victory League Champion. Congratulations."

From behind them, suddenly, came a familiar whirring sound, that had become quite positively associated, for Alex's brain anyway. The sound of World Tournament rankings shifting upwards or downwards. He briefly wondered just how much Dragon Masters were worth, and then turned to see his progress. He'd been sitting at sixty-six for a while, but after thrashing Hassel, an Elite Four member, Dragon Master, and technically also a Professor, his combined score moved Alex up to a smaller pair of digits. A much smaller pair. Alex grinned as a big one and zero sat next to his name, and he gave Kalagon a high fin as the land shark roared excitedly. "Holy Muk… We're in the top ten, boys."

He felt the team celebrating, though he knew their rank would shift, once they started their Ultra Training. He had until the end of February to keep a spot in the Superior Sixteen, which was actually the thirty-two highest ranked Trainers, and as the deadline approached, only battling other higher ranked Trainers in the top sixteen would elevate one's rank. The downside was that a Trainer could reveal their strategies and battle styles in such a match, just to chase clout and a higher spot in the number rankings. Ash of course, was solidly sitting at number one, and he too was on an unbroken winning streak. Alex knew they'd likely get bumped out of the top sixteen while they went off grid to train in Selva Muerta, but he'd timed things so that he'd have a solid seven days to find opponents, train some more, and claw his way back into the top sixteen once they were done.

It boggled his mind to see his name ranked tenth in the world, for now at least, and he felt Lux take a picture as he floated out of his pocket. A strong, but feminine hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder, and he turned in surprise to see an attractive, and very fit woman, who couldn't have been too much older than he was. Recalling the battle he'd watched Ash have here, he recognized the Battle Studies Professor, Nemona. She held up a microphone to him, and he nodded slightly, guessing this was the payment part of him getting a Tera Orb. "That Battle was…Epic, uh, sir." Nemona started, but Alex interjected.

"Just call me Alex. It's fine." He smiled, and the woman continued. He had a feeling this was slightly out of her comfort zone, but it seemed her zeal for battle was pulling her through the inherent awkwardness of shoving a microphone in a world leader's face.

"Right, uh, Alex. Y'know…those of us who've been training since we were just kids…we heard about how you had to grow up. How long it was before you finally started." Alex's face went passive, but Nemona continued. "How your desire to be a Trainer never wavered even when the Arcean Church basically all but had the League blacklist you. I can't even imagine it…" Nemona said, seeming genuinely empathetic. Alex just nodded. "And now here you are. Alex Redwood, ranked number ten in the entire world. The only names above you are Legends in their own right, people I'm sure you know of, or maybe even have met already. Would you say your childhood dream has just been achieved?"

Alex chuckled. "My dream was achieved when I properly caught Terra. Everything since then…even the war and death and close calls…it's been more fun than my kid self could've possibly imagined. I guess it still hasn't uhh…quite sunk in yet. Tenth in the world. Wow."

Nemona chuckled at his chill reaction, and then gestured to the stands full of wide, eager eyes. Alex spied several kiddos with microphones, but he was more than okay with answering their questions. "I'm going to turn it over to the students, now, if that's okay. Some of them have burning questions for you."

Alex nodded. First up was a first year, which seemed to be a trend for the academy and ordering who asked questions first. In fact, he was pretty sure she was the same kiddo that had gone first in asking Ash questions, too. Which meant she was either really lucky, or really quick with whatever application process dictated who went first. "The World Champion told me to build up my team to get stronger, and I have…but then I see Battles like his, and like yours, and how strong our teachers are…I just don't know if we'll ever be that…powerful."

Alex could tell a recent loss when he saw one. "You've been following everything Ash told you? Because I remember what you asked him." There were chuckles, and Alex walked towards the girl, gesturing to the field. "Let's see that team of yours, then!" She initially seemed to shake her head, but her peers urged her onto the field and cheered as she stood awkwardly next to the much taller Dragon Emperor. He gestured again, and she tossed all of her Pokémon out at once. A female Floragato seemed to be her starter. She also had a Marill, Flaafy, Gible, Riolu, and Charcadet, most of whom were also female. She explained what was going on to their confused faces, and Alex looked over them, with Kalagon still looming over him. He locked eyes with the Gible when they came to him, but it seemed the rather young dragon didn't have the fire in him to challenge such an obviously superior specimen of their species. Kalagon growled, irritated at the baby dragon's meekness.

"This…" Alex said, pausing entirely for suspense, "Is a great team. You have serious potential here. Champion potential. In fact…once they evolve, with their combined move pools, you'll…yea, you'll have pretty much every type accounted for, in terms of damaging attacks or blocking. That means if you ever get approved for ten Pokémon, the next four are just going to increase your power even more. I'd suggest a Psychic Type, when that day comes. But the rest…that's up to you, and whatever fits the Battle style you eventually choose." The girl nodded, paying attention to every word. "Well fed…clean…and fond of you. It seems you did exactly as Ash instructed. Well done. Let's give the lady some applause, folks. Some of these species are hard to find." He smirked, recalling his own earlier attempts at searching for a Charcadet, and he knew how rare Gible could be to see in the wild, let alone get them to stay in a Pokéball. The kiddo shyly kicked the dirt through her applause.

It faded, as Alex closed his eyes, and crossed his arms, pondering if he should make another semi-widely known power up available to anyone with Pokénet access. Then, internally, he said, "Muk it."

"You want to know the secret to training powerful Pokémon?" The young girl nodded, eyes wide, as she sensed she was about to get a hint into a Champion's training method. Alex smirked, and his stupidly long arms spread wide, as he spun and turned to the rest of the kiddos. "How about all of you? Do you want to know too?"

The cheers were deafening, a mix of 'We do!' and 'Yes! Please!' and other cheers he couldn't make out bombarded his ears. He raised a hand, after a solid fifteen seconds. "The secret to raising a powerful Pokémon…is…" He smirked, as he saw the younger kiddos literally on the edges of their seats. "Battling!"

He laughed, and the more experienced Trainers joined in, as they got the joke. Nemona, who was off to the side now, also laughed, as she, perhaps more than anyone else at the academy, understood what he meant. As the giggles died down, Alex continued. "But really. The more intense your opponents, the stronger you will become. Much has been said about how my team and I rose so far so fast. I say, look at our opponents. That black Charizard atop Draconis Mons. Blaze faced it as a freshly evolved Mega Charizard, and we won!" There were whoops, as that was by far still the most popular clash when it came to Charizard. There had been others since, of course, some Alex and Blaze had also been involved in, but none had been in low orbit, or featured a naturally evolving Mega Form.

"We trained hard all across Unova and beat every single Gym Leader's strongest team. I was lucky enough to face the Striaton Trio, and Brycen himself, before he retired. Arthur, my Gallade, barely ever stopped training, because he wanted to be the Best, and he was able to almost solo the Elite Four of the hardest League in the world. Caleb Pravus kept the entire Victory League away from the Original Dragon while I was away training. But eventually, I went home to face him. And Arthur and I won. Ghetsis, newly escaped from our old Prison system, again, threw the Forces of Nature at Jess and me. I took on Landorus, their leader, with Hydrus. I believed he could win, and he did!" He had the crowd's attention now, but he wasn't quite done yet. "I Battled many of the Champions from across the States down in the Swamp when I went off training. Their teams whooped mine quite a few times, before we were able to hold our own. But those losses made us all stronger. And I don't mean in Exp. points, or any of that nonsense. It's literal experiences, accumulating over time. Facing down massively powerful foes and being strong enough to hold our ground. Pokémon can gain those, even after reaching what we Humans call level one hundred. They can always get stronger. You just have to keep Battling."

Seemingly satisfied with her answer, the kiddo declared, "Imma Battle everyone I see from here to Glaseado Peak!" Her team shared her enthusiasm, and Alex chuckled as she ran straight out of the school yard stadium. The next student was a little older, also female going by her appearance and outfit choices. He could tell she was a nerd, and probably not a Trainer, and he had a feeling there were quite a few like her, in say, business courses, who might have a question or two for him, after his recent announcements. Apparently, Tao was keeping everyone calm, but as expected, the old rich people were complaining the loudest. Instead of guaranteeing the worth of currency, the Empire was guaranteeing that compensation would still be available, and the transition away from currency would take years, if it ever fully went away at all. All Alex and the others had really done was free the masses from hunger and potentially losing their homes over a lack of currency. The sky didn't fall, Tepigs hadn't flown. The people across the world were being fed, and yet the wheels of capitalism continued to grind on.

"Emperor Redwood…your people's latest invention is…a marvel, no one can deny, and the erm…Dragon Burgers? Delicious. And nutritious. And free. All good things, with minimal impact on the environment. Apparently, even local criminal street gangs are ensuring nobody messes with the food machines. You've genuinely altered society at every level…my question is for the farmers and the workers in the food industry, though. What happens to them, exactly?"

Alex smiled, and answered just as evenly, matching her tone. "They can do whatever the Muk they want. I imagine most restaurants will eventually close or shift to having specialized Replication Machines keyed to their brand, but that just frees up all those servers and waitresses to go be whatever they want. You can apply for a house rather easily, as I understand it, though it may not be near your family. Food is as easy to gather as a few large bags and a trip to the nearest Replicator. The majority of their life hours are now theirs, and theirs alone. I imagine they'll want a break, first. But after that...? That's their choice. Who knows, maybe they'll take up Pokémon training." He gave her a knowing smirk, and the student rolled her eyes, but she was smiling slightly.

"As far as farms go…I would advise that any ranches or Pokémon farms simply continue as they've been doing, but with a shift to farming berries and Pokémon materials." His smirk turned slightly devious, and he could almost feel his father's rage from across the ocean as he said, "I know some Ranchers who just completely ignore their Pokémon materials. Treat'em like trash and toss them, or give them to someone who has a use for them. Now, I guess they have more value than a Pokédollar." That, he knew, would set off his old man. He'd put his entire life into getting enough currency to survive, and keeping their family business alive, and now his son had essentially just severely devalued currencies the world over, and all but killed the food industry. The things Alex used to be forced to shovel, in return for lackluster amounts of currency, were now worth more to people than his own life savings. And yet the sky remained blue, and the rain was still water, not Poliwags.

She thanked him, her question answered, and next up came someone who was apparently tired of waiting to speak, as he ran down the stairs and somewhat competently leapt onto the field. Everyone in the school knew who Arven was, but Alex did not. A quick scan of the man's gear informed him of his profession, though. "Yea, I gotta question for you, Dragon Foreigner." He spat into the mic. "What about Chefs? Who's going to want our food if nobody needs to cook anymore? Paldean culture has a huge basis on food! You'll destroy our way of life!"

The crowd's reaction was mixed, and Alex arched an eyebrow, at the severity of the reaction. Paldeans liked their sandwiches, surprising no one. He held up a hand as the boos for Arven got louder, then faded. "Now now, he has a point. But I would point out that a lot of people, at least right now, have limited access to only certain kinds of Pokémon materials. And as yummy as Dragon Burgers are…they're meant for those who have no food at all. For convenience, and a healthy, filling snack. We're working on making it a whole meal, with sugarless soda, plant-based fries, but for now, Burgers. Anyway. These machines are great for Chefs. They're welcome to petition for one in their kitchens, and I have a feeling they will." Alex said, baiting the man.

Arven was no idiot, as he recognized the bait, but he took it anyway. "I certainly won't. These machines will destroy the industry I've wanted to enter my entire life."

Alex shook his head. "I'm afraid you've been listening to propaganda, and people with an agenda. You're simply wrong. Most relatively common materials, Rattata fur for example, or Lechonk bits, can be converted into pretty much any item you and our creative cooking friends can shove on a sandwich. That means no more two-hour shopping trips to keep the food stocked in the kitchens. Hell, you won't even need freezers. Imagine how much space that frees up. And a Trainer on the road can exchange their extra materials for basic sandwich ingredients, too. I've helped revolutionize your industry, Mr. Chef. Cooking won't die out from this. If anything, I expect a rise in the number of meal preppers, now that everyone can get ingredients with absurd ease."

"The names Arven Turo." He said finally, looking back up at Alex, whose eyes widened as he recognized the name. "You make some good points, Dragon guy. I…guess I was uninformed about the full potential of your Replicators. Huh. Well, uh…good luck with your Tournament thing."

Alex chuckled. "And good luck with your cooking. You're about to have a lot of competition, I think." He gestured for the next kiddo to speak. "I'll take one more, before I need to get going." That, caused murmurs throughout the stands. Voices started to rise, and Alex's brow furrowed slightly. Arguments broke out, and Alex raised his hands again, but by that point, some arguments had turned heated. He saw Director Clavell facepalm, and then he looked up at Kalagon. The dragon nodded, and then roared impressively loud, right in his ear. So loud he had to put up a small psychic barrier just to not pop his eardrum. Kalagon smacked his lips as it ended, and then he looked back at his Trainer with a grin on his large toothy maw.

"Thanks, Kal." He said, giving his large, slightly softer leathery under chin scritches. The large dragon's foot twitched, and then started stomping the ground, before Alex kept speaking. He chuckled, and some of the students did as well, before he finally let up, and turned his gaze to them. "I do only have time for one question, but, I can give each of you that one question." Confused murmurs rose from the students, and he smirked, crossing his four pointer and middle fingers. Some eyebrows raised in recognition as he did so, which spurred him to shout, "Multi Clones!"

His eyes rapidly scanned the entirety of the stands, and his third eye counted the minds. Just over five hundred, which was apparently what the smaller-than-average stadium could seat at max. Five hundred was a lot, but it would be a good test, especially if he wanted almost twice that in eventual Pokémon partners. Exactly five hundred identical copies of his chill smirk, black and white attire, and tall frame filled the entirety of the battlefield, and he heard the kiddos gasp in awe. Some, those who had recognized his finger sign, had looks of pure amazement and joy, that such a technique was even possible for psychic humans. Others had differing looks, some bordering on worry, but most seemed confused.

Alex prime floated above all of them, and meditated, legs crossed, eyes closed, fists together as the clones all creepily spoke in unison. "This is…a lot, but I think…I can…do it. I'll have to talk to you slowly, and I may get your questions mixed up, so correct your clone if you think there's an error with my answer." His speech grew more confident as he sorted the clones by groups of twenty, which in his head, made them more manageable. "Looks like…we'll be going twenty at a time. If any of you don't have a question for me, just tell one of my clones. Please, join me on the field and find one."

He paused, and as he heard murmuring about financial sectors and the price of goods from certain students he said, "Let's just keep this focused on questions about Pokémon Training for now. This is…quite hard, actually." It seemed he'd found a sort of soft limit, but five hundred was still impressive, even in anime terms. If he kept working and using the move, he assumed it would become easier, like Teleport had. It seemed psychic power, or the act of using it specifically in what his people typically classified as moves, was not unlike a muscle. It had to be used and stressed to grow stronger. He certainly felt the stress from channeling so much energy and processing so many inputs, but actually creating and maintaining his copies was something his humming Mind Plate was handling quite well. As it had been fused with his helmet, he had donned it once again, but only his true self had it on.

The first twenty questions took about a minute for the clones to process. Alex tried to make them act natural, like part of a regular conversation. He took a long breath, cooling down from the battle he'd just had seemed to help. In mental terms, it was as if he was sitting atop a calm water surface, much like Oogway had, with twenty viewpoints before him, all with different students of different ages speaking pretty much at once. The problem was playing them back, within his mind. Speaking took time, and even if he sped up their words, he didn't want to risk missing certain tones or misinterpreting what was being asked.

The questions were simple but telling as to where their weaknesses as Trainers lay. Some really did just need advice. What vitamins enhanced which stats. The pros and cons of making or catching physical or special attackers. Others wanted him to build their whole team for them, a perfectly balanced one of course, and one obtainable in Paldea. He knew how kiddos got with building teams. He'd enjoyed it himself, once, until he'd tried to decide what combination of six would make him Champion worthy, strong enough to face the likes of Unova's Heroes. To them, his answer was simple. "Trust the universe to guide you to who you need to meet. In my experience, focusing on what type you want to find while you're all eating and waking up is a good way to run into what you're looking for. Pick a type, pick one or two or however many interest you, and head to where you can find them. Or trade for them on the Trading Network."

Since Trainers could set up trades in different regions, it allowed them to go out and catch what the other person wanted. His Abra had been one such trade, as his partner had desperately wanted a Swanna. Seeing it was from a Champion, and a world leader, had made the young girl determined to find a typically elusive and very hard to catch Pokémon, but she'd done it. Other questions, by majority, asked about how to be or become a Champion ranked Trainer. To those, he answered similarly along the lines of, "Champions are those who have the willpower to train hard, and the love to bond their teams together. You saw Kalagon fight for me. It's because we're friends, brothers, even. The closer you grow, the further you'll go. It's up to you and your partners how far that ends up being."

These kinds of questions made up the majority of the remaining groups of twenty. There were, however, quite a lot of questions about el romance, and after a long pause to those kiddos, Alex finally relented, and gave what advice he could. Ninety percent of it was, "Keep regular eye contact, stay calm, and talk to them like a friend. In fact, they should be your friend first, but you also need to be a bit obvious about your crush on them. Otherwise, a friend you will remain, probably forever." The boys were somewhat lucky, as most girls did notice that sort of thing if it wasn't creepy or too forward. To the girls though, he advised to be so obvious, even the lads obsessed with battle and Pokémon wouldn't be able to miss it. At least three walked away determined to make literal signs, but he admired that they had the courage to so boldly proclaim their feelings. He would've never done that himself, and just the thought made his very being cringe uncomfortably. He tried to maintain a balance, but he still leaned more towards being an introvert. He paused then, wondering if he would do such a thing now, for Jess. That's essentially what a wedding was, after all. A very loud declaration of love, and since he was who he was, it'd probably get a lot of attention. He decided to roll with it and let her do whatever she wanted.

Answering their questions took about twenty minutes in total, but eventually, the low hum over his baritone replicated five hundred times faded, as the kiddos thanked him, dismissed their clone, and went back to their studies. Director Clavell approached him then, and Alex gave him a nod of respect. "An excellent Battle, Dragon Emperor. And rather decent advice, as well. I'm sure you have places to be, but I would recommend speaking with El Primero, now that you have a Tera Orb." He smiled. "He's currently over at the Blueberry Academy, in their Terarium, training for the World Tournament. He hops between Regions rather quickly, that one."

Alex's face stayed neutral, as he nodded and absorbed the older man's words. As a proud Unova University alum, he'd avoid BBA for obvious reasons, but their Trainers were strong, their education facilities and classes were on par with UU's senior level courses, and their usual battles were all doubles, or lately, as he'd heard it, triples. Nick, as one of the Elite Four, had zero qualms about using the Terarium to train, or to find new partners. He'd told Alex several times now to visit, that doing so would be well worth it, but Alex had stubbornly kept his pride in Unova University and their classic methods of educating. He hadn't been on the battling team there or anything, but it was the principle of loyalty that he wanted to uphold. The more he thought it over though, the more he realized it would look bad if the region's leader was seen favoring one school over the others. He'd also heard good things about the Nova League, and Bostonia University was apparently working on their own Terarium. Even with BBA flourishing as it was, most Unovan Trainers still lacked a Tera Orb. Visiting BBA now would give him an excuse to visit BU's take on a Terarium too.

Finally, he said, "I've been meaning to visit the Terarium. I'll head over there soon."

Director Clavell inclined his old head, still remarkably full of hair, despite his age. Though, as Alex looked closer, he realized the man was probably wearing a wig. "Very good. I'll let them know you're stopping by." Alex cringed internally, as he knew there'd probably be another, larger, reception, but he nodded, and Clavell went on his way. Alex briefly considered bamfing over and flying to the academy before Clavell could hobble his way back to his office to make the call, but he resisted. He still had things to do in Paldea, namely, evolving his team.

He bamfed himself outside the academy's school yard and floated in the air above the academy grounds as he brought up the almost fifty names and profiles of his partners. "Goku, Coryn, Maromnis, Kage, Blast, James, Khan and Revan. And Fulguron, and Psi need to evolve twice." A bit water heavy in Dewott, Frogadier, Wartortle, and Drizzile for a proper battling team of ten, but those were the ones who needed experience. Revan also needed his armor, as once they had it, he could start honing his abilities as a Ceruledge. Much like Arthur, the sooner he started that, the better off they'd be. He also wanted to try finding the Tera Dens he'd heard about. Similar to Galar's, except containing Terastallized opponents, there were many theories about how the Pokémon within appeared. Over the years, El Primero had apparently been able to get Champion tier Pokémon from them and catching them was as easy as throwing a ball, once you broke their Tera Shield and caused a faint.

Now that he had a Tera Orb, Lux was able to access the Trainer boards for active dens looking for participants. Very quickly, he realized finding a Beldum, or one of its evolutions this way would be…tedious, if not impossible. It also wouldn't be white and gold. But it would give him Exp. Candy, and after reading up a bit on the basics of how the boards worked, he decided to use his main ten for them. The stronger the Terastal energy inside the den, the stronger the Pokémon, the more rewards they'd have when defeated. The ones battling didn't actually get Exp. points though, just the experience of a tough opponent, which he knew some members of his team needed more than others.

Canis was burning to get over his humiliating loss, but he wasn't alone in being frustrated at the gap between him, and the A Team. Alex selected him for the first den, and then Teleported himself to the closest waypoint he had to the den in question. The three other students looked shocked when they saw him descend from the sky, but after greetings and a few autographs, they were ready to face their opponent. A steel Tera typed Espathra. Alex was unfamiliar with the psychic ostrich, aside from its Dex entries, which said it was vicious. The cold, unflinching steel type was apparently the energy type most in line with its personality. It shrieked as the four Trainers approached it and sent out their partners.

The other three Trainers seemed almost disappointed by his rather normal looking Lucario, and they had no time to look closer and appreciate how much obvious effort had gone into his training, before they'd so much as blinked, the crystalline shell had appeared around their opponent, and then turned a hard steel gray color. It still shone, but only its unnerving eyes made it through the steely Terastal Shield. Then, the psychic ostrich started attacking, and dodging, with its insane speed. Very quickly, Alex realized their team would fall too fast if he didn't do something. His partners had a Machoke, a Paldean Tauros of the fire variety, and a Crabominable.

In terms of moves, Canis by far had the best move pool, and he made use of it, hanging back and using Life Dew as his teammates cheered their Pokémon on, raising their attack and defensive stats. Canis also fired off a cheeky Aura Sphere when he could, and it didn't take long for the Espathra to target him as the psychic figured out who the healer and highest-level Pokémon on their side was.

Canis matched its Psybeam by blocking it with a barrier formed by his Psychic attack, which hilariously was actually stronger and more useful than the move Barrier. While he blocked, the others landed their hits, and despite raising its Tera Shield early, it finally broke, revealing the still crystalline body beneath. It was still coated in crystals, gray and polished looking, like a steel type, but it was on its last legs. Canis hammered it with another Aura Sphere, and down it went.

None of them opted to catch the creature, and Alex watched with interest as, once they decided not to, it just vanished in a cloud of sparkles. Like it had never been there. In its place, were a plethora of items, and Alex went to gather his last, only to find that every one of them had gotten the same amount of the same stuff. When he tried to grab more, his hand had passed through the items on the crystalline pedestal. Like an empty chest in an old video game. "Does uhh…does it always give everyone the same loot?" He asked the one Trainer who was still here and not on to their next den. He gave Alex a nod, thanked him for his timely Life Dews, and then off he went as well. Alex frowned slightly.

Sure, they'd come together against a powerful Pokémon, but there was…no camaraderie. No bonding. He hadn't really gotten their names, either. No real strategy had even been needed, apparently, for a den of this rank. He'd thought six stars was a high rating, but apparently, they could go much higher. For whatever reason, they were only able to use their chosen pick inside Tera Dens, and once it was over and everyone had their loot, they'd all just…run off. Without more than a few sentences spoken to each other. It just felt a bit…hollow. And the way the Espathra had vanished…bothered him. One second, he had sensed its formidable mind, and then the next…poof. It was gone. Completely. He'd extended his senses trying to follow it, but there had been no trace of the powerful psychic with a steely heart, and he was fairly sure it hadn't Teleported.

Alex called out Psi once he left the den, which also proceeded to vanish into nothingness, as if it had never been there, once he left. The Abra yawned, and then smiled at him, in his weird way. Psi wasn't awake too often, but he had enjoyed Festivus. For about four hours, before he'd fallen asleep again. "Ready to evolve, my friend?" Alex asked. The Abra nodded. He'd gained enough experience through the Exp. Share. Now he just needed a little boost.

Alex gave him one of the extra-large Exp. Candies he'd gathered, and the Abra gasped as he tasted it, and munched it down quicker than Alex had seen him eat. His body surged with Infinity Energy, shining bright white as he became a Kadabra, and also larger than he'd been before. Alex had measured his size as perfectly normal, but now, his PokéDex was saying Psi was a large specimen. Then, he saw his level, and balked. "From ONE candy!?" He didn't believe the numbers his device was recording. "Lux…is this thing defective? It's saying…it's saying he's strong enough for Hyper Training. He was barely high enough level to evolve a few seconds ago."

"It's…all functional." Lux said, with a yawn. Training all the new Replicator Rotoms had left him tired lately. "That must be some potent candy." He said sleepily, before fading back to unconsciousness with a slight smirk on his mouth. Humans were so easily surprised, and it amused him. Power was power, and the power that had given his humans those cubes of energy had simply transferred it to the Pokémon eating the item. But their science would tell Alex that eventually, so to sleep the Rotom went.

Alex stared at his loot. He'd gotten twelve of them, the extra-large ones, and around five large candies from the raid. He had also picked up two pale gray sparkly herbs, but he had no earthly idea what to do with them, so into the bag they went. Apparently, quite a lot of high-level Tera Raids ended in failure, which made some sense. If Paldea's Trainers got loot like this from every den and every den was a success, they'd be monstrously powerful. Then, he considered El Primero. He'd reportedly won hundreds of very difficult Tera Den raids. Over the course of several years. Not only were the Pokémon within stronger than usual, he'd seen their stats posted from those that were caught by other Trainers, but the amount of strength that could be gained with a bit of strategy and barely any teamwork…

Many of the new Trainers in this World Tournament were from Paldea, and he had a feeling they'd be rising to the top soon. With this absurdly easy access to power, they'd be able to rival the likes of Red. Well, he thought, maybe not Red. But definitely Gary Oak. Skilled Trainers who'd gotten that way over years. This kind of power boost wouldn't make up for lacking The Power of Friendship or battle experience, but it would probably put quite a few young Trainers very high in the global rankings. "We're going to need to train harder…" He muttered, before calling out the rest of those who needed to evolve. Psi watched intently, interested, but quiet. Alex was giving him time to adjust to his new brain and new body capable of having it function without needing constant sleep.

He called out his Monferno, Dartrix, Dewott, Frogadier, Wartortle, Torracat, and Drizzile. They all greeted him, except for James, who huffed, and flipped his fin 'hair' with one of his fingerless hands. Coryn copied him, flipping his own hair with a wing, and chuffed lightly as he gently mocked the water lizard. "Alright lads…" Alex started, not thrilled about how awkward this all felt. "I have…some items here that will probably catapult you to your final forms. But I wanted to make sure you're all on board, before eating them. You'll never go back to the way you are now, once you eat them. If you don't want to, we can always train you up the old-fashioned way." He held out a stupidly large palm with six extra-large, square, pale blue candies on it. "You have the choice to-" He paused, as James swiped one, with impressive speed.

"I can't stand this body!" He groaned. Alex sympathized. Drizzile's hormones made it akin to an emotional human teenager. But it lived like that constantly. Eating berries and playing the video games he'd somehow hooked up within his ball was fun, as they were first person shooters, naturally, but James desperately wanted to be an Inteleon. Shortcut or not, he intended to take it. Fingers would make him much better at video games, too. He popped the candy into his toothless maw and then munched on it, nodding. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he too began shining impossibly bright. As the light faded, James Pond struck an iconic pose, with his literal finger gun held up before him as he channeled the human actors who had portrayed James Bond. He tested his new signature move out on a nearby boulder, though it seemed…weaker, than it should've been for his level. Which was now also high enough for Hyper Training. Goku frowned, took a block, sniffed it, then put it back. Alex nodded, as he knew the fire monkey preferred the rush from getting stronger. Old school training was his favorite thing to do.

Coryn thought it over, and then shrugged, and grabbed one with his beak. He wanted to get better with his feather arrows as soon as possible, and a Dartrix's body simply didn't fight like a Decidueye. He examined his new hood and wings as the light of his evolution faded, and then nodded, smiling at his Trainer, and content with his form. He drew a feather arrow, which instantly regrew, and examined it. As he test fired at the same rock as James had, nailing the tiny impact crater with unerring accuracy thanks to his absurd sight and the short distance, Alex turned to Maromnis. The Dewott thought for a moment, then shook his head. His fighting style wouldn't change much as a Samurott, and he was already close to evolving anyway.

Kage and Blast shared a look, nodded, and then glowed in unison. Like Psi and James, their bodies had grown larger than they'd been. Kage was lithe, but his body wasn't nearly as rigid as Gren's. Comparing him to his father, Alex began to see the drawback to using the candy. With time, he was sure, they'd grow into their form's power, but as fresh evolutions from the use of weirdly obtained items, they didn't have the 'oomph' that usually came with evolving like Kalagon had, in battle. Blast's cannons seemed large, for example, but his Water Pulse didn't leave much more of a mark on their chosen boulder than James had with his attack. Granted, he had been trained as a physical attacker. Khan also declined the candy, and Alex nodded in agreement with his choice.

He had Kalagon fly them to the Asado Desert, where in short order, Maromnis ruthlessly slashed his way through an entire herd of Krokorok, led by a Krookodile. As he stood amid the downed and shrinking ground types, the otter samurai began shining, and ascended to his own final form, a stern looking Samurott. He tested his Scalblades, once more on a boulder, and grinned as he slashed it in two.

Goku, not to be outdone, attempted the exact same feat, though the battle was harsher for him. And more brutal. Being a desert biome with not a lot of berry growing potential, that meant the local wildlife typically either ate each other, humans, or whatever they could catch from the coast, if they could fly or use vines. The Krokorok all managed to land some serious hits on the Flame Charging Monferno, but after a potion and more speed, he was eventually able to take them down with Brick Break, even their Krookodile leader, a much larger matriarch than Maromnis had faced. That didn't evolve him though. Goku finally ascended after wrastling with an Orthworm, and winning. He beat his chest proudly over his foe, but to his chagrin, the local desert Pokémon had no Muks to give about his evolution. They were in survival mode, and little else mattered.

Despite the numerous ground types around, Khan had also wanted to battle. With Trailblaze, something his species could apparently learn, he used the trick from Noir to great success, since Flame Charging through sand typically did the opposite of speed one up. Melted silica was painful, and easily stuck to fur. Alex had him mainly fighting the local Rabsca, as his fire moves worked on them, they gave more experience as an evolved species, and they were everywhere for some reason. After Goku evolved, the ten of them had broken for lunch, while everyone else got their food in their balls. Alex did bring out his grass types as well, but they just absorbed the intense sun of the desert, while the others enjoyed Alex's attempt at culinary creation. He'd taken his own advice and used his horde of Pokémon materials to get some cooking ingredients, and a very helpful man in one of Mesagoza's restaurants had given him a rather impressive list of recipes for Paldean cuisine.

Alex had remarked on its size, and the man had given him a look, saying he, of all people, should understand why he gave out such thorough lists of ingredients, recipes so simple that ten-year-olds could make them. Or attempt to, anyway. Alex had nodded at that, seeing his point. Wasn't much point to giving everyone access to ingredients if they had no idea how to cook.

Alex ignored the list for this, however, as he'd added two herbed sausages, four packages worth of noodles, two slabs of butter, and then for some reason beyond his ken, Wasabi on top. The team seemed to enjoy it, but he was suddenly glad they had so many water types on hand. Then, as he'd descended from the large rock formation, leaving his grass types to bask, he'd balked at the sheer number of Rabsca below and around him. Khan had started picking them off one by one, though often they would just charge at Alex, and he let them. It seemed the other Rabsca wouldn't swarm him if he was defending himself with a battle.

As they ran around the desert, with Alex finding a truly absurd amount of Soft Sand and Stardust as they did, he noticed quite a lot of Flittle and Espathra as well. The local Trainers proved to be pretty easy to deal with, as Alex made his way to Cascaraffa City. He finally climbed over the largest dune between him and his destination and sighed at how far he still had to go. His stupidly large feet did not make walking in the dunes easier, in fact he'd stepped on probably twenty innocent Pokémon by that point in the day. Cascaraffa was beautiful, in its trademark blue and white. The city was tiered, but refreshingly, this didn't seem to be a wealth-based tier system. He spied a Veracidad on the upper tier, but the rest of the city wasn't as…clearly divided as some parts of Unova and Rio had been.

Their Gym Leader was, Alex could tell just by seeing the city, a pillar of strength. An older man, getting close to retirement, he reportedly had lost none of his youthful attitude and vigor even in his advancing age. Eating healthy, nutrient rich Veluza steaks all the time probably helped. Leader Kofu was also considered, globally, to be a Water Type Master, a title he had received recently from the League, but apparently took pride in. He felt Terra's ball shudder on his hip, and smirked. "Kinda reminds of Marlon, huh, bud." He muttered, as he realized he was, technically, in a new region, and hadn't battled any Gyms yet. And right after beating an Elite Four member, too. His brows furrowed at all the similarities to the start of his journey, Kofu was a water type user, probably the strongest Gym Leader in Paldea these days, when he was serious, but before Alex could think more on it, Khan mrowled at him, and Alex gave him scritches, utterly losing his train of thought.

With a sigh, he headed towards the city, and smirked. If history was repeating, there was probably a reason for it. "Muk it." He muttered. "Let's go earn some World Tournament points. We can get higher than ten."

As he crossed the small bridge that led into the seemingly cooler area of Cascaraffa, a feminine voice that sounded kind of familiar rang out from behind him. "Not so fast, Dragon Emperor! I Challenge you!" He turned, and smirked, as he saw his cousin Aria, standing next to her rather large Meganium. As expected, her journey had made her grow quickly, and her eyes were on fire now. "Hey cuz." She said, losing her commanding tone. Alex blinked, as beside her, he saw Isamu, the Tamer of Zygarde, with his main core, a green one, on his shoulder. He was dressed in a Naranuva Academy uniform. He gave an awkward wave.

Alex and Khan watched the pair with mirrored smirks. "Aria. And Isamu? Good to see you again. I have time for a one on one, cousin…and I'll be using Khan here, since he's the last one who needs to evolve. I think a Battle will help push him to his final form."

Aria frowned and looked at her partner. "I guess that means you're out, Meg. Sorry." Her Meganium, Meg, apparently, balked and made a noise of disbelief, but Aria shook her head. "That's a Torracat from Eous that's about to evolve and I need you to not be injured when we face Kofu." Meg made a sad, but understanding noise, sniffled, and then returned to her ball. Seeing Alex's frown, Aria chuckled. "Don't worry, she's just acting. She's been training all day, and she needs a break before tomorrow. Let's see…" She eyed Khan with a look Alex recognized, and her brows furrowed. "I don't think I have anyone who could match this guy enough for a Battle…"

"Let's see your team." Alex said, smirking. He could tell she was put off by Khan, which was normal, since he was getting rather fierce and tiger-like after not evolving for so many levels. Aria brought out five of her six balls, revealing Leif, his former Leafeon, along with Meg again, who still seemed sad, there was also a female Jellicent, Taria, the Altaria she'd caught as a very small Swablu when they were younger, and an Audino, who seemed new, but happy to be with her team. "And who's in that one?" Alex asked, gesturing to her last ball. He sensed an Onix, and if he could help her with it, she'd have serious potential in the rest of Paldea's circuit.

"Oh, that's…Dia…she's…new…and angry. Very angry. I usually keep her in her ball…" Aria said, frowning. "Isamu helped me catch her, but she's uh…been rated too violent for cities, by the League. I shouldn't let her out here…"

"Perhaps keeping her cooped up is what's angering her." Alex said, wisely. "It's alright, I'm a Champion, and I can move the Onix myself if necessary. Onix like to have hundreds of miles of territory in which to travel. A Pokéball can't replicate that. Bring her out, and if she gets too wild, Meg and I can hold her down." The Meganium's head perked up, hearing her name, and she smiled at Alex, then ran over to nuzzle him. "I believe in you, kiddo. Think you can restrain an Onix?" She gave a confident, affirmative cry, but Aria shook her head.

"She's too tired, she-" Alex cut her off. "She's been in the desert sun all day, Aria. Grass Types do absurdly well under harsh sunlight. They get powerful enough to rival dragons. It's almost unfair." If they didn't have so many weaknesses, he knew grass types would be very, very powerful. But most Trainers had ice or fire moves on hand, as they were very common. Flying types were also pretty common.

Aria sighed. "Alright, fine. You're the Champion. Come on out, Dia! Meet my family." The ferocious female Onix roared loud enough to shake the air at her Trainer, and Aria just nodded, still frowning. Isamu chuckled, awkwardly. "Yea, that's about her standard reaction. Now she'll attack…"

Alex gave the pair a confident smirk and a wink. "Just watch the Redwood Method in action, kiddos." He tried not to laugh as Isamu pulled out a notebook and prepared to write and observe. He stepped up beside Meg, and while Dia growled at him warningly, Meg growled back, and Dia wisely resisted the urge to strike. As expected, she respected Meg's strength. She Coiled instead, raising her defense, but watched them both intently. "Hello there." He saw her head tilt, as Dia registered his words perfectly. "That's right, I speak as you do. Come closer. So long as you don't attack us, my friend Meg here won't attack you, alright?"

The Onix cautiously nodded and leaned her head forward. Meg greeted her cheerfully, and Dia blinked at her. That was as close to a 'hi' as she was likely to get from the giant rock snake. "I hear you've been having some trouble with my cousin Aria. Why don't you tell me what's wrong, so I can help?"

"What's wrong? I don't want to belong to a Human!" She roared at the heavens, before meeting his gaze again, her sharp, angular snout inches from his body. Alex didn't move, though, and Meg frowned, but held back from attacking, as Alex put an open hand towards her, the universal signal to wait.

"I understand that, but hear me out, Dia." Alex said. She growled at the name but blinked. Letting him go ahead and speak. That was good, she was proud, but reasonable. "Aria can make you very powerful. She's strong, like me, and she has potential."

Dia glanced at Aria, then back to him. "You…smell of Dragons. Your aura is strong, I will admit. But that one…" She growled at Aria, "Is much weaker. You should train me. Then I would believe your words."

"Unfortunately," Alex said, smirking again, "I already have Adamanteus." At the intonation of his name, the eager titanic steel snake launched from his ball, rising high above all of them with his impressive size. He gave Dia a low growl, which Alex's ears translated as 'Sup'. If Dia was impressed or interested, she didn't show it, but then, she was a rock type. Reading their moods was very hard, and Adamanteus had evolved before Alex learned to read him as an Onix. "But you see my words are true. I am not lying. I promise you, if you listen to Aria, if you help her while she travels, you will become every bit as strong as my Steelix. Eventually. But if you still want to be released…we can do that, too. So long as you agree not to attack any Humans or their cities. Unless attacked first, of course."

Dia paused for a long moment, thinking slowly, like most rock types. Her eyes darted from Alex to Adamanteus, who was still giving her an eager smirk and seemed far more interested in her than she did in him. Then again, with Pokémon, they could seem to dislike each other and still produce as many eggs as any other pairing. Finally, she spoke. "I will believe you…and accept the price of power. But tell the Human she must let me free more! I cannot stay in that…sphere…forever. I won't."

"Fair enough." Alex said, walking back towards Aria and Isamu, who seemed awestruck by how casually the man had chatted with the Onix. Dia followed him, and he recalled Adamanteus before his posturing turned more insistent. "Dia has agreed to work with you, provided you let her out more. Once I find a Metal Coat, I can send it over…"

"No need." Aria said, producing one from her bag. Alex resisted smirking, and Khan went very still. Against a rock and ground type, he may well lose, but if she made Dia into a steel type, the power to evolve would be in reach. She offered it to Dia. "If you listen to me, I'll let you out when I can, in areas where you won't hurt anyone. Deal?" Dia rumbled her agreement, her eyes alight with the chance for evolution, and as she touched the Metal Coat with her snout, it quickly moved to cover her body, as it began shining a brilliant white.

Dia roared again, as her evolution finished, and then eyed Alex and Khan. Aria got out a brush with impressive speed, and quickly gave her Steelix's new steel coat a cleaning. She shone bright in the fading sun of the desert. "Alright cuz, we're ready to…Battle you…aw, Muk. I should've waited to evolve her."

Alex and Khan laughed at their face's expressions, and Isamu chuckled as well. "You should have." Alex said, smirking, "But what's done is done. Come, we'll use Cascaraffa's field. It should have barriers. We'll need them, especially if Khan evolves." Once they were in place, Alex gestured to his cousin. "Newbies go first, I am a Champion, after all." He said loud enough to draw some looks. As expected, word spread like wildfire. Paldeans loved battles almost as much as sandwiches.

Aria didn't hesitate. "Dia! Earthquake!" The much larger Steelix smirked at Khan, who growled, irritated. Being on the team he was on; he'd learned how to handle Earthquake. It just always hurt, since Trailblaze could only be so strong when used by a fire type. Alex called the move, and he skated through the crashing earth, wincing but quickly realizing that compared to Terra, Dia's mastery was clumsy at best. Wild Pokémon didn't really need finesse like battlers did, so their control tended to be vague but overwhelming, to most species. "Don't let up!" Aria shouted, "Earthquake 'till it hits!"

Alex nodded, as the Steelix slammed her titanic frame down again, but Khan was still Trailblazing. He'd have to stop to use a fire move though, so he and his Trainer watched for an opening as Dia began repeatedly rumbling the field. The crowd went wild, as they typically enjoyed moves of that level of power. The energy barriers kept the worst of the attacks from escaping and damaging their city. "Khan! Slide backwards, now!"

The fiery adolescent tiger cub did so, having long since learned that his Trainer often saw things he could not. He always guided him to a decent opening for an attack, which made Khan fonder of him. The training was a bit intense, and learning so many moves was a pain, but Alex's team was large and usually had someone who could explain something vague, like making grass grow on command, or summoning the power of bugs of all things. Bug energy personally creeped him out, but Leech Life had proven quite useful. He was glad he had the Trainer he had. He was starting to believe he really could be the best.

As he skated back, he understood. Dia had, in her anger, raised two large Earthquake mounds of ground energy to crush him between them, but she'd left just enough of a gap to avoid the attack. No, Khan realized slowly, as he looked up, and saw what Alex had. He now had a ramp straight to Dia's head. Once again, his Trainer had guided him to a prime opening. He started running, as Alex called the move. "Fire Claw! Don't let up!"

Fire Claw was what made Eousian Litten so sought after, as it was one of the first moves they learned, its base power was very high for a physical fire attack, and very few Pokémon could endure being clawed by a burning tiger. Granted, Steelix was definitely one such Pokémon, but Khan intended to try anyway. He ran up the raised Earthquake mounds and leapt, using all four of his limbs and their burning claws to land on her face, and then, he let his instincts take over, as he just flailed and roared wildly, dealing massive damage.

Dia tried to shake Khan off, and seeing she was struggling, Aria raised something that Alex was too focused on the battle to immediately notice. "Dia!" She shouted, as the fiery tiger cub mauled her. "Mega Evolve!"

"Oh, Muk…" Alex muttered, as he saw Dia's eye flick to her Trainer, and gave a slow nod, despite the ongoing mauling. Her body began shining, as her energy harmonized with her Trainer, and though their bond was new, the lines of Spiral Power and Infinity Energy connected flawlessly. Alex smirked. He'd always known he was not the only Redwood of his generation with a knack for battles. A wave of electromagnetic force pushed Noir off of Dia as she roared and glared at him. Alex started sweating slightly, as he and his heat emanating fire tiger faced down the Steelix who, to his eye, was looking very tempted to start rampaging.

"I'm not losing like this…" Khan snarled, and then roared, as fire erupted around his form, which began glowing bright white as well. Dia watched, her body slowly rotating in anticipation, as she let Khan finish. Once he was done, he looked magnificent with his burning mane, glowing fiery claws, and bits of flame fluttering in the air. He roared so loud, Dia wavered in the air, but Alex recognized a Hyper Voice when he saw one. The Mega Steelix's eyes narrowed, and a Rock Throw came for the fiery tiger, though its speed made it less of a throw and more of a rock-based machine gun. As a fan of earthbending himself, Alex took note of how she shattered it and then fired the pieces rapidly, but one at a time.

For his part, Khan's eyes were wide, and his mouth was exhaling fire. He glanced up quickly as he saw the rocky bullets shooting towards him, and with cat-like reflexes, slammed his paws in the ground. A genuinely powerful Earthquake, especially for a first-time attempt, rose and completely buried the stone bullets, before the wave of earth and sand fell back into the ruined battlefield. Dia blinked, as Khan Flame Charged, even further raising his newly heighted speed to a higher stage. Thanks to her evolution, she could see the burning tiger coming at her like a comet, but her body was reacting too slowly. All the Trailblazing had made Khan too fast.

"Protect!" Aria shouted, but by the time she had, Khan was already too close for the Mega Steelix to summon the nullifying barrier.

Seeing their chance, Alex finished it. Khan had already been stronger than Dia in terms of level, and now his evolution helped with that. All the newly grown Pokémon saw firsthand with Kalagon and now Khan, how evolving in battle worked out better. "Flame Charge, dodge the counter, and then Fire Claw!"

"Rock Slide!" Aria ordered confidently. Dia struck Khan with the speed and power of her form, but through the explosion of rock dust, the burning tiger came in hot, literally, and slashed across her jaw, leaving a rather bad rent in the steel there. Thanks to his speed, the Rock Slide had only grazed him. He was 'in the red' as they say, but still standing, and still capable of striking. Dia's form broke, as the pain made her faint, and as Khan landed, and saw his claws were still very much burning, he buried them in the ruined earth, but that just started to smoke.

Alex bamfed over to Dia, with a Max Potion. The wound was deep in one part, but less in the others, and Alex realized Khan must have noticed in the moment how hot he was burning, and how much damage he was doing to Dia, before drawing his deadly weapons back. Dia rumbled back to consciousness and growled as she felt Alex fiddling with her wound. "Oh hush. You'll be fine…Khan just burned a bit too hot…" Hot enough to melt a Mega Steelix by accident. He looked over at his fiery tiger, starting to see what all the hype was about, when he noticed that Khan still hadn't cooled down.

Alex walked over, as he kept burying his burning claws in the dirt, but they refused to go out. "You alright, bud?"

"I can't…put them out…" Khan snarled. The air grew hotter with his frustration, as did his claws. He looked up at his Trainer, eyes wide. They didn't have fear, he was too brave to feel such a thing, but he was concerned. He wouldn't be able to go indoors or have delicious human foods if he was always burning everything up.

"Khan." Alex said, locking their eyes. "It's your power. You control it. So, all you need to do, is keep calm. It's okay if you let it flare up in here. Sometimes you need to let the energy flow, before it'll fade away. You did evolve in a heated battle after all. Just breathe."

Khan nodded and closed his eyes. He recognized Tao's teachings, and he had great respect for the Legendary dragon. There were several tales of him in Eous and seeing him in reality had only confirmed the truth at the heart of those legends. Slowly, he took in the cool air of Cascaraffa, and exhaled the heat he used for battle, all while keeping his claws buried. They flared up, but then began to cool, as Alex had said, and eventually, they went out entirely. Relieved, Khan exhaled a deep breath, and purred against his Trainer. "Well done, bud. We'll work on controlling that heat…I didn't think you'd get hot enough to cut into a Steelix, but if you can do what even Diamonds can't, you're going to have to master controlling that if you want to Battle again. We don't need serious injuries. Your species are apex predators, like Salamence. Shruikan can help you control your base instincts."

Khan nodded, and Alex rand a hand through his warm, luscious mane. "We're finally ready for Selva Muerta. Right after…" He trailed off, as he saw a figure standing on the tier above the battling field, arms crossed, a wide grin on his weathered face. Blue and white obviously dyed hair framed Leader Kofu's somewhat comical features, but there was power in those eyes that reminded Alex of the ocean.

"Step right up now, an' tell me…" The Gym Leader boomed, "which one'uh you Redwoods am I beatin' first?"

Sahqoreyth · Jul 20, 2024

Chapter 56: Odyssey of Ascendance, Part 5

Pino Pokémon Lab, Florencia City - Italia Region

Cassius Proditor had once more disguised himself as a child after finally reaching Italia, mostly because of a rumor he'd heard about one of the starters Professor Pino gave out. Unlike other regions, there were multiple of each type, and each could easily be found in the wild at some point in a Trainer's journey, if they looked hard enough. Clauncher and Squirtle and sometimes Feebas were one such selection, Numel, Magby, and a fire typed regional variant of Rockruff were another, and the grass options were Smoliv, Budew, and sometimes Snowver. Proditor only had one goal here: find out where the Snowver were raised, as with his Future Sight, he had seen himself somehow reuniting with Optimus, and doing so required him to come here. Getting their location would be as simple as prying open the old Italia Professor's mind; the only problem was the child in front of him, and his inability to choose a starter. He knew it was a momentous occasion, but it had been ten minutes by this point, and he'd looked through his options three times.

More than that, there was something…off, about this child in particular. He had dark hair that had way too much gel in it, and his face looked stuck in a downcast expression. Adding to his weird vibe were the four very muscular men, each in black suits and wearing sunglasses despite being inside, who flanked the kid at all times. From their thoughts, they were just as irritated with the 'young master' and his inability to choose. Professor Pino looked like he wanted to help, but he was clearly afraid of the men in black, and it all clicked together, as Proditor heard the word the aged Professor called them inside his aging brain: Mafioso. The child belonged to one of the ruling classes in Italia, and while Proditor sensed psychic potential, he also wished he'd make up his Mukking mind already.

Seeing his chance to get acquainted with the powers that be, Proditor finally decided to stroll up to the kid. The guards shifted, but then, to all appearances he was just another brat waiting for a Pokémon, and apparently the 'young master' didn't have many friends. Proditor suspected most families in Italia kept their little ones from associating with the spawn of a mob boss. For good reason. Friends of heirs to the family very often ended up getting drawn into the 'family business' when they got older.

"Sup, fam." Proditor said, trying to emulate the patterns of speech he'd heard in his time at Naranuva Academy. "Having some trouble?"

The boy had dark hair, somewhere between brown and black, that curled over his narrow brown eyes and shined with the slick gel product that someone had put on his head. He was dressed like a typical rich kid, but had no hat, which was odd for a beginning Trainer, but probably wouldn't have gone well with that much gel. He looked at Proditor, and radiated guilt. "Sorry…you can go first if you know your pick…I just…can't decide."

Proditor nodded, tempted to just do that, ask the Professor for the information he wanted, and leave, but he did feel slightly bad for the kid. He also needed an in to the famously tight knit crime clans of Italia. Only Team Rocket openly recruited, but Proditor had no intention of tying himself to a sinking ship. Their newest Boss had apparently been rolled in battle by a ten-year-old multiple times, in Kanto. Or was it multiple ten-year-olds? He didn't remember, he just figured out from his research that Team Rocket was a joke, as was the Rossi Family, in Italia lately. Apparently, they'd botched some job in Paldea and had lost most of their skilled Pokémon Hunters to the International Rangers.

"I'd feel bad if I didn't help." Proditor lied. "What kind of Pokémon did you want for your starter?" The boy shrugged, and Proditor nodded, sagely. Helpful, this one. "Well surely you must like one Type over the others?"

"Fire…I guess." The boy said, frowning.

Proditor nodded, and then gave his two Pokécents. "You should go with Magby. Magmortar are very powerful, but only well-off people like you can afford their evolution item. That's probably why nobody has picked one, right Professor?"

Professor Pino was seemingly middle aged, with black hair and a goatee that was more salt than pepper. His head also had a few noticeable grays within it. He had standard physiognogamous traits commonly associated with Italia, which made him handsome, by Proditor's standards. He wore a lab coat over a collared burgundy shirt, and around his neck was a neatly wrapped scarf bearing patterns associated with ancient Italia, the Professor's primary field of study. A master of archaeology and anthropological research, he was the undisputed authority on ancient history in Europa. The Professor nodded sagely in response to Proditor's words. "It is a sad truth, but an accurate one. Magmar are hard to evolve, even with the item. Numel and Rockruff might only have one evolution, but they're much easier to train, and easily as versatile as a Magmortar."

"Yea, but that Move pool on Magmortar…" Proditor said, smirking. "Electric, Fire, and Ground Moves, limited but useful Psychic abilities. Very few things can stand up to a fully trained Magmortar."

The rich boy nodded, and cautiously approached one of the larger Magby in the area that contained the starters. Most were lounging peacefully in their corner of the lab. The grass types had almost all positioned themselves for some sun, the water types were splashing about in the small pool for them, and the fire types were as far from the pool as possible, and most were Magby. The kid walked up to the largest Magby. "Do you want to come with me?"

The Magby eyed the child, and then shot flames, small flames, into the air before him. The guards reacted, two of them drawing Pokéballs, but Proditor was quicker. "He's just testing you." Proditor said. "Magby like strength. You need to show him you're not weak."

"But I am weak…" The kid muttered, and Proditor chuckled.

"But with a Magby, you'd be strong. Go on. Order him to come with you." Proditor urged.

The child nodded. Professor Pino handed him Magby's ball, and the kid held it out to the fire type, who watched the humans converse with intelligent eyes. "I can make you into a Magmortar, Magby. Together we will be strong. Get in the ball."

The Magby glanced between Proditor and the rich child, and Proditor could tell it would've preferred him as a Trainer. His aura was stronger, and even baby Pokémon could tell that much. But he went into the ball regardless. Judging by his thoughts, he was very eager to become a Magmortar, though he wasn't exactly loyal, he'd have to be, if he wanted to become a Magmar.

The quiet kid's eyes widened, as he felt the weight of the ball, the heat that warmed his hand, and he looked at Proditor then. His tiny disguise's face smirked, as he sensed what came next. "Pick yours, then meet me outside. We should start out with a Battle. Like Red and Leaf did."

"Sure. I'll meet you outside." Proditor answered, and the child left, with his four bodyguards surrounding him at all times as he did. He could tell they were wary of Proditor for some reason, though he had no idea why such obviously accomplished and dedicated men, judging by their bodies, would be wary of a child as innocent as he thought he looked. His disguise had pale skin tones, purple eyes, and raven black hair. Not to mention the underlying darkness apparent whenever he smirked or showed enough emotion. He looked back, finally, at the Professor and said, "I need you to tell me where the Snowver around here live. Please."

Professor Pino raised a scraggly gray eyebrow. "Is that who you're picking? Going to let it visit its home one last time before setting off? Reminds me of the Champion, though she was rather unlucky when she came for a Pokémon. She just missed our last Squirtle, and all I had was a Minccino."

Proditor endured the man's rambling and took the opportunity to look around the lab properly. The sun cast a warm glow over the Renaissance villa nestled amidst Florencia's bustling streets. Ivy-clad walls embraced the centuries-old structure's exterior. The lab was thousands of years old, but many buildings in Florencia were just as old, if not older. Through the window, he could see a garden bursting with life, aromatic herbs, vibrant flowers, and ancient Arboliva that seemed to have stood in their spots for ages.

Inside the lab, frescoes adorned the walls, depicting scenes of mythological Pokémon battles intertwined with Italia's rich cultural heritage. Proditor smirked, at how wrong they'd gotten things, but he did recognize a familiar figure with an iconic bronze helmet trimmed with crimson dyed hair, clad in bronze armor, and wielding a long spear and shield. His iconic Rhydon was behind him. Proditor resisted the urge to break the ancient depiction. The lab itself had high ceilings supported by sturdy wooden beams weathered with age. The large windows were framed in heavy velvet curtains and rows of wooden workstations lined the perimeter of the room's walls.

Each workstation was a proper mess. Microscopes being used by Pino's aides had their lenses focused on delicate Pokémon fossils meticulously unearthed from ancient ruins around the region. Nearby, computer terminals hummed with the rhythmic pulse of data analysis, displaying the intricate genetic sequences of Pokémon species long thought extinct, that seemed to be appearing in Italia once again, over the last several years. Much like Orre and other regions, the Professors of the world had no solid theory as to why the Pokémon were returning to these areas, but they all agreed it was a good thing. Pokémon very obviously benefitted any environment they were left in, most of the time.

Glass display cases stood throughout the laboratory, showcasing a treasure trove of artifacts meticulously curated by Professor Pino and his team. Ancient pottery shards bore intricate patterns that spoke of a bygone era, while coins from ancient Italia made up the majority of his finds. Nestled among them were fossils of Pokémon surrounded by strange seven colored crystals, shimmering with the promise of untapped power. Weathered scrolls inscribed with runes took up the rest of the space, though their text was ancient, and written with Unown script, making them quite hard to read, given how much was eroded by time.

A large, pine desk stood at the heart of the laboratory, its surface strewn with maps, field journals, and an array of archaeological tools, a testament to Professor Pino's unwavering dedication to unraveling the mysteries of Italia's past. Behind the desk, ancient wooden shelves sagged under the weight of leather-bound tomes and rare manuscripts that had been gathered across the ages.

As Professor Pino turned around with a Pokéball, Proditor said, in his best child voice, "Actually Professor, I think I've decided I want a Budew instead." He pointed at a rather large one, that all the other Pokémon frolicking about in their corner of the lab were avoiding. It was massive by comparison, had a seemingly permanent angry scowl, and thoughts that Proditor found promising. Plus, in this age of shared Exp and pocket dimensions in one's pocket, there was absolutely no reason not to train up more useful pawns.

"Are you sure…?" The Professor asked, frowning. "That one is…rather hard to control. I was just going to release him back to the wild at this point, since he'll have a better chance of evolving there. He certainly hasn't wanted to…bond…" The Professor trailed off, as Proditor gestured to the small poisonous plant bud and it waddled over. It shrieked at him, but Proditor managed to pet it in a spot it liked. Its expression shifted to a happy one, before the scowl returned. The Professor shrugged and retrieved its ball. "Good luck…oh, and here's a map of where the Snowver live." He said, as his Rotom Phone, whose case made it look like he too was wearing a lab coat and a shirt with Italia's colors of green, white, and red, sent the information to Proditor's purple-cased Rotom Phone in under a second. Technology continued to astound him with how far they had come. In many ways, modern humanity had moved well past their crystal-wielding ancestors from the earliest days of resurgent human kingdoms and their new Pokémon allies. They had forgotten the power of aura, but they made up for it with ridiculous technology.

"I'll catch a wild one there. Thanks, Professor." Proditor said as he left the old building, and headed outside, only stopping as one of the Professor's aides handed him fifteen Pokéballs, free of charge. The child from earlier was waiting on a small Pokémon battlefield the Professor had adjacent to his garden, albeit with a wall of ancient stone and mortar separating the two. Seeing Magby was already out, Proditor released his Budew. His angry keening made Magby wince, and the young fire type glanced at his Trainer, worried that his weak nature would make him lose. Even the lab's fire types had avoided this particular Budew.

While there might have been an issue with a Budew this toxic for a normal child, Proditor had already spoken to the Budew in his mind, and promised to make him a beautiful, deadly Roserade. One whose poison would be capable of near instant death, or a state akin to it, once he embraced the Shadow. At the promise of real power, the Budew had agreed to become his. Sitting around in the sun had stopped making him strong, anyway. He needed a push, a human, to bring out his potential.

An awkward silence formed, as neither child said anything, and their Pokémon stared each other down. Finally, and somewhat impatiently, Proditor spoke. "You can go first. This guy is much higher level." His Budew looked at him with a look of pure betrayal, but the 'child' didn't even glance at the sentient sprout.

"Ember, Magby!" The boy shouted, "Then blind it! Smokescreen."

The Budew dodged the small ember on his own initiative, and Proditor stayed perfectly calm. "Growth." Budew began to get even bigger, at least until the Smokescreen blocked out the bright sun above them. "Wait for the next Ember, and then hammer it with Bullet Seed."

He heard the Magby fire off another Ember, but it seemed his smoke was also hampering his own aim. He heard Budew dodge, land, and then the rapid-fire sound of seeds hammering the general direction the Ember had come from fired off five times. The boy called for another Ember, but Magby just groaned in response. "It's weak." Proditor said, "Bullet Seed again." Budew stopped after two bursts of seeds and screeched in victory. The Smokescreen began to dissipate, revealing a fainted Magby.

Proditor smirked, "Well done…Rosator (Rose-ah-tor). Not bad at all for your first Battle." He recalled the violent Budew, and then looked at his 'rival'. His eyes were downcast, as he recalled his Magby. "I have things to do, kid, so uh…bye. See ya' around the Gyms."

Proditor walked off, and by the time the kid shouted for him to wait, realizing he'd just walked away without so much as naming himself, Proditor was already hopping through shadows, away from the area at a rapid speed. He'd run into the kid again, he was sure. Those who had battles like that at the start of their journey always ended up meeting again. It was part of his predecessor's wish. One language, to promote understanding. An unbreakable bond, cemented by a capture process, between sentients and Pokémon. And the energy from lives interacting with other lives, to create something new, and alive. The bond between rivals that pushed each other, and their Pokémon, to ever greater heights that were, in essence, infinite.

This was what the Holder of Arceus had wished for with his ultimate power, and these tropes had come to be cemented in this world, and many others, in the years since he'd made the wish. Proditor still saw it as a complete waste, but for once, his predecessor's bleeding heart would prove useful. He could stake out, and defeat, the first gym of the Italia region and if he hung around, he was sure to run into his rival. Hopefully he put up more of a fight, but Proditor wasn't worried. Both he and the Magby were weak, but now they had a drive to get stronger. Right now, all he wanted was to find his real starter Pokémon, and he had a feeling the Snowver would be able to lead him to Optimus.

Some time later, as the sun began to set, Proditor arrived in his adult base form at the place indicated on his Rotom Phone's map. He wasn't far from the Arche Valley, a place where denizens of the Sahara region had settled ages ago, bound together by their rather potent faith in the Alpha Pokémon. The valley had been created when the Imperator of Mankind had decided he wanted the seat of his Imperium, Olympia, to be closer to Germania, and Varangia. After the Judgement War concluded and those who felt Arceus's wrath were scattered to the wind, he had moved the largest mountain in the Mediterra range, and to this day it still stood where it had been placed. The resulting crater had, with time, become Arche Valley.

There were various small towns this far south in the Italia region, but Proditor had passed through them with his method of rapid shadow hopping. He hadn't even really looked at them, as he had a feeling he'd see them the slow way, if his 'rival' decided they should travel together. His thoughts had been so obvious Proditor hadn't even needed to violate his headspace to read them. He desperately wanted out from his family's shadow, to enjoy being a normal kid on a journey, and having someone to travel with would legitimize his desire. Or so the boy believed. Proditor doubted his father would just allow that, but then, from what he could tell, every crime family operated with different rules. Maybe his had a tradition of sending future crime bosses on journeys, like every other region did.

Thoughts of the boy faded, as Proditor walked into a grove hidden deep in the verdant forests of southern Italia. He was close to one of the truly massive Mediterra mountains, but before the slope up to the titanic peak rose too far, he came upon the Snowver's home. Just cold enough for snow to reach them, but low enough in altitude to grow enough berries, the ice and grass types had found a perfect balance, as they often did in the wild, in which to survive and thrive. As he entered their domain, two large male Snowver approached him, warning him away. Proditor simply waved a hand, having long since mastered controlling the minds of this species.

He'd used his fledgling powers on Optimus back in the day, and he had, without a doubt, mentally scarred the young Snowver in a way that had never healed right in the years that followed. Optimus had become a receptacle for his darkest emotions, and had by far the deepest Shadow infusion of any of his party members. In the end, he'd barely been conscious, mentally, as Proditor recalled those final days with a frown. A slavering beast, always in his Mega Form, and unstoppable in his rage.

He had the Snowver guide him to their patriarch and matriarch, as Snowver colonies typically had two leaders, who did not always end up being a mated pair. Some Abomasnow stuck to their partner, some were more casual and reproduced with whoever had seeds ready to grow, and that inevitably caused fights, but it seemed the two leaders he was brought to had consorts of their own, a male and female harem respectively, of other Abomasnow. Indeed, he'd never seen so many adults of the species living together in such harmony. They regarded him with suspicion as he was brought in by their guards, but they did not outright attack him.

With a subtle hand wave, he sent the Snowver back to their posts, and the matriarch watched them, concerned, and then looked at him, with distrust. She no doubt had some sense that trickery was being used, but the human had approached them with ease and peace. Something humans never usually did. Proditor spoke gently into their minds, though the simple grass and ice types still winced at the contact. "I seek an ancient Abomasnow. My first partner. He would be…thousands of years old, by now."

"The elders are sleeping." The male answered in his mind. Not with words, but emotions and images Proditor translated to speech within his own head. "Leave them be, Human. They are angry when disturbed." He saw images of humans trying to harvest them for lumber, and getting speared with icy roots for their trouble. Their lifeblood had only made the sleeping Abomasnow stronger.

"I only seek my partner." He answered honestly. "I will not wake the others. I may not even be able to wake him, but I need to try. I miss him. I owe him."

Finally, the matriarch spoke. "Your mind…is dark. But as long as you do not wake the others…you may search for your partner. In peace. Do not interact with our little ones!" She added forcefully, and Proditor nodded, giving her a smile as he spoke verbally.

"I will leave your young ones alone, find my partner, and then leave. Peacefully." The two Abomasnow slowly nodded at him, accepting his tone more than grokking his words, and he made his way out of their large, broken, ancient tree stump home, and further into the forest. As he ascended the massive mountain the slope got steeper quickly, but he also found the shapes of 'dead' Abomasnow, elders who had become so old or strong that it was easier to just sit in place year after year absorbing nutrients than walking about, slowly, eating berries and leaves. In fact, that was the fate of most grass types that outlived their humans. Eventually, after being in this 'tree form' long enough, their spark of life would fade, but Proditor knew Optimus wouldn't just go quietly into the night. He'd wait for his Trainer, like a good boy.

Some of the 'sleeping' Abomasnow in the grove looked like their Mega Form, albeit frozen and discolored. This high up on one of the Mediterra mountains, only ice types thrived. He noted a number of things growing from the Abomasnow corpse grove. Berries, old Earth fruits, and occasionally large green pine cones that would, when they fell to the ground, eventually grow into a Snowver. Their species didn't actually need partners for procreation, but having one greatly sped up the process of reproduction. They never actually stopped producing Snowver cones though, and this method of reproducing had ensured that their species survived and thrived for millennia. They were probably the most dominant species in the Mediterra mountains, at least at the lower elevations, and thankfully they were also the most friendly. Many an Abomasnow had saved humans caught in a blizzard from freezing to death, and as long as they weren't angered, they were generally wary or helpful to humans. Some, in resorts for snow sports, were exceptionally friendly, and well fed as a result.

Eventually, after a regular human would have long since succumbed to the cold, Proditor came upon a truly ancient and twisted tree, that nothing was growing upon. This part of the grove had the actual dead Abomasnow, those who had been without a spark of life or motility for thousands of years. It was here that he finally found his starter. In the vision, he'd seen himself kneeling before what he'd sensed was Optimus. Seeing the reality, however, Proditor fell to his knees because his starter was well and truly gone. His head had been chopped with something sharp, and there were signs of burn marks on his branches. Humans had done this, he had no doubt, but it had clearly happened so long ago that asking the Abomasnow about it would be useless. They were worse at recounting ancient events than humanity was. Murder filled his heart, but he knew the culprits were likely already dead by now, and killing their descendants would accomplish nothing. If he had to guess, his starter had waited for him, and while he had, the cones, and Snowver he'd produced, had inherited his top tier stats, and his Shadow infusion. Eventually, someone had figured out their source, and destroyed it.

He put a hand on the thoroughly charred bark of his oldest friend, and grimaced. Someone had been very thorough in scouring his partner. He blinked, as he felt one of his Pokéballs open, and he raised a brow at the Budew. Rosator. His new 'starter'. A partnership of convenience, at most. Proditor ignored him, forcing himself to take in every detail of his partner, and desperately look for a pine cone. But he knew better than that. There was nothing. Optimus was gone, and he couldn't even acquire one of his offspring.

For his part, the Budew saw the ancient dead grass type, and his new Trainer's reaction, and put one and two together. He also understood that made him number three, a third wheel, a second starter gathered for convenience. He'd known almost immediately that the small child was a disguise for the human beneath, but that had only made Rosator more interested in being his partner. The small humans irritated him, but some of the older ones could easily make him strong. He didn't know much about the world, but he hadn't just sat in the sunlight with his eyes closed. He'd watched the humans closely, and he knew with age came competence. His human's age had felt…incomprehensibly old, and thus Rosator assumed he would know how to make him into a deadly Roserade.

As he examined the dead Abomasnow, who seemed to be very important to his human, Rosator squinted at his mouth, screeched, and then hopped into it. Proditor frowned, but watched the sprout. He heard the cracking of bark, and fury overtook him. There was a lot of emotion that came with this revelation, and his new Budew made himself a lightning rod for it. "How dare you touch him! Get out of there you-" He paused in his tirade as he saw the mouth of his starter glow with green light.

The sound of rapidly fired seeds filled his ears, and then the Budew hopped back out of Optimus's mouth. He hopped over to Proditor and handed him a Snowver cone. After examining it, Proditor frowned. It was slightly green, but very much dead and frozen. It likely had been for centuries. He dropped it to the ground. "I don't need keepsakes…" He snarled at the Budew, but the sentient sprout could tell he was hurting.

"Budew!" He shrieked, before hopping towards the stunted Snowver cone. Proditor raised an eyebrow, but didn't stop him. He almost said something as the violent Budew took the seed in his mouth, as guessing by where he'd pulled it from that was gross, but then the Budew used Absorb on it. He felt anger as the last green his starter would ever produce was turned to black, but then, he hadn't wanted the keepsake.

The seed faded in a shadowy puff as Budew inhaled whatever dormant power was within through his grass typing. Proditor raised an eyebrow, as the Budew's color became lighter green, and the seeds that would become bouquets once he evolved turned black and light purple. Dark colored sparkles radiated from him, as he shrieked his dominance, and suffered from the pain of so many memories filling his tiny brain. Right now, they were a seemingly endless jumble that ended in pain, fire, and loss.

Proditor knelt down beside Rosator, and psychically calmed his mind. "That…was foolish. But you wanted his memories, eh?" The sentient sprout nodded. "Once you grow, you'll probably be able to see more. For now…Optimus lives on, in you. Rest, and return." Of Optimus's ball, there was no sign, and he sighed as yet another of his superior capture spheres was lost to him.

With a sigh he resigned himself to raising a new starter, and began heading for Aurelia, the region's capital, which was home to three of the region's gyms, though the Italia circuit had Trainers hit them for their first, third, and eighth badges. He wasn't super familiar with their types, but he wondered if he could solo the region with just his 'shiny' Budew. Either way his travels would bring him into contact with plenty of psychics. The potential he'd sensed in Florencia alone had practically made him drool in anticipation.

Cascaraffa City - Paldea Region

Alex smirked as Kofu made his appearance and asked his question. He shrugged at Aria. "Sorry cuz, priority goes to the Victor."

Aria just sighed, nodded, and took her spot by Isamu, who seemed to try to cheer her up. Kofu rode the escalator down to the arena level, not nearly flamboyant enough to jump, like some of his contemporaries might have. He cracked his knuckles and rolled his burly neck as he spoke. Alex recalled Khan, as he listened.

"Four on four. No substitutions. World Tournament rules." Alex nodded, though he had a bad feeling about how this one would go. Kofu seemed to be in some kind of groove, probably thanks to his recent accolades. "Go! Pelipper!"

Alex contemplated picking Leo, but he remembered Temere also was strong enough now, and could use a workout. "Temere. It's time to Rock!" As the poisonous rock lizard appeared, he started belting out the opening chords to Rivers in the Desert. As Pelipper's Drizzle started to make it rain, electricity arced through the air as Temere just kept progressing through the song.

Seeing that Alex was more into head bopping at the moment, Kofu seized the initiative. "Blow this beat back to the past, where it belongs! Hurricane!" The powerful Pelipper let off a massive Hurricane, but Temere didn't let that stop him. In fact, as the winds lifted into the air he looked like a proper Rock God, and the spinning ineffective damage only served to turn his rock anthem into an electric hurricane with the rain's help.

Alex smirked, shouting out over the jamming crowd, "Send it back! Rock'em with your Hurricane!" Catching what his Trainer was putting down, Temere shifted songs, and the electric cyclone began spinning towards Pelipper. Kofu tried to shout for a Blizzard, but it was too little too late. Electricity surged through the Pelipper, and Temere rode the dying winds to the ground right as he hit the guitar solo for the song, Rock You Like a Hurricane. Kofu's eyes narrowed at how nonchalant his opponent was being, and brought out his next pick. Veluza.

Alex straightened up, as this was Kofu's ace, or one of them anyway, and it had type advantage. "Discharge!" Alex blinked, as the Toxtricity changed his strumming to a low, rapid beat, as he prepared his next tribute to the only deities he paid homage to; the Gods of Rock'n'Roll. Kofu and his Veluza shared a look, as its notoriously fast speed went into play, and a pair of Psychic Fangs manifested around its actual fangs. "Any day, Tem…" Alex said, as the rapid, but low beat continued.

In his head he heard Temere's far too casual voice, "I'm thinking…Eye of the Incineroar. Astrum? Leo?" There was approval from the majority of the team, though a few holdouts like Canis and their Trainer preferred Tem to take things just a bit more seriously. Thus far, Temere had been strumming out his beat with one hand causing his body to spark with building electric power, and then, in the same instant that Veluza neared him with Psychic Fangs, he hit the first notable note of Eye of the Incineroar, and a wave of high-powered electric Discharge smashed through the attack and sent its user reeling with an absurdly lucky critical hit. Temere wasn't done though, as the beat kept going, and then he hit his rubbery but oh-so-musical chest organ once, twice, three times more, another trio of strums, followed, and then another. By this point, his Discharge was still going, had formed a spherical electric barrier that Veluza kept getting hit by, as it just kept expanding, and Temere was just there, rocking out in the middle of the electric chaos solely because he could. The crowd ate it up. Kofu had trained his team to a solid eighty in terms of level, if not higher, but the higher a Pokémon went, the harder it was to gain Exp and the longer it took to reach the final plateau, that was by no means the end.

Temere had learned that the more he played, the faster songs and chords he found, the harder it was for his opponents to stop what he put down. Between his own wins and the Exp gain from the rest of the team, he'd reached the same plateau as Canis, Nox, Arbor, and Cinder had. A strength to rival the first string battlers. His power didn't keep Kofu from attacking though, as the Water Type Master could recognize the hubris that came with strength, when he saw it. What irritated him most was his Trainer letting his Toxtricity rock so hard he filled the entire arena with dangerous levels of electricity. The shields weren't really meant for sustained blocking, and soon they'd start to draw on the city's power instead of their own battery network.

"Night Slash, and Psycho Cut, Veluza!" The fumbling fish rolled in the air, getting its bearing before Night Slashing into the Discharge. Temere, who by now was almost through Eye of the Incineroar, just glanced at the psychic blades, and bolts of intense plasma from the top of the electric dome reduced them to smoke.

"Finish it, Tem." Alex said quietly, yet somehow, Kofu heard him perfectly. He grimaced. He was nowhere near done yet.

"Again! Psychic Fangs this time! Use Aqua Jet too!" The Veluza jettisoned its spare flesh, as it felt its Trainer's resolve.

Temere's luck from earlier turned as his shift to a Thunderbolt mid song made his chest screech, in a bad way, as his attack completely whiffed. Then, Veluza was there, and the damage from the rapid, multiple chomps of Psychic Fangs took the rock lizard down hard. Alex frowned and recalled him. "Leo."

The thunder cat appeared with a roar, and Alex didn't waste time, they couldn't, against a Veluza. "Discharge, full spread!"

"Think I can't deal with Electric Pokémon? Drill Run!" Now that Veluza wasn't being overpowered by a type weakness and an overwhelming attack fueled by pure Rock'n'roll, it could focus enough to form the ground typed energy it had learned to wield. It barreled towards Leo, through his Discharge, and hammered him hard, but the thunder cat had countered on his own, with Ice Fang. The pair of Pokémon exploded from the move collision.

"Crunch, Leo!" Alex shouted, but he couldn't really see past the explosion, and there was an ungodly shrieking sound coming from within the dust cloud, as the ferocious fish filet faced off against the thunder cat. Finally, Alex heard Crunch land, and a fainted Veluza was spat from the fading cloud towards Kofu, as a very injured Leo snarled at him.

Alex frowned, as Kofu sent out his third, a Wugtrio, and probably the only other team member he had capable of ground moves. Leo had a counter for his weakness too, though. Trailblaze had been a very popular move with a surprising amount of his team, and there had been a solid few days where those who could, had blazed it up and had a blast doing so. Their frolicking had helped them learn the move, which was fine by their Trainer, so long as they learned it. Sure enough, the Earthquake came from the powerful Wugtrio as all three heads, heedless of pain apparently, smashed into the ground and produced a fair-sized Earthquake, for a water type that wasn't a mudfish or a mud frog.

Leo Trailblazed his way into a masterful Thunder Claw, or at least, he thought he did. "Sucker Punch." Kofu said. The exposed crimson heads suddenly jerked upwards at Leo, and he lost his focus as their shape disturbed him on a level he couldn't articulate. Then, they hammered him with dark energy. He went skipping across the field, tried to rise, and then fainted, and Alex started to sweat as he became tied with Kofu again. "Arbor. You're up." His Sceptile popped out of his ball at his Trainer's command and got ready. "Mega Evolve! We're done holding back."

Kofu raised and clenched a fist. "You fool! I just won…Wugtrio, Blizzard!"

Alex smirked. "Block with Rock Tomb!" With a smooth movement worthy of an earthbender, Arbor raised a rocky shield around himself, though some of the ice managed to get through. "Now, Sunny Day! And draw in all of Temere and Leo's electricity!" A seed from Arbor's tail shot out of his stone fortress, burning high in the sky with the light of the sun, even though night was swiftly covering the desert. Then, the residual energy from Temere's attack that had been electrifying the terrain, zipped towards the Mega Sceptile's tail, as his attack power rose again.

"Charge Blizzard, and unload on it when it attacks." Kofu said, calmly.

"Get close! Agility, and then Detect!" The Blizzard went off as Arbor poked his head out after using Agility, and then with Detect, he managed to dodge his way far up above the Blizzard. "Solar Beam!" Alex shouted. Arbor rocked in the air as the powerful grass beam fired immediately from his mouth, and Wugtrio didn't have a chance to dodge, not that it could have with how slow it was compared to a Mega Sceptile.

Kofu recalled his Wugtrio, and then glared at the Mega Sceptile, and his Trainer. At least he was being more serious now. He grabbed a rather old Luxury Ball then, one he'd upgraded his starter to, after he got too strong to really ever be used in a Gym Battle. Someone in the sizable crowd shouted, "Holy Muk! He's bringing it out!"

Alex blinked and looked around as the crowd started cheering. Evidently, they knew something he didn't. He had Arbor refresh the Sunny Day as Kofu dithered, and the seed he launched regrew rapidly. Alex tried to make out the crowd's words but couldn't as it all sounded like a jumble. At least until Kofu shouted, "Go! Crocpot!"

A Feraligator at the peak of its power appeared from the Luxury Ball it called home, and stretched its massive, muscled body, as it eyed Arbor, and smirked confidently. "Oh my Arceus! He brought out the Crooocpooot!" One fan yelled, foaming at the mouth, before he fainted from overexcitement. Alex just blinked. Apparently, Crocpot was a big deal. Alex just kept trying not to laugh at the name. "Crocpot. Ice Punch…and don't let up." Kofu ordered, and the Feraligator grinned, before it fell onto all fours and scurried towards Arbor.

"Seed Bomb! Tangle it up!" Arbor fired a bombard of seeds at the speedy water gator, but the seeds sprouted where they landed, damaging Crocpot and slowing him with large vines that he had to waste time and energy punching through. "Perfect." Alex said, smirking. "Triple Solar Beam, go!" Though it burned up his Sunny Day faster, Arbor summoned the ferocious grass move's power in both hands, and his mouth, and then fired on the entangled gator.

Silence reigned, as the crowd waited for the smoke to clear, and only Arbor's panting filled the air. Then, Alex noticed it. "Arbor! It can Dig!" Given Feraligator's potential for other ground moves, and its claws, learning to Dig probably hadn't been too hard to do in a desert biome. Arbor didn't wait, he jumped, but it was already too late. Crocpot burst from the ground with Dig, fists covered in ice, and began pummeling the Mega Sceptile in the air with three combinations of double Ice Punches. Arbor fell, his Mega Form fading, and Alex grimaced. This thing was going to be hard to beat, especially without his anti-water team.

"Send out yer own starter!" Kofu shouted confidently; arms crossed. "Unless yer scared of another quadruple Ice weakness!" Crocpot laughed at him and smashed his icy fists together.

Alex ignored their jibes and closed his eyes. A brief Future Sight never hurt. What he saw did, however, hurt quite a lot. Terra would lose. Hard. Nine times of ten, and even with Thick Fat, it was an all but guaranteed loss because of a lack of speed and a way to keep distance between him and Crocpot. Even if Alex got clever and used Saur instead, he saw the Feraligator chomping through his vines with Ice Fang, and then pummeling him with Ice Punch as well. Thanks to Sheer Force, those moves were even more brutal. His partners wouldn't be frozen but taking more damage with a quad weakness was a guaranteed loss. If only there was a way to…

Alex smirked confidently, as his shift in his plan for the battle changed his future to one that had far, far better odds. More confident now, he opened his eyes. "Terra!" His Torterra appeared as he heard his name, and glanced at his Trainer, somewhat surprised given what was on the line and what Future Sight had shown. There was just one problem with Future Sight; he'd assumed he'd use Mega Evolution, like he usually did, but a Tera type would only have one weakness, and that would be enough to match Crocpot. Besides, Terra also had a move he wanted to employ after basking in the sun all day and being inspired by their anime, like Alex had been. He raised his Tera Orb, and Kofu smirked, nodding in approval. The best way to nullify a quadruple weakness was to remove the weakness entirely, or at least lessen it. "It's time, Terra…" Alex sent Espeo's ball subtly into the crowd, just in case the energy barriers failed, and the subtle psychic cat idly licked a paw, waiting to act if necessary.

"Verdant Cataclysm!"

As Alex chucked the Tera Orb and his starter became covered in a green tinted crystalline shield that caused flora to spring up around his titanic feet, Terra roared at Crocpot, and then began one of his ultimate moves. First, he used Curse, which for him manifested as an ominously glowing Taijitu sphere on the trunk of his tree. Seeing that, Crocpot launched forward, also becoming covered in crystalline aura as Kofu tossed his own Tera Orb, though his was ice. Now he'd be even stronger.

Seeing the change, Terra switched tactics, as the entire lower city began to rumble. Huge vines sprouted all around the battlefield at his command, and he rose atop one far above Crocpot's immediate reach. The field's box-shaped energy barrier became akin to a forest made of massive, twisted tree trunks, and Alex had to admit, there were definitely some strong Senju Clan vibes from this attack. Especially as Terra adapted to his opponent's change of type weakness, and used the vines to grab large rocks. He proceeded to brutally hammer Crocpot with them. The first struck hard, but the nimble alligator dodged the second and third, only to then crumple as a surprise fourth hammered him from his blindspot. A fifth rock-vine struck. Then a sixth. Then a seventh. Frenzy Plant could probably have kept going, but Terra paused, as he saw the Terastal Shield shatter amidst the dust of his strikes.

Then, suddenly, Kofu shouted, "Ice Fang!"

"Grassy Glide and Wood Hammer!"

Lacking his shield, but still conscious, a very damaged Crocpot leapt with ease now that the vines had settled, up towards Terra, fangs encased in ice. Terra didn't run though. He waited by the edge of his perch, and when the Feraligator leapt for his head, he glided back. Crocpot landed and kept attacking, but Terra was already gliding forward again, shifting his momentum into the powerful grass attack. The two collided, suffering damage as they entered a contest of strength. Slowly, thanks mostly to the Tera boost, the ice around Crocpot's fangs cracked, and shattered, and with a roar Terra sent him flying through one of the large, raised branches. With less momentum, he hit another and fell, very unconscious by that point, to the ground.

Terra roared his dominance loud enough to be heard across the desert, and then slowly started trying to retract the massive roots that had sprouted into trees. Kofu started moving towards Crocpot and found his path opened by Terra. He gave the mighty but very wounded grass tortoise a nod, and then tended to his starter.

Alex did the same, bamfing up beside him, and frowning at just how hurt he was. "That was…way too close…I need to remember Terastallizing is an option, now."

Terra snorted. "My Mega Form could have handled it."

Alex shook his head. "Thick Fat does help, but not against a beast like that. If you hadn't gone all out with that Move, that might've ended badly."

"Speaking of…" Terra rumbled, as Alex realized he was embarrassed, "These roots…or trees now I suppose…they are much harder to remove…they seem, umm, permanent."

"Of course they are…that's alright, bud. Take a rest." Alex chuckled and recalled his partner. He floated down to Kofu, who offered a burly arm. Alex shook it, with a nod, noting with amusement that his first battle with a powerful water type master in a new region had also been rather close. History continued to repeat, which meant if he wasn't careful next would be…a massive black tail flashed through his mind, as well as the sickening crunch of bones. His bones.

He suppressed the image, and focused on Kofu, blinking away his trauma. "That was a great Battle, Leader Kofu." Alex started, as the handshake ended.

Kofu's face shifted to a slight frown. "I 'dunno 'bout that start…yer Toxtricity seemed more interested in his music."

Alex chuckled, "That's just how their species Battles…I think. I'm impressed your Veluza managed to slash through it."

Kofu nodded, as a proper smile took over now. "If ya say so." He handed Alex the Water Badge then, and Alex eyed the small metal circle. "Now, about these trees…" He said, gesturing to the remnants of Terra's move.

"Yeeaa…" Alex said awkwardly, "Apparently Terra can't-" At that moment, his Gallade decided to pop out, and he smirked at humans, before vanishing with nothing but his speed. Kofu stroked his blue and white beard as he watched the Gallade, clearly impressed.

Within five minutes the spiral slashing Gallade had reduced the massive limbs to lumber, and he'd even neatly stacked them, as he slashed them into place. "Uhh…" Alex said, as his Gallade landed and bowed before the now once more visible crowd. "Free lumber…?"

Kofu let out a belly laugh and slapped his shoulder companionably. "I'm sure we can put it to use! And he even stacked it off of the field! That Gallade o' yours is impressive, Dragon Emperor. You gonna stay fer your cousin's match?" Alex nodded, and he let Arthur stay out for the crowd's adulation. Apparently fresh lumber was pretty hard to come by in a desert town that was unwilling to tarnish their local flora in the name of practicality.

Aria seemed nervous as she looked at her cousin and saw him recording for posterity. Kofu gave her the usual spiel, and then the battle began. Given how suited she was for facing water types, the battle was over quickly. Even when Kofu Terastallized his Crabominable to a water type, Aria kept her cool and Terastallized her Floragato, whose Seed Bomb one shot the Crabominable, like it had everything else. As the Crabominable fainted, her Floragato started shining, and she lost her cool as her eyes went wide, and she recorded the evolution from a closer perspective. The two hugged as they celebrated and claimed their victory. Kofu gave them their winnings, their TM, and their badge, and then he made a joke about getting rolled by both Redwoods, after calling them out.

He didn't seem in bad spirits though, as he sauntered off confidently to the Pokémon Center. Isamu congratulated her as she came back, and she looked shyly up at her cousin, which amused him. "So, how did I do, cuz?"

Alex pretended to think seriously for a moment, and then the smirk broke through. "You rolled him, Aria. Flattened, rolled up, and tossed aside I believe is the terminology. And you were at his team's level, too. I only have one note…that maybe I should've followed as well. Terastallize early." She and Isamu just looked at him, as though he was strange. "What? Why not? Every Gym in this Region is mono typed. You face a Psychic? Terastallize early with Dark or Bug. You face an Ice user? Terastallize early with Fire or Rock or Fighting. Honestly I don't know why Trainers here don't do that more."

Isamu chuckled. "It's a uh…cultural thing. Apparently, it's bad manners to Terastallize early. It's usually saved for the end part of a Battle, and for a finishing move."

Alex just smirked at him. "I know you know how El Primero conducts his Battles. I saw his Gym circuit. He Terastallized early all the time. Still does."

"Florian senpai is more the Exception, than the rule…though you do have a point…he made the Gyms look easy, and part of that was because of the Titan Pokémon he and his group brought down, but the other part was strategy and Terastallizing early." He blinked at Aria. "Your cousin may be onto something."

She just giggled at Isamu. "Well he is the Victory League Champion. That wouldn't work all the time, though. Chairwoman Geeta and El Primero are both multi-Type users. In that case…we'd want to Terastallize when they do…?" She trailed off, looking to Alex for wisdom.

He nodded. "Ideally, you'd know the Tera Types of her team beforehand, but that seems a bit…cheap to me. I would rather guess what their Tera Type is. I'm not usually wrong. But yes, you'd want to switch after they Terastallize, if you can't counter the Type they become. It doesn't seem to increase their health or defense too much, so as long as you have something that usually faints whatever Type they become, you should be fine."

After a moment, Isamu asked, "What about Stellar Tera Types?"

Alex blinked at him. "Stellar whatnow?"

He seemed disappointed, but then, it was common knowledge that he'd only just gotten a Tera Orb. "Stellar Types. They retain the weaknesses of their original Type, and for every Type of Move a Pokémon can use, they get a STAB boost to the first attack with that Type. But it only works once, outside of Tera Dens."

Alex frowned and called up Lux to view his boxes. "I don't think I even have a…hahaha…of course he is." A quick check revealed that the rest of his team did not have Stellar Tera Typing, but there was one exception to that rule, and that exception was Arthur.

Sensing Alex wanted to leave, and was talking about him, Arthur bid their fans farewell, and bamfed over. "Talking about my flawless sword strokes, are we?" He asked the trio.

"No." Alex said, with a taunting tone. "We're discussing the fact that you're a very special boi."

Arthur crossed his arms and snorted. "I think we've all figured that out by this point. But…hold on, how am I even More special now?" He said, hearing the thoughts of the rest of his brothers, who'd started chanting 'very special Sword Boi' in their heads.

Alex repeated what a Stellar Type was, and how it worked, and Arthur pondered the information that he had, apparently, been one his entire life. "Huh." Was all he contributed, as he processed the information. With how many types of physical slashing attacks, even ghost ones, he could perform, he started to understand why. Ghost energy was a weakness, but he'd learned to manipulate it. Enough to punch things, anyway.

"Alright guys," Alex said with a tone of finality. "I have some Polteageist to harvest for shards, and then I'm off to…train before the Battles for the Superior Sixteen slots."

Isamu grinned at him. "Number nine in the world, after beating Kofu. Are you sure that's the spot you want?"

Alex shrugged. "As long as I'm in the top thirty-two, my spot won't matter. Not until the Battles for the right to hold one of those slots are held. I'm not going completely off the grid. If I fall too far behind and the number of points to catch up becomes unsurpassable, I'll have to come back and…I dunno, Battle my way through Galar. Their Gym Leaders are always highly ranked, and eager to Battle."

Aria spoke up, then. "Would you…travel with us to Alfornada Town? Your Polteageists will be out there, in large numbers."

Alex shook his head. "It's best if you and Isamu go on your own. I don't want to interfere with your journey, and I need to take care of a few things once I leave Paldea."

Isamu typed some numbers into his Rotom Phone, and then showed Alex the calculator. "Actually, judging by the base speed of Salamence, traveling with us would only slow you by, at most, half a day, and uhh…I would like it if you traveled with us for a bit too. The cave we need to traverse is…a lot. Multiple steep slopes. Home to multiple Dragon Types. It's a Garchomp breeding ground, but it's also the best place to catch one."

After pondering for a while, Alex nodded. "Alright. I'll go with you two, for a bit." He turned then, as he heard a familiar voice calling out his name. "Seems Adrien and Marinette have caught up. Good." He waved them over, gave introductions, and could already tell Aria was a big fan of Marinette's. "The Leaning Tower is also near Alfornada Town, so you two can join us. The route there is a large cave with a high population of Dragon Types, and probably anything strong enough to survive with them. The larger our group, the better chance we don't get attacked by a wandering Garchomp."

"We'd be happy to travel with you guys." Adrien said, "Connor told me I was ready to become a Scale in full. He left the final decision to you, though Alex."

Alex looked between the two teens, and then paused, as he looked a bit closer. Body language told quite a tale, and judging by theirs, they'd solidly cemented their romance. If they were old enough for that they were old enough to function as Scales. He'd still need to test them, of course. "If I'm promoting one of you, I'll promote the other, too. Marinette is probably as ready as you are by now, Adrien. I'll test the two of you when we camp on the road tonight. If you pass, you'll be free to uhh…return to Kalos, once you've seen Paldea's sights."

Quietly, Marinette looked up at him and said, "You really think I'm ready?"

Alex smirked at her. "Tikki does. She has for a while now. I trust her judgment, but it's always good to be sure. I'll face you two in a Double Battle, with a team comparable to what you might find in the Elite Four of any Region. If you can beat me, you'll be able to handle pretty much any threat Kalos throws at you. And you'll also have Connor around to back you up, as needed."

With their course set, the group of Trainers healed their teams, and then set off on the path adjacent to the desert that would lead them towards distant Alfornada. Western Paldea's Area One was actually quite beautiful at night and Alex had them keep one partner out, just in case. They were all riding on Terra, who had learned to glide through the earth and grass at a standard walking pace, without it being too tiring. Tikki was sitting in his tree's branches, while Plagg was draped on one of the monolithic pointed stone spikes that grew out of the massive earth tortoise, watching their rear. Leif was snuggled up between his favorite Redwoods, and he was happy, judging by the scent he gave off.

Isamu had opted not for Zyx, which was what he called his main Zygarde Core, but rather Kanchi, his Riolu, who was chatting with Canis near the middle of Terra's shell, under his tree. The local camping Trainers watched them pass in awe, and it was in this manner that they managed to cross the vast space of Area One, all the way to the border with Area Six, and the entrance to Alfornada Cavern.

Alex let Kalagon out as their guard by the cave entrance, while everyone else set up dinner, and their usual preparations for binging some anime. Then, finally, once they'd all eaten, Alex took Adrien and Marinette out to a space suited for battling, and as their Pokémon came out, they cleared the roaming, wild, but friendly Pokémon out of their way. A few stayed to watch once Alex heard Tikki explaining what they were about to do.

For his part, Alex was picking his own partners. "One round, two on two, for practice, using World Tournament rules." He finally settled on Invictus and Astrum, while the pair of aspiring superheroes went with their two strongest partners. Astrum had been sleeping until recently, as the events in Koria and then with Alduin had left him quite drained. When he did finally awaken, he claimed that the world felt a little brighter, and now that Alex thought about it, that'd been right after he and his allies had essentially ended world hunger.

The teenagers had a brief strategy meeting as they saw his choices, and how strong they were. Astrum was a bit lower level than the others, but Invictus made up for that with his higher level and absurd defense. Canis acted as their referee, and as he began the battle, Alex seized the initiative. "Invictus, tank their attacks, Astrum, Moonblast the Liepard!"

Plagg had moved in front of Tikki to be her damage sponge, but his eyes widened, as he saw the golden feathered Togekiss taking aim at him with an almost disturbing look of serenity as he engaged in battle. A super effective sphere of Moon doom formed above Astrum as Invictus readied his arms to block. Panicking as their plan immediately went to Muk, Marinette shouted, "Tikki, Bullet Punch!"

Alex just smirked. "That won't be enough, Padawan." Astrum rocked in the air as he fired off his ridiculously powerful attack. Tikki raised her fists, confident she could at least deflect the beam of fairy power, but as she quickly required her other set of arms to block too, she grunted from the effort, and was then swallowed by the width of the attack. She managed to weather the attack, and keep it from Plagg, but the brightness from the move momentarily kept the Liepard from attacking.

"Again, Astrum! Invictus, Pin Missile!" As Astrum charged his attack, Invictus's pins went up and through the Moonblast, and became wreathed in fairy energy, as the now quadruple effective move hurtled towards Plagg.

"Faint Attack!" "Bug Buzz!" Plagg disappeared, while Tikki launched her attack at the tank-like war hedgehog. Invictus was smirking though, just like his Trainer.

"Spiky Shield. You know what to do, Astrum." Alex said confidently as he crossed his arms. Astrum had continued charging his Moonblast, and now the darkness seeking Fairy Missiles were tracking Plagg as he tried to approach for his attack.

The Spiky Shield fired rather large but still somehow not very effective spikes into Tikki while Invictus tanked the Bug Buzz. As Adrien saw what was coming, he shouted, "Forget the attack Plagg! Get out of there!" Still hiding for his attack, the barely visible Liepard danced around the Fairy Missiles with impressive dodges. Adrien clenched a fist as their momentum began to shift. "Good, now Iron Tail!"

"You may fire when ready, Astrum." Alex said, chuckling as the fairy type cried with pure, undiluted joy as it fired its potent fairy death beam at the mostly invisible shiny Liepard. His Iron Tail became defensive, as the sheer size and power of the Moonblast threatened to overpower even his mighty tail, which when turned to steel became a rather wicked looking scythe. "Invictus, Close Combat, and counter her Moves as you see fit. Watch out for Air Slash." Tikki had just finished pulling out his massive spines from her comparatively small frame when the mighty Chesnaught began stomping towards her, fists alight with fighting energy.

As the Moonblast finally ran out of steam, Plagg shouted, "Now, Adrien!"

The blonde teen sighed heavily, and then with as much fake enthusiasm as he could muster shouted, "Iron Reaper…!"

"SOUL STEALER!" Plagg shrieked, as his scythe tail became a steel gray blur. Astrum cried out as the special Liepard hit him critically with three deep steel-colored slashes across his chest and got his team a much-needed faint. The Liepard's dark eyes shifted to Invictus, and he melted into the shadows.

Alex manually pumped a Heal Pulse into Astrum's ball, which the technology magnified, making it akin to a trip to a Pokémon Center. Plagg's attack had been rather brutal, but he had a feeling the dark type hadn't meant to hit quite so hard. He'd likely just been caught up in another of his special attacks, probably from some anime. After learning the truth behind Plagg's power, as well as its dark source, that Adrien had shared with himself and Connor, Alex could forgive the wounds that had been inflicted. It remained to be seen if Astrum would. Alex frowned, as he suspected his Togekiss would now probably stay in his ball until the fierce Liepard wasn't around, and Alex couldn't blame him. He felt guilt from Adamanteus and addressed his entire team as he and Invictus locked eyes and nodded. "This is the price of power. You have to have perfect control of your element, or you Will hurt someone without meaning to. Like Yveltal does."

Alex's body flared with blue aura, radiating from his Key Stone as he activated it. Invictus's Infinity Energy met Alex's Spiral Power in the space between them and catapulted him to the next stage of his species evolution. His shell grew to encase his lower body, like a turtle, and almost reminiscent of a Blastoise, the four large spines on the back of his shell became cannon-like, and the much smaller pair on his 'shoulders' were also similarly changed, but had smaller spines loaded in them. Invictus flexed the grassy buckler shields he could form at will on his forearms, and then the upper two spike-cannons lightly shot their payload into the air. Two more spines immediately replaced them from within the shell, and Invictus grinned wickedly as he caught the massive, blade-sharp quills by their shafts, and fell into a battle crouch.

He seemed to have retained his typing, but Alex didn't have time to check his ability. They hadn't had him fight in this form too often, as his base one still needed work, but he was comfortable enough to battle. By crouching, Invictus quickly became ingrained in the ground as Tikki and Plagg came in towards him. While holding his quills, he was essentially a spiny fortress of pain for anything that tried attacking him physically. Plagg found out first, as he tried to land his Faint Attack, and then went wide eyed as the attack power of a Mega Chesnaught sent him a solid thirty feet in the air with a super effective Power Up Punch channeled of course, through the painfully sharp and probably poisonous quill-sword he used.

Plagg slowly stood up by his Trainer, a testament to just how strong he was, and Adrien gave him a Full Restore. His wounds healed and his poisoning faded, as he whirled on Invictus. Seeing how badly Plagg fared, Tikki had kept her distance. The Liepard nodded at Tikki, and then Alex heard him shout to his Trainer, unnecessarily as they were close now, "It's time Adrien! To go beyond my limits! Beyond Evolution!"

Adrien just shook his head, but he was still smirking. "Plagg. Mega Evolve." To someone who had seen Sombrador, Alex recognized the lineage Liepard clearly shared with it. Long saber fangs grew downward from its canine teeth, another tail sprouted, and both became black, with a sheen like metal and a shape like a scythe. Plagg's eyes were glowing red, as were his spots, and to confirm Alex's theory, he'd also become part dragon type. A dark dragon with strong feline features.

Tikki joined him a moment later in her own humanoid Mega Form, and the two shared another nod, before they vanished. "Now, Invictus." The smirking Chesnaught grinned with a look that seemed…evil? Sinister? A ghostly light flared around him, not for the first time, as he took a page from Terra, and utilized Curse with the only move that might be able to get him a win. Frenzy Plant. With blurring speed, Invictus fired off his quill cannons, and slammed the two quills in his fists, both now glowing with a ghostly Taijitu symbol, into the ground.

Once again, Plag and Tikki were forced on their back foot to defend themselves, or faint. Tikki was brutally smashed multiple times by massive surging vines that sprouted from each quill in the field, which while powerful, Invictus had purposely made to dematerialize, once the battle had ended. He was also well aware that he could not conjure anything near the size of the forest Terra had created, not yet anyway, but his vines were more than enough. Even with two scythe tails and ninja-like speed, Plagg also took a pummeling, but it was Tikki who saved them, as her brutalized body suddenly flashed with a surge of bug typed energy.

"Bug Buzz!" Marinette shouted, and Tikki immediately fired the waves of empowered green sound at Invictus. "Aerial Ace!" Adrien added, and though Invictus's vines blocked the first of the damaging bug sound waves, they'd also burned through a lot of Frenzy Plant's power as the vines caught in their path simply broke apart against the waves of empowered bug energy. Tikki followed her attack with a brutal Air Slash that hammered Invictus and made even the mighty Mega Chesnaught shudder from his quadruple weakness. Then there was Plagg, and his ridiculous speed, following up with a double Aerial Ace worthy of the Japanese Samurai who'd created the technique that Pokémon, and later the Silph Corporation, had turned into a TM. That masterful strike fainted Invictus, who was still exhausted from the Frenzy Plant, and didn't have the energy to even curl up and defend. Flying type moves were simply the bane of his power, especially Air Slash, which was a special attack move. He may have been an unstoppable burly tank, but his specialty was blocking physical attacks. Bullets, energy weapons, even most other moves, including fire, could be blocked by his Mega Form's nearly impenetrable body. Flying types were the exception to that rule.

Alex walked over, and fed a Max Revive to Invictus, who sat up with a groan, and let out a deep sigh. Alex patted the spiky boi, smirking. "You did great, bud. We're just going to have to work on resisting attacks with empowered air. Like Terra had to learn to deal with ice. It still faints him, but it doesn't make him lose focus anymore, which is useful in countering it." Mentally, he spoke to his grass starters, as Arbor also had a quadruple weakness. "We're going to try to nullify, or at the very least lessen the sheer amount of damage a quadruple weakness brings. Gelauros is going to be working with many of you, since Ice is very much the gap in our armor." He felt those with a quadruple ice weakness, namely also Kalagon, groan. "None of that. I share that weakness…and I wouldn't put you guys through anything I wouldn't do myself. Within reason, of course." He added, as he sensed his Charizard envisioning dunking his Trainer in lava to see how resistant his dragon typing really made him. Not empowered and transmuted World Forge lava either, real, genuine, molten rock. "There are limits to what even I can heal. Like severe burns. Anyways. I will endure Gelauros's training as well." Gel would, of course, be training by making his surrounding area, in an infamously sweltering and humid biome, as cold as a tundra.

They'd have to find an empty part of the jungle where the output of so much cold for presumably several weeks wouldn't irreparably damage the forest. Terra and his grass types could regrow whatever they froze, after his fire types thawed it, and the flora would probably be stronger and more abundant by the time they left. It wouldn't be the same flora, though. He disliked hurting plants, especially since befriending and speaking with several trees, but at a certain level, this was the price of training to reach even higher levels of power. If they kept increasing at their current pace, one day, finding such a spot to properly unleash their power, enough to grow from the exercise, would be a genuine problem.

As Tikki and Plagg finished powering down and celebrating with their Trainers, turning as Alex and Invictus stomped over with their stupidly large feet. Plagg stepped forward and spoke first. "Is the golden one alright?"

Alex frowned slightly but nodded. Before he could speak though, Astrum popped free of his ball, and spoke for himself. "I am whole, dark one."

Plagg nodded, and then nudged his Trainer with his tail. He brought out a sack made of fur, though it was purple, like a common Liepard. Plagg reached his paw in, and dragged a Wiki berry out on his claws, offering it to Astrum. "I apologize. I got caught up in the moment and went a bit too far. Forgive me?"

With a regal nod, Astrum levitated the berry up to his mouth, for some dignified noms. His bites were tiny, but efficient, and Alex felt him shudder in delight on his shoulder. "You are forgiven, dark one. Be sure you perfect your control, before we next meet in Battle."

Plagg gave him a dark smirk. "When next we are in Battle, we will be allies, golden one." His eyes shifted to Alex, then. "I expect your team to be properly cultured when that time comes."

Having a feeling he was once again referring to anime, Alex just nodded, and had to suppress a chuckle. He addressed both of them, then. "We three are going to Teleport, now. There is a…relatively new process for elevating Scales to what the Empire considers war readiness. A ceremony, of sorts." He held out his hands then, and the two teens noticed that, at some point beneath the Dragon Emperor's cloak, his armor had appeared again. They shared a look, but then nodded, and took Alex's hands, before vanishing with a soft bamf.

Sahqoreyth · Jul 20, 2024

Top of the Dragonspiral Tower - Unova Region

Alex, Marinette, and Adrien appeared just as quickly as they'd vanished, and saw Connor standing nearby. Looking around, they realized they were atop the Original Dragon's home. It was like an idyllic forest had been transplanted atop the massive structure, there were grown trees full of berries, lots of seeming wild Pokémon, and of course, the titanic white scaled and black under bellied form of the dragon himself. He inclined his ice-rimmed head at the four of them, as Alex and Connor led their wide-eyed trainees to the center of the top level. Here, was the masterfully created stone pagoda that had become a common meeting spot for those who kept things running within the Dragon Empire. Not every Governor was thrilled about their ill-gotten piles of currency becoming worthless, but they also begrudgingly had to admit that feeding all of the hungry people in their States was an undeniably good thing.

As expected, restaurants and other food chains had either closed, if their quality was below a Dragon Burger's, or had remained open and relatively unchanged, as dining out was actually a luxury. The free food machines had never been intended for people who could afford to frequent restaurants, and the Original Dragon's masterful implementation of the machines, not just in the Empire but in Japan, Rio, and the other allied regions as well, had kept chaos and panic to a minimum. The markets had, again expectedly, wildly fluctuated upon their release, but now things had calmed as panic gave way to the dragon's guiding claw, and calming baritone in the right skulls.

As the four approached the pagoda, it was surrounded by if not familiar, then very famous faces. Hilbert, who seemed more serious than usual, Rosa, who still had makeup on presumably from a movie she'd been shooting, and Nate, whose eyes kept shifting to Rosa rather obviously, at least until Alex and Connor arrived. Alex gestured for the pair to enter the center of the pagoda, which now lacked the fine mahogany meeting table Tao used for more mundane gatherings. Alex started, as the two teens reached their spot. "This is the first official meeting of the High Council. Our first order is the ascension of Connor Gladstone to our ranks. All in favor?"

Rosa, Nate, Hilbert, and Alex raised their hands in unison, while for his part, Connor looked shocked, his mouth slightly open. Rosa spoke before he could, though. "Should we not wait for our future Empress?" She asked in Alex's direction.

He shook his head. "The Empress is busy. I can confirm her vote on this matter is the same as mine. Now the only question is…" He turned to his oldest friend, and strongest rival. "Will you join us?"

Connor, for the first time in a long time from Alex's perspective, seemed shocked. "I…I just became a Scale though. Surely this will be seen as nepotism?"

Alex shook his head. "Thanks to…certain prejudices from lower ranked Scales, your entry was delayed. If I had it my way, you would've been officially leading us during the war, as a General. If…or when, rather, we end up in a war again, you would take your rightful command. You're a Champion, bud. It doesn't matter that we're friends, you're as qualified as any of the other members gathered here. You've proven your skill by successfully training Adrien here, too, both in philosophy and your Martial Art style. What say you?"

Connor pondered for a moment, rightly assuming that this High Council would function much as the one in the Pokémon Wars movies had. He tried not to smirk and imagined himself in that role. Could the younger Scales benefit from his wisdom? Could he lead them in war, and in politics? "Yes." He said, both to himself, and to Alex. "I assume I'm going to be in charge of the Kalos branch of our organization?"

Alex nodded. "You have similar potential to your sister, and it's long past time you learned how to use it. With Teleport, you'll be able to give Gar a rest from zooming over an ocean full of Pokémon who know Ice Beam. You've also faced Thunder Warriors in actual combat, and you more than any of us know what they're like."

Connor sighed, heavily. "There is a universe of difference between those you negotiated with…and those I fought. The Imperator's Children are reasonable. Rational. Good at politics. The War Hounds are something else entirely. They're barely classifiable as Human, from what I saw. Creatures like that will need a release, eventually. I will be there when they inevitably target Europa."

Alex smirked and nodded. "We're on the same page. I'd like for you to start helping us bring in Paldea, Italia, Polska, and Romani to the fold as well. These Regions also have many awakening psychics, and it would be better if we trained them, before people with dark intentions do so." His main concern was Italia's crime families, and the new levels of brutality they'd be able to reach with a trained psychic that lacked morals. It wasn't that such people didn't already exist, he just knew that within a few years, there would be a lot more potential psychic criminals. He also knew Team Rocket would eventually take advantage of them as well or try to. They needed to prevent that from happening, if possible, according to Tao.

Connor nodded in agreement, and then took his place in one of the pagoda's remaining openings. "Is this like the…?" He asked Alex, and Alex nodded, before speaking in a more authoritative and serious tone aimed towards the two teenagers.

"Adrien Agreste. Marinette Dupain-Cheng. You have proven your skills in Battle and with a plasma sword. You stood together, unafraid, when all of Europa was bathed in Shadow. You struck at its source and vanquished the darkness. You defend those without power with the power you have been given and have demonstrated beyond the shadow of doubt that you are worthy of it. Kneel." He said the final word, as he strode towards them, and ignited Lux. Marinette looked concerned, but Adrien, who had enough 'cultural training' to recognize what Alex was basing this on, did as instructed without hesitation. Upon seeing Lux wink at her, Marinette copied her boyfriend, and lowered her head.

It wasn't Alex who spoke next, but he did gently tap their shoulders, which Lux kept from being damaging, while Tao's thunderous baritone echoed in their heads.

"By the right of the Council. By the will of the Dragon. Rise, as defenders of the Empire."

Alex stowed Lux with a flourish, and stepped back, as the two fresh Scales rose before them. Tao continued, and it seemed like his body was constantly rotating around the topmost level of the tower as he spoke. "You are charged with the defense of Europa, and her people. Until you are free to patrol the other Regions of Europa, you will be based in Kalos. Your Trainer Cards have been upgraded to certify you to raise as many Pokémon as you desire, and you are free to travel in all air spaces shared by the Empire's allies. You are also free to train apprentices of your own, with a Council member's approval." Then, the dragon ceased moving, his head aligned behind where Alex was standing. The pupilless golden eyes flared with power, and the dragon finished the ceremony with a smirk. "Well done."

The Council members clapped, and then broke, with the ceremony now finished. Nate and Rosa went off for a stroll, while Alex, Connor, Marinette, and Adrien met again. Marinette spoke first. "I'm not…super sure about my sword skills, honestly. I'm better with Tikki's weapons."

Alex smirked. "We never stop learning, Pada- er, Marinette. Adrien can polish your skills in that regard, and as far as Plagg's request goes, Adrien," The teen audibly sighed and facepalmed, which made Connor smirk as well, "You'll have to do what I did and bond a Rotom to an electric-based crystal and shove it into a hilt. Only a possessed sword can take the shape he wants you to have. It's a great idea, though."

Adrien just nodded, still facepalming and sighed again. He raised his head, then. "I'll…keep that in mind, I guess."

As Adrien began explaining to Connor and Marinette just what Plagg wanted, Hilbert came up to Alex. "We need to speak, Dragon Emperor." Alex nodded, and the two Champions walked on the other side of the tower's garden, from Nate and Rosa. They were in silent agreement to let those two have a much-needed date.

Once they were alone, Hilbert started. "The Successor managed to successfully infiltrate the Dragonspiral Tower. He was here under a flawless disguise, for several weeks. His goal appears to have been corrupting Padawans to his rhetoric, but it seems that those he was in contact with were not swayed. We'll be keeping an eye on them anyway. Before he left, I Battled him. I wanted to stop and detain him, but Tao claimed that would have been pointless, for some bloody reason."

Just then, Tao's massive head joined them, rising over the part of the tower they stood upon. "I said your efforts would not change our Path."

"But you still just let him walk out of here? Without so much as an alarm?" Alex asked, somewhat incredulous.

Tao sighed, bathing them in Leaf scented smoke from his large draconic nostrils. "If we attacked him here, in the Capital, he would have used his powers, and likely gotten greedy enough to try forcibly kidnapping either innocent citizens, or some of our Padawans. My Future Sight foresaw this. The Successor takes advantage of such situations, always. Letting him go was the safest Path, and you were too far away and too busy to Teleport over and confront him, Alex." Tao's eyes pulsed with power, as he sensed his Champions still did not understand his actions or reasoning. "There will be a time and a place to confront the Successor. Our scientists must first learn to trap him, by disrupting Hoopa's portals. This will also keep him from randomly summoning Legendary Pokémon to aid him in said confrontation, which is another reason I did not provoke him. You and Arthur must both use your Spacium Beams, in conjunction, when he draws upon the majority of his power, and is properly trapped by our forces. That is how we slay him. Permanently. Trust my judgment, my Champions. This is the Way. Do what you have been doing, and when the time comes to face him, we will be ready."

Alex and Hilbert shared a look, as in retrospect, it did make sense not to attack a man with an unbound Hoopa in the middle of the capital. "Did you at least learn anything when you faced him?" Alex asked Hilbert.

Hilbert shrugged. "Only that he is quickly learning to take full advantage of modern Pokémon training supplies and is himself a decent Trainer. He may be pure evil, but his Pokémon trusted and obeyed him as well as any of ours."

Alex sighed, thanked Hilbert for his vigilance and his efforts at reconnaissance, and then rejoined Connor, Marinette, and Adrien.

With their business settled, Alex bamfed them back to their campsite in Paldea, using Kalagon as an anchor. He released his team in a mad rainbow of light that was probably visible for miles. In the moment he'd transported them to Paldea, he'd also split a clone away to send with them, one that had all of his Pokémon with him, except for Magnus, and while it worked, it also had the unintended effect of sending his real self hurtling over the Unovan skyline, out of control.

Magnus beeped in panic and soared after him, but his body could only move so fast. Alex stopped himself with a burst of psychic power, finally, just before the Empire Building, and waved awkwardly at the crowds touring the building for a chance to see Castelia lit up at night. As Alex looked around too, waiting for Magnus, he could see why people, mostly couples, would come up here. It was the largest city on the planet, and as Alex waited, his eyes widened slightly, as his senses took in the general vibe of the human masses below, and their Pokémon. In searching for ill intent, he discovered that the people, his people, seemed…happy? Less stressed? There were still exceptions, of course. Some people, from what he sensed, were too prideful to let their government feed them, but overall, the mood was…significantly more positive than the last time he'd been in the city and listened to its mood.

When Magnus finally showed up, Alex recalled him, and then bamfed away from the tourists who'd kept photographing him the entire time he'd been waiting. Aspertia Town was closest to the Blueberry Academy, and though it was ten o'clock and anime time in Paldea, in Unova, it was still four in the afternoon. Plenty of time to visit the Terarium, for the remaining targets on his roster. First and foremost, was a Beldum, as he knew they had a large colony somewhere in the icy part of the undersea bio-dome, but anyone else he ran into on his way to that part of the Terarium was also fair game. He didn't intend to have more than sixty battlers though, as in six teams of ten, at least for this tournament. There was always the chance some would prefer not to battle by the next World Tournament, too. Others, like his Garbodor and the Eeveelutions weren't counted for his battle roster, as they preferred to enjoy existing and doing as they pleased, with minimal amounts of combat.

When he arrived by Skarmory Taxi, he saw a pink haired female figure walking slowly towards him down the unnecessarily long walkway into the academy itself. Alex chatted with the cab driver, Kevin, who was mighty proud of his Skarmory. "They're fast, sturdy, and have a rather impressive Move pool. You can find them nesting in bramble bushes in the Terarium."

Alex nodded, indulging the man. Skarmory's speed was, at most, average, but it was defense heavy, flight capable, and versatile, if trained properly. He also liked the idea of making a spare sword from a shed wing feather. "I'll have to keep an eye out for one. Thanks for the ride, Kevin." The man nodded, seeing his liaison arriving, and the pair of armor birds took off again, as he got another request for transport.

Alex recognized the woman coming to greet him, as she was rather famous in Unova. The youngest Director of a major University in Unovan history, and the daughter of a Gym Leader to boot. The former Director, Cyrano, had insisted he could think of no one more suited to take over his academy, and Director Lacey did not disappoint him. Her main contributions to the school had been adding more high-level classes, and like Paldea's academy, taking in students of any age who wanted to advance in those fields. The Trainer courses were still, by far, the most popular but there were quite a few future scientists as well.

Up close, Alex realized just how fine Clay's daughter actually was. He wasn't smitten or anything, but he could appreciate beauty when he saw it. She'd clearly taken the time to look that good or had one of her Pokémon do it for her, and he had a feeling an imminent visit from the region's leader might have played a part in that. Although, for all he knew, she looked this good every day when going about her duties. He gave her the same handshake he'd given her father though, as they exchanged greetings, and then she went straight to business.

"We appreciate your visit, Dragon Emperor. There are a few things I'd like to take care of before I give you free reign of the Terarium, however." She began, as they started the ridiculously long walk to the academy's entrance. "Firstly…we've been having more and more students manifesting…strange abilities, lately. And they're almost always our Trainers. We've been sending them to the Dragonspiral Tower so far, but their parents are pressuring me to keep them in a school environment, at least until they decide if they want to become Scales. Thus, I wanted to offer a compromise, as I understand the danger that comes with not training them. Champion Hilbert or Rosa could come here to teach them, or someone else you trust with the task if they're too busy, and their first task would be to train someone who could eventually take over their duties and stay on as part of our teaching staff here permanently. In time, I'd also like to develop courses for the various abilities we've been seeing. As you're probably aware, they're not just limited to Psychic Typed abilities."

Alex nodded, until the woman finally paused for his answer. "I could just train you, Director. You have the potential as well; I can sense it."

She looked surprised, blinked several times, but otherwise her face remained controlled, her smile never so much as shifting from her mouth. "I see. That would expedite the process…and you would be alright with me training additional teachers?"

Alex nodded. "Tao and I are very much on board with working closer with the Academy, and the other schools across the States. Our only caveat would be that you take in potential students from all across the Empire, and if you need help accommodating them, we will gladly provide it. You have an ideal setup here for creating strong, competent Trainers and Tao wants as many of those as possible. If you're in agreement, I will have you train under Champion Rosa. I think you two have met already, and I'm sure she could learn a lot from a Trainer as skilled as you. When she deems you fit, you would then be cleared to train more Scales to act as teachers. Judging by your team's skill level, you probably wouldn't take too long to train."

The academy's Director paused in her walking and turned to face him. "I would like that very much, Emperor Redwood."

Alex chuckled, as she formally bowed. "You can just call me Alex. I'll let Rosa know she has a new Padawan, and I'll leave scheduling training sessions to the two of you. Is there anything else you needed from me, Director?"

"Lacey is fine, if we're going to be informal. I did…actually have a bit of a…strange request. It's my Excadrill, you see…ahh, I'll just let him explain it. You can understand him, after all." She called out her starter then, and Alex could tell that while he appeared strong and steely at first glance, there was an inner and far more feminine radiance to him that he seemed comfortable with. His fur was purposely styled to be crazy, like an anime protagonist's hair, but oddly enough it worked with his spikes to make him by far one of the most visually stimulating Excadrill that Alex had encountered.

Alex gave him his standard 'Hello there', and the Excadrill began speaking in a haughty, but confident voice as his sharp eyes looked Alex over. "Hey hey hey. I'm Kamina. Hmmm. You're the real deal, aren'tcha. Listen, Dragonman, I have a little brother who needs some…Human encouragement, to reach his full potential, you dig?"

Alex slowly raised an eyebrow. "Your little brother? I guess I can help a familial relation, sure. What does he need, exactly?"

Kamina shook his steel horned head. "Nah fam, he's not a blood relative, but he might as well be. He's just a Drilbur I care about! My little bro! Believe me, he's got some serious power, but he needs a seriously powerful Human to, y'know, draw it outta him. Someone in tune with the Earth, and on par with a Champion. Lacey isn't quite there yet, and she doesn't want another Drilbur. He's down in the Terarium. His name is Simon (See-moan). He'll be the one with his head down, mindlessly digging away."

Alex smirked. "My guy, that's what every Drilbur does. I'm going to need more than that if you want me to find him."

Kamina shook his head again, vehemently. "Nah man, the way Simon digs is different. Y'know what? Just meet me down there! In the Canyon Biome! You can see for yourself!" The powerful Excadrill flew away then using Drill Run to spin through the air, despite it being a ground type move. Alex watched, admittedly intrigued. If Kamina could fly by getting creative with Drill Run, in this case spinning so fast he floated, he could only imagine what this Simon could do.

Lacey watched him go with a frown. "I hope his request isn't too much. From what I can understand, he wants you to train his little Drilbur friend to his level, so they can…Drill Run into the sky together? Or something? He was hard to understand when he explained it, he was Very passionate about it though. Anyways. I suppose I'll leave you to it. The students have been instructed not to bother you, but ahh…El Primero was hoping to speak with you, if you have time. He's in the Coastal Biome. You'll see him when you get there." She gave him a smile then, that seemed more genuine. "Please enjoy the Terarium, and feel free to visit as you please from now on."

Alex thanked her again, stowed his cape, and made his way down into the Terarium once the student at the desk confirmed his Trainer Card was legitimate, and asked for an autograph. As he took in the savannah before him, he also looked upwards, and gasped. To his eyes, the Terarium Core was a roiling mass of powerful energy. It seemed like Infinity Energy, but there was…more to it. Another kind of power that had been mixed in with the literally limitless potential of typed energy. He sensed two sources of that energy, one of which was a Pokémon. Terapagos, if he had to guess. The Legendary turtle had been discovered after his granduncle's efforts had shifted from researching legends to making kooky inventions spawned by his Leaf smoking sessions. Highdeas, he'd called them. Thus, his notes had lacked much information on the Terastal phenomenon, though there had been an interesting book with a fairy tale that seemed to incorporate what humanity today called Terastallization. The book had a cryptic note in the back of it too, now that he recalled it. Another note with a single word. Rakua. And the other one-word note had mentioned the Legend he now flew towards on his Charizard. The fact that there was a Terapagos sized hole in his granduncle's research was also strange, as he'd evidently been to Area Zero, and had seemed to think Terapagos had a greater tie to Arceus. As Alex spied its shell in the distance, he could understand why.

As he and Blaze approached the beach of the Coastal Biome, they saw the Legend, basking comfortably in the light of the Core. Alex saw one eye open and look at them, as they approached. Then, he noticed the human beside it. El Primero, if he had to guess. With a glance, Alex knew that Florian had trained this Terapagos thoroughly. Like Tao, he was at the peak of power that a Pokémon could reach, and it showed. He was living his best life, gleaming in the tropical light of the biome, and the Terarium Core.

There were students around, of course, as they tended to gather whenever Florian stayed in one place long enough, but thanks to his Legendary ride, he could easily escape them, and had often done so. He'd made it clear to his fans that he reserved the right to zoom away once he decided what his next target to catch or train was. Today though, he was just relaxing with Terapagos, as the Legendary Pokémon had informed him they would be having a fateful encounter today. Blaze landed with a small burst of flame not far from them, and then happily stretched his wings in the sun, and let out an empowered Flamethrower for good measure. He glanced at his Trainer, who looked back at him and nodded as he disembarked, and the Charizard shot into the air once more, probably to go and find somewhere to bask. Florian had one of his own, and it seemed the Victory Champion's was at or above their level. He resisted the urge to ask for a battle, for now. Nemona had taught him the importance of savoring an epic battle, and there was no greater stage than the World Tournament.

Alex and Florian walked towards each other, and shook hands, as they came close enough. After they exchanged greetings, El Primero started the conversation. "Terapagos has been eager to meet you. From what I can tell, he has a request for you, and for the Original Dragon."

Alex raised a brow, and the titanic furry turtle floated over to them. Alex inclined his head politely, and the Terapagos did the same. As Alex heard its mental voice, it didn't thunder like Tao's or other Legends, it almost seemed…sparkly? Somehow? There was only a faint male tinge to it as well, and Alex had a feeling if it wanted to change genders, it probably could. Like most Legendary Pokémon.

"It has been eons since my power filled this land." Alex blinked, as the massive turtle shared rapidly flashing images of the past. A much different looking Unova, with crystal formations that seemed very similar to Tera Dens. "It was sealed. By your more foolish predecessors." Another image, this time of thousands of ancient Pokémon Trainers commanding Sigilyph, Bronzong, and Claydol. They were surrounding a massive crater in the Earth that reminded him of Area Zero, albeit much smaller, it had the same strange mist he'd seen while in Paldea's skies. A man in black and white robes guided their efforts, and raised a massive mountain where there was once a crater, heedless of the massive environmental upheaval they were causing as a result. He flinched, as he saw many base form Terapagos with blue-white crystalline shells caught in the eruption of earth, as a new mountain was forcibly created through psychic means.

He felt the sadness from Terapagos as well. They had perished, then. Not for the first time, he cursed the method humans had for passing on political power. The antics of the previous Dragon Emperors popped up more and more the longer he was one. The image faded, and Alex met the ancient turtle's gaze as it continued speaking. "The power of my species grows, the less of us there are. I am…one of two. The only two left. Florian has helped me recover much of my strength…and now, I will again seed it across the world. Help me, Dragon Emperor."

Alex reached out to Tao, for his opinion. "Terastal power will open many pathways to our goal. It enhances your machinery and makes the Dreams of sentients a reality. It is a boon, by every measure."

Alex nodded again, mostly to himself. Then, he met Terapagos' eyes evenly. "Help make Tao's dreams a reality, and you may tap into your ancient source of power." He looked at Florian as well. "Have Paldea ally officially with the rest of the allied Regions. It will make accessing their land to spread your power more…palatable." He finished, thinking of Zigma.

Florian and Terapagos shared a look, and then Florian spoke. "I'll see what I can do. This alliance will take time to solidify, but once it does, we will require your aid directly, Dragon Emperor. Terapagos has foreseen it. Only your authority will ultimately allow us to spread Terastal Energy to Unova, and beyond."

Alex nodded again. "Then when the time comes, you shall have my authority to do whatever you need to do, so long as no people or Pokémon are harmed in the process."

With that settled, Alex then asked Florian how one might find a white Beldum in the Terarium, and he responded by giving Alex a sandwich recipe, and directing him to a specific part of the Polar Biome. Thanking him again, Alex summoned Blaze from his nap, and they began flying across the Terarium once again, at the same speed as the other Trainers around them. Thanks to his size, Blaze got looks as they flew, and it seemed Hydreigon, not Charizard, was the most popular mount in the academy. He'd thought they were simply too ferocious to train en masse, but it seemed their resident Dragon Master had found the trick to training the Deino line. Instructor Drayton was, reportedly, a prodigy with dragon types, but had never had the drive to do more than teach the next generation about battling, which was apparently the only thing that could fire him up. Despite that, Alex recalled him declining the post at Opeleucid's Gym multiple times, before Nate simply stepped in, to Drayden's disappointment. He found Nate qualified, but he also thought the Champion had more important things to do with his time. Drayton, by comparison, did not have important things to do, as most of his time was spent relaxing, apparently.

As they arrived in the Canyon Biome, Alex didn't have to look long to find where the Drilbur line liked to hang. The walls were similar to an Aron nest, and indeed, he spied several Aron living in harmony on the ores that Drilbur's digging brought up. One Drilbur in particular was digging rapidly, tossing up ore like he had a nose for it to the hungry Aron and Lairon around the nest, and the Drilbur responsible finally surfaced near Kamina, whose fur made him stand out. He wasn't the only Excadrill around, but he was the one that was oozing the most charisma. He waved Alex and Blaze down, as he saw them.

"Yo! Dragonman! And friend!" Kamina called out, eyeing Blaze. The Charizard seemed a bit fidgety around so many rock types, but they seemed more interested in their ore than the fire type in their midst. "This here is Simon! My brother! Say hi, bro!"

Alex walked up to the Drilbur, and noted that he was small because of his lack of level. For a Pokémon that low level, he had sure mastered Dig like a much stronger Drilbur. Kamina was correct, his little brother had potential. The Drilbur shyly greeted the human, and Alex just smirked at him. "Hello there. Your brother asked me to train you. I admit I was skeptical, but I agree with him. You do have potential."

"I told you!" Kamina shouted excitedly. "Believe in the you that I believe in! You're more than worthy Simon!"

The little Drilbur sighed. "I still don't know what that means…"

Alex chimed in then. "He's talking about the ideal you that he believes you can be. Thus, if you believe in the you that he believes in, you'll also be believing in your best potential self. Does that help?"

Kamina ran his dangerously sharp claws together in excitement. "Oh man, he really is a wise Dragonman! Simon! He totally gets it! I knew this was a good idea!"

Simon was still frowning as he tried to follow his brother's train of thought. "Believe…in the me that…ohhh Arceus, my head hurts."

Alex and Kamina shared a look, and then laughed, loudly. "It's alright, Simon." Alex said, smirking. "You'll understand eventually. Now then. I only take on Pokémon who are comfortable with Battling, and who want to be the best. As in, the best in the entire world. With my help, I think you could get there, but it's not going to be easy. It'll hurt. It will take time, effort, and every day will test the limits of your endurance. What do you say?"

Kamina was shuddering with excitement, but Simon looked deflated. "The best in the entire world…?" He'd barely been out of his egg when he'd been let loose in the Terarium. His first day here, he'd found a patch of nutritious mineral-rich dirt to munch on by himself, and Kamina, who also happened to eat at that one, had shown up as he always did, and rather quickly befriended him, taking him on as a pupil, or at least trying to, anyway. At certain disparities in strength, sparring together did more harm than good. In terms of level, Kamina was in his upper nineties, while Simon was still single digits. Thus, the clever Excadrill had sought out a human. Only the best, for his little bro.

"O-on one condition." The tiny mole declared, facing Alex with steel in his eyes that hadn't been there earlier. "Take my friends with me."

Alex stroked his beard slowly, before he said, "Who are your friends?"

"A Noibat, a Timburr, a Machop, and a Larvitar. They train together all the time. If I'm going to become the best, I want them by my side."

Alex nodded. "We'll speak to them, then. If they want to come along, they're more than welcome." He was a bit apprehensive about the Larvitar, only because he'd promised one of his earliest mentors that he'd train one of his offspring eventually. As it turned out, he ended up keeping that promise. One by one they met Simon's friends. The Noibat was eager for evolution, and Alex dubbed him Dracala, or 'dragon wing' also sometimes translated as 'winged dragon'. The fact that it was so similar to a certain famous vampire and being somewhat familiar with what their Mega Form looked like, was a total coincidence. Kel and Champ were previously owned, until their Trainer had washed out early from the Blueberry Academy Trainer courses and left them in the Terarium. They both eagerly jumped at the chance to attain their final forms, with a competent human's aid.

Lastly was the Larvitar, who as it turned out was with his father when Alex and the group of first stage Pokémon arrived in their territory. It seemed that after it was discovered that Alex had released 'his' Tyranitar back to the wilds, the local rangers had wrangled him into a temporary ball and moved him to the Terarium, where he'd proceeded to thrive in peace, undisturbed by the humans who'd been developing his mountain home. Most companies managed to mine these days without completely ruining the environment around them, but having a Tyranitar around was simply untenable, when every mining charge would send it into a costly rampage. Alex made good on his word and named the eager young Larvitar Tyranus. He seemed proud of how fierce the name sounded.

With five new faces, and Magnus, he made his way to the Polar Biome, and cooked up the sandwich Florian had given him. As it turned out, the weird gray sparkly herbs he'd acquired from his Tera Den were the key to this strange but effective method of drawing out elusive Pokémon. Even Terapagos had sagely nodded, claiming that sandwiches made with the 'mystic herbs' had strange and wonderful powers. Sure enough, after washing and feeding his gathered team, a swarm of Beldum and some Metang filled the snow-covered slopes of the isolated cliffside area, below which they seemed to have their nest.

Since Beldum's claws were actually absurdly valuable in terms of Replication Machines, Alex gathered hundreds of them while Magnus trained the power of his Flash Cannon on steel types. For whatever reason, the mystical sandwich powers only lasted about half an hour, and he was fifteen minutes into his when from the corner of his eye, he finally saw his prize. He hurled Magnus's ball at the white Beldum, picking it out of the crowd easily, and after a Thunder Wave and a few weaker Flash Cannons, it went into the Luxury Ball that Alex was using on it.

He set up their camp again, letting everyone out, as they greeted their new member. The Beldum was largely unreadable as it's red eye scanned over each of them, before finishing with Alex. He joined their psychic network on his own initiative, and greeted them, and though his emotions were comparatively dull, he could see the Beldum growing more and more twitchy, as he sensed just how many powerful Pokémon were on his new team.

Once he was integrated, the eye focused both physically and psychically on his new Trainer. Alex was finding the more metallic cries some Pokémon made were harder to translate, but he made out the Beldum's intent. It was imagining a small blue candy in a wrapper, and Alex slowly pulled out one of the Rare Candies he had on him. It was, essentially, classifiable as Exp candy as well, it just guaranteed exactly one level, and that's when Alex realized it wanted to evolve. He offered it to the Beldum, and it let out a cry that rang through the area. Another white Beldum, the only other in the Terarium for the moment, appeared at the first's call, and they both bit into the candy simultaneously, as they, to Alex's perspective, purposefully used the burst of Infinity Energy to fuse their brains together, and become exponentially smarter.

"At laaaaast…" Their voice rang out much more clearly to Alex's ears. They addressed him with psychic speech then, after taking about eight seconds to learn Common. "We- I had visions when I rested as a Beldum. Strong Future Sights that have given me insight to our destiny…we are, apparently, going to bear the entire world on our shoulders, as a Metagross, and beyond, and it seems you…Alexander Redwood…are the one who will get us there."

Alex smirked, and gently pet the steely white Metang. "Well with a premonition like that, only one name will do. I dub thee Atlas."

The Metang closed their eyes, and they glowed with intense blue aura, before they said, "Yes. Atlas. Quite fitting! We like it. Hopefully, the other two will be in agreement as well. We will become Atlas."

Alex's brows furrowed, slightly, as he had a thought. "To become a Metagross…you'd need two more Beldum, or a Metang like yourself, wouldn't you. The other blue Beldum here are too different to work, I assume?"

The psychic sentient steel platform with rather impressive arms hummed an affirmative. "Our composition is akin to what you humans call Platinum. The other Beldum here were formed from lesser metals. In time, years, more like us will appear." The metallic creature stared into his Trainer's core, then. "I do not wish to wait years, Human."

Alex found Atlas's spot then, under his chin, presumably where the two brains linked. Their eyes turned happy as he scratched there forcefully enough for the steel type to feel it. "Nor will you have to. Steven Stone might be able to help us. He has a Metagross like you. A much older one."

Atlas was thrilled at the idea of meeting such a presumably wise member of its species, and after Alex set up a Pokénet connection to his ball like he had for Lux, Nox, and Psi, he recalled Atlas. With his goal achieved, just as night came to the Unova Region, Alex bamfed them all back to his true self in Paldea, and after a wake and bake at five in the AM, introduced them to the team.

They also had another unexpected addition, as somehow Magnus had attracted a Grubbin to latch onto his steely body when nobody had noticed. Too sleepy to bamf him back, and upon seeing his modest nature, Alex kept the small bug, and dubbed him Gauss. By his count, he was three away from his soft limit of sixty, and he wanted those slots open in case he found anything in Selva Muerta worth taming.

The night was spent as it usually was, with copious amounts of Leaf, anime, and friends. They were getting towards the end of Shippuden now and had to skip massive filler arcs that the ancient writers had decided to shove in the middle of several epic battles. Alex was just glad he had the option to skip. In ye olden days, apparently, people had to wait for new episodes. Through the aforementioned filler. In the morning, their group of five entered Alfornada Cavern, and thanks mostly to Kalagon, the local Garchomp left them alone. Apparently when he'd eventually entered the cavern out of curiosity, he'd made several 'friendly' rivals, and the locals had come to appreciate his strength. So long as they avoided catching a Gible, they wouldn't be targeted.

Alex and Aria had the easiest time ascending, as he could fly, and she had a very friendly Jellicent. If she spent too long atop her amorphous head, she'd eventually slide off, but for short climbs, like the many they took through the cavern, it worked well. Adrien and Marinette had taken the longer route, with less cliffs, and more Pokémon nests, but by the sounds of things, they were hard at work training their teams.

Isamu had the most trouble, since his shiny light green colored Tangrowth was unruly, and when it did lift him, it was more like a throw. The Tangrowth begrudgingly followed after him every time though, though he had angry eyes the whole time. Alex eventually floated over next to him. "Having some trouble, bud?" The Tangrowth's angry eyes shifted to Alex, and from what he could tell, the creature regarded him as a threat.

Isamu chuckled as he wiped his scraped, bloody nose, and said, "Oh…that's just Kuromuchi…he's always like that." Alex raised an eyebrow, and Isamu elaborated, "I uhh…inherited his ball. He's still understandably upset about having a new Trainer. Apparently, he was supposed to return to where he was captured after his Trainer died, but I'm not strong enough to go there yet. He holds it against me. It's my fault for being so weak."

Alex's face shifted to a frown. He floated down to the Tangrowth then. "Hello there. Isamu explained part of your situation. Might I ask where it is you were caught, exactly?"

The vines that comprised the Tangrowth wriggled in a manner that Alex assumed conveyed anger. His voice was a deep, angry gurgle. "I was stolen from my home. I do not know your Human terms for it."

Alex tried giving him a genuine smile, and Isamu was taking notes, very obviously fascinated. "I'd like to help you, Kuromuchi, if you'll let me."

The Tangrowth angrily shook and gurgled again. "I despise that name. It embodies my slavery. Call me Kuro, if you Must."

Alex nodded. "Kuro, then. Imagine your home for me, if you can. I'll see it in your mind."

Within the sentient vine pile's mind, a massive, vibrant green forest cycled through in images. It looked like a generic forest to him.

Alex sighed softly and muttered, "Hoboy." Before he spoke louder, "Lux. Bring up a slideshow of the most forested areas in the world. The Central Imperium Republic, Selva Muerta, anywhere with a forest. Hopefully that will help our new friend here recognize his home." In short order, Lux had a slideshow of images rolling, and that at least seemed to alleviate his bad mood.

Alex floated back up to Isamu, and psychically caught him as he slipped, and his handholds broke off. "Thanks for the save." Isamu said, chuckling awkwardly.

"No problem." Alex said, guessing he was worried about what Kuromuchi had told him. "That Tangrowth of yours…who exactly did you inherit him from?"

They walked as they talked, and in the distance, Aria was handily whooping a Dragon Tamer with her Jellicent, and Ice Beam. Somehow, the ghostly jellyfish had formed Night Shades cohesive enough to also use moves, and Alex felt Nox watching quietly with interest from his shadow. Nox didn't often battle himself, but like Alex, who had started the habit by copying Leon, he learned from every battle he watched, stole their techniques, and made them his own. Night Shade was weak in terms of power, even at a high level and with a type advantage, but if they could use moves, that made them akin to a ghostly Double Team.

After a moment, Isamu answered Alex's question. "He was a Pokémon Tamer from the Dark Times. He helped establish the Pokémon Leagues, with the help of the First Champion, and his Rhydon, or so I was told. He uhh…was part of an elite team of Tamers whose Pokémon lived on after their deaths. He's hundreds, if not thousands of years old." Isamu exposited.

Alex just sighed, deeply. "So, the forest he's looking for probably doesn't even exist anymore. In the time of the First Champion…we'd barely built any cities. Nature reclaimed much." Isamu nodded in sad agreement, and subtly exhaled, as he'd kept his secret safe and his oaths intact. Then suddenly, they heard a deep gurgle from behind them, as Lux and Kuromuchi had apparently found familiar flora. The Tangrowth effortlessly, and rapidly, pulled himself over to Alex and Isamu.

"Selva Muerta." Lux said, smirking in the possessed phone/Pokédex. "I win, Nox." Isamu gasped in shock, as the hand of a Gengar rose from Alex's shadow with a large, ripe looking Wiki berry. Alex caught his information device as Lux returned to his hilt and enjoyed his victorious noms.

"Selva Muerta…" Alex repeated. "Yea, if Kuromuchi doesn't listen to you and the strongest you have is that Riolu…erm…Kanchi, then you're nowhere near ready. Even with your Zygarde Cores…well, maybe if you kept them on continuously. Without them, the local Pokémon would eat you alive."

Isamu chuckled awkwardly again. "That form does have a time limit, though it can vary…the Cores also have to find it necessary to keep together. You're right, I'm just not ready…"

Alex nodded. "If you went alone, or with Aria, you'd be right. You aren't." By this point, Aria, Marinette, and Adrien had exited the cavern, and Alex turned to Isamu, as Kalagon came over and asked to rest in his comfortable ball. "You said you wanted to join the Scales, right Isamu? You seemed interested at least, last time."

He nodded. "I wanted to…but then I realized I'm just…not good enough yet to join Champion Tier Trainers in actual combat situations. My…mentor…from back home suggested I enroll in Paldea's Naranuva Academy. It's made Kanchi quite strong, and I've learned a lot. Aced all my courses. My teachers say there hasn't been a new student with my GPA since El Primero joined."

Alex nodded sagely again. "But book learning will only get you so far. You need real experience to properly train your team. I'm going to train in Selva Muerta soon, and knowing Naranuva Academy, they'd send you off to another Region eventually anyway. I have an open spot for an aspiring Padawan, and it's yours, if you want it."

Isamu's eyes went wide. Infamously, Champion Trainers rarely if ever trained others. Chairman Leon of Galar had done so more than most other Champions, even before he retired and that essentially became his job. The reason they didn't train others, was because of exactly what had happened to Leon. He gave his successor a strong starter, and within the year Victor had risen to Leon's level, and beyond. His Urshifu had made him unbeatable, but the rest of his team was no joke either, and he'd only trained up even more Pokémon since.

Thus, a Champion offering to train him blew Isamu's mind a little bit, especially the Victory Champion of the hardest League in the world's most populated region. The only other Champion of Alex's caliber he'd heard of training others was Ash, who would famously battle almost anyone, if they could find him, and Cynthia, who had trained Kohki once he'd beaten her and become worthy of the title of Sinnoh Champion. "I accept!" He shouted, louder than he meant to, and that made Alex smirk.

"Good. We'll train both my team and yours in Selva Muerta, and we'll depart once I have enough pieces for my Ceruledge's armor. Someone in a place like Rio should know how to forge it, and while I look that up, you can challenge Rio's Gyms. Maybe add to that team, a bit." It was at that point that Alex noticed he did in fact have ten Pokéballs, but he'd bring that up later. He had noticed Isamu was reluctant to mention something, regarding his Pokémon, but Alex didn't intend to force it out of him. He was honest to a fault, so there was likely a good reason he hadn't brought them out or mentioned what was inside them.

Isamu accepted his challenge, and it was at the cave's exit, with Alfornada Town glowing in the distant darkness of the night, that their group split up. Aria didn't want the pressure of Alex at another of her Gym Battles, and she wanted the crowd focused on her, not him or his admittedly awesome Gallade. It was her Jellicent's chance to shine, and Marina had been looking forward to smashing through Tulip's team since they'd briefly met her in Mesagoza. She'd noted offhandedly that Marina was small, and since she had a bit of a size complex, the insult had stuck in her mind. She was not small. She was fun-sized.

Adrien and Marinette were also going to Alfornada, mostly to shower and eat a proper meal before heading for their next Paldean vista. Alex and Isamu meanwhile, searched together for elusive Polteageists, and eventually, found a nice flat plain full of the small, hard to see Pokémon. It was Nox's turn to get some training in, though he seemed more annoyed that he had to do it. His Night Shades easily smashed every single one they encountered, but once possessed, their cups and teapots became as special as their contents and would regrow by the time the Pokémon recovered and stopped hiding in its instinctually miniaturized form.

Alex was quiet, as the Polteageists reminded him far too much of Kashiji. Someday, when the Swords of Justice had recovered enough, he would tell them about the Light that they had extinguished while under Morgana's domination. Once they had more than enough shards, Alex put a hand on Isamu, and Teleported them to Rio. Cross-continent Teleports took a lot more energy and were generally considered 'bumpier'. Isamu looked slightly nauseous, but his stomach quickly settled as his eyes went wide. Once again, thanks to time zones, it was still daylight hours in Rio, the mid to late afternoon actually, and the colorful city astounded both new arrivals.

For Alex, it was much different from what he remembered. The buildings had been repaired all around the palace, and pretty far down the continent's coastline, as far as he could tell. The music was different from the last time he'd been here, though he was distracted from it, by Isamu's growling stomach. Alex smirked at his newest Padawan. "Dragon Burgers?"

Isamu tilted his head, and then nodded. "A few of those would hit the spot, actually."

Alex's smirk widened slightly. "Good. First lesson, Padawan. I know you've trained with the Mind Sage, so use your powers to find the nearest Replicator Rotom." Isamu nodded, not put off by the somewhat mundane task, but rather eager to easily meet and surpass it, and demonstrate his skills.

It was simple enough to find a bunch of dopamine filled minds surrounding a ball of ghostly energy. Isamu led them to one rather quickly, and Alex's somewhat iconic robe drew stares from the people. The areas around the food replicators had quickly gained a nickname among those who fully supported ending world hunger, and appreciated good tasting food that was also healthy and harmless to the environment. The term, across the western allied regions anyway, was Dragon Pits, and typically, they were just a large gathering of low-quality chairs plopped unceremoniously around the Replicator Rotom. Some struck a balance of being out of the way, but visible and free to use, while others routinely blocked roads and infuriated local police, who had to constantly move them after every mealtime.

"So, what else do you have on your belt?" Alex asked as he double fisted two Dragon Burgers. They weren't drowning in grease or condiments, which was a nice change from the burgers he usually had. Canis and Arthur popped out as well, and got some for themselves, which caused a stir around the dragon pit. Apparently, people hadn't realized their Pokémon could have free food too.

Alex shifted on the poorly made pool chair he'd taken since it was one of the few that was free as Isamu answered him. "A Klinklang, Hitmonlee, and a Torkoal. The rest are Cores."

It took Alex longer than it should have to do the math, but eventually he said, quietly but excitedly, "You found all five!?"

Isamu nodded, and finished one of his burgers before he said, "We should probably talk about this somewhere more private. But yes, I have them all, now. Using them all together is another matter entirely, though…"

Alex nodded slowly, as he pondered. "Well, we can work on that while we're here. They probably cooperate together better without a Human, but bonding with each of them should help you with using them."

Isamu sighed. "I've been trying, but it's not like I can just feed them sandwiches. They absorb the Sun's light; they have no interest in eating together."

Alex lightly patted Isamu's shoulder. "We'll figure out a way." He looked up then as two guards in the same serpent helmed scaled cerulean armor they'd worn when he'd last been here approached them. The two finished their burgers, and Alex recalled Canis and Arthur, who had been getting Dragon Burgers for whoever wanted one, and transferring them into their Pokéballs. "Hello there." Alex said, as the guards stopped before them.

A murmur went through the crowd as they spoke. "Emperor Redwood. Queen Iara and the Tamer of Zigma wish to speak with you in the palace."

Alex was tempted to say he had things to do, as this sounded like an optional meeting, but then, if anyone would know about turning Sinistea shards into armor, it was Rio's ruler. At the very least, he expected she'd be able to point him towards someone who did.

Isamu, meanwhile, seemed to be panicking slightly. As they walked behind the guards, two more flanked them from behind, and it soon became clear as to why. Cheers erupted from a rather large crowd of people in what seemed like one of if not the largest city centers in Rio. Alex gave them a wave as they walked, and the cheers grew louder. Apparently, all but ending hunger made one immensely popular with the masses.

Eventually, they made it through the city center, at which point Alex turned, smirked, and Shouted at them, "Enjoy your burgers!" This prompted more wild cheering, and Alex chuckled. The good mood in Rio today was infectious. For his part, Isamu had stayed quiet, and occasionally looked at his new teacher with genuine awe. He'd claimed, multiple times now to the many fans who approached them, that he wasn't actually responsible for the replicators. He'd really just greenlit the project and helped train the army of Rotom needed to operate them. The scientists deserved the credit, but Isamu, and Alex's fans, knew better. Ninety nine percent of other people would've monetized an infinite food generator into an infinite money generator as well. It took a special kind of person to ignore their greed, and feed most of the world. For free. The teen's eyes narrowed slightly. It was almost like Alex didn't fully comprehend what he'd done. Humility was good, but this was ending world hunger. It was a big deal. Barring a disaster, every subsequent generation of human would go without ever needing to feel hunger again. Obviously, some probably would, but the majority of the species now had their basic needs met.

Eventually they reached the palace, at which an even larger crowd was crowded around the gates. Once again cheering erupted and quickly became deafening. Alex didn't remember seeing so many people the last time he'd been in the city. Almost as an afterthought, Alex said, "Ahh. Nearly forgot. Aevum! Why don't you join us?"

Isamu's eyes went wide as he processed Alex's words through the cheering, and then saw his Latios appear. "You almost forgot you have a Latios!?"

The cheerful blue psychic dragon jet circled and flipped around Isamu. "Greetings, newest Padawan. I am Aevum." He inclined his head for pats, and Isamu very gently stroked his short, fine feathers. Aevum floated behind them as they made their way to Iara's throne room. The water was now significantly lessened, replaced by a heavy darkness that covered the entire chamber. Iara smiled as she saw them and stood up from her throne. "Emperor Re-, err, Alex." She corrected, remembering what he preferred. "Thank you for coming. I know how busy you must be with the World Tournament's finale drawing closer."

Alex bowed, low, closed fist to open palm, and Isamu followed his lead. "Queen Iara. Always good to see you. And you as well, Zigma. Nelinha." He said, standing, and staring directly into the darkness behind the throne. Isamu tensed, and started to sweat as he felt what he could only describe as imminent death. His spine was tingling, his body was sweating more and more, and he fidgeted in the presence of the Guardian of the Dark Continent.

Zigma purred, as the darkness receded, and its effects went with it. Her glowing red eyes melting out of the darkness had unnerved Isamu, but it was what Alex had come to expect from Tao's counterpart. "Drrrragon Emperorrr. You have fed my people, for no price. You have sent your…Earthbenders…your Scales, to rebuild our ruined city. My home flourrrishes…by your will."

She lowered her head by Iara, and Nelinha hopped off, her expression unreadable, hidden behind a smirk similar to Alex's. "Tell the Dragon. We agree to his terms of a more lasting Alliance. Our lands shall once more be bound in friendship and trust, as it was in the ancient era." Her massive lips pulled up into a feline smirk. "You have…imprrrressed me."

"You've impressed all of us." Nelinha chimed in. "I hope we meet at the World Tournament. I want to know just where my team and I stand compared to you."

Alex tried not to nerd out, as he realized he was, much like Red and N and Leon before him, a bar by which powerful Trainers now measured their strength. And how far they had yet to go. "I'd look forward to that as well, Nelinha. It would be a Battle to remember, for sure." The intense blue eyes shifted back to the Queen, then. "Did you require me for something specific, Iara? A problem with a Replicator, maybe?"

She shook her head and her wavy blue locks shifted like waves as she did. "Not particularly, no. I simply wished to impress upon you what your gifts to my people mean to us. Whatever you need while you stay here, we are happy to provide."

"Well…there are a few things I could use aid with. First and foremost, I believe my new friend here would like to speak to Eo, if he's around. And the little one, too, probably." Alex gestured as he spoke, and Aevum appeared from where he'd been invisibly skulking, genuinely shocking not just Iara, but also Zigma, with what he saw as recognition. He was starting to wonder just how much Aevum had gotten around, in ye olden days. And who exactly he had been.

"It has been ages…it is good you have awakened, Aevum. The Successor has returned." The shadows parted around Zigma's form, and Alex's eyes narrowed. He'd been told Mew had helped Zigma recover from her encounter, but her body was still raggedly thin.

Aevum flew forward, concerned. "Alex mentioned that…once…vaguely…much has happened as we've traveled. Ahh, I see…this Shadow corruption…it yet lingers. Forgive me for this, Zigma." Aevum shone brightly then, and Alex's eyes widened, as he tapped into the realm of Light Energy. Since he was also a psychic, it did make some sense that, if he opened his own bodily energy network, he could also channel it, like Arthur did. Golden aura radiated off of him, and his feathers seemed changed in color as well, as he used a true Luster Purge.

Zigma was severely damaged by the attack, but the corruption lingering in her body like a festering disease was burned away in the Light of the Alpha. Aevum bestowed Life Dew on her then, and the Light faded, as the still rather young dragon became slumpy, his flight pattern wobbling. It was at that moment, that Eo arrived. He spoke only to Iara, and mentally, before carrying Aevum off to recover. Iara spoke then to Alex. "Aevum will rest here for a few days, if that is alright with you. He spent a lot of power, power his new form wasn't ready for…but that's just who he is. It's not the first time he's gone too far for a Guardian. It won't be the last, I'm sure. Do you know of his importance to the Latis?"

"I do not." Alex said, but then he held up his palm with the strange silvery mark. "He did give me this when he hatched, though. When I channel my power through it, my moves become exponentially stronger."

"In that case, I will let him divulge his species secrets when he is ready to do so. I would advise speaking to him about the Successor. Now…what else do you require? It seems we are even more indebted to you."

Alex shook his head. "Let's forgo the concept of debts. I would've ordered him to Purge and heal Zigma myself if he hadn't done so immediately. There need not be a cost between allies. I only hope you and yours aid the Empire if we're ever in dire straits in return. Now then, I need armor for my Ceruledge, and uh…the helmet has to be very specific, for mine, for uh…reasons. Also…" He called out Noir, who yawned, and had been napping. His eyes widened, as he took in the enormous throne room, and Zigma behind it. The thin Guardian was already looking healthier by the second, though it would take time to recover what the Shadow had eaten away. "I was told that my friend here can attain a…divergent evolution, in Selva Muerta. I wish to know how."

"A simple pair of requests, easily filled." Iara said with a smile. "We have many who are capable of forging Ghost Type Pokémon materials into useful items, usually weapons, but we do have several armor specialists throughout Rio as well."

Alex nodded. "I need the nerdiest armor specialist you have." He said, completely seriously, as he struggled not to smirk.

Iara chuckled though, seeing through him. "The…nerdiest? You'll want Ribeiro. Antonio Ribeiro. He's a perfectionist, and an artist, but his skills are legitimate, and have been honed by his family for…ages. He's the best smith in this part of Rio."

Alex nodded, satisfied with that information, and then said, "And my friend here?"

Noir had padded towards Zigma in awe, and she seemed quite amused by the foreign-born son of the jungle. Iara eyed him for a moment, and then sighed. "Muertan Meowscarada…are very rare. And extremely deadly. Masterful night hunters, their leaves help them blend in perfectly with the jungle. There is arguably no other Pokémon that blends in as well as they do. They eat Humans, too. However, because they're so strong, Sprigatito and Floragato are often targeted while they're young, so they don't end up evolving. As for how…" Iara closed her eyes, and then shrugged. "You'd have to ask Professor Cashapona. He would be the one most likely to know."

Alex nodded, and kept Noir out beside him, as Zigma seemed to be communicating something to him. "I'll be back for Aevum before I return home." He informed the queen. She nodded gracefully, wished him well, and then he and Isamu were off again. He could sense Isamu was glad he hadn't been noticed, but Alex didn't pry.

Once they were outside, he and Isamu walked and talked once the cheers grew quieter. "Stuff like that happens to you a lot, huh?" Isamu asked. "Just randomly being invited to talk by royalty and Legends?"

Alex pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Once I became Champion, the amazement faded pretty quickly. Being around Tao so much and see him rebuilding his ancient home blew my mind, but pretty quickly it just became work, as I recall." He purposefully left out what he and Jess had been doing while others had focused far more on the rebuilding effort.

Isamu stopped suddenly then, and Alex slowed to a stop as well, raising an eyebrow. "I hope…I hope you understand how big of a deal ending world hunger is."

"Well, it's not the whole world yet, and it's not just me-"

Isamu cut him off. "I know, I heard you telling people. It's the scientists, but you need to understand, every other world leader, both today and across our history, would've monetized these machines. You pushed them through the red tape and the greed before corporations even knew Replicators existed. And it is the whole world now. The Imperium accepted your Replicators yesterday." Alex and Noir stared quietly, as this was clearly something Isamu had wanted to say all day. "You just guaranteed free food for the entire Human race. For as long as those Rotom last. Which is basically forever. I don't think you fully understand just how big this is…only the Holder of Arceus did things like this…and he had the power of the Creation Trio to help him!"

Alex and Noir shared a look. Then, still quiet, Alex said, "You're comparing me to the man who befriended and tamed a God?"

Isamu chuckled. "No, well, not yet anyway. I might once I see you in actual combat. But other people have started drawing comparisons. It's been all over Chatter."

Alex frowned slightly at the mention of the waste of time and effort that was Chatter. It had only grown worse since Elmo Musk took over. "I don't really care for social media. It emboldens too many wastes of DNA."

Isamu raised an eyebrow. "Really? I thought most famous Trainers talked to their fans on Chatter, or at least a Glaicebook group."

Alex made a face, and hid his guilt at successfully avoiding the main method fans had for interfacing with their favorite Trainers. "I usually let Lux handle all that. I used to let Nox do it, but…he kept mercilessly trolling people."

"You should interact more on there. Your fans would like it, I think." Isamu suggested.

Alex shrugged. "I might…if I ever get a minute. Right now, I have almost sixty Pokémon to train, so. Social media doesn't take priority."

They made their way out of the city, and activated their aura shields as they walked to the short but still inhabited route to the Cashapona lab. It reminded Alex of the Coumarine Gym, mostly because it had been grown in and around a large tree. The Professor looked almost the same as he had when Nelinha had ascended as Rio's newest Champion and Tamer. Almost immediately he started admiring Noir.

"Such a fine coat…" He gushed, poking it gently. Noir's eyes narrowed, and his fur turned as sharp as needles. "Ohho! And sharp." The Professor smirked at Alex. "Let me guess, he doesn't like his Special Attacks, and he prefers using his vine to grow thorns and whip enemies until they faint."

Alex and Noir quickly shared a glance, before looking back at the aged Professor. He had wrinkled bronze skin and a slowly decaying posture, but the gleam of intelligence was still very much alive in his green eyes. "He and I agreed that would be a bit…much…for a Battle. Unless the opponent he's facing is a Lairon or something, which can take that sort of punishment and still be fine."

The Professor raised a gray eyebrow. "And you trust him not to strangle his opponents to death? He doesn't lose himself to viciousness?"

Alex shook his head. "He initially had urges to, right after evolving and learning to use his new Moves like this, but I've trained him to be better than that. The fact that he's well fed also helped."

The Professor scribbled down some rapid notes on some paper on his cluttered desk, and then stood. "Well then Mr. Redwood, it seems you and young Noir are exactly the kind of pair that can achieve his alternate evolution, and master it enough to be used in Battle. Our last Champion had one as well, and he was quite ferocious." The old man's eyes gleamed. "I'm sure you'll use Noir to his full potential. To unlock it, you must journey to the abode of the Rain Sage. Within his area of influence is an ancient Grassy Rock, the kind Eevee evolves into Leafeon with, but this one is special. It radiates Dark Typed Energy as well…actually, being a psychic, you may want to send Noir in alone. It's powerful, and potentially damaging or corroding to those with a natural weakness to darkness. From what the last Champion told me, his Meowscarada did not rampage when it evolved, though he was very moody for a while, apparently some local Gatonip set him straight real quick."

Noir's tail swished eagerly at the mention of the plant, which was actually genetically related to Leaf, and had a unique effect on feline Pokémon. Alex nodded, promising to get him a steady supply of it, now that he realized just how much Noir seemed to enjoy it. Despite not being dark typed yet, he had a tendency to be aloof and a loner, a lot like Ictus. Alex had caught Noir and the large Drapion having many a conversation in the darkness of the spots in which they camped. Nox also sometimes appeared, but the Korian Gengar seemed to dislike being away from his Trainer's shadow for too long.

Alex thanked the Professor for the information, offered him decent seats in Unova's newest World Tournament stadium when he subtly asked for them, and then Isamu had a choice to make. The Professor gave out Torchic, Sprigatito, and Floatzel as potential starters. Despite them both being dark typed, Rio's Meowscarada were very capable of Playing Rough, and an Amazonian Floatzel was a force of nature unto itself. According to the Professor, not even the wild Meowscarada actively hunted the local Floatzel. Their groups had a bad tendency to hold grudges, and they were not above eating another species' eggs. It wasn't a common practice in the Pokémon world, and it was almost entirely something only dark types, like Mandibuzz, ever did, but even in a world with a surplus of berries, some Pokémon preferred the taste of eggs, as a leftover from the old Earth species Mew had copied and improved upon.

Alex's goal for Isamu was pretty simple: have him create a second team, and travel across Rio with them, while he trained. His first team was half Zygarde Cores, and while he would still feed and try to bond with them, Alex insisted he needed a team of his own that could battle and listen to him. Apparently the Klinklang, Hitmonlee, and Torkoal filling out his belt alongside Kuromuchi and Kanchi were all also shiny, inherited from ancient Trainers mysteriously connected to the first Pokémon Leagues, and didn't have a high opinion of Isamu. The one exception to this was his Riolu, who had apparently been so powerful as a Lucario in the ways of aura, that he'd been able to reincarnate as an egg when his body finally gave in to entropy. Even steel types died eventually, but the former Aura Guardian saw promise in Isamu that the others claimed he did not have. Kanchi had told Alex that he was positive they'd come around eventually, they always did, and Alex had a feeling that would be when Isamu proved he was worthy of battling alongside them after beating some gyms. They had established a psychic link, and Alex invited the ravenously curious youth to ask him whatever questions he wanted, any time but the four hours in which he slept. Judging by the eagerness in his eyes, Isamu would probably keep him busy with questions for quite some time, before he ran out of steam.

In the end, Isamu had chosen Torchic, as having a powerful fiery fighter in a land full of grass types was, to him, a no brainer. He was also a huge fan of Blaziken Mask, and he liked the idea of a Pokémon who could, someday, keep up with him when he used all five Zygarde Cores in sync. He dubbed the spiky tufted Torchic Dynamight, after Alex suggested giving him a name, and the eager little boychick had affirmed that he wanted one. With the Padawan on his way to grinding levels and bonding with Pokémon who, from what Alex had heard from them, were sick and tired of being passed down from human to human, he made his own way into Selva Muerta, atop Shruikan this time. Only one Noivern had the cojones to test Shruikan's obvious might, and a masterful booming Thunder sent it hurtling down towards the forest floor as it reflexively shrank. Thankfully, when they were that small and dense, very little could hurt a Pokémon. Even a hundred plus foot drop.

Alex found a relatively isolated spot with fewer Pokémon minds, and those who didn't outright attack them, he was able to ask to move elsewhere, at least for a few weeks. Once he explained what a week was to them, they agreed to stay away until his frost exuding Aurorus was no longer in the area. Those who attacked, were simply driven off when they realized just how outclassed they were, and that the unfamiliar cold temperatures weren't going to just go away. The entire area Alex cordoned off was about four point two zero miles, which while rather large, was a blip compared to the size of the rainforest. Very quickly Gelauros had tired in the tropical climate, and Alex had a clone on standby with Ethers and Elixirs from his bag to keep his power consistently going. Just the act of constantly forcing the temperature to change was very good training, and it made their encircled area a lot more bearable in terms of temperature. A weak psychic barrier followed the earthbended circle, to keep out irritating and disease carrying insects that had not become Pokémon. It also hid them from an aerial view, though the frozen vegetation was a bit of a giveaway that an ice type that did not belong was inhabiting this part of the rainforest.

Once their spot was set up, Alex eagerly released his fifty plus members. "Well boys…we're finally here. It feels like it took ages, but we made it. This is the final stretch." He paced before them as he spoke, but his Words reached them all. "From this point on, our goal is Victory. We will face the opponents in the qualifying matches, Semifinals, and Finals without prejudice or favor. The only bar I will measure with is strength, and your chances of winning. We'll be facing the strongest Trainers on the planet. Not all of you will see action in this tournament, but there will be others. And other Battles besides. I will do my best as your Trainer not to neglect a single one of you. Now then…the assignments."

He stopped in front of Terra, who was, of course, in the center of his team. Many of the newer members were chilling on his shell, but listening attentively. "Those of you who have reached your final evolutions, will begin working on truly mastering the Moves I've taught you with Unova's reusable TMs. It's one thing to know a Move well enough for Battle, it's another entirely to make it your own, and improve upon it. And that, is the name of the game boys. Not only will we overwhelm our opponents with our numbers, we will make full use of each and every single one of your Move pools. Once that is achieved, you will begin working on custom Moves. For the A Team, this is your primary focus, in between helping the newbies. Terra already showed you how it's done, with Curse and Frenzy Plant. I'm sure the rest of you can match him." His main ten nodded, confidently grunting in unison.

The rest of you will, for now, focus on traversing the jungle with your clone of me, and gaining Battle experience. You need to protect the clone at all costs. If something makes it break, you could end up alone out here with your ball lost. I could probably find each of you with our mental link, but that will take time, and if something that can break one of my copies is attacking you, time will not be something you have. If it does break, try to stick to the area, and defend your Pokéball. Shruikan and I will move quickly to recover you, and it, and make sure it doesn't happen again. Some of you may end up in groups, since defending me may not be your forte."

"Revan, Noir, and all the newbs from BBA will be with me, as I evolve them, and train them up against Rio's Trainers. For some reason, you guys are registering at a more than high enough level to evolve already…so once we sort out your Moves, that will be our goal. Arthur, since you're as ready as you're going to be, I want you overseeing their training. If a new custom Move idea hits you, you and I can go over it when the others are resting." The Gallade nodded resolutely, and smirked. Alex could tell he was excited. The best way to get new ideas for custom moves was to see how other species used moves, and adapt them. Since he was a master of type energy manipulation by this point, Arthur was eager to learn. In his head, he saw a kind of rainbow punch outline involving using every type, all together, all at once. With his Stellar Tera Typing, that would probably be devastatingly powerful while Terastallized.

Alex clapped his absurdly large hands together, and the sharp sound made his partner's ears twitch as it echoed loudly through the area. "That's all for now, lads. Get to it and try not to damage the landscape too much." He split himself into a multitude of clones then and began pairing off with his team. Some of them wanted to battle one of their brothers immediately, while others were eager to test the ferocity of the world's most dangerous jungle at night. Alex had studied the general levels of the Pokémon here, what little records Rio had on them, and there were quite a few routes that stretched from Rio and well into the forest, despite them being mostly overgrown and filled with mortal peril that would do nicely for training. He'd also dipped into his rarely used bank account to give everyone who needed one a Lucky Egg. Thanks to the Replicators also being capable of item creation, making them was ease itself, apparently. Normal and fairy energy condensed into an egg shape that would greatly enhance the amount of Exp gained from their battles in the jungle.

Getting nearly half a hundred of them had left a dent in his supply of currency, but making more was as simple as calling his merchandise liaison, or sending a clone to PokéStar Studios. They paid ridiculous amounts of currency for famous cameos, and he'd already done a few, as well as made a series of poses that the Victory League's unofficial merchandise master had slapped onto shirts, shoes, backpacks, hats, anything that could be cheaply made and sold at a reasonable rate.

Finally, Alex prime split off a final clone, the one who would take Noir and Revan to evolve and train up the newbies once he did so. He levitated, sitting cross legged in the air, as he and Terra and the others weak to ice sat near Gelauros, and shivered. Even as the sun faded, the humidity stayed in the air for Gelauros to fight. After sitting around and shivering got boring, Alex set up his dex to project some anime, and together, they struggled to endure the cold as they watched the conclusion of the Fourth Great Ninja War.

Sahqoreyth · Dec 24, 2024

Chapter 57: Rumble in the Jungle

A few parts of this chapter are going to be broken up into named sections, because we're dealing with so many Pokémon pretty much simultaneously in what is essentially a montage chapter, with a journey in the middle. Hopefully, this will help you all remember our protag's team a bit better by the time the tournament gets going. Alex's full roster for the tournament will be at the end of the chapter, on sites that support images. You can also find them on DA.

Also, if you haven't noticed the 'side saga' I've been writing since like...July...go ahead and read that on FFN or Royal Road.

As always, Enjoy.

The Top Twenty

As their team spread out across the just over four miles they'd claimed as their training ground, the members of the A and B teams coalesced. Alex's top ten remained unchanged, with Terra, Hydrus, Blaze, Leo, Arthur, Shruikan, Cenomons, Gelauros, Ictus, and even Lux, who was floating among them with his hilt. The B team had, however, had some slight changes in roster. Eremus was now apparently one of the largest Flygon in the Mohave Desert, and he was helping the desert Pokémon adapt to the returning life in the land. Tao's wisdom helped them coexist with the species that were migrating to these newly habitable areas, and apparently, from what he'd told Alex, he was not the only formerly trained Pokémon out there. The League had, after evaluating them of course, released many of the Arcean crusader's Pokémon to the wild, and Eremus had become a kind of leader among them thanks to both his strength and kindness. Alex was genuinely proud of him.

Replacing his dragon and ground type was, naturally, his Garchomp Kalagon, who was eager to reach the same level as everyone else. He had a growing lust for battle that rivaled Shruikan's, and when Blaze was too lazy or tired to indulge Shruikan's admittedly greater endurance, he had found a worthy sparring partner in Kalagon. The massive Garchomp had his head raised proudly among their group of twenty. His Lapras, Pruina, had also wished to do as Eremus had done, but for the Pokémon of the eastern Atlantican coast. She'd quickly ended up with a pod of her species, and Alex had expected no less. They were a matriarchal species, usually, and they gravitated on instinct towards the most powerful female they could find. She wanted to be more social than Eremus though, so she had started training her pod to carry Trainers, or regular citizens, across Unova's coast. In time, she wanted to have pods on every State that had a coastline. Replacing her was his Kingdra, Kral, who had grown rapidly into his new draconic form since evolving. He and James Pond often had shooting contests, which Kral won with regularity despite the Inteleon's accuracy. Kral had speed, and quite a bit more power, in addition to his ability, Sniper.

The final change came from his Orbeetle, Sensus, who was now officially the Empire's best method of detecting threats. His training had gotten him to a high level, and apparently, his job also gave him Experience. Both Pruina and Sensus had agreed to battle, if the team needed them, in the World Tournament. Though Eremus had hid it, he was a bit salty about being replaced by a Garchomp, and had claimed he was too busy for silly human tournaments anyway. 'Maybe next time' had been his answer, and while the salt was a factor, Alex knew he wanted the desert to be more stable and in balance before he left it for long periods to train and compete. The replacement for Sensus, as a psychic type, was why they had gathered. Joining them alongside their respective clones of their Trainer were Espeo, Psi, his Kadabra, and Atlas, his shiny new Metang.

"This is a waste of time." Shruikan started with an arrogant rumble. "Espeo is the eldest. You have had him longer. He deserves the spot. He deserved it more than even Sensus, the bug was only among us because he had to track down Avatar Jimen."

"That's an opinion." Alex nodded. "But I always intended for Sensus to be our radar. And once he evolved, he practically shuddered with excitement when I suggested it. He had no qualms about leaving. He was always content to eventually be replaced. He knows he's a valued part of his 'colony'. Thus, here we are." Alex took a deep sigh, then. "For a team with a Trainer who is so well known as a psychic, our Psychic Type battle power is lacking. We've only ever really needed Arthur, but now Arthur is available, at best, half the time. Canis and Astrum have covered that deficit, but this spot needs to be filled by a powerhouse. And we have three, even if two of you still need to evolve. I would know your thoughts, Espeo."

As usual, his naturally mild but now artificially modest Espeon was casually licking his paw and grooming himself throughout the discussion. "I'm flattered Shruikan, rrreally," He said with a purr, nodding with respect to the looming black Salamence, his forked tail shifted and swished behind him. "But I agree with Alex. We need overwhelming psychic power, and my species simply doesn't have that. Not without decades of training, and honestly, overwhelming power is not something I desire. Thus far I have been in the background, using my Sight and my skills as needed, when needed. To moderate disputes, feed the new members, instruct the new members, heal injuries, or even enhance a city's battlefield barrier when Terra decides to spawn a forest out of nowhere."

Terra rumbled with a chuckle. "I did do that, didn't I." He smacked his lips, speaking slowly, as his brothers chuckled at his nonchalance. "No regrets."

Alex nodded, as he chuckled with them. "I will use you as you wish to be used, Espeo. If you ever feel the urge to Battle, don't hesitate to tell me. You've been able to grow through your actions so far, but eventually, you Will reach a plateau that only punching upwards will get you across." His psychic cat prowled over to him, and purred against his legs, seemingly very satisfied with this arrangement. "Now then…that just leaves who officially replaces you. Psi. Atlas." The two newer members of the team snapped to attention, Psi with his spoon literally standing straight up again, and Atlas with his expressive eyes, focused on his Trainer. "I'll be training both of you, make no mistake. I intend to make you both some of the strongest Pokémon in the world as I promised, but this is more a matter of use and preference. When I have Arthur on hand, one of you will have to directly back him up, on the B Team, especially if the Muk ever hits the Fan Rotom. Like it almost did at the Fury Falls. When Arthur is not on hand, Canis will be in his spot, which means both of you will fill in on the B Team. Honestly, it's just a matter of who wants to Battle more and take on more responsibility. Psi, let's hear your thoughts first."

The Kadabra gave a sagely nod. "As you have surmised, I have accepted your offer to become the strongest. Though initially skeptical thanks to how…chill…this team is, I can now properly foresee my potential, and it is nearly limitless under your guidance. With that said…my preference is for gaining knowledge. Battling cuts into this time. Your top twenty Pokémon also have many Special Attackers among them. Atlas is, I believe, more suited to Battling more often. He will learn better from Arthur's physical techniques than I will, and taking on responsibility seems to be something he is quite eager to do. I wish to take a more…intuitive role, on this team. I will keep apprised of the world's news, and the goings on of Human culture. Someone has to. All the dark ghost and the spark do is troll on Chatter and doom scroll through Reditto." Lux chuckled, and Nox feigned a look of indignance, until his species trademark smirk returned, along with a chuckle. He couldn't be mad when the psychic was correct.

Alex nodded again. "Very well. You're on intelligence gathering, and once you evolve and train, you may browse the Pokénet as you wish. I'll be taking you with the other new members, with the clone that will be journeying with Isamu around the Rio circuit for a bit. There are a few methods of achieving your final form, but they all require you to be at a higher level." With that said, he turned to Atlas. "Are you willing to Battle that often? To officially join the B Team?"

The platinum Metang gave a mighty metallic roar. "I will take on this duty…once I grow stronger and evolve."

Alex chuckled. "You're still going to be training. You have Moves to master. All of you do. I'm taking you out with us too, Atlas. See if we can't find ourselves another shiny Beldum. Until we depart, work on the Moves that the TMs gave you. We'll need all of them in the Finals." With that, they set about training their resistance to the cold with Gelauros. This involved Alex taking those with double or quadruple weaknesses to ice, and sitting in his proximity, as he battled the natural heat and humidity of the Dark Continent with his own self-made Blizzard. Their task was to keep up their respective shields as long as they could and then resist the cold as long as they could, at which point they'd be recalled, one by one, until Gelauros needed a break, or they all succumbed to the frost. As he began shuddering from the intense cold, Alex kept his eyes closed, meditating and focusing hard as he managed his sixty or so clones of himself.

Revan, his Charcadet, still needed his armor, and soon, the commission would be fulfilled. The blacksmith in question, a man called Antonio, had been thrilled to have the chance to have his work adorn an Emperor's Ceruledge, one who would undoubtedly grace the World Tournament's stage before long, and Alex had agreed to let him mark it with his brand, so long as it wasn't too obnoxiously visible. Champ and Kel, his newly evolved Machoke and Gurdurr, were also coming on the Rio road trip, as were Psi and Atlas. Fulguron had become an Electabuzz as he'd advanced with his training, and Alex knew the process for getting him to become an Electivire would require a city's power network. The rest of the travel roster included Gauss, his Charjabug, who'd evolved after eating enough of his Magnezone's electricity, Dracala, his Noibat, and Simon, his Drilbur. All needed basic experience to evolve to their final forms. Luckily, he knew everything he needed would be available in Rio. They had a stock of Trainer items to rival Castelia and Levincia.

The Angry Chicken

Alex had his Infernape, Goku, and his Cinderace, Cinder, with him as he held a twitching fiery colored Luxury Ball in his oversized hand. They were near Sombra Verde, home of the seventh gym of Rio's circuit, the dark typed gym. The people of Sombra Verde were, to date, the only group of humans insane enough to willingly live in Selva Muerta itself, and their population suffered as a result of that choice. Every year, the local Pokémon of the jungle tested the humans, chipping away at their resolve until they left, and every year the humans stayed, mostly because their Gym Leader was able to protect the settlement from being wiped out, and had no qualms about taking in criminals, or former criminals. Whoever helped protect the town, got to stay, apparently. Alex didn't know the man's name, yet, but he did know he was a League recognized Dark Type Pokémon Master.

The town was not their focus today, however. Since Alex had first caught his Torchic, who he'd nicknamed Garuda, he had very quickly evolved on his own into a Combusken, and ever since, only answered Alex's attempts to train him with fierce Pecks and Double Kicks. Alex could handle them of course, but the furious fire hen always preferred to attack, instead of listen. It was time for that to end. It had been years at this point, after all. Garuda had acclimated to tolerating the other Redwoods, because they fed him, and he ruled their roost of Torchic and other Combusken. Alex was the only one he actively attacked, but enough was finally enough. It was time for an ultimatum.

He tossed the ball, and as always, the angry eyes of the fiery fighting chicken looked around, took in the environment, and then settled with anger on the tall frame of his Trainer. He also glanced at Cinder and Goku, and a smirk formed on Garuda's beak. "Finally attacking me, are you? I knew you were full of Muk. You're literally the worst Human!" As usual, the insult was followed by a fierce Peck, but Alex was done indulging his shenanigans.

"Blaze Kick."

Cinder launched into the attack before the burning bird could so much as blink, and then he let out a painful squawk as the flaming rabbit foot forced the air from his lungs and sent him rolling back into the dirt. For the first time, he looked at Alex's irritated but still passive face with fear, and Alex hated that he had to do this. But nothing else had worked. For years now. Some species really did only understand one language: the language of strength. It was long past time that Garuda understood who he was.

"I'm done, Garuda. I've tried giving you space. Talking to you as I easily dodged your attacks. Letting you rule the roost, back home, in the hope that some females might calm you the Muk down, but alas, it's just made you more arrogant. Now, you understand. You resist Fire Moves, but that one nearly knocked you out. Cinder was holding back, too. If we wanted you unconscious, you would be."

"You call me arrogant, you self-righteous ape!? I'll end you!" His Peck appeared again then, and Alex watched as it swirled, becoming a Drill Peck instead. He sighed again. Garuda still didn't get it. A life of leisure on the ranch had kept him from understanding just who his Trainer was, and despite his attempts to have the rest of the team explain, Garuda tended to attack them, as well, viciously insulting them until they left him and his females alone. Even Po had left the Combusken house dejected, and disappointed that he'd failed his Trainer's request. Po had been the last, and after half a day of trying, he'd come to Alex saying, "That guy…that guy hates you…" It was at that point that Alex knew more violent measures would have to be taken.

"Mach Punch."

This time, Goku blurred forward, and the results of his training showed, as with one of his weakest moves, he got under Garuda's guard, and hammered him with a quick, powerful jab that sent the Drill Peck into nonexistence, as once again, Garuda was sent spinning across the ground.

"I said I was Done with your BS." Alex repeated, as he appeared over the nearly fainted Combusken, and glared at him. The weight of the Word kept the fierce fire hen from rising again, as his deep blue aura started burning around the human's body in a fiery outline. "I need you to hear me, Garuda. So shut the Muk up, for once, and listen. I'm going to become the World Champion. That's what my team and I are aiming for. I want you on that team. I've wanted you on it since the day I caught you. You're so full of potential, but your damned personality keeps you weak, isolated, alone on the ranch. Enough is enough, though. This farce ends today." He crossed his arms, and for once, finally, it seemed like Garuda was listening to him and at least recognizing his skill as a Trainer of Pokémon, if not a different kind of human. Being taken down with two moves would hurt anyone's pride, and Garuda had never seen a human glow like this. "You will either begin training with the others, so that I can make you one of the most powerful Blaziken in the world, or I will release you here, in a Region where your species thrives. Not this spot exactly, but close. You can spend your days as a Combusken, and never see me, or the ranch, again while I find a Torchic that doesn't despise me. Make your choice."

Still weak, and on the edge of fainting, Garuda slowly stood up again. "You would…take me away from my Eggs? My wives!? And you expect me to bend to your threats!? You have…no idea…just who the Hell I am!" Flames rose around him in an impressive Flame Charge, considering he'd never been trained, and he charged at Alex again, as Goku and Cinder sighed and frowned in disappointment respectively. This time, Alex just raised a hand himself. The flames went out as they were forcibly guided away, and Garuda's eyes went wide as he psychically hung in the air, in awe. For the first time, he sensed his Trainer's aura properly, and he was speechless at its power. Deep down, he started to believe the human's words. A Trainer like this really could push him to the heights of the world.

"Give me your answer." Alex demanded, holding him in the air still, without inflicting more pain. Weakened as he was, that would faint him, and Alex didn't want to heal him and just attack him again, as that would be actual abuse at that point.

The Combusken looked down at the ground, then. "I have hated you…Human. Since the day you caught me…something about your eyes…just rubbed me the wrong way. The way you looked at me…kept me, in that ball, and on that ranch, like a possession. Despite my slavery, I made that ranch a home. A new one, to replace the one you took me from!" He tried attacking again, but this time, his flames didn't respond. He was truly stuck in the air, at Alex's mercy. He looked up again with tears forming in his eyes. "I know I can't win against you. I've always known you were strong…but this is…more than I could have imagined. I hate you. For taking me from my wives, for forcing me to fight, or lose my home. Again. To serve, or be left abandoned in a foreign country." He met Alex's eyes then. "I will fight, Human…but I will Never stop hating you."

Alex sighed, and looked down, very tempted to just release him, or accept his words and his hate and let time sort it out. But no, he decided, Garuda had enough time already. All he lacked now was perspective. Thus, Alex gave it. "You misunderstand much, so I will help you remember your humble beginnings. Your former home, one I bet you barely even recall, was a forest. You lived in dirt and I found you in a rotted stump, full of bugs that were infesting your feathers. I saw the potential in you the moment our eyes met. So I caught you. I should have asked first, though. You are right. You're one of the only Pokémon I've caught that way, but I wasn't just going to give up on you before even trying. I figured, like most Pokémon, you'd come around to the idea of getting stronger, eventually." His expression and tone softened, as Goku put a hand on his shoulder, and nodded. This was the right way to do this. His little fire monkey had become rather wise, with age and training. Sometimes. When he wasn't occupied by eating an entire harvest worth of Nanab berries.

Alex let the hurt show, in his big blue eyes. "But all you did was attack me. From the day I caught you, until this very day, all you have ever answered me with, is violence and hate. I gave you a life of comfort you would never have found in the White Forest. Some other Trainer would've caught you, or traded you, or released you somewhere you couldn't survive. I helped you thrive, I gave you access to our female egg layers and cemented your genetic lineage, and all I got from you as a result was more hate. More attacks. You wouldn't even speak to me, once I could understand you! I finally thought we could work things out when I learned that skill, but no. All it did was show me exactly what you'd been saying each time we met. Swears, hate, and promises of violence." Alex lowered him to the ground, and released his psychic hold. Cinder tensed, fully expecting the arrogant fire hen to attack again, but Goku was the picture of calm. "If we're going to work together, you need to forgive me for catching you. I've tried doing right by you, Garuda. The Least you owe me for the life you have and enjoy, is a chance to train you properly, especially if you want to keep enjoying said life. We're not ready to Battle together. Not yet. We'll start with talking. There's a lot to catch you up on. Can you at least agree not to attack me on sight?"

Hearing Alex's perspective did make Garuda feel slightly guilty. Indeed, now that he thought about his former home, it had been a constant fight for food in that forest. His 'home' had been infested with small itchy bugs that the Redwood Lab had cleaned him of. He'd been kept healthy, happy, and well fed, but Alex was right. All he'd gotten for his attempts at bonding properly were battle-level moves towards his person, and he hadn't once retaliated, until now. Finally, Garuda spoke. "Yea. I…I'm realizing now how I've been acting. The mere sight of you made me…too angry to even listen. But we can talk, I guess. If you're not busy…"

Alex just smiled at him. "I have time. Return, all of you. We'll chat back at the training camp." He recalled the three fire typed starters, and bamfed back to their base, satisfied that, finally, progress towards having a Blaziken, a naturally adamant one at that, who had the Speed Boost ability, had been made. He hoped that one day, he and Garuda would look back at the start of their relationship and be able to laugh.

The Warrior, The Spy, and The Ninja

Maromnis crouched low amidst the wooden posts that were acting as his targets. He'd studied the ancient Japanese masters of the art of the sword since evolving into a Samurott, and Alex had encouraged this. Leo had even suggested several anime, and once Shippuden wrapped up, they were moving on to Dark Clover. The crouched Samurott from another era took a long breath, and then he struck with both Scalchops in a flash of movement that was starting to reach the speeds needed for the World Tournament.

The logs were perfectly sliced in half. As they flew into the air from the force of the cut, a swarm of Water Shuriken, undoubtedly also inspired by their ninja anime binge, nailed each log with improving aim. Before the shuriken had even landed though, rapidly fired dual-handed Snipe Shots had impacted them with blinding speed. As Alex examined the combined attacks, he nodded, satisfied.

"I was worried that using the candy would weaken you, but you've all grown into your new forms remarkably quick, and your Signature Moves at least are looking good." The three water type starters moved behind him in a line as he spoke, and James was the last to appear from his camouflage, and nod. "Maromnis." Alex addressed the Samurott first. "You'll want to work with Arthur, Arbor, and Revan, when he returns. Their various sword styles will help hone yours into something truly special. Work on your elemental attacks until then." The Samurott gave him a dutiful nod, and got to work with his clone of Alex, that was set to follow him around as he trained.

"Kage." The black skinned Greninja nodded at the speaking clone of his Trainer with a sharp grunt. "Masterful work, both with the Shuriken, and running up that tree. You're a Special Attacker, so you'll want to work on Dark Pulse next. Try making it faster, and don't forget to condense it too." Kage nodded again, and he and his clone bamfed elsewhere to practice.

"And James." Alex said, turning to his own charge. "Your aim has greatly improved. All we need now are your coverage Moves, and Moves that will help you move around quickly." Like the others, James nodded, but then he spoke, too.

"After my first Trainer abandoned me, I never thought I'd get to this point. And I still have so far to climb." He sighed heavily.

The clone assigned to him raised an eyebrow. "You haven't mentioned your first Trainer before. Would you mind talking about him?"

James pondered quietly for a moment, and then nodded. "His name was…erm…he went by Miko. I know that much. He taught me a bunch of Moves, and immediately challenged the…Grass Gym Leader of…Galar, probably. It was a Double Battle. We got crushed. I'd had a few road Battles on our way there, and I had a basic grasp of Ice Beam, but those two Gym Leaders completely crushed us. I don't know who the other Gym Leader was. She was strong, though."

Alex could guess what came next, but he let James continue. "It was all downhill from there. He kept trying to force me to evolve, and I just wasn't ready. I was scared, weak, and that woman he'd traveled with eventually suggested replacing me." James sighed, and a single tear appeared in his eyes. "Miko…agreed. Almost instantly. It…it broke my heart. He took her Scorbunny as his starter instead, and admittedly their color schemes did match, and it was the woman who traded me in to the Professor for another Sobble. It was…weird though. I couldn't see too well from inside my ball, but Sonia seemed…dazed when she did it. At first she'd said no to trading me in, and then that woman…Zabrina, that was her name, she did…something, and before I knew it she was given her pick of the other Sobble, and just left me there. Sonia eventually turned back to normal, but by then Zabrina was long gone with the new Sobble, and I had serious trust issues. I denied sixty seven other Trainers, until You showed up."

Alex put a large hand on the Inteleon's thin shoulder. "It's not your fault, James. Everyone loses Battles, and sometimes Humans react poorly to it. Rest assured, I will not be trading you in, unless that's what you want."

Bubble O7 shook his head. "I'm staying right here. I'll help Kage and Nox watch your back. I won't fail again, either. Let's go get stronger." And so, they did. The first thing Alex had him work on was his Ice Beam. If he could make it as accurate as Snipe Shot, they'd be in a good place, as his team's ice type coverage was, much like his fairy type coverage, somewhat lacking. He knew Astrum would be more than enough though, he just had to make sure his water types mastered their ice moves.

Not too far away, Maromnis and his clone of their Trainer were discussing sword play with Lux. The Sword Rotom had ideas, and Alex was properly amused.

"I've been thinking, Alex," Lux said eagerly, "I can change my hilt pretty much at will by this point. We could adjust our style when I do so."

He flew into Alex's hand, and winked at his Trainer, as his hilt became thicker, more suited for two of even his stupidly large hands, with a familiar t-shaped crossguard that made his nerdy Trainer's eyes widen. Lux's eyes appeared again once he was done, and Alex ignited him, grinning wide. "Strong Style!" Lux shouted, his voice deeper, as the white and black blade was now easily as long as a greatsword, and a greatsword suited for someone who was six feet and five inches tall. Or one hundred and ninety-five centimeters. The blade was almost as tall as Alex was, and it felt heavier somehow. He had to adjust his footwork as he swung, but Lux guided his strikes, and Alex knew if they could shift to this style fast enough, it could be devastatingly powerful. "Speed Shift!" Alex shouted, and Lux picked up what he was putting down, as Maromnis watched in awe.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lux's hilt became one more akin to a katana, specifically a nodachi (basically a greatsword but with a katana shape), again thanks to his wielder's size. His crossguard this time was a circle around the hilt and resembled a Taijitu symbol. His hilt also created a scabbard, which was black and shone with white energy while sheathed. It seemed to be powered by Lux. Alex assumed it would help with his draw speed, but the time it was taking to manifest was not combat friendly. Still, the white centered and black edged plasma katana blade checked his box for cool factor, and again, after a few swings he realized he and Lux could strike a lot faster in this form. It was a little awkward to sheathe at first, but since he was still a plasma sword, Alex just turned him off, reconnected him to the sheathe, and then ignited the blade again, for a blindingly quick strike that katana wielders were famous for. The Aerial Ace technique had been developed by one such swordsman, and it was that same series of sword strokes Alex and Lux used now. They had work to do, training that would have to be done with his prime body, but the result would be much more effective self defense against opponents with, for example, connecting dual scythes.

Not to be outdone, Maromnis looked at his own shell swords. Typically, they were referred to as 'seamitars', but he found he disliked the triangular shape they had. No sword he'd seen had such a poorly designed hilt, too. He used Razor Shell as Alex and Lux slashed their way through the Dragon Style's sword strikes, Maromnis willed the water energy to take a new shape. He made a proper grip as Alex and Lux noticed what he was up to, a ridged one that fit perfectly with his fingers, and wouldn't slide in his hand. The 'seamitar' was now more like a 'seatana' in terms of shape, and as the watery blade curved, Maromnis guided his control of the typed energy to rework his forearm sheathes as well. The whitish tan bone-like material that acted as his scabbard seemed to change easily, especially once he tried putting his new seatanas away.

He crouched low then, and performed a rapid Razor Shell in the air, blinking in surprise when the x-shaped water energy went so fast, it flew off of his seatanas. "Masterfully done, Maromnis." Alex said, as Lux whooped in the air. "It's like a…Water Typed Psycho Cut. Keep practicing, until Arthur tells you sword-users to gather."

For his part, Kage watched his friends as they continued to practice, but once again, mastery of Dark Pulse eluded him. He wanted to, like his father, learn it without a TM, which was pretty much the only move Alex had let him not learn like that. Because he was a dark type, he'd get it eventually, and doing it naturally promised a more solid control over dark typed energy, which was something his team actually lacked. Many could use dark moves sure, but actual Dark Type Pokémon were few in number. Nox spoke for them, since Ictus preferred not to, and even with Shadow, his Umbreon, and Noir, who would soon become dark typed with his presumed evolution to a Muertan Meowscarada, there were few. Tyranus would also become dark eventually, but Alex knew the little Larvitar was, at the moment, the most underleveled of his team. He didn't truly know if he'd be a Tyranitar by the end of their training. Pupitar took time and high quality soil to evolve, but luckily for them, Selva Muerta was naturally quite fertile.

"I will deal with Dark Energy later." Kage declared to his clone of his Trainer. "For now…I wish to resume our hunt for new brothers, in this forest of powerful Pokémon."

Alex was quiet for a bit, but Kage waited patiently, rightly assuming he was mentally figuring out where members of his team were currently training. Many were training hard against the jungle's denizens, and finding a partner near one of those battles would be difficult, probably. Finally, he said, "I'll bamf us near the Rain Sage, and we'll search around there." Within ten minutes, his prime body had recalled Kage and Noir, before Teleporting to his anchor near the Sage's doorstep. He had no intention of bothering the large, friendly creature with the potent odor, but he did separate a clone with Kage as his prime body and went off to the northeast with Noir, where they had been told they could find his method of evolution. With them on their way, the clone of Alex and Kage ventured the opposite direction and headed into the jungle.

The going was slow, especially since the grass types lurking in the trees Kage insisted on traveling through loved trying to attack a water type that they saw as a free meal. Luckily for Kage, he had mastered Aerial Ace, and from that, with Blaze's help, had learned a bootleg version of Air Slash. He was no flying type, but he did have fantastic control over type energy as a special attacker, and a ninja. Naturally, he had turned his Air Slash into more of an Air Shuriken with repetition, but the damage dealt was the same, and it drove off most grass types looking to eat him. It took most of the day, but eventually, Kage stopped in his tracks as he sensed a surge in grass typed energy that could only have come from a natural ability. An ability belonging to a species that Alex sought.

Slowly, they made their way towards this source of grass energy, Kage in the trees, and his oversized Trainer on the ground. If he'd tried jumping through the foliage like his ninja frog, he would've sounded like an Emboar on the rampage, and even on the ground, his stupidly large shoes crunched through the underbrush of the rainforest very obviously. Then, finally, Alex saw their target, and he pulled a Luxury Ball from within his bag, which oddly enough stayed connected across all its copies.

Their target was a young Grookey, likely a few weeks old at most, judging by how fresh his whacking stick was. It still had small leaf sprouts, and a weak, thin top but as he whacked things, it would likely take on the usual blunt and vaguely drum stick shape. He was sitting cross legged, the bottoms of his tiny feet pressed together, with his long but fresh stick laying across his lap. He had a cute smile on his monkey face, and his equally cute eyes opened wide as Alex came closer, hands in his pockets. Gren waited quietly, in the trees. "Hello there."

The tiny grass monkey sniffed the air around the human and looked him over. Alex looked around, the picture of casualness. "Are your parents around, little guy? Or are you on your own already?" While most Rillaboom stuck together, it wasn't unheard of for male Grookey to be pushed into the wilds on their own at a young age. Their groups typically were composed either of a male and his harem, or a few males, who jived together with their drums and used their strength to keep their groups safe. Galar's Rillaboom were much, much kinder than those in the Jungle of Death. Still though, banishing a Pokémon this young was…just wrong.

The Grookey blinked slowly, as he found he could process the human's words. Pokéspeech was still new to him, and he'd never heard Common either, but he understood every word coming from the human's mouth, which was refreshing. "My…own. My father…angry. Did not like…my…" The Grookey struggled to convey his next word and gestured to the blossoming foliage around him. Then, Alex understood.

"Your Ability. Grassy Surge. You empower the terrain around you with Grass Type Energy when you Battle. Or in your case…naturally." He felt a chill down his spine, as he realized how powerful the Grassy Terrain was, so soon after he'd been born. The healing effect was actually reaching him, too. It was strong enough to make a presumably powerful Rillaboom nervous enough to boot out a baby from his family group. If he could but train it…his grass types would be even more unstoppable. "You're so young, though. Did your mom really leave you out here alone?"

The Grookey smiled wide at him, though he couldn't hide the sadness in his big eyes. "Not alone. Have Eterna!"

Alex raised an eyebrow, and he sensed Gren tense up. Unlike his other dark types, Gren could still listen to and use their team's mental network thanks to his species psychic abilities. It also helped that his father had been Champion ranked and had long since awakened his own psychic abilities.

Then, Alex saw what Gren was already tracking. Melting out of the gloom of the jungle behind the ideal Grookey, was a massive Annihilape. As it solidified on this plane, Alex didn't sense rage from it, hot or cold. In fact, its mind, such as it was, seemed…balanced, to him. Angry, yes, but a mix of burning fury and cold anger that resulted, oddly enough, in a state of relative calm, by all appearances. Alex could tell though, it was always angry and had been for a very long time. This was clearly an ancient ghost type. The tingle in his spine grew. He wasn't arrogant enough to hope, but if he could convince them both to join their team…

"GreeEEeetings…Human." The dead rage monkey screeched. "You speEEak like a Harmonia…how?"

"Well…" Alex began, not surprised that a ghost this old knew of the ancient bloodline. He then elaborated on how he'd taken on the mantle that had belonged to every Tamer of the Original Dragon, "...and after I opened my mind to the Universe and donned the Harmonia's crown, I could understand Pokémon as easily as I understand Humans."

The Annihilape let out a hacking, shrieking sound then, and a glob of dark ectoplasm shot from its dead nostrils. "Nyaaagh…much better." The ancient ape shrieked, quieter. "What do you want with my friend… 'Tamer of the First Dragon?'" The dead ape said with intense sarcasm. Annihilape did not seem to believe his claim, but then, Alex couldn't blame them. To a Pokémon, it was like he was claiming to be a partner to one like unto a God, from their perspective. A natural power. An entity so strong, it was ordered by Arceus to defend an entire continent. He might as well have claimed he'd tamed and partnered with a hurricane.

"I'm building a team of Pokémon. The strongest in the world. I intend to make them World Champions…and a Grookey like your friend here would be…a very powerful ally. As would you, old one."

The Annihilape laughed, which sounded like a mocking noise somewhere between a screech and a huff. It was grating on the ears, and actually managed to irritate Alex, though he didn't let it show. "A bold claim, Human. Almost as bold as your first. Tell me…what will you do with such power?"

Alex nodded and could tell now what the dead ape thought of humanity in general, and honestly, it wasn't off base. Humans had a garbage track record of handling phenomenal power responsibly. "I do not seek to conquer or make war. I despise war as a concept. I want my team to be so large, so indisputably powerful that no one, Human or Pokémon, dares to mess with their strength. To be so strong, they don't even try starting a war, or at least, stop once one of my partners arrives to mediate. The long term, ideal goal is to stop all wars completely. Across the entire planet, and for once, have it enter a state of true peace." Though the Imperium was in a truce with Eous, there were still many regions in Old Africa that quietly, and sometimes not so quietly, had people who opposed the Imperator's rule. Once those conflicts were settled in the Imperium's usual manner, through blood and conquest, Alex expected a renewed assault on Eous. He hoped he'd bought a few years of peace before that, however.

The Annihilape was quiet for a long time, and eventually, its Grookey friend started getting bored, losing focus, tiny finger up his nose as he looked around at the trees. From what Alex could tell, the foliage seemed to be speaking to the young ape. Finally, the ancient ghost spoke. "I too…Dream of a peaceful Earth. After existing for so long…I deeply desire peace. If this is your goal…I will lend my power to it. Only you Humans can advance me to a higher level of Strength, now, I know this…I would have you, when the time arrives, put me in charge of maintaining Selva Muerta. Do this, and you will have my strength, and my little friend too, if he wishes to grow strong."

Alex smirked. "It won't just be you handling the Jungle of Death." He stated flatly, "But I can help you turn this into a…somewhat peaceful jungle. Maybe we can curb all the death and killing but keep the raucous nature of competition that has made you all so powerful."

The dead ape exhaled a cloud of frost from its decayed snout. "I desire thissss…" It hissed. "I Will bring peace…to my jungle. And then…we will rename it." And by doing so, the ancient Annihilape believed it would also, finally, achieve some measure of peace as well.

"And I'll help!" The Grookey declared, with a mighty thwack of his stick. "Make me strong too, Human! Then I can surpass my father and lead all the Rillaboom!" His words weren't that articulate, but Alex grokked his meaning from his tone, and the fire in his young eyes. He may have been young, but he did understand what 'strongest Pokémon on the planet' meant. He was, Alex could tell, rather smart.

The Annihilape had a name that was more like a title, when translated, but it was what all the local Pokémon called him, as they walked towards the team's training grounds. Eternape. The Grookey also had a name. His mother had called him Kurchak, and Alex didn't have an objection to him keeping the moniker if he liked it. Eternape joined his fighting types, and very quickly, Arthur had found someone worth sparring with again. Kurchak was Teleported to the clone with Isamu and the others who still needed experience or items to evolve, and the training continued.

The Dark Stone

Alex's prime body was walking alongside Noir, his Floragato, as they headed away from the psychic anchor he had by the Rain Sage. Professor Cashapona claimed that Roca Sombramusgo, as the locals called it, was to the northeast, and Alex followed Noir for this. He could sense the evil stone, but its darkness made actually heading towards it quite difficult, as if it didn't want to be found.

Noir was undeterred though, not even stopping to pick up the fallen berries they passed on the ground. Alex tried grabbing those they came close to, but as his hand only met shadow after the third attempt, he realized they were illusions meant to guide lesser minds away from, presumably, the stone that they sought. Each time the darkness tried guiding him away from his destination.

It took a solid two hours of traversing the jungle in the overpowering afternoon humidity and heat before they finally came within sight of the stone, and Alex had to stop. "Any further, and the clones will vanish." Alex said to Noir, breaking the silence between them. "Just touch the stone, and come straight back to me, Noir. We can test out your new powers, but we need to stay together. I have a bad feeling about this part of the jungle."

"Evolve and come back to your side." Noir affirmed. "I can do that." As he walked off, Alex frowned, as the clever cat had not said that he would. Alex stayed quiet though, choosing to trust in his partner.

As Noir approached the stone, which was covered in dark green moss and various glowing fungi that seemed to reach towards him the closer he got, he realized that every part within reach was covered in the fungi, and his instinct was telling him to avoid touching the strange multicolored but pinkish limned flora.

"I wouldn't touch that, if I were you."

Noir leapt back from the evil rock at the sound of the sly, feminine tone, and looked upwards. There, atop a tree branch that he wasn't sure had been hanging over the large stone before, was a seemingly disembodied smile, wide and sharp and full of fangs. Before Noir could respond, the rest of the Meowscarada appeared around the mad smile. He was immediately smitten by her beauty. Lithe and strong, her dark green leaf mask fit perfectly with her head and ears, and her striped, green coat was well groomed, for a wild Pokémon. She had a small leafy mane of deep green leaves around her neck, and small pink and green flowers seemed to both orbit her person and grow naturally in her fur at all times.

"Why shouldn't I touch it? I want to evolve." He told the vision of beauty before him.

She just grinned wider. "Those plants, you see them? They were once like you. Floragato. Seeking to be strong. Embracing madness, or attempting to, at the whim of a Human. Had they evolved naturally, they would have lived. Turn back, handsome." She said with a purr, "I would hate to see you become just another fungus, among us."

Noir's sharp eyes narrowed. "I came here at my own whim, and I seek this form because I dislike the other. It's…it's not what I'm supposed to be. I can feel it."

The beautiful Muertan Meowscarada leaned her head towards him, with interest. "Oh? Perhaps you Are worthy. Well far be it from me to stop you…just understand, touching that stone will turn you Mad."

Noir tilted his head. "Mad?"

She chuffed at him and rolled onto her back. Noir gulped, as his eyes were drawn by instinct to her lithe body. He understood how Alex felt now, with Jess, and 'not having the words' to accurately describe her beauty. Noir wished the redhead were here, she would be a fine tamer for a fine feline like her. "Regular Meowscarada use their Darkness for tricks, illusions, and act as magicians. We of Selva Muerta embrace it completely…and doing so turns us a bit Mad."

Noir's brow furrowed. "I don't understand."

The flirtatious feline purred in thought. "You know how Humans smile when they're happy, and grimace when they kill?" Noir nodded, recalling how Alex and the others had looked, in their memories of the war. "Well, I used to be the same way. But now I smile when I kill, and grimace when my prey escapessss…" She finished with a sharp hiss. "Therefore…I am Mad. We're all Mad, here. The Jungle's darkness infects every inch of this land."

Noir was quiet for a long moment, the only sound he could hear, the swishing of her perfect, fluffy tail. "I'm touching it anyway." He declared, and the Meowscarada seemed pleased by his confidence in his choice. First, he made a makeshift warning sign from leaves, vines, and a branch. Then, he urinated on it, not to mark territory like some lesser canine, but to warn any Floragato who came after him that touching the fungus was dangerous.

"How kind." The Meowscarada purred, smirking at the futility of his efforts. Efforts she had once made herself.

Noir ignored her and launched a vine towards the branch she laid upon. Her ears fell back, and with a blur of movement, she occupied another branch, guiding it towards him with her power. "I see Madness has made you skittish." He teased from her old branch.

She nonchalantly licked a green striped paw, only one eye on him as she retorted, "One does not so brazenly approach a Lady."

Noir ignored her again, which seemed to work for her, judging by the scent his nose was instinctively drawn to, wafting stronger through the air. It was enough to make his head spin, but he stayed focused. If he was going to take a female like her, he intended to do it when he evolved.

He looked down at the stone and nodded. Sure enough, there were four gaps in the fungi, large enough for his paws. He still didn't trust it though. While not his best move, he launched an empowered Magical Leaf from his palm at the glowing fungi, ripping them to shreds and ensuring he had room to land thanks to how much power he expended at once.

"So callous towards the corpses of our kind." The female remarked, watching him with both eyes now.

He smirked confidently at her. "I can't afford to turn into fungus. Seeing beauty like yours has…inspired me to live. And grow." He looked down again as she smirked slightly at him. "By any means necessary."

With the landing cleared, Noir leapt down fearlessly onto the rock and landed on all fours. Almost immediately, he began to glow bright white. In the distance, Alex muttered with some worry in his tone, "Mukking finally…" He could feel the inherent darkness of this place warping his sight, and he didn't like it. He wanted to evolve Noir and get the Muk out of here. It was not a place for psychics. Or humans.

Alex watched the light of Noir's evolution with Leo's shared sight, and while there was natural dark typed energy everywhere, it did not try to smother or suffuse that bright white light. In fact, it seemed to recoil from it. As the light faded, a spinning pink and green flower bud came hurtling towards him, but he didn't move to avoid it, as he saw it wouldn't hit him. It was strange, he noted, that he had predicted the trajectory just by looking at the move and seeing its arc. He wondered if that might not be the result of fusing a Metang and a Kadabra to his mental network.

He glanced at the impact crater the Seed Bomb had left, and read runes in common, or rather, Noir's attempt at them, and what letters looked like to his eyes. They were more rounded and curved, like Unown letters, but Alex still managed to read them; 'See you back at camp. Later.' followed by a paw print that Alex recognized as Noir's, if a bit larger and shaggier. He had inspected his grass cat's paws often, after the first few times he cut his own vine, which was, according to the Pokénet, not supposed to happen with Floragato, so he recognized the lines on the paw, and once again, his eyes were sharper and easily picking up on the details.

In the distance, Alex heard something crashing through the jungle, as well as the cries of several Pokémon being hit by moves, a brief silence, followed by a lot of yowling. From two different Pokémon. Smirking, Alex figured Noir's situation out, more or less, and it seemed his mate was testing him. Or maybe an all-out ambush was just how the locals responded to seeing such a bright flash in such a dark place. Either way, Alex left him to it. He was high enough level to survive, and this was supposed to be the ideal environment for his species. He could make it a few hundred miles southward, probably.

As Noir felt Alex bamf away, he knew in his heart that he'd be returning to the team. As entrancing as this female was, his human had trusted him, newly evolved and on his own, and left him the choice to return later, or not. Local Pokémon of various types came at him, as he chased after the faint form of the female Meowscarada, leaping through the trees just ahead of him. They barely slowed him down. His Aerial Ace and new ability made him overwhelmingly strong. Said ability essentially turned Seed Bomb into a stronger version of Flower Trick, or perhaps the original version. The result, was multiple pink and green flowers, orbiting him almost constantly, as they just seemed to naturally regrow while he was in a battle. They struck hard and fast, and while Noir marveled at their power, he also felt somehow weaker, defense wise, in this new form. He wondered if he might not now be what his brothers called a 'glass cannon', which was apparently a fast attacker with poor defenses. There were a few on the team, but that just meant he had to dodge, as they did, and listen to Alex when he called for one.

Alex wasn't here now, though, so Noir was forced to fight strategically, brutally, and quickly enough to keep up with his quarry. He managed to do so, though the effort had tired him, he was still conscious and capable. It was a great workout. They finally stopped in a dense part of the jungle that any larger or less lithe creature would have difficulty moving through. Within that tangle of vines, Noir was led to a stand of trees all unnaturally curved in towards each other, to create a safe, and enclosed area to sleep, or drag young, virile males into.

For three days, Noir had his virility tested thoroughly, but he emerged stronger for it, more confident, after leaving the female satisfied and slumped in her leafy bed. He left her with the nonchalant attitude of a male feline and prowled easily through Selva Muerta without so much as a backward glance.

He tested his new abilities on the locals that, he found, were just a bit too vicious to their fellow Pokémon. His unsettling grin, and ability to camouflage in such grassy terrain unsettled most of his targets. When surrounded by foliage, he could shift his naturally somewhat striped coat to match his surroundings, and blend perfectly. His Flower Bombs, as he called them, also seemed capable of bending the light around his fur, and he used them to hide his eyes as he spied on the jungle's inhabitants.

Disappointingly, all he found was almost mindless, instinct driven Pokémon who only seemed to care about two things: reproduction, and their next meal. Berries did grow plentifully; the only problem was that anyone trying to eat one usually had it nabbed by an unseen adversary too small to reach the berry trees. Chasing after the thief also, usually, found the berry enjoyer drawing the attention of a more predatory and morally grey species, like Liepard.

There also seemed to be a general consensus among the locals, that the stronger one's prey was, the more nutritious the meal it made, and the stronger the predator would become in turn. Noir found that to be nonsense, but he did have to begrudgingly admit that there were some frighteningly powerful Pokémon in this jungle, several of whom seemed to almost see through his camouflage. A wild Meowscarada might have struck at them on instinct and tried running, but Noir knew better. They couldn't break him if they couldn't find him.

The only one that came genuinely close was a Muertan Arbok, and a massive example of that species. Noir knew it had to be around ninety or higher, in human terms of measuring a Pokémon's power. His instincts guided him away from the massive poison dark type, and towards the pillar of frost that he assumed was Gelauros, testing the endurance of those weak to ice moves. He grimaced, as he knew he was among that number, and would be joining them on his return.

He took his time over that remaining day and a half trek, though his pace increased, when he felt Gel's frost suddenly stop.

Sahqoreyth · Dec 24, 2024

The Archon

Three Days After Noir Evolved… - Selva Muerta

Fire. Death. A trail of bodies was all that Archon left in his wake with each thunderous step forward that he took. The titanic bridge dragon was barely even noticing the feeble and forced attacks used by their enemies. They were the kind of humans who had been alive before Pokémon started appearing, and very quickly, had figured out how to forcefully turn these new 'magic animals' into sentient weapons. William Draciel (Dra-see-el) looked upon what he had wrought, and silently wept, for while his enemies were indeed the absolute worst of the remaining Old Earth governments, they were still his people, living in his Empire.

Will was not the only one with tears. Looking up, he saw the Original Dragon, and that sight, is what jolted Alexander Redwood into a sudden state of lucidity within his dream. Tao looked…more primal. Rugged. Less refined, like he currently was. It was like he was a prototype of what he would go on to become. He also had some sort of an icy chin beard going on, that didn't really work well with his features. Alex didn't have long to take in the changes between past and present, however, as Tao then did something that he did recognize. His tail rose into the air, and with the shifting nature of ice energy, fused the designs of both a thermonuclear reactor and an electromagnetic generator. The resulting machine propelled him across the sky as he roared, "Enough! I shall be the one to take this burden! And end this madness once and for all!"

The man, one of Tao's previous Tamers, Will, apparently, gasped as he watched in horror. "No… please, no…" The despairing man fell to his knees, and the tears came freely, now. He was clad in a black Haori, with gold trim and accents, a gold and black Taijitu swirl on his back, not all that different from what Alex wore. Indeed, his pants were the same as Alex's, black and white and from Tao's realm, there was no question. He had skin as pale as Alex's, black hair streaked with grays tied up into what Alex recognized as a classic Unovan ponytail hairstyle worn by their ancient warriors. As the man stood, a golden aura pulsed around his body, and Alex knew immediately who he was looking at. His predecessor. The First. He could be no other. That meant that this…was likely the moment that Tao had forcibly put down the last violent remnants of the oligarchical governmental structure and entity that had once called itself America.

They seemed to be standing atop an ancient stone fort of some kind, but then, Alex realized it was actually the Dragonspiral Tower. He spied Tao's nature garden on a lower tier, while this, the top, was home to a series of white pillars long broken and a space large enough for Tao to land. Alex nodded to himself. Meeting the Original Dragon had once been a lot more ceremonial, especially compared to the ease and casual nature of the modern method. He definitely preferred modernity, but looking around, he could see how that primal beast of a dragon, descending from the sky to treat with humanity, had a certain…epicness to it.

As Alex followed Will up to the edge of the tower, a bright flash of light erupted before them, on the horizon. Alex tried to get his bearings, and figure out what direction that was, but the stars were different, and the land was unrecognizable, and unhelpfully obscured by tons of…pinkish mist? He blinked, but yes, from up here it definitely had a pink coloration to it as it wafted through the forest below. Strange. But probably normal, for this era. He looked back at the light, and his eyes widened as he recognized the mushroom cloud forming in the wake of a nuclear detonation. No army had a chance of surviving that.

"I don't know who you are…" The first Dragon Emperor said, "But I can tell you are not from my era. The future, then?" He looked directly at Alex then, whose eyes widened. He was channeling the Light, with familiar ease, and apparently that gave him the ability to see Alex through whatever strange dream sorcery was happening in his head and projecting him into the past. Alex nodded, finding that, probably because he was physically deeply asleep, he couldn't talk or respond. All that came out was a weak gasp. He couldn't psychically project his words, either.

"Well then…to you, strange man from the future…look upon my folly and despair. This is…the death of a great experiment. The final nail in a coffin that's been being nailed shut for a while now…the last vestiges of the old world were just blown away, reduced to atoms. By the Dragon himself…" He wiped his eyes. "I don't know how you are here, or if you can truly understand what it is you are witnessing. The most peaceful being I know…just sacrificed his morals so that my team would not fall to blood-madness." He gestured below, and sure enough, Alex made out the Alpha sized forms of ten Pokémon, most of which were dragons, fighting against an army of other Pokémon being controlled by devices that Alex knew had, in ancient times, been used to subjugate Pokémon with brutal jolts of typed energy they were weak to. In his time, all such devices had been irreparably smashed, and all hints of their schematics erased by the Unovan government.

"My friends would eventually win, but…the Dragon has decided to end things himself before more innocent Pokémon are killed. He is…he is getting involved personally, and as usual…involving a Legend in our problems comes with a steep death toll for Humanity." Will took a deep breath as he sighed. "Learn from our mistakes, future man. And if you can…" His eyes noticed Alex's leg garb and widened in recognition before they moved back to the ghostly intruder's, "Do not let the Original Dragon lose himself in war. Take me at my word…he is better suited as a General than a soldier."

With that, his aura flared, his black hair became golden and unbound, like Connor's transformation, and he shot into the air like a golden meteor. As Alex watched him go, he awoke to a pair of floating, golden eyes. His first immediate clue that what he'd seen was not a trick or illusion. "Alex…at last. Your Pokémon informed me that you would not wake. I sensed a foreign power in your mind as you slept. Are you well? You seem…pale."

It took Alex a second to separate himself from what he'd sensed as the first Dragon Emperor, and he nodded at Tao's question. "I…saw the First. My predecessor. What was his name…William Draciel. Whatever wanted me to see him…it didn't feel hostile. I was deeper in the dream than usual, though. And…he saw me. Somehow, the first Dragon Emperor acknowledged my presence."

Tao was silent for a long time, as his eyes blazed with gold. "I see. You are correct. It is no enemy that did this. Let me know if it happens again."

With that almost infuriating lack of information or context, Tao vanished, and Alex sighed heavily. He groaned to his feet within his camping tent and exited with an army of clones behind him. They set to making breakfast for their expanding team, and Alex bamfed one of them back home, to Unova.

New Tork City - Capital Province, Unova

Alex appeared atop the Dragonspiral Tower, which was home to Tao's garden this time, in this age. He looked around at his surroundings, trying to divine where the dragon had gone nuclear, but it was useless. Ages had passed between his vision and now, and too much was now different. Icirrus City especially so. Even in the past it had been somewhat small, but these days, the center of the Scale's order needed more to sustain them, and the city had risen in response to that need. Taking over the small bit of route between the tower and the town, Icirrus City could now claim to have battle facilities and items on par with Castelia, with architecture honoring the Dragon that rivaled Opelucid. Some residents didn't like the radical change, and Tao had arranged to have another part of the surrounding area developed in a manner that worked with nature, instead of dominating it. The younger generation, of course, had no problem with their home becoming more like, and connected to, Castelia and the other boroughs.

"First things first…Deino." As Alex looked up where they were typically found, Connor appeared from around one of the hedges, the blonde Seeress from Valaskjalf on his arm. "Speaking of our Dragon Emperor…taking a break, are we?"

"Something like that…" Alex said with a smirk. "Y'know, I don't think I've ever actually properly met your friend here." He gestured to the blonde on his arm, who chuckled.

Connor's eyes widened as he realized his longtime rival was correct. "Ahh, right. This is Heidr (Hay-dur). Daughter of Lokra. She, uhh, actually just agreed to be my wife, as it turns out."

Alex nodded, as both he and Jess had expected that eventually. Then, Connor's words were processed, and Alex frantically made the clone have the appropriate facial expression as he said, "Congratulations! I'm glad we'll have familial ties to Valaskjalf. It'll give Jess, Folokraan, and any of our daughters a chance to visit."

Heidr just chuckled, "You and your kin are welcome any time, Dovahkiin. But you know this."

"I do." He answered, and before the following silence turned awkward, said, "I should be on my way. I'll leave you two be. You should tell your sister too, Connor."

"I will once she answers her phone." He grumbled, "Let her know, if you see her."

Alex shrugged, "You'll probably see her before I do. It's the cost of having the World Festival and the World Tournament at the same time, I suppose. Everyone is occupied with training." With that, he flew into the air, and a few moments later, he saw Connor flying his fiancé into the air with his own powers. Remembering his predecessor's transformation, Alex made a note to try it at some point. Will's had been like…a combination of both the aspects that Connor and Alex had reached the Light with, an aura shield on par with Alex's, and the strange hair-color changing boost that Connor had achieved with physicality and fighting energy. Almost immediately, Alex wondered if it might not take a balance of both psychic and fighting energy, which would make a lot of sense, given how those types interacted. In a way, they were both opposites, and yet the same. Different, but connected. Body and mind. Yin and Yang. That, and the fact that they could both lead to Light abilities cemented the 'equation', as N would call it, for him.

Alex left it for something his main body could practice and focused on his task for this clone; find a worthy Deino, and train him to be on par with the rest of his dragons. As he flew away, he received a psychic ping. He should've known better than to think he could just fly off in his now iconic robe without getting bogged down. "What is it, Joey?" He answered the man's relatively simple mind, which even now was aglow with thoughts of his Raticate.

"Alex! Long time, my man. There's uhh, there's a bunch of people from Germania who claim they need to see you. Immediately. Nobody knew where you'd gone off to train though, so they've just been waiting here at the Tower…for a while now…and we're kind of tired of dealing with them."

"Right…sounds like the Drachenfels. I'll be right there." He arced back to the tower's lower level, following Joey's psychic aura as he did so. Naturally, as soon as he entered the tower's main level, the conversing trainees paused, many staring in disbelief. Alex just gave them a smirk and a nod, letting his robe flare as he walked just fast enough to make it do so. He arrived in the common area to see Hassel, alongside two other Dragon Tamers, sporting the regal red and gold of the Imperium. Their golden capes had a stylized depiction of Castle Drachenfel on their front and back. The clenched fist of their Imperator clutching a lightning bolt was proudly on display on their chests, as was their apparent disdain at the simple yet comfortable surroundings of the tower.

Their hair was blonde, and their eyes were brownish gold, but Alex could faintly see the familial resemblance to Hassel, who was in the same clothes he'd worn during their battle. "Ahh, Champion Redwood. I'm glad your people finally got a hold of you."

"Hassel Drachenfel." Alex said, with a nod of respect. "You are welcome in our Tower, of course. Is there something I can do for you and your clan?"

"Three things!" The aged man shouted unnecessarily loud, but it did serve to draw any eyes that hadn't moved to them already with Alex's arrival. "First…accept my humble apologies. It has come to my attention that I- We have been fed falsehoods and fables about you, and your nature. You, young man, are a fine example of everything a Draconid should aspire to be, and the more I learn of your saga, the more impressed I become."

"A saga, eh?" Alex said, stroking his beard slightly, as he smirked. "I kind of like that, actually. Like an old Norstad epic..."

"Indeed! For epic can be the only word appropriate when describing something as life changing as ending world hunger. By every measure and metric of our people, you are worthy…and thus, the care of Archon now falls to you. The rightful successor to the First Dragon Emperor. This is my second request; I humbly ask that you accept the Ace of your predecessor into your team." He bowed low then and offered Alex the ball. It was ancient in design, and yet just modern enough to incorporate recall technology in the form of a laser beam. This missing link between Apricorn balls and modern Pokéballs had only one drawback that the Trainers who'd used them had simply embraced. The inhabitants could, quite easily, come forth from and return to the ball at will, and even completely refuse to leave it. Modern balls could be left as well, but it was apparently harder to do, and they always ejected the occupant when their Trainer needed them to.

Alex slowly took it, and his eyes widened, as it reacted to being in his palm. Bright whitish gold flashed, and the surrounding Padawans stared in awe at the massive Archaludon that manifested before them. Looking around in disbelief at the relic from the past made real again in modernity, Archon was silent for only a moment as he realized he was not hallucinating, before he suddenly roared so loud all present had to cover their ears.

Alex felt Tao's reaction, and sure enough, an answering roar came in response. It may have sounded angry or full of fury, but Alex could tell these were simply cries of excitement. Archon couldn't believe the tower was intact. Tao couldn't believe his ancient friend had finally come home. The tower shuddered, as Tao made his way down.

"I will join your team in time. I must speak with the Original Dragon first." Archon rumbled. Alex noticed powerful dragons rarely asked for anything, preferring to imply the request with their words.

"Of course, Archon. Tao can send you to us when you're ready. Feel free to roam Unova as you please, just uhh…watch where you step. You're quite a bit bigger than when last you walked here. The sentient dragon bridge nodded and began stomping away. Naturally, quite a few students followed to watch that reunion, leaving Alex and Hassel in relative solitude to continue speaking.

"And the third thing?" Alex asked, with a smirk.

His ears twitched as he heard a strange sound, heavy almost metallic clomping boots, coming towards them. "Ahh, here comes my third request now." Alex turned at Hassel's words and beheld a gigantic human being. Alex was no decent judge of male attractiveness, but this man could only be described as beautiful. Short blonde hair framed his aesthetically perfect face, and atop his head were golden laurels, shaped like a U, that curved around his skull. Mounted onto his armor's energy backpack so that it framed his head, was a metallic golden sun.

His armor had too much detail and golden trimmed heraldry for Alex to properly focus on. It was Ultramarine blue, bulky, and had no discernible weak spots. Even the kneepads, which each sported a white U on them framed by green laurels, completely covered the joint. The more he looked the more he marveled at how perfectly each piece must have to fit together to stay mobile and completely armored. Each shoulder pauldron was massive and ornately detailed around the white U that marked him as an Ultramarine. The closer the giant clomped, the heavier Alex realized that armor had to be, and he felt a familiar chill run up his spine as they locked blue eyes on blue eyes and evaluated each other. Once again, Alex found himself looking upwards at one of the Imperator's sons, though where Horus had been pent up rage and an obvious sense of superiority, this man, Roboute Guilliman (Row-boo-tay Gill-E-man), for it could be no other, radiated his superiority with his very aura. It was as obvious as his unnatural height.

Hassel spoke first, as the giant stopped a respectable distance from them, "Alexander Redwood, Victory Champion, and Dragon Emperor, I give you Prime Archon Roboute Guilliman, Strategist Supreme of the Imperium of Man, thirteenth son of the Imperator, and lord of the mighty Ultramarines, the largest Legion of Astartes in the Imperium. He has come to participate in the World Tournament." Alex blinked, as that was new information to him. Professor Aristole had claimed all twenty Legions were around the same size, with one or two exceptions that had come out smaller thanks to genetic defects, but he had also warned his information could be outdated. That meant that this giant golden man before him was in command of a force that, when fully utilized, could not be matched by anyone on the planet. The current comparison in terms of strength between the Empire's Scales, and other Trainers in their military, and the average Thunder Warrior, was thirty Trainers to a single Astartes. A loneAstartes. Against the average squad of twelve, it would take five hundred Trainers, with ten partners each. And even then, things would be dire. By every metric, their analysts determined the only way to oppose these genetically engineered killing machines was with numbers, and as many moves as possible. And those tactics would not work on their Librarians, or a Prime Archon.

Alex had no doubt the being before him would take down thousands, if not millions, before he started feeling fatigue. From boredom. Mentally, he informed Tao that the Brain Trust's request to create less bulky power armor was approved and would have whatever materials they required for mass production. The only sliver of a chance his Empire had against a Legion of Astartes lay in numbers, but better armor could drastically close the gap. He'd been holding off, because of the peace, but seeing just how far ahead the Imperium was made his instincts flare in a mix of panic and warning. This was a being who, if he was inclined to, could probably pulp even his durable body with a single swing of one of his massive, bulky armored arms. With teams in the eighties and nineties in terms of level, and armor that could hold up to a Prime Archon, their odds were much better.

Finally, after a few moments, his clone said, "Hello there," and started acting normally once again. He had no doubt Guilliman had already, or was in the process of, figuring out he was a psychic clone. It'd be hard to tell now that it had his full attention. "I spoke with the League, and we agreed to acknowledge you as your Imperium's envoy, and to allow you to roam our territory and participate in the Tournament. The rules are available from any Rotom Drone, and to register, you'll want to go to a Pokémon Center… Although…"

Guilliman raised a golden eyebrow at his pause. "Forgive me if this is considered rude, Prime Archon…but the ahh, armored regalia, might intimidate people too much. You'll need to interface with regular Trainers to progress in the Tournament."

Guilliman nodded slowly. "I understand." A flash of blinding blue light illuminated the entire floor of the tower with his power. When it faded, the giant man appeared to be clad in a more casual outfit, more akin to a dress, a toga, Alex believed they were called on Olympius. Blue, white, and gold high-quality robes now adorned his goldish tan skinned titanic frame, and golden bands bearing the Ultramarine's badge were on his wrists. "I trust I will be safe, while I compete. Even so, I advise you not to try attacking me. Even without our armor, a Prime Archon will not fall easily."

Alex gave him an understanding nod. "I'll assign one of our Scale's teams to unobtrusively keep an eye on your well-being, just in case someone tries something. I'm sure you'll have no trouble finding a strong opponent, or at least someone willing to test a son of the Imperator. Just remember, we do not kill our opponents. Ever."

Guilliman nodded sagely. "I have read your rules of Battle and find them satisfactory. My team is also willing to comply." Guilliman placed a hand over his heart then and bowed slightly. "I hope this is the first step to true peace between the Imperium and the rest of the world, Dragon Emperor."

Alex bowed in return. "If there is a path to such a future Prime Archon, we shall find it in friendly competition. I wish you luck. We may even meet in the final rounds, if you Battle strong enough foes. The stronger they are, the more points they're worth. Feel free to stay in the Tower while you are here." With that concluded, Hassle and his Imperium entourage left with Guilliman, and Alex bamfed to Opelucid City before anything else could bog him down. The fact that he now owned one of the first Dragon Emperor's Pokémon still hadn't quite hit him yet, and he genuinely wondered how people would react to a son of a tyrant participating in the World Tournament. Of all the Imperator's sons, he was glad Guilliman had been the one chosen. Alex recalled him having by far one of the best temperaments of the Imperator's sons, rivaled only by his white winged brother, Sanguinius.

He should have known better than to think he'd make it through a city like Opelucid unimpeded. Fans, he didn't mind, and by this point, thanks to a message from Lux on his Chatter account apparently, they just shouted out the code phrase for an autograph and seemed to understand he was too busy for a face to face with every single person. Maybe once he mastered his clone trick and understood the cost it took more thoroughly, that would be possible, but for now, his fans were reduced to shouting, "I'm preserving the Emperor's Groove!"

Thankfully, he and Lux were not the only ones who found that amusing. He sent a short-lived clone with his pen their way, and headed for Victory Road, only to find yet another figure blocking his path. This one, he happily engaged with, as his opinion of the man had improved, from what Geralt had mentioned of his efforts.

"Director Colress!" He shouted as he approached, and the scientist clad in his ever-advancing gray full body tech suit nodded at him as he looked up from the screen on his arm.

"Alex Redwood. Just the man I was looking for." They closed the distance and shook hands. "I have news for you. We finally sorted through Dengeki's Stargate data. It's…not good. Ninety percent of the Human colonies that spread out across the Milky Way in the past are now deceased, as far as he can tell. The few still intact have essentially reverted to cavemen, the last time he was able to see them."

Alex smirked. "Sounds like they need some uplifting."

Colress nodded. "I am of the same mind. We've already started to make contact, but some of them are very violent…"

Alex's smirk widened. "Why Director, it sounds like you need some aid for that endeavor. I'd love to help out."

Colress gave him a knowing look. "You just want to visit another planet. Trainer to your core, you are. We haven't found any…unknown Pokémon, and the few we have seen seem…isolationist. Like they want to be left alone. They also seem to know what the Stargates are, and Dengeki seems to let them through as needed. We hypothesize that quite a few of our local species from Earth, entirely wild and very much on their own initiative, have already gone through the gates, and perhaps have been doing so for quite some time."

"That is…deeply fascinating, Director. When I have things in hand here, I think I'd like to traverse the Stargates for a time. I'd like to hear why these Pokémon left, and what they've been doing since, in their own words. I think my team would like that too. Some of them, anyway. I wonder if clones would hold up through Stargates…"

Colress blinked at him. "Did…you say 'clones'?" Alex nodded, and Colress's smile became wider. "I thought that was just a conspiracy…you really can psychically clone yourself!?"

Alex nodded again. "My highest amount at once is a few hundred, but I couldn't do much more than have them answer questions. So far there doesn't seem to be a limit on distance that they can travel, provided I utilize the ley lines correctly, and I have to individually control all of them, so it's not actual cloning, just one mind controlling multiple Psychic Energy bodies."

Colress just stared at him. "You do understand no Human mind could do that, right? The amount of sensory input from that many sources across that far a distance would drive a Human being to madness."

Alex just shrugged. "We're entering a new era, Director. The limits of the Human mind are not set in stone. Not so long ago, the idea of training sixty Pokémon at once was thought to be impossible, if not impractical. Now, for me, it's very much possible. Heck, I could and intend to train more, sixty is just the start. And I'm not the only Champion with psychic potential to expand their roster."

"Speaking of ridiculously large rosters…I hear you're planning on finding a Deino. If you're interested, I have a particularly powerful but ornery specimen in stasis up in Lantea City. We studied him all we could, but he's been deemed too dangerous to release into the wild. If he evolves as he is now…he could level the Capital province. He's not fond of Humans in general…but he doesn't deserve to stay in stasis forever. I figured if anyone could help him, and want to help him, it would be a Trainer of your caliber. I've seen some of your new catches, despite your secrecy. Not one of them is unimpressive. And that Ceruledge…" He shuddered from how cool it had been to his inner nerd, to see a Mandalorian helm combined with the fiery dark knight that was Ceruledge, or, in this case apparently, Revan. "His swords were even purple and red."

Alex smirked, as he'd very much pegged Colress as a nerd. A nerd of culture, no less, for while the Pokémon Wars Saga was a proper epic, doing everything the originals had, but essentially with Pokémon, all three of those trilogies were seen as more of a continuation of the much, much older Star Wars. But the real fans were the ones who dove into Old Earth's pop culture, where one could find classic titles like Knights of the Old Republic, or Skyrim. Colress was very obviously such a nerd, if he understood what a Mandalorian was. "Do you want a bamf back up there?" Alex asked. "This clone's purpose is to catch a Deino after all." Colress spent a solid two minutes then, examining his body then, in a scientific manner, before his curiosity was satisfied.

"Yes, I could use a ride." Colress finally said, offering a gloved hand, which was also a part of his tech suit. With that, the two men bamfed to Luna.

Monster Zero

Lantea City Containment Lab - Luna

Alex stared at the sleeping Deino before him with a look of uncertainty. Being a Unovan, technically, he had of course considered raising a Hydreigon at some point. The only problem was their species' temperament. Even with Champion Nate's now somewhat outdated guide to raising one, the food cost alone would have crippled his journey. They had large appetites correlated to their size, and a seriously bad attitude that only got worse with each evolution, another hindrance to his journey, and that had been enough to disqualify them from his Ace slot.

And yet, now, here he was. They had the young, but rather impressively large dark type, who had to be close to evolution, kept in what seemed like a permanent sleep. His 'cage' was similar to the one Horus had been in, a square on the floor with energy barriers that only became visible when approached.

Growing up had only cemented his negative perception of the line. Hydreigon wasn't exactly what one could call a great flier, either. They had phenomenal power, when their heads weren't fighting, and were very dangerous over short distances, but he'd wanted a globe-spanning species with unmatched aerial prowess and devastating power, and Shruikan had become exactly that. Now, after his Garchomp, Shruikan wanted a Hydreigon to spar with as well. That had been his only request, if they were going to be adding so many faces. More than a few fans had also wondered why he'd gone for Garchomp over Hydreigon, and that was mostly because Garchomp could handle Mega Evolution without constantly rampaging.

As far as he knew, only Nate was crazy enough to try mega evolving his Hydreigon, and subduing the subsequent rampage had taken his main team, all but one of whom had fainted. Thus, the National Dex now had a big red warning about Mega Evolution on the Deino line's entries.

Alex read the moniker that Pegasus had given their charge, Monster Zero, and then noted the strange patterns of fate and fortune that swirled about the Deino. Finally, he said, "Director." Which got the attention of the man beside him. Those sharp, intelligent eyes tinged with sadness now, shifted back to his. "You wouldn't happen to know what happened to the first Dragon Emperor's Hydreigon, would you?"

Colress chuckled humorlessly and looked back at the Deino with a soft sigh. "Sadly yes, I do. With his master dead, he was about as furious as you'd expect, but the Humans of that time were not so easily disobeyed…the subsequent Emperors turned him into a breeder, the only problem, was that every time some self-important elitist snob tried training one, it eventually evolved and became a calamity. Most of the calamities we have record of were caused by these hatchlings. This one was sent up here, by the Unovan Government, back when the last chained Hydreigon of his line finally, mercifully, passed away. He's been asleep ever since…but I have a feeling his rage has only been growing."

Alex felt Shruikan angrily reacting to the story, and Alex agreed with him. But this was not the old Dragon Empire. They would be better. They had to be. "This is Fate if I've ever seen it. There can be only one Trainer for him, and this time, he'll be trained properly."

"It is folly."

Both Alex and Colress leapt, as they'd locked the door behind them. Even a Deino could be rather destructive. They turned to see the source of the irritated baritone, a pair of blazing, golden eyes floating in the air.

"I will tell you what I told William, when he began this tragedy. Lesser Hydreigon may be Tamed, but those who bear this Darkness, are something else entirely. They cannot help their evil. It is their nature. Like a curse. This little one's ancestor bore it as well, as did his predecessors. Before even my time in Unova, since their species first evolved, this lineage has lasted, and every single one has become a natural disaster. They don't even need to reproduce, an Egg of their species line will simply appear one day with that telltale aura, and once again, the cycle of tragedy and death repeats. Leave him in stasis. It is the kinder fate for him, than the one that awaits."

Alex stared at the ground as Tao spoke. For context on his current thoughts, he had, naturally, at one point just set a clone to watching anime while the others trained. Mostly because he didn't like not knowing a story, but also because he was properly hooked by this point. His clone had made it to Boruto, the slightly less popular but still fairly decent 'Dad Era' of Naruto as a character. Alex looked at the Deino again, destruction incarnate apparently, going back eons. He was seeing some parallels and then asked himself what kind of leader he wanted to be. What kind of leader he was, so far.

"Wake him up. At the very least, I need to speak with him. He deserves to know what's going on."

Colress's eyes widened. "You're…going to tell him!? That…might just actually work…"

Tao's eyes flared again, and his voice rose. "Did you not hear me? The last Harmonias thought as you do. They could speak with their Deino, so surely it would not rampage. I warned them. Begged them not to raise one, but sure enough, their Deino grew up, and once a Hydreigon, lost all control. He then proceeded to spend centuries chained and imprisoned, living a life of torturously slow decay… They don't talk, they kill, they don't train, they plot their Trainer's death while pretending to put in an effort. Hear me, Alexander Redwood I will Not put down another! Leave him be!"

Alex winced, as he understood, suddenly, why Tao was so adamant. His idiot predecessors had, probably hundreds of times, come to him begging to put down a Hydreigon he had likely fruitlessly warned them not to train, as he was doing now, and with the humans unable to stop the rampage it caused, that duty fell to Tao. "I understand why this is such a sore point for you Tao, but he deserves a chance to live his life. At the very Mukking least, he deserves to know why he's being kept in stasis. And even if he does rampage…" Alex's eyes burned gold, as he channeled the Light into his clone, and met the dragon's eyes evenly, "I will stop him. With my own hands, I will end my failure…but I have to at least try. He deserves that much. Every living thing does."

Tao was silent for a long time as his student finished with a lesson he'd been taught by Tao himself, his eyes no less fiery. Finally, he said, "Do as you will." And vanished.

"This…may actually not be so great of an idea, Alex…" Colress said in a hesitant tone, "The Original Dragon would know…"

"I made my decision, Director. Wake him up, please."

Colress sighed, but bowed to manners, and began the awakening process. Three balls bamfed up to the clone, as very quickly, the weight of the young dragon's malice filled the room. He woke up with an angry snarl that didn't inspire confidence in Alex. "Deeeeaaaaath…" was what it translated to.

"Not today." Alex answered with a smirk. The Deino's head turned toward him, and slowly, the malice started to fade. "Hello there." Alex began, "I am Alex Redwood. I train Pokémon like you, to become the most powerful example of their species that they can be."

The large Deino wandered towards him, then tilted his head. "You…you speak like us…I understand your words…you…want to make me strong?" He shuddered, as the visions, memories, or whatever they were, of a murderous rampage caused by his own heads filled his mind again. "I…don't want strength…I…I would be bad."

Alex's eyes widened. "Do…you know already? Do you know what happens when Zweilous with power like yours become Hydreigon?"

At the word 'Hydreigon' the little dragon shuddered in fear. "I see…I see the dead…Humans…Pokémon… please… don't make me strong again…please…"

In a calm baritone, Alex began explaining the young dragon's situation to him, but the more he spoke, the more he frowned. When he finally paused, the dragon said, "I knew I was evil. I can feel it, lurking inside. Put me back to sleep, Human…I don't want to hurt anyone else ever again."

Alex exhaled a heavy sigh. "You don't want to live, either? To enjoy good food and good friends? You'd give up all that life is just to what, sleep forever?"

"If it means I stop killing young ones, then yes!" The Deino roared at him. "I can't…take these…images…I can't do it again…please don't make me."

"I would never force you." Alex stated plainly, "But you deserve the chance to choose. To experience the good of this life you have."

"I have!" He roared again, "Over and over I have enjoyed my lives, felt good things, eaten good food, made good friends…and I always end up killing them! This is what I see, when I sleep, the faces of my dead friends…but eventually, like last time, they'll stop, and I can just…rest."

"I'm not talking about who you've been. I'm talking about who you are Now. You can always choose differently than your previous incarnations did. You have not done anything wrong just by existing."

"You are wrong…" The Deino looked down sadly, "I can't choose differently…I was cursed…a long time ago. I was evil…purely evil…and punished for it by a powerful Fairy. And I deserve it. I always choose death. I always give in to rage. I've made my choice. Just put me back to sleep."

Alex nodded to himself as the Deino laid down and turned his back to the human. "Alright." Before Colress could even blink, the white and black clad Emperor, with an irritated gleam in his eye, hurled a Luxury Ball at the Deino's back, and he honked in surprise, as his essence was pulled into the pocket dimension. Moments later, it dinged green.

"So much for deserving the chance to choose." Colress said, as Alex picked up his catch.

Alex ignored the man and set the Pokéball to stasis mode. This meant time itself was now frozen within the pocket dimension, though Deino could still move around and eat, he would gain no Experience. And he would do so in luxury. While initially furious as the dragon realized what he was in from his past lives, he had to admit, this time his Trainer had a most satisfactory space for him. From above, he heard Alex's voice.

"You will remain in stasis, and you will be comfortable, while I do some proper investigating into lifting your curse. It may take some time, so enjoy yourself. If you have to stay like this there's no reason you shouldn't be happy, at least."

Alex bamfed the ball to his main body then and looked at Colress. "A curse like this is bad news. Whatever put it on him, is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of Humans who lived in my Empire. They're the ancestors of my current subjects. Whoever cursed him, they're certainly no friend to the Empire, or Humanity, and probably won't like that it has reformed. So, I'm going to take him, find out what cursed him, try to reason with it, and maybe save an as yet innocent life. Do you have a problem with that, Director?"

Colress just smirked. "Not at all. But what if, after all that, let's say you free the Deino, or believe you do, and he decides he wants to be wild?"

Alex chuckled. "He won't. When I do train him, it'll be done properly. And once he Battles my other dragons…I have a feeling he'll want to stay. But if he doesn't, I can have him watched. Make sure he's not poached or falling into dark habits."

"Well at least you have that much sense." Colress sighed. "I may regret letting you catch him, but on your head be the consequences. Consider him your Pokémon now, the responsibility for him is yours." Alex thanked him and vanished in a cloud of pink sparkles as the clone poofed. Colress sighed heavily. "These Redwoods…are something else."

Elite Four Common Area - Victory Plateau, Unova Region

A hush fell over the lavishly decorated common room, as Alex Redwood appeared, and looked around. Sure enough, Will and Shauntal were sitting together at one of the tables. The two had fallen into, the way Alex had heard it, quite an epic romance, and these days Will had his mask off more often and his smile was genuine. Alex headed towards them, with purpose, and Will inclined his head as he arrived at the table. "Champion. It's been a while. I don't believe we have any worthy Challengers yet, once the school year ends, we tend to get a few."

"I'm actually here for your other half." Alex said with a smirk, before meeting Shauntal's bespectacled gaze. "When you have time, Shauntal, I'd like for you to research the first Dragon Emperor's Hydreigon, and any mention of a curse upon him, or just a curse upon Hydreigon as a species in general. What Fairy Type caused it, why, and any information on how to break such a thing would be greatly appreciated."

Shauntal blinked slowly. "But why ask me?"

Alex chuckled. "Nobody in Unova is better at getting to the truth of our legends. And I believe you owe me one." He said with a meaningful look at Will. He couldn't claim credit for the relationship, but he had sent the solitary psychic her way, like an arrow from a bow.

"We shall both research this for you, Champion." Will interjected smoothly. "When we have time."

"Of course." Alex responded with a smile more authentic than Will's, "I'm counting on you two. Sorry to interrupt. Have a good day." With that, he bamfed away again, and the two Elite Four members chuckled. Alex Redwood didn't ask much of his Elite Four in a Champion's capacity, something they very much enjoyed, and having Rosa, Hilbert, and Hilda around to either stand in for them, or him, was also very appreciated. When he did ask for something though, it was usually of vital importance, and the Original Dragon had made it clear to each of the Four, privately, that his requests were to be taken seriously.

So, while he hadn't given them a time limit, there was still a sense of urgency. If it had been immediately dire, he would've been sterner, and so Will and Shauntal continued to enjoy themselves, and it would be some time until they started digging into the source of the Deino's curse.

Trial of the Vinewarden

Alex had Eternape and Coryn with him, inside their balls, as he stomped through an area near the Amazon River itself. Eternape, even from his ball, could manifest what seemed to be a Night Shade capable of speech, or at least speaking to him, while his body rested in luxury. Apparently, to properly confirm he was worthy on more than just how impressive his team was, and his word, Eternape wanted to test him, and he had chosen his ghostly owl archer, Coryn, to accomplish this test. Apparently, the ghostly owl archer had impressed him. Every so often, the ghostly ape appeared to guide him. Eventually, Alex came to a clearing free of vegetation, which was odd to find this close to the river, and this deep in the jungle. In the center of the clearing stood a strange, bright green tree.

It was strange because it was not home to Pokémon. Even the mightiest predators avoided it, Alex saw, as a pair of Liepard skirted it in the jungle across the clearing from him. If they'd noticed him, they hadn't moved to attack, yet. The tree creaked ominously, and both Eternape and Coryn popped free from their balls. "Your tessssst…" Eternape gestured at the tree and hissed, as he sometimes did when speaking.

With that utterance, the tree began to move, in its entirety, all at once. Coryn seemed deeply unnerved, but Alex, Pokénerd that he was, knew immediately what Eternape had led them to. He had no idea why a shiny Tangela this strong hadn't evolved yet, maybe it had simply never bothered learning a rock move in a jungle of violent grass and water types, but it didn't seem to need evolution to be massive. As it returned from absorbing nutrients from the fertile jungle to the form Alex was more familiar with, he found it barely resembled the Tangela he knew. There were brief white flashes of eye within the tangle, and the same could be said of their usual red shoes, but in this instance, the vines dominated all. It was like a sentient pile of lime green seaweed, and once it was in its usual shape, it attacked.

Alex psychically stopped the vines coming at him, while Coryn took to the air, making use of the clearing that the Tangela's Ingrain had created. The Tangela seemed unbothered by their tactics, more than capable of fighting both at once. Vines limned with darkness came for Alex, who flared his draconic aura shield, and simply ripped them off. Five more times, the Tangela attacked him, before it realized the strange but powerful human was simply ignoring it and not countering. Eventually, it focused on the actual threat, for Coryn very much did counterattack, slamming into the Tangela with flying energy surrounding his body, easily out speeding its vines.

Tangela was famed for adapting however, and this one was no exception. When its vines failed to make contact, it leaned back and shot a burning seed into the air. Alex recognized this move too, as the Indigo League's Leader Erika had a Tangela with the same ability as this one. Chlorophyll. "It's Sunny Day! Get high, and Solar Beam!" Alex ordered, pointing for Coryn. The Decidueye nodded dutifully and soared higher with several powerful flaps of his impressive wingspan. The seed exploded into a second sun, and the Tangela shuddered with what seemed to be joy, to Alex's senses. Coryn's Solar Beam lanced forward from his beak, only to be met by the Tangela, who formed a vine cannon where his face should've normally been and answered the Solar Beam with his own. The explosion of colliding solar powered grass energy rippled through the clearing, and the jungle beyond, but none of the lurking inhabitants decided to interfere in this clash of grass types.

"Coryn! Purifying Spirit Shackle! But watch the vines, they'll be faster!" Irritated eyes peeked at Alex as he gave more orders, and once again, Knock Off tried to hit him, only to end in yet more psychically detached vines. Though, in this climate, it seemed they didn't need a day to regrow, just a few seconds.

Sure enough, the Power Whips came faster, but Coryn had learned how to fly from Alex's best fliers, and he gracefully barrel rolled into a rising arc that forced the vines to follow him through the Sunny Day. The Tangela hissed, as the manifested fire move was still fire, and hurt, and in that moment of recoil, Alex shouted, "Now!"

With practiced ease, Coryn launched five Spirit Shackle feather arrows at once, through the Sunny Day, which purified the ghost energy, and pinned what seemed to be important vines to the Tangela, as the move knocked it prone. It let out a painful gurgle, and Alex winced. Thankfully, Coryn did not play with his foes. He was atop the tangled mass in a flash, pinning him with Acrobatics on his claws, his wings alight with Dual Wingbeat, if it tried snaring him. "I yield." It gurgled, still in pain.

"Alright Coryn, let the flames die out." Alex said, and the grassy owl extinguished them with a sweeping wing, as he then hopped away from the Tangela, and in front of his Trainer's clone. He spread his long legs then, wings open wide and pointed downward, head raised, and shrieked at the sentient vine mass, daring him to attack again.

"It is over." Eternape said, as he appeared from his ball with a flash of light. The Tangela gurgled in surprise. It was weird, hearing it speak, as it did seem to use some words, but its vines seemed to punctuate them, or perhaps, among Tangela, they were capable of more simple methods of communicating, like a vine-based sign language. Vine language. "Well fought, Coryn." Eternape said with a pat on his wing, and with that, he stood from his defensive posture, but his eyes never left the Tangela. Their team had run into quite a few so far, and they were vicious in Selva Muerta. Constricting and Mega Draining was a great way to grow strong here, and Alex assumed that tree form from earlier had done that very thing on instinct, without needing Tangela to move. The fact that Coryn had so soundly defeated him very much impressed Alex.

"Indeed." He said, joining Eternape. "You have learned well from each of your teachers. Master your Moves, and you'll be more than ready for the Tournament." Coryn's eyes burned with fire as he simply nodded knowingly at his Trainer, and then they shifted back to the Tangela, who had now approached them.

"Eternape." He gurgled the word with respect. More followed, and Alex slowly deciphered their meaning. "You travel with a Human now? I see why. I could not touch him. But he is not like the others."

Eternape nodded slowly. "He is stronger. Come with us. You will be stronger too. A Tangrowth. He speaks like us too."

The Tangela gurgled excitedly. "You understand me, Human?" Alex nodded, smirking as that elicited a gleeful run in a circle from the Tangela, and a brief flash of happy eyes within the now slightly lessened mop of vines. "You make me grow!? Stronger? Long have I sought this!" He burbled happily.

Alex nodded. "If you wish to evolve, my new friend, I will help you do so. But there's more to being on my team than just that…you see…" And once again, Alex elaborated on the team's long-term goals. The Tangela listened patiently, but Alex noted his tendrils sneaking over to Eternape, who brushed them off, and Coryn, who eyed them warily, until he recognized the Tangela was just saying hello. Coryn shook his vine with a wing, an action the Tangela vigorously returned, while he gurgled at Alex once he finished.

"The strongest…I am already the strongest around here. I used to lose a lot…but then I drained more, and it became…easy." He said in an almost disappointed burble. "Too easy. Will our fights be like that one!?" His mood shifted again, rapidly, to excited wiggling and hopefulness.

Alex just chuckled. "Of course they will. In fact, once you train a bit, you'll find our Battles to be something completely different from what you've had to do to survive here. Which brings up a good point, actually. We don't kill our opponents in Human Battles."

The Tangela tilted in confusion, and Alex marveled as its vines seemed to, briefly, form literal question marks. "Kill?"

Alex blinked. "End their life. Drain them until they don't move anymore. We don't do that, we leave them breathing, and healthy, just unconscious."

The Tangela shuddered at him. "But they'll attack when they wake up…better to…kill. Return them to the soil. Makes the forest strong."

Alex shook his head. "No, there will be no returning to the soil unless they're trying to do the same to us. Understand? I can feed you berries, and lots of sunlight. You won't need to kill, and your opponents won't attack. Once they faint, they'll stop or be returned to their Pokéball. All you need to do to win is knock them unconscious one time. Understand?"

The Tangela was quiet for a moment, and his vines shifted as he processed this strange human idea of not killing one's enemies. "I…understand. I will not…kill until you say so." Alex got the feeling he did not, in fact, understand, but he was just leaving it to the human to tell him when to kill and when not to. Alex hoped that meant he wouldn't try killing each time he won, but he believed the shiny green vine creature understood that he would be deeply distressed if Tangela killed someone. That would have to be good enough.

"Welcome to the team, Chloros."

The Iron Reaper

Arthur walked calmly into the Jungle of Death, as the rest of the team continued to train. Being what he was, he had, like his Trainer, made use of Double Team, but with psychic energy. Multi Clones, or whatever Alex was calling the move. They were useful, more durable, and didn't seem to count as a physical or special move. Arthur couldn't make many yet, but those he had were all occupied with training, and even he found splitting his focus to be a lot on his senses. He didn't understand yet how Alex managed it all, but his brother just kept growing more adept with his clones.

Arthur was alone, though. Alex was the least worried for him and his safety, as he had already braved worse than Selva Muerta, and lived. The psychic knight was not cocky, but confident that he could handle anything the jungle could throw at him, so long as he didn't go looking for trouble. Naturally, trouble was exactly what he was looking for. Romulus had faced a powerful Scizor not too long ago and had been hurt pretty bad. Nothing a Full Restore didn't fix, but still, there were some things that Arthur could not abide. The Lycanroc had come back battered from the battle. Whatever he'd faced was clearly higher level, and had a type advantage that it had used to almost lethal effect. Romulus was too good of a boy to not be avenged, so Arthur went on a walkabout through the area Romulus had been honing his Accelerock in.

Sure enough, after about twenty minutes, Arthur heard the telltale flap of a Scizor's wings. Scyther were, naturally, quite common in Selva Muerta, but only a few that had been to the southern curve of the continent had ever managed to find a Metal Coat and become a Scizor. This one was naturally large, and very far north of their usual range. Arthur stopped, eyes narrowed, as the Scizor slid in front of him with its impressive speed. "You! Have you fought a Lycanroc recently?"

The Scizor's eyes narrowed. "I knew it was a Human slave…it was weak. Lucky, it escaped…you are just as weak. Seeking me out…means death." The Scizor's claws clamped shut, and he shot forward, gliding just above the ground, as Arthur's eyes widened. Unlike most Scizor, this one was actually using its wings, which seemed rather well defined, no doubt from constant use. In a climate like this, they probably had to beat constantly to prevent overheating. The result was that they made up for Scizor's slow steel typed speed. The Bullet Punch met the base Sacred Sword with ease, and the brute struck with the second claw, which was also easily blocked.

"You're not even worth Mega Evolving for." Arthur stated factually. "You have claws. They're more than clubs. Use them." He disentangled their arms then, and roundhouse kicked the steel bug to the face. The move was so fluid and unexpected, the Scizor's eyes went wide as the sturdy foot of the Gallade sent him flying, a sensation he had not experienced since before evolving.

With a metallic snarl, the Scizor flared his wings to stop his momentum, and did as suggested. His claws opened, revealing a sharper, heightened Metal Claw, which had a higher attack power than normal thanks to this Scizor being a technician. The claws came for Arthur, but he simply held out one arm defensively and coated it with Excalibur this time. The Scizor's eyes widened again as he felt the power of the Light, while Arthur used his other arm to stifle a yawn. "I can't believe Romulus had trouble with you. You must have ambushed him."

The Scizor refocused on the Gallade, and the anger returned. "The patient hunter gets the prey…ambushes bring victory."

"Coward!" Arthur shouted physically and psychically, which disoriented the steel bug type. Excalibur flared with the Light's heat, and the Metal Claws lost their grip, having not so much as scratched Arthur's now burning, golden arm. Once more he spun fluidly through the air, this time striking with his burning arm in the Pokémon's chest. A shockwave from the force of the hit visibly boomed through the air, as Arthur held nothing back, and sent his opponent rocketing through three sizable tree trunks.

Arthur stepped past them, tapping their ruined trunks with an arm glowing with Leaf Blade as he did so. The grass energy infused each trunk, and the damage was repaired slowly. Soon the holes Scizor had made were gone entirely, though new bark would have to grow, the trees would survive. The bashed bug stared at Arthur's mastery in awe. "Not…weak…" He managed to say through the immense pain. He wanted to weep from the pain, but he held it in, refusing to show weakness to this warrior.

"This is why you face opponents head on. That's how you grow stronger. Even when you lose, you can learn something. Cowardly tactics have no place in a real Battle."

"You…Human slaves and your…Battling. Humans are…a source for metal…nothing more."

"Weak, and a fool." Arthur retorted calmly. "Your species can attain great power, but you usually need a Human to bring it out safely. By spurning them, you guarantee your weakness. I am only this strong, because my Human is a great Trainer. He studied hard to learn how to make his partners the best they can be, and you see the result."

Arthur quietly hoped he wouldn't take the bait, but he also knew Alex would be irritated if he just let a Scizor that needed a little polishing to be World Tournament material just lie here, uninvited. "I…want that…strength…"

Arthur sighed and then shared Life Dew with the steel warrior. He perked up quickly but made no move to attack. Arthur could tell the metallic bug was in awe of him. "Why?"

The Scizor looked down, and then back at Arthur. "All I have brought here…is death. It has…dulled me. The fight to survive has…become dull. I cut through the grass ones. I beat down the dark ones. Few challenge me. All the way, from south to north, nothing but weakness…until you." He acknowledged. "I…wish to be the strongest."

Arthur's brow furrowed. "What will you do with such power?"

The Scizor put a claw to his chest and bowed deeply. "Whatever you wish. You have the Alpha's power. You are worthy enough to follow."

Arthur slowly tapped each of the battered Scizor's shoulders with Sacred Sword. "Raise your head…Reaper."

The Scizor, named for his deeds, did so, and blinked, as he found a pair of crossed Sacred Swords at his neck. He looked at Arthur, who spoke calmly. "Hear me. If you ever harm Romulus, or any of our brothers like that again, I will finish this attack, and your neck will not be able to take it. No matter how strong you become. Do you understand?"

The Scizor nodded ever so slightly, and Arthur lowered his blades. "Then come, let us introduce you to your brothers."

Sahqoreyth · Dec 24, 2024

Pé na Estrada Real, Part 1

This marks the beginning of the aforementioned journey, around Rio's circuit. It is still technically the same chapter, too. The rest will be coming soon. Merry Xmas.

Barra Center - Rio City

"So, Alex," Isamu began, unsure of whether he was in the presence of one of the Dragon Emperor's psychic clones, "Do you know anything about Rio's circuit? Or are we going in blind?"

Alex was utterly still for a moment, then pulled out a paper map, and an old scent of must filled the air around their table. They were enjoying some Dragon Burgers in Rio's largest mall, which was called the Barra Center, evidently named after the location it resided in. Rio had many sub neighborhoods that were more like cities unto themselves. "The Estrada Real is an ancient road…or Route, I suppose, that extends through the entire Region. It connects all but the traditionally sixth and seventh Gyms and only has one somewhat dangerous part of it. The majority of the Route is very urban, which means plenty of Trainers and city-loving Pokémon. We'll be following a relatively straight offshoot of the Estrada Real to the first Gym…which seems to be Grass Typed. Lucky you."

Isamu grinned at Dynamight. The little Torchic was already starting on eating his vitamins. "Hear that? We'll get our first Badge here easily." The Torchic eyed Isamu with tolerance, and a bit of disdain, mostly because Isamu was, without his Cores, a mediocre Trainer at best. He knew his type matchups, had memorized the Dex entries of his team members, and of course, had been trained by the Mind Sage, but as a Trainer, he had little to show for his journey so far. He'd only beaten the bug gym in Paldea, and had lost hard in Artazon and then Cascaraffa. His Riolu was strong, but status moves and Kofu's Crabominable had been able to surpass him, even at the second badge level. With only Kanchi, the difficulty curve in Paldea's gyms had been too much, and neither Brassius nor Kofu had let him use his other members after they spent ten turns loafing, sleeping, or just straight up attacking Isamu when he tried commanding them.

"Once I have all the evolution items I need, we'll head out. I do need to evolve Fulguron here, though. He'll need Rio's power grid to use the Electirizer, and I have to get Revan's armor tomorrow." Alex said after a pause.

Isamu blinked. "And uhh…Fulguron is your…?"

Alex smirked. "Electivire. Or he will be soon enough." Alex frowned, then. "Balls. Apparently, there's a limit on Link Cables per Trainer. Even for Champions. A moment, Isamu. Castelia won't have such irritations." Alex went unnaturally still then, as he focused on Teleporting his shopping clone to New Tork City.

Isamu just nodded, staying quiet as he watched Dynamight and Kanchi eat. He didn't know how Alex kept track of so many Pokémon, especially when they all had nicknames, but he did so with seemingly little effort. Then again, a mind that could apparently simultaneously track and answer five hundred questions at once would be more than capable of remembering sixty partners. Especially with how close their team seemed to be.

A few minutes later, a number of items were Teleported onto their table, and Isamu watched with rabid curiosity. His eyes went wide as he saw the array of riches before him. Alex came back to this clone then, and it started acting like a human again, breathing, blinking, and speaking. "First, the Electirizer. We'll need to visit the city's Gym, but it shouldn't be a problem to plug Fulguron in. Next, three Link Cables for Champ, Kel, and Psi. Psi still has growing to do, but the others should be ready…"

He called out his Machoke and Gurdurr then, and the pair nodded at each other, before looking at Alex expectantly. "Conkeldurr are, classically, paired with a Boldore for their evolution. The trade in genetics gives them the materials for their massive concrete slabs and turns a sentient boulder into a Humanoid shaped rock crystal entity with the intelligence to match."

Isamu snapped his fingers. "That's why they're both used in Unovan construction. It's convenient and they pair well."

Alex nodded. "So, we link the cable to a Gigalith Crystal, and then to Kel…" Alex did so, and despite being a solid mineral, the silvery end of the long, winding black Link Cable pierced it easily. It also pierced Kel just as easily, and the Gurdurr winced, but endured the strange sensation. Then, his eyes widened, and he started to glow. Alex watched, proud he could aid his new friend in living his best life, and as he finally became a Conkeldurr, he roared, gathering the attention of people nearby, which then started murmurs, as they realized who had evolved the Gurdurr in the first place. "You know what you have to do, Kel. The Meal Power is already active. See you in a few hours. Champ will be right behind you. And don't forget to take a break in the Falls when you need one. There's no rush."

Kel nodded and rumbled an affirmative, before he was recalled, and his ball was Teleported to the clone training up those who needed attack power near Paldea's Fury Falls. He had another clone doing the same thing for those who need special attack power, on Casseroya Lake. Then, he continued, as Isamu was writing notes furiously now. "Machamp is, classically, paired with Golem. Samuel Oak theorized that the rock-hard skin Machamp possesses is achieved through trading with a Rock Type. It's this sturdiness that allows it to use greater power than a Machoke, and not split apart. And without the power-restraining belt, it gained another pair of arms, yet stayed contained within its form, leading to four brutally powerful limbs that are as hard as stone."

Isamu knew most of that already, being a Japan native, but he nodded anyway. He told the Dragon Emperor of a folktale they had in Johto, of a Machoke and a Graveler having a contest. The Graveler only needed to roll down the mountain to the bottom to win, and the Machoke had to use his superhuman power to stop him. Eventually, they collided so hard that they had both evolved. "Some versions have them being friends and walking off into the sunset together, but uhh…the oldest versions of the story have the Machamp then brutally beating the Golem into pieces, with Type advantage. Machamp hasn't always had the…best reputation in Japan. Elite Four Bruno changed a lot of minds, with his.

Alex nodded, listening along with Champ, as he plugged the Link Cable into the Machoke's power-restraint belt with a large brown rock shard presumably from a shed Golem shell on the other end. He was glad the modern methods of reaching these forms were less brutal than they'd once been. Champ also grew in size, his body swelling and hardening as the power belt broke off and faded away. The Machamp roared as his new stronger body manifested. His four powerful arms struck empty air, and his large tan lips were pulled up in a dark smirk as he felt how strong he was now. By this point the crowd around them was paying full attention. People whooped and cheered as Champ attained his ideal self, and Alex let him wave and flex at the crowd, before finally saying, "Kel is getting ahead of you. You may want to hurry." The stone-gray mass of muscle, wearing only what resembled skintight black gym shorts, with no belt, around his nether regions regarded his Trainer, and then nodded. He was strong now, finally, but they could, and would, get stronger.

"Is that all the evolutions today?" Isamu asked, glancing around.

Alex shook his head, not caring who saw. In fact, he wanted people to know he was adding to his roster. At a certain point, even the best strategists would realize trying to prepare for anyone he threw out was a lost cause, at which point he expected they'd focus on making their own best team, and thus the job of preparing fell to Alex. It would likely be easier though, as most Trainers in the upper ranks of the World Tournament only had one team of ten, and maybe two or three others. People like Ash, Nate, himself, Red, and a few others were the only ones to expand their roster beyond ten and still maintain a mean average of power that kept them in the top rankings of the tournament. "We have one more. Gauss."

His large Charjabug appeared, and made an unintelligible gurgle at him, that Alex could only divine sounded happy. The words, if there were any, sounded like gibberish. "I have your Thunder Stone, my friend. Are you ready to become a Vikavolt?"

The electric bug shuddered in joy, and droned an affirmative, and Alex pressed the stone to his body. A moment later, he too joined the rest of the team in their final form, and despite being comparatively low level, he would grow into it rapidly, once he trained his special attack power and his speed. After being given quite a few useful moves via TMs, that his new body could actually use, he was Teleported to Casseroya Lake, with the other special attackers.

Alex stood and stretched his arms, then. "That just leaves Fulguron." Isamu nodded, finishing his note taking. It was one thing to read about these rare evolutions, it was another to see them in person. There was also a bit of Japanese pride, as it was Samuel Oak's aides who had created the first Link Cables, though, famously, the first few prototypes had disappeared in strange emanations of energy that had forced them to recreate the cables from scratch. Where, or when, the Link Cables had been yeeted through time was a complete mystery.

The part of the Megalopolis they were currently in was simply called Rio, and the Gym Leader of this area so close to the Royal Palace was both the eighth and strongest of Rio's Pokémon League. He was also a renowned Dragon Type Master, and had apparently trained Nate when he was younger, and still in his teens. As Alex and Isamu arrived in the gym, which was built into the massive arena he'd spectated before, Leader Drago came to meet them himself.

"So, you see…" Alex was saying, "I need a source connected to the energy grid to evolve him, if that's alright. I was tempted to try plugging the Electirizer into a Zap Plate or a shard of one, but…this seems safer. That energy is literally infinite, who knows what it could do to my Electabuzz."

The receptionist nodded, a bit flushed and starstruck, but happy to assist the man who'd convinced Mamboa and Sombrador to come home. "That shouldn't be a problem, Dragon Emperor. So long as we can borrow a Zap Shard to compensate, I'm sure Leader Drago will-"

Her words cut off, and Alex's eyes widened as he sensed the Gym Leader before he spoke. Isamu turned, sensing the same quality of aura, and gasped. "Dragon Emperor!" His voice echoed loudly through the front area of the gym lobby. "Evolving another Pokémon, are we? You're making this a habit! Hahaha!"

Alex turned and regarded the Dragon Master. With Elite Four Drake now passed and former World Champion Lance now all but retired by age and infirmity, Leader Drago was considered the current strongest dragon type Pokémon expert in the world, who was still actively battling, anyway. His skin was as bronze as Iara's, and his hair was black, at the roots, but had been dyed to be the bluish purple associated with dragon types. His square jaw was covered in a coarse but well-maintained beard, also dyed. His hair was buzzed on the sides, with a flaring tuft of blurple locks taking up the center of his head. A pair of draconic looking tattoos peaked out from under his short sleeves, and a necklace with strange, golden draconic looking icons was around his burly neck. His clothes were a pair of black leather gloves, form fitting and black clothes with gold accents, and a large leather belt around his waist where his balls and other useful items sat. Alex spied a blade hilt among them, and like every other Dragon Master he'd seen, Drago was wearing a heroic looking gold trimmed black cape. His brown eyes were fierce and awakened the urge to battle within his chest as the two men's gazes met.

"Leader Drago." Alex said, meeting the man's gaze, as they were pretty much the same height, "At a certain point, evolving one's partners does become rather easy. But never trivial. Each of those who ascended today longed to do so, and my Electabuzz is no exception. They want to be the Best, and I intend to help them get there."

Drago was silent for a long moment, then a smirk cracked his serious expression. Both Isamu, and Nyah, the receptionist, seemed worried, but Alex knew the man was in a good mood. "Ha!" He boomed. "You really are as chill as the tales say! I like it! Come, let me see this evolution as well! I've never actually seen an Electivire in the flesh. Down here we typically have Heliolisk…and their evolution." He grinned, and Alex smirked, with a nod. Like most reptile Pokémon, the few Heliolisk that managed to evolve became true dragon types, and Alex had no doubt a renowned Dragon Master had one such monster on his team.

Drago led Alex and Isamu, and Fulguron as well once Drago asked to see him, down into the bowels of the stadium, which looked like most basements in the Pokémon world. Gray. Mostly used for storage. The occasional spin pad puzzle that led to a rare item, which Drago claimed to have created, and stocked, himself. Alex was tempted to try it, but Fulguron patiently asked him not to. At least until he evolved. The puzzle itself went up and over several aerial walkways, and there had to be, at a glance, at least a thousand spin pads, but in the center of that chaos, were five pairs of Wise Glasses, and five Muscle Bands, just sitting there. Isamu was also tempted to try, but he saw how Alex eyed the prize, and decided to let him claim it. He'd already given Dynamight one of his Lucky Eggs, so Isamu didn't need a held item yet, and by the time he did, he guessed he'd have come across at least one Muscle Band. The sheer volume of items one could get from Paldea's countryside was one of the many reasons he'd enrolled in Naranuva Academy.

After opening a door leading to a rather massive Tesla Generator, a brainchild of the Azoth Kingdom's Nikola, made real by the disgusting amount of wealth Bill possessed. To Bill's credit though, such generators were quite common all over the civilized world, with the Imperium being the exception, supposedly. This was, more or less, the concept behind their creation; a device capable of drawing on natural powerful electromagnetic fields and turning them into usable power for humans and Pokémon alike. Fulguron's fur stood straight up as he entered the generator room and eyed the marvel of mankind up close. Clever as he was, he had no idea how the humans had created a device that had a field of energy like this, and he was not alone in that. Gauss was thrumming in his ball, as he'd chosen to hone his stats the artificial way, with punching bags, and feats of strength within the pocket dimension that was his Pokéball.

Alex pulled out the Electirizer, and the device hummed to life as it sensed the ambient electrical energy in the area. This too, was a brainchild of Nikola, though full credit for the final product had to be given to Leader Volkner, of Sunyshore City. A recognized specialist of the electric type, and lowkey prodigy inventor, with a little more drive, he probably could have rivaled Nikola. As it stood, he preferred to spend his long days facing Trainers of varying badge levels with a bowl of Leaf at the end of them and had only created the Electirizer to evolve his Electabuzz, after they'd encountered a wild Electivire in the Johto region. Of course, that was before the Arceans had sacked his city. War tended to change people quite dramatically.

"Alright Fulguron." Alex said calmly, "You know what to do." Alex hooked up one of the cords ending in a prong to the Electirizer, and then his electric ape moved towards the now sparking device, as it rapidly charged with power. Five Electabuzz finger sized blue panels opened on the yellow cube, and without hesitation, Fulguron placed his digits on them. His eyes widened, and the gathered humans took several steps back, as arcs of electricity flared wildly, then condensed around Fulguron, seemingly at his discretion. Alex was just impressed, as even for an electric type, that was a lot of energy to be containing and controlling at once. But that was who Fulguron was. He had the inner strength and willpower that gave him rather good control of his abilities, and thanks mostly to Leo and Temere influencing the impressionable Elekid, he had learned to be very creative with them.

White light, Infinity Energy in its most natural form, surged through Fulguron's yellow and black striped body, and the already impressively tall Electabuzz, who was pushing six feet in height, now surged even higher. Not quite to an Alpha's height, yet, but certainly larger than any other freshly evolved Electivire the trio of humans was likely to see. The Electirizer fell from his massive hand, blackened and useless, its singular purpose accomplished, and Fulguron roared loud enough to shake the air. It sounded like a revving engine, if that engine was on a jet plane.

Arcs of blue plasma rolled over the room, but with a single motion of his hand, Fulguron summoned them to his palm, and stared in wonder at the sheer mastery he now felt, in his species penultimate form. He clenched his massive ape fist and turned to regard the man who had made him into, from some perspectives, a monster. He stared at Alex a long time, silently, even as he asked if Fulguron was alright. Then, finally, he spoke. "Sloane…wanted me to betray you." He said in his new, rumbling baritone, and Alex's eyes widened. "He wanted me to use you to become…as powerful as I am now, and then return to him, to make him a Champion. Like this, we could capture a good team, train them up, and be serious contenders…"

Alex crossed his arms and began psychically translating for Isamu and Drago. "And? Are you going to go back? Is that what you desire, now that you have power?"

His answer was immediate, and monotone. "No. He is weak. Of the Humans I have met journeying with you, you remain the strongest. Except maybe for him." He rumbled, nodding at Drago, whose smirk widened into a grin as he got the translation. "I will not betray my brothers. I simply decided this was something you should know." And indeed, had Fulguron simply not mentioned this, he probably could have never brought it up again. The chances of them meeting Sloane again were slim at best now that his face was known to Alex's mom. Though she'd never admit it, she'd befriended one of the Miltank, and the two had not so secretly started battling the other herd members, to make them stronger. Or so they claimed. If Sloane or his goons came around again, they'd be meeting the business end of said Miltank, and Alex had exactly zero desire to seek them out.

Alex nodded slowly, and then placed a large, but compared to an Electivire quite tiny, hand on his fur. Fulguron shifted, as it was still very much supercharged, but it seemed Alex wasn't letting his current run through more than his hand, which had already proven it could channel electricity. It hurt, but Alex needed Fulguron to hear him. "I won't forget this. You made a good choice, Fulguron. You stuck to basic morality when you didn't have to. I'm proud to be your Trainer." A dark smirk came over his features. "I'm going to be using you more, from now on. You're going to become even more of a beast."

Fulguron's expression mirrored his, which was much more terrifying on his new wide sasquatch features. "Finally…I look forward to it." They shared a nod of understanding of his new capabilities and Fulguron returned to the comfort of his ball with a flash of bluish white.

Alex turned to the other two men, then. "Leader Drago. Thank you, for this."

Drago was still grinning. "Thank you for translating. Hearing a Pokémon actually talk…is something. I can understand my team, but not others. Never that well." He inclined his head in what seemed like a nod of respect. "I've learned much."

It was Alex's turn to smirk now, as he said, "I'll be challenging Rio's Gyms along with my friend here." He nodded at Isamu. "I look forward to our match." Drago let out another thunderous laugh as they left the generator room and ascended back to the first level of the stadium as he repeated the sentiment. He sent them on their way practically salivating at the thought of having a match with Alex, new team or otherwise, and Alex had said he was open to using his dragons, at least. Drago had nodded at the mention of Kalagon, everyone loved a Garchomp and he had one of his own, like most who claimed mastery of the dragon type, but it was the black Salamence that had the Dragon Master's interest, particularly his electric moves. Alex could tell Shruikan also wanted to test this 'final form' of Heliolisk as well, now that he'd heard some of the hype about it.

Eventually, they made it to the outskirts of the megalopolis that was Rio, and the location of the grass typed gym. There was a proper gate leading into the Jungle of Death, one Alex had used before, but right before it was a previously unnoticed gym, which blended in well with the foliage around it. It sat quite literally on the edge of the massive city, straddling the border between the natural and the man-made. Alex and Isamu opted to camp that night, as they had quite a large group, or at least, Alex did.

Isamu's 'main' team mostly stayed in the comfort of their balls, stewing in anger. They came out to eat, those who needed to, and with how skittish the teen was around them, Alex had a feeling they used their powers to subjugate Isamu, when unfamiliar eyes were not around. Said eyes belonged to both him and Po, who was acting as this 'team's' ace, in case the Muk hit the Fan Rotom, as it tended to on such journeys, eventually. With his Machamp, Conkeldurr, Electivire, and Vikavolt still with his clones in Paldea, grinding away to increase their stats, his Alakazam, Metang, Noivern, and Drilbur had opted to train in their balls, and to stay on his person. The pair of psychics was largely ignoring the awkward mole, and his Noibat, Dracala, wanted nothing to do with him either.

Thus, Simon gravitated towards his Trainer, and discovered doing so would get him all the scritches. Isamu's Torchic was getting a similar treatment along with Zyx, the seemingly lead Zygarde Core who spoke for the others while they rested or did as they pleased within their spherical pocket dimensions. It was then that Alex noticed the balls containing the Cores were glowing. "Isamu. Is that a built-in solar generator in your Pokéballs? I have one for my Grass Types, but I know a Pokéball expert."

As main Alex bamfed Terra's currently empty ball to this clone to show Isamu, his eyes widened. "I think you and I have the same source. This craftsmanship is…identical. You know Professor Armeniaca?" Alex nodded, and after a few more questions confirming that Alex had been there, Isamu's voice lowered. "Did…did you see the Mewtwo?"

Alex winced, remembering said Mewtwo. "Aye. I trained with him, in fact. He was not a gentle mentor…but his understanding of cells, their structure, and how to repair them quickly was on par with Nurse Joy's."

Isamu just stared at him, eyes wide. "You…actually managed to train under his Pressure? I couldn't even stand!"

Alex nodded and then gave the inquisitive teen a hint about how he'd gotten so…durable. This led to a recounting of his escapades in Norstad, a tale which none of the Pokémon with him had heard yet. Once the four assigned to this clone returned from their training, he recounted the tale and had them gripped. Fighting sky bandits. Meeting the imprisoned Fairy King. Traversing the only known nest of Articuno. Training in the Way of the Hyper Voice, under his Rayquaza, and of course, the final battles with both Alduin and Pravus. By the end, he had his younger and much more impressionable teammates spellbound, and he could sense the newfound respect they had for the A Team.

Dracala spoke first. "I have…heard tales of the World Eater. Legends. Stories. And you really faced him down? Twice?"

Alex nodded, glancing at Isamu, and then said quietly, "Yes. When he was flesh and bone, it took all of us to take him down. When he was revived by the Successor to the Tamer of Arceus with Shadow Energy…your brother Astrum sent him to his rest. Hopefully forever."

The Pokémon, Dynamight included, began chattering amongst themselves. Even Psi, his reclusive Kadabra, had been interested in this tale. Po claimed it was old news though, and soon had them spellbound by another story, one involving himself, the Dragon Scroll, and an ancient Carracosta with powerful Kung Fu. Alex smirked as he sensed Isamu shift closer to where he was sitting cross legged on the somewhat maintained grass they'd set up camp on. Far enough from the city to not be crowded by buildings, but close enough to not be in danger of Selva Muerta's inhabitants. Po had still promised to guard them as they slept, regardless, and since he and Alex only needed four hours, this was easily split up.

"Dra- er, Alex, did you…did you mention the Successor to the Tamer of Arceus!?" He quietly hissed, not wanting to distract their Pokémon from what he assumed was another story.

Alex nodded, his voice equally low. "Aye. He has been revived, thanks to the witch Morgana." Recognition flashed across Isamu's face, when he heard the name, confirming Alex's suspicions that the young Trainer knew more than he let on. "I'm training up my team partly to combat him, when I track him down. He is the man who began the Dark Times…I expect his team will be quite strong, and I have it on good authority that he's rapidly adapting to our modern age, and technology. With his Hoopa he could easily steal as many Pokéballs as he wants and expand his roster well beyond ten Pokémon. I don't expect him to be able to handle more than sixty, this early after reviving. Having variety for the World Tournament is a useful bonus of these efforts. Our newer members are helping my A Team advance too. Teaching can be as instructive as being a student."

Isamu looked quite nervous, despite Alex's calm tone. "Could…could he attack at any moment?"

Alex shrugged. "I doubt he will. This…Lord Proditor, as he apparently names himself, has a flare for the dramatic. And a Hoopa. He can be wherever he wants, instantly, but I know our paths will cross eventually. It's the destiny of those who wield the Light and the Shadow. When we do finally meet, we will all be ready."

They went into their nightly routine then, with the late-night anime binges, and the early morning rewatch for those who actually slept long enough to properly rest. Breakfast was a different kind of 'sandwich', if one defined a sandwich as bread containing other edible ingredients. Alex had rolled the rather thin potato tortilla, a local staple, around things he knew how to cook, namely, eggs and bacon, broken into crispy chunks of deliciousness, surrounding a pair of what his brain termed hot dogs, but what the locals called Chorizo. Apparently, it was nothing like the tubular meat served in Unova. A few of his teammates eyed his creation longingly, mostly Champ, Revan, Garuda, Fulguron, and of course, Po. Being Emperor and an official Champion had perks, like more than enough currency to keep his food stores well-stocked from his clone in Paldea, and all who wanted one, got a burrito. Very much on purpose, their meal would give them extra experience for fire types, and Isamu noted that down, as apparently, that was how Florian and Juliana prepared for a big match as well.

"Before we head to the Gym, you and Dynamight should have a Battle with Garuda and I." Alex said, as his clone psychically split in two. "I need to go with Revan to get his armor, but we should be back before the Battle ends." Isamu nodded, and Alex let the other clone handle battling with Garuda, who after hearing several more stories over breakfast, was eager to be a part of this team, even if he still regarded his Trainer with a bit of salt, and indifference. It was an improvement over the hatred he'd been building.

With a psychic bamf, he appeared outside the Ribeiro Forja, and just like his last visit, the Magmar outside called out to the Magmortar and Trainer within. The smith himself appeared then, fresh from working, and grinned as he saw his latest lucrative customer. "Ahh, Alex, you're here for the armor, yes? I finished it late last night. I think it came out well. Come, and bring Revan, I want to see his reaction to it." Alex nodded and brought the freshly fed Charcadet out. He gave the blacksmith a cheerful wave, and greeted the Magmortar as well, as Antonio showed Alex the armor.

"Thanks to Naranuva Academy's historical texts on the Malicious and Auspicious Armor sets, I was able to make an offshoot of Malicious Armor with Sinistea Shards and that Ralts Dust you provided." He removed the tarp covering the armor then, and Alex grinned. The Malicious Armor, or the breastplate at least, was much the same as the ancient kind found in Paldea. This set also had a helmet though, one directly inspired by Mandalorian culture, and as Revan came over to look at it, his eyes went wide. Antonio stepped back, as did Alex, as the young Charcadet donned the helmet after gazing at the visor for a moment. The armor and helmet glowed in sync, shooting into Revan's growing form as the light of evolution filled the forge.

When it faded, Alex gazed at the new Ceruledge with an open mouth, as Antonio wheeled out a somewhat soot-covered tall mirror for the Ceruledge to admire his new armor. His level remained the same, but his potential had just dramatically increased. Two burning blurple eyes formed in the T-visor as Revan opened his eyes, and with a very familiar hum, his sword hands burned to life. They were still longswords, with the only real difference being the burning crossguard by Revan's 'wrists'. Much like Lux in Power Form, they flared out straight and were ideal for stopping the momentum of other blades they locked with.

"How does it feel?" Alex asked, as Revan started moving, slowly testing how his newly armored body reacted. There were other slight differences to the usual Malicious Armor, but he was still very obviously a Ceruledge. This most notable difference, aside from the helmet and thinner, more plasma-like longswords, were the 'boots'. Instead of rising to Revan's thighs in an almost obnoxious waste of space and material, they now jutted more from the back, though Alex couldn't really determine why.

Antonio chimed in, seeing where his eyes were wandering. "As he grows, certain parts of his armor will…become available. They run on his flames, so until he can handle powering them, they'll be inert, but once he's fully trained, I guarantee you will be pleased with how fast he is. This speed does however come at the cost of some defenses."

Alex nodded, as did Revan. Revan turned to him, then. "I need to begin training. Recall me and get the appropriate tools ready." Alex did so, giving him rather durable physical attack power boosting punching bags that would serve to sharpen his swords as effectively as taking down a bunch of Bisharp would. Fury Fall's Bisharp were quite high level though, so training in his ball was his only option, for now.

Alex thanked Antonio again, paid the man for his custom commission, and then bamfed back to their camp just in time to see his team watching the battle between Garuda and Dynamight come to an end. Dynamight had learned to master several of his new moves, Detect, Flame Charge, and Aerial Ace, and despite looking ready to evolve, he hadn't yet, for whatever reason. For his part, Garuda had largely ignored Alex, which had led to the fighting hen being brutally hammered with Aerial Ace while Dynamight dodged his return attacks, most special ones like ember, with Flame Charge. "Garuda! Stop goofing off and use Aerial Ace!" The Combusken glared at Alex, finally acknowledging he was there, and did as asked.

"Detect!" Isamu countered. He knew he was significantly underleveled for this battle, as he had been in most of his battles so far, but he also knew that Garuda was, for some reason, very poorly trained. He seemed to enjoy mocking Alex, ignoring his orders and loafing around, while getting hit, but irritation did not appear on the clone. He just kept giving it orders, and eventually, Garuda would listen, enough to land a finishing move. But if he and Dynamight could just hit first…

Dynamight deftly dodged the flying typed strike from Garuda's powerful claws, and Isamu called their counter. "Use your own Aerial Ace!" Dynamight's beak lit up with super effective flying energy, and he lunged for the attack.

"Dodge! Quick Attack!" Garuda's glaring eyes glanced at his Trainer again, but once more, he listened, as he himself did not want to be hit by that. The tiny chick was young, but determined, and had been battling low level grass types long before breakfast had been served. Garuda kind of admired his tenacity, as he kept wildly stabbing his glowing beak at Garuda, who used his superior speed enhanced by Quick Attack to dodge.

Then, he saw an opening, or thought he did, as Dynamight reared his tiny head back. "No, don't!" Alex shouted, but Garuda ignored him, as a Flame Charge surged around his body. Dynamight brought his beak down then, and the flying energy caused the fire attack to violently flare up in an explosion that, when it cleared, revealed the much larger, and fainted, Combusken.

With a mighty chirp, Dynamight surged with bright light, and became a Combusken as well, with the attitude to match. He sneered at the older male as he regained consciousness, but Alex recalled Garuda before they could start a rivalry that would only hinder Garuda's progress. He glared at Dynamight. "Save that, for the Gym. Garuda is no longer your opponent. You won." With that, the clones of the tall human merged back together, stifling any sassy reply Dynamight had for him. Instead, he just grabbed another helping of breakfast and began to eat.

Once he'd had his victory meal, the two packed up camp and made for the gym. Alex went first, and Isamu was still too shy to stop him, but he also had a reason for going first. Isamu desperately needed a win, and another badge, or soon Dynamight would lose interest in listening to him as Kanchi had, once he'd trained past a certain level. Alex and Revan would clear out anything too tough for the rookie Trainer to handle, just this once. There was also a steel gym in Rio's circuit, and Isamu would be going first, at that one.

Leader Silvia had green hair that was loosely braided to one side with small charms of leaves and beads woven in. She wore an earthy green, sleeveless tunic with vine embroidery, paired with rugged brown pants and sturdy boots. Her eyes were green and shaped like a Meowscarada's, with a smirk crossing her lovely features as she saw the pair of men enter her gym. As Alex got a better look at her, he also noted she had plenty of survival gear. "Well now…" She looked him over like Noir looked at bird Pokémon. "You must be the visiting Dragon Emperor…and friend." She looked briefly at Isamu with a total lack of interest as she realized he was a bit too young, and then focused that charisma back on Alex, who tried not to sweat. He never did very well with women who knew they were attractive, and didn't hide it, but he stone faced his way through, as always.

"Leader Silvia. I'm here to challenge you, and my Padawan will face you next. He's here for his first Badge of the Rio League's circuit, but I'm hoping you can give me and my partners a bit more of a challenge…" He felt his spine tingle as he realized he put a bit more innuendo than he meant to into his tone, purely on instinct, and his mind focused harder on this clone in particular. He had found, sometimes, when he made several speak at once, that his inner monologue or thoughts could unintentionally shine through. Silvia rolled her shoulders like a pleased cat. "Oh, I'm sure we can have some fun, Alex, was it? That's what you tell everyone to call you, right?"

He nodded, and her smirk widened. He had to admit, he did not mind how his name sounded in her mouth, but he blinked his head clear, and then glanced around at the plants around them. It had taken a moment, distracted as he was by his physical needs and the side effects of Jess not being around. There was grass typed energy being manipulated, flowing into certain plants more than others, plants giving off just faintly visible traces of aroma, so potent it was actually visible to human eyes. He coughed, and the air around him swirled, forcing the seductive miasma away from him. He didn't judge Silvia for trying to get him in the mood, he was flattered if he was being honest, and relationships on the Dark Continent tended to be a lot more open than those up north, but he was already satisfied on that front. Finally, seemingly realizing he was somehow resisting her plants, she said, "Follow me to the field, then. The boy can watch from the stands." She flipped her braid in his direction as she walked by and his eyes were almost magnetically drawn to places he knew he should avoid looking. Yet he was forced to look her way as she side-eyed him and said, "I hope you can give me a good Battle. It's been so long since I had more than…fresh meat." Her eyes fell on Isamu again, looked back at Alex, and then disappeared around a corner that led to the gym's battlefield.

Alex slapped both cheeks with his stupidly large hands, and focused his mind. Hopefully the battlefield didn't have such a potent effect on him. As he took his place, she called out, "Battles for a Badge are usually three on three, or, as many Pokémon as you have against the same number of mine. I bet you have three for me though, right?" She smirked at him again, but the charm from earlier had faded.

Alex nodded. "I'll only need two, but you can use three if you have partners itching for a workout." The meal had been for fire types, and so Revan and Garuda would be the ones to participate. "A moment, Leader Silvia." He said, as he released his Combusken close to him. Seeing his pick, she audibly sighed, but at least it was a foreign Combusken. Thanks to Champion Nelinha, they were absurdly popular, and Silvia was frankly tired of beating them, only to then lose to them when they came back evolved thanks to their lower than average level required to reach their middle evolution.

"Alright Garuda, I need you to hear me." Alex said, speaking low to him. The Combusken frowned, but nodded. "The only way we win this, is if you listen to me. It was funny in that spar after breakfast, but we're in a Gym now. Time to get serious. Think you can do that?"

The Combusken huffed. "It wasn't my Moves that made us lose that Battle."

Alex groaned. "Spare me. You know you were ignoring me, on purpose, but it ends now. If you do that here, you will lose. Humiliatingly. And it will hurt, too. Grass Types can get quite nasty. Do you understand?"

Garuda grumbled, but nodded. Then, sensing a question forming, Alex let him speak. "What…if I see a good opportunity for a Move?"

"Just run it by me first, in our heads, alright? Sometimes, like in that last Battle, it will have unexpected consequences if you use your own initiative. Some day, you'll have the instincts to do that, but in League Battles, we need to call out our Moves, most of the time, when we use them. The only real exception to that is when Pokémon are going too fast to properly hear them. If you Flame Charge enough, you can do whatever you want."

Garuda clenched a taloned fist. "I can do that." The gleam in his eye bespoke fire, and Alex nodded, hoping the fire chicken would listen, this time. He mostly wanted to avoid being embarrassed by Silvia, especially after talking as big as he had.

"The match will be a three on three, and you may substitute and heal as you wish. There are no limits on Moves or Power Ups. Begin!" Silvia shouted, throwing her pick. An Ivysaur appeared, and Alex could tell she was well tended. Probably close to evolving.

"Alright Garuda!" Alex shouted, tossing his ball. "Let's win this." Silvia sighed again, and her Ivysaur seemed unimpressed by Garuda. "Flame Charge!" As Garuda burst into flames, the Ivysaur yawned, and Silvia yawned with her.

"You know what to do, Ivysaur."

The grass dinosaur nodded, and fired several seeds in a line before Garuda. As he charged in, the ground beneath him exploded with powerful ground energy, and Garuda was caught by the attack. Or seemed to be. When the earth settled, it revealed a Rock Tomb shielding him. And he broke out of it with a Double Kick. The Flame Charge burst back to life, and the Ivysaur's eyes widened, as she realized what Garuda had done, just as he leapt from the dust cloud and slammed into her.

Ivysaur tried to Vine Whip in response, but Garuda only got faster, in addition to Flame Charge, and Silvia's eyes widened in surprise. "Maybe you're more interesting than I thought…only the Champion has a naturally Speed Boosting Blaziken. They're pretty rare down here, since our Torchic get so fat."

"Always glad to surpass expectations! Garuda! Flame Charge again, and watch for another Earth Power!" His Combusken's flames surged again, and finally, Alex felt in sync with him. Garuda nodded at him as he Flame Charged around Ivysaur.

Silvia wasn't idle though. "Leaf Storm!" She shouted, then followed it with, "You know what comes next!"

Garuda Flame Charged through the obscuring Leaf Storm, only to find no one within. Then, a surging purple spray of Toxic hammered Garuda's face, and he coughed up the vile liquid as he was badly poisoned. He looked back at Alex's worried expression, but gave him a weak thumbs up.

"Time to finish this! Garuda! Fiery Ace!"

The poisoned fire chicken nodded, and zoomed into yet another Flame Charge. "Ivysaur! Counter Whip!" The grassy dinosaur nodded in response to her Trainer's words, and as Garuda, now fully boosted in terms of speed, nimbly dodged the Power Whip, before trading flames for flying energy, and masterfully striking the Ivysaur hard enough to make her faint.

He zipped back to Alex's side and let out a victorious crow, before falling to one knee from the severe poison. Alex gave him a Full Restore, and murmured before recalling him. "That was excellent Garuda. I knew you had great Battle instincts. They bumped fists, and Alex recalled his Combusken, as he brought out a change to Silvia's monotonous opponents.

At the same time Revan appeared in a fiery flash of flame, Silvia's pick was a Weepinbell. She whistled, smirking as she saw Revan's armor. "That…is a very cool helmet. It looks familiar, too…is it a reference or something?"

Alex nodded. "A nerdy one. But one the Blacksmith understood. Revan!" He shouted at the end of his sentence, and his Ceruledge's red and purple flame swords burned to full length, "Flame Charge and keep dodging!" An ominous humm of acknowledgement came from Revan's iconic helm, and with a flash of speed, he was moving around Weepinbell much as Garuda had.

Sludge Wave, Razor Leaf, and Vine Whip all missed, as Revan masterfully created a fiery tornado with his ever increasing speed and Flame Charge. Then, when it was strong enough, he sent it hurtling at the Weepinbell, who fainted easily. Revan looked back at Alex, and slowly nodded. Alex smirked, and nodded back.

"He's a bit high level for this Gym…" Sylvia remarked, "Let's see if my last pick can't give him a challenge. Curupira!" She shouted, sending out a rather strong looking Shiftry.

Revan seemed unimpressed, and once more his different shaded swords burned to life. "Once more my friend, Flame Charge!" Alex ordered, and again, Revan leaned his armored form into a run as fire erupted around him. Soon, the burning blur had surrounded the Shiftry, too. Silvia looked confident, though. By the time he mentally went through Shiftry's stats and ability, it was too late. Revan launched the burning cyclone at the strong Shiftry, but he simply raised his leaf-fan arms, and flew on the spinning heat. It did seem to hurt, but his mastery of the air kept him from catching flame.

"Now Curupira! Black Petal Blizzard!"

A leafy tornado shot from each fan, and then went into the cyclone of flame behind the fierce floating tengu. The fire turned black with dark energy, as the grass move shifted to evil. Seeing what was coming, and being fast enough for it, Revan was already Flame Charging again. The spiraling dark leaves followed him around the field, and he briefly caught Isamu, eyes wide beside Dynamight, as they saw Revan turn into a burning comet. He blinked, as he felt his armor react to all the flame and speed boosts.

An as yet unseen compartment built into the calves of the possessed, and typically hollow ghost armor opened, and Revan went even faster, almost too fast, as he tapped into a power his body simply was not yet strong enough to control. Isamu recognized it, and yet, Revan didn't give up. He turned as much as he could, with great strain, and this time, the entire field became a fire tornado, one firmly under Revan's control of the flame. As Cinder had told him, being a physical attacker didn't mean one's element listened any less to their efforts to control it. They just worked differently.

Something like a Lava Plume was still hard to control, as he manifested fire energy blobs into being to shoot them. When he used his own dark flames however, or flames created by them catching on things like clothing or grass, he could very much control their trajectory, at least. To that end, he forced his leg engines to cease, ground to a hard stop on the basic battling field, and then raised a sword at his opponent. The towering fire cyclone moved to converge on the Shiftry, leaving only a scorched and very much unconscious Pokémon in their wake.

With a satisfied smirk, Silvia recalled her partner, and started walking towards Alex. "That was…certainly something. Your Ceruledge is newly evolved, but he already has such good control…and that speed…" She whistled. "He might end up rivaling your Gallade, Dragon Emperor."

Revan looked slightly scorched, as some of the black leaves had managed to hit him, but not nearly enough of them to matter. "I like her." Revan stated, with what Alex could tell was a smirk beneath his awesome helmet. He bonked his floating ball's recall button then, and took his ease.

Silvia looked at him expectantly, and Alex said, "He thanks you for the compliment, Leader Silvia. I hope you can give Isamu a similar match."

Silvia gave him a look. "It's his first badge, Victory Champion. You know how it's going to go." The boredom had returned to her eyes, replacing the awe she'd briefly felt at seeing Revan's cyclone. Apparently, her eyes hadn't been sharp enough to notice his booster rocket legs, but Alex had not missed that, or how awesome it was. It was too tiring to use as anything other than a finishing move right now, but if his Ceruledge could master that hardware…he briefly wondered what else Antonio had kitted the burning ghost out with.

Isamu's battle was, unfortunately for Silvia, exactly what she expected. She threw a warm up Trainer at him after seeing his Combusken, and by the time he reached her, the fighting chicken was raring to go. It went exactly as one might expect. Flame Charge and Aerial Ace cleaned up her lowest tier Pokémon, and Isamu only needed Detect once to dodge one of her counter attacks. Silvia gave him a fake smile along with his badge, and with their Rainforest Badges in hand, and a complementary but mandatory jungle survival guide from Silvia, the two men were off again, to the next town.

On their way out of the gym, they discussed their route. "It seems like there's a series of footpaths and suburbs in the straightest route from here, to the Water Gym that circumvents going back into Rio's main center and probably getting mobbed or distracted again." Isamu said, giving his Master a knowing smirk. "And…there's a few Pokémon I want on the way that all happen to live pretty close to each other, as luck would have it."

Alex gave him a look, and tapped the giant black portion of the map. "And this, perilously close to your shortcut, is the haunted ruins of the abandoned city. Full of deadly Ghost Types. I promised your mom I'd keep you safe, Isamu. Walking head first into danger would be breaking that promise." Said promise had been drawn from him easily when she'd caught him in the background of one of Isamu's calls.

Her shift in focus had been a good distraction from calling his own mother, who would undoubtedly pester him about where Jess was and make insinuations because they weren't spending every waking moment together. Her motives for grandchildren were so awkwardly obvious and cringeworthy that he kept putting off calling home. He also didn't want his father, who had now retired apparently, to get drawn in as well. Butting his nose in on his mom's call was almost guaranteed, especially if it meant he could keep cussing Alex out for what he saw as imminent financial doom and societal collapse without currency as a 'stabilizing force'.

Alex had already made his argument though, and he hated repeating himself. Stability built on the back of what was essentially slave labor, and a thinly veiled caste system was not stability at all, and was doomed to collapse, once the people on the bottom started getting angry about being stepped and 'trickled' on, and stood up, knocking the entire system into chaos, and if past was prologue, lots of murder.

Isamu visibly struggled to form an argument, and Alex hid his smirk, not wanting to needlessly taunt his Padawan without reason. "But…I wanted a…hrmmm." It was clear he didn't want to upset his mother, but he also had his heart set on probably a ghost type.

"Tell you what." Alex said, having mercy on the struggling teen, "Get your second Badge, and I'll take you into the edges of the ghost area, so we can find…whoever it is you're looking to add."

Isamu agreed to that, even if it added a day to their journey that would be spent doubling back. The path he took them on was very old, not well maintained, and seemed to have been taken over by several backyards whose owners had definitely arbitrarily decided to expand their fenced in space for a larger yard, leaving precious little room to walk between the livable suburbs of Rio, and the visibly darkened and corrupted ruins that made up the western edge of the megalopolis, and served as a rather useful barrier between humanity and the denizens of the Jungle of Death.

Eventually, that space widened, and on their way, the sharp-eyed rookie was constantly looking for a rather common urban species of electric type. They stopped suddenly, when a Pichu darted across their path in panic, but Isamu reacted with impressive speed, and a pair of Zygarde Cores working in tandem on his legs. He eventually cornered and caught the frightened baby Pokémon, and then let him out in an enclosed alleyway, with Alex, who helped calm the terrified electric mouse, and explain what was going on. Isamu named him Judenho, and while he seemed rather young, Alex noted that the female Pikachu eyeing them after the catch eventually stopped trailing them. It hurt his heart, but the Pichu and Isamu were becoming fast friends, mostly thanks to the Luxury Ball he'd been caught in, and Alex didn't want to ruin their mood with a tearful goodbye. Pikachu also tended to have massive litters, so the parental bonds weren't exactly rock solid, among their kind. They tended to move in packs, and every member of the pack contributed to their safety and wellbeing. Those who couldn't, were often just abandoned or left behind on purpose. It seemed his mom was leaving his care to them.

Alex did tease him for copying Ash, but that led Isamu to a counterpoint. "You said you're going to train every species, right? That means a Pichu, eventually, no?"

"It does." Alex answered as he focused on walking the rather steep part of the trail they were taking, navigating carefully with his stupidly large feet on the old, weathered stone steps built for a people who were much, much smaller in stature. "But I have my sixty, for now anyway. As they grow and decide what they want to do with their lives, I'll find replacements for them. I don't intend on getting a Pichu for a long time." Quietly, he was lowkey hoping that Ash's Pikachu would one day reproduce, if he hadn't already. The next time he had a chance to speak with the World Champion electric mouse, he'd try bringing up the subject tactfully.

"What could be cooler than me!?" Judenho shouted, as he jumped from Isamu to Alex. "I have da best colors!"

"You do." Alex admitted, without looking up, "But you lose them once you evolve. And…" He levitated his Pokédex up before Judenho's face. Shiny Luxray was depicted, an action shot of Leo, as it turned out. "This guy is my strongest Electric Type already. I don't need a Raichu at the moment." Alex had submitted a few such 'reference photos', and he'd been told they were well shot and of high quality apparently. Judenho's eyes went wide. "Cooooool! Aww man, he's not yellow either, that's gold! I'm so jealous!" He jumped back on Isamu's messy green hair and then started to nap.

The closer they got to the Iaria District of Rio, the more water they found. Isamu used one of his new generation gadgets to track down a Poliwag with a modest nature, and he gave the little princess a King's Rock, which endeared her to her new Trainer quite quickly, as she seemed to adore gifts. Isamu called her Sawa, and was clearly smitten by her cuteness, which the King's Rock accentuated. It did suit her well, and a Politoed was actually a very good choice, given the rest of his team. They had lunch, which was basically just Alex experimenting with ingredients at this point, as he slowly learned what ingredients resonated best with certain types. Cream Cheese on both halves of the bread, several slices of actual cheese, salt, pepper, some Avocado, some basil, and a dash of one of the weird white mystical Paldean herbs came together surprisingly well, as everyone who partook enjoyed the absurdly cheesy flavor.

Just after noon, they arrived at Iaria's gym, a water gym, and the main reason Isamu had wanted to risk a suburban route so close to the devastated areas of the city for a Pichu. Despite having TMs freshly taught, Alex wondered if Judenho was up to facing what appeared to be four warm up Trainers, and then the Gym Leader herself, in a very basic gym setup. She was dressed in white and blue, with a familiar looking stone around her neck, also tinged likely by her own aura to be a light blue. Her outfit seemed more suitable for a business work environment than a Pokémon Gym.

The gym itself also seemed more…structurally sound than most of the ones Alex had visited. The architectural perfection caught his eyes as he realized he could look at, and understand, how it was all being, rather masterfully held together. For what had to be ages, by this point. While Alex marveled at the architecture, Isamu barreled ahead with his Pichu. He'd faced down quite a few Chatot, and Alex was fine with letting them train, as he had taken the time to focus more on the rest of his clones, until Isamu was confident enough to move on to the gym.

It was around this time that Kurchak, the Grookey one of his other clones had found, was bamfed over as well. He was very young, though. Alex had him hold a Lucky Egg and basically act as designated shouldermon while Gauss and Fulguron warmed up.

Judenho was using mostly physical attacks, and his Thunder Punch was benefiting from the lack of control he had with his electricity. He was also just quick enough to avoid the painful water type counter attacks that came his way. The Pichu was a blur and switched fairly well between his physical and ranged attacks. Those, and Trailblaze, kept the rather speedy young mouse from getting hit more than twice, at least until he got to Leader Marina.

She brought out a Seel, Lombre, and a water and dark type Buizel with a vicious glint in his eye. Seel fell easily to Thunderbolt and Thunder Punch, which was becoming his one two combo. Lombre was trickier, but Judenho and Isamu used Trailblaze to speed up again as the Lombre wasted power on Water Pulses. Eventually, he too fell to Electroweb, and Thunder Punch.

The Buizel was a different story. From the moment he saw the Pichu, he looked down on him and mocked him with a single word: "Weak." He responded to his Trainer's call for an Aqua Jet and before Judenho could blink, the aggressive Buizel shifted to a vicious Bite attack. He snarled, irritated, as Static took effect, and he violently tossed Judenho away. The young Pichu rolled several times, and landed hard, without rising again.

Marina crossed her arms and gave Isamu a somewhat severe look. "You'll need more than a baby Pokémon to beat my Buizel. I hope you have someone stronger than That." She gestured at the Pichu, who was indeed quite unconscious. Isamu ran over to him immediately as he realized his partner's state and fed him a Max Revive. With an explosive jump up to his tiny feet, electricity surged around Judenho, and he snarled at the Buizel, calling him out for another round.

"You'd just lose again, you're already out." The Buizel sneered with contempt. "Dumb and weak. As expected of a pathetic rookie." Before Judenho could attack, Isamu recalled him.

"I have plenty of Pokémon." He stated plainly to the Gym Leader. "And I know a bully when I see one. I'd expect better from a Gym Pokémon, Leader Marina."

"Tch." Was her response. "The jungle…is merciless. You must be able to survive Buizel's kind. As you are now, you'll inspire the Muertan Floatzel to tear apart you, and anyone you travel with. They despise weakness." Her Buizel barked an affirmative.

"Kanchi!" Isamu shouted in response. The Riolu appeared in a bright flash, took one look at the Buizel, and smirked darkly. Isamu met Marina's eyes with that same confidence. "Don't call us weak. We're about to go Beyond our limits! Vacuum Wave!"

"Aqua Jet, and dodge." Marina countered. Her Buizel shot away from the vacuum formed by fighting energy, only to be hit by another, from Kanchi's other paw, as he tried to attack.

"Trailblaze!" Isamu ordered, "Then Drain Punch!" The teen seemed worked up after what happened to his Pichu, and Kanchi shared those emotions. Grass energy helped him skate across the standard League battling field, where he slammed into the Buizel, and followed that with a brutal punch to it's jaw that left it crumpled, and panting.

"Bite!" Marina shouted, but the darkness that manifested was actually a Crunch, and though Kanchi could have dodged it, he grimaced as he let the fangs of evil energy sink into his arm. He didn't flinch though, and neither did Isamu.

"Low Sweep!" Kanchi was a blur as he spun and sent the Buizel onto his back with his fighting energy infused tail, hard enough for the Buizel to bounce up slightly from the ground after the impact, at which point Isamu called the final move, right as the angry Riolu used it. "Brick Break!"

Air whooshed from the Buizel's lungs as the powerful fighting move hit his stomach with super effectiveness, and made his eyes go Poli-patterned. Cool as an ice type, Kanchi sneered with derision at the Buizel, and then walked towards Isamu, who had a big grin on his face. "That was awesome, Kanchi!" He held out a closed fist for a companionable bump, and the Riolu nonchalantly booped the fist with his own.

Alex was up next, and after the entirety of the gym got a fresh heal from their unmanned Pokémon healing machine, he had Kurchak and Gauss mow through the warmup Trainers with ease. Seeing his Vikavolt's level and recognizing his status as a Champion and not a rookie, Leader Marina brought out Sharpedo, Dewgong, and a shiny Feraligator against him. The Sharpedo was the toughest, but after taking a hard Crunch, Gauss managed to faint him. The Dewgong was easier, but the two Pokémon ended the round in a draw, resulting from Aurora Beam and Thunderbolt.

Marina waited for his pick for the last round of his gym match, and a wide smile broke her stern expression as he brought out Fulguron. The massive, shaggy, electric sasquatch roared upon appearing, and electricity sparked over his stiff muscles as he warmed them up. "I was hoping you'd bring out someone worth my time! Go! Ali!"

As Alex recognized what was likely Marina's starter with her unique coloring and purple crest, he called out to Fulguron. "She's taking you seriously, my friend. You may end up losing this if we're careless. Fulguron looked back at him and tilted his head. Whatever he rumbled, made Alex smirk. "I mean…we could certainly try…" The smirk widened, and Fulguron seemed hyped. "Let's see what we're dealing with, first! Thunderbolt!"

Electricity zing zapped between the enormous Electivire's head horns before it shot out like a bolt of real lightning towards the Feraligator. "Dig." Marina ordered in response. The light blue feral alligator sank into the ground with a flurry of claws. This only pissed Fulguron off, and he raised a fist, then brought it downward.

The Thunderbolt curved in response to it's source, surging into the hole, where it resulted in a pained snarl. The Electivire smirked at the haughty human across from him, and he felt satisfaction as her eye twitched. Fulguron disliked when humans tried being deceptive, and this female was not as composed as she looked. "Earthquake." Came Alex's reply, and Fulguron's smirk widened into a downright sinister grin.

"Go deep, Ali!" Marina shouted, and as Fulguron raised his mighty arms encased in ground energy, it was his turn for an eye twitch.

Angrily, he poured more power into the move, and with a mighty shout, the entire battlefield was shattered to pieces, perfectly within the confines of the lines, of course. Marina looked stunned, but Alex was just impressed. "Fulguron…you-" Alex stopped, as his Electivire glanced back at him and just gave him a confident thumbs up, as he appreciated the awe more than the praise.

"Looks like we don't need to, for this Battle." The Electivire rumbled confidently.

Alex nodded. "I leave it to you, my friend. You know what to do. Rain Dance!"

What made Fulguron so powerful, aside from the rather impressive attack power and his nature, was his ability to focus, and learn. That focus naturally applied to each of his moves, and like several of his brothers, the more various kinds of energy he learned to manipulate, the better his control grew. It also helped that Hydrus was a pretty good teacher. Fulguron began pounding the field with rhythmic thumps of his massive fists, and a bead of sweat appeared on the Gym Leader's brow. The energy barriers around the Trainer boxes became visible in the rain, and Fulguron let out a dark chuckle, a sound not entirely unlike a revving motor.

Alex, for his part, was curious as to what Marina would do. The only thing more dangerous than Thunder in rain was an experienced water Trainer who knew what was coming. Feraligator also had a reputation for a reason. "Make sure you have enough." He said quietly to the electric sasquatch before him.

"I have all I need." Fulguron answered, his tails swishing as, across their mental network, Temere began playing a familiar song. Naturally, Fulguron had greatly enjoyed it since he was an Elekid.

Alex nodded, speaking right the first verse of Temere's song. "Thun-der!" He called the move, and only the move, which was the Trainer equivalent of giving their partner free rein. Despite his focus, Alex found his foot tapping to his Toxtricity's masterful playing.

Electricity surged around Fulguron, who raised his arms straight, as his two wiry tails rose into the air, and with ease, drew what they needed from the clouds above. "Bulldoze!" Marina shouted, and Alex frowned, as the shiny Feraligator didn't charge but rather ran in a circle, charging the move's power, which formed a cloak of energy around the user. She used it defensively, as the first Thunder tore through the field with a deafening boom. Ali was untouched, but almost half her shield was blown away from the sheer power of the move. Marina didn't hesitate, and called another, "Now Stomping Tantrum!"

Alex's frown grew, but Fulguron had things in hand. His second fist struck with another Thunder as he formed a literal thunderbolt in his fist and sent it hurtling towards Ali with another sound-breaking boom. This one completely reduced every boulder coming towards him to nothing but dust. Suddenly defenseless, Ali's eyes widened in realization as the third and final Thunder, this time from between his bulbous horns, boomed towards her. Thunder boomed for the third time through the gym, this time hammering the Feraligator with a brutal crit. "Masterful!" Alex shouted, and Fulguron's tails swished happily, causing lines of electricity to form between them.

"Indeed." Marina said, as she recalled her Feraligator. "I should have brought out my strongest, it seems. Electivire's power was not exaggerated." She began walking across the field towards him, while Isamu started making his way down from the stands. Fulguron fist bumped his Trainer, requested a victory burrito as a reward, and then returned to his ball.

Alex took his newest badge, and then after thanking Marina, they were on the road once again. The route between Iaria and Salvador, the fiery home of Rio's third gym, was short but full of Trainers. Isamu took on most of them, but Alex did some level grinding as well with his Noibat, and Drilbur. Dracala did great, mostly because flying types were hard to hit as a rule and had an advantage over the very common grass types that local Rio Trainers had. Simon, for his part, had a harder time, for the same reason.

Despite his grass and water type weaknesses, he managed to get three wins out of ten, but he still seemed depressed about that ratio. After the seventh loss, Simon woke up again in Alex's arms and sighed. "I don't think I'm cut out for this…I know you and Kamina want me to tap into 'the me that you both believe in' or whatever, but I'm just not good at this."

"You're better than you think." Alex said with a light chuckle. "Just relax. You're always so stiff with worry out there, it makes your Moves unreliable."

Simon just sighed again and buried himself in a light layer of dirt. "I'm just not good at Battling."

Alex sighed heavily. He was quiet for a solid minute as he processed and chose his words carefully. Finally, he said, "What Kamina means, by believing in the you that he does…isn't that complicated."

The Drilbur poked his head up from the dirt, listening intently. "Kamina probably sees a bit of his younger self, in you. The Simon that he knows you can be, is an Excadrill even stronger than he is. He went out of his way to find a Trainer arguably more skilled than even his own, to help you reach that potential."

The Drilbur looked down then, with a heavy sigh. "I just wish I knew why…why me? I'm so weak…"

Alex laughed then, loud and genuine. Simon gave him a look. "So he can Battle you, Simon." Alex said like it was that obvious to everyone. "He probably wants to face you properly, to see how high you can go. If you manage to beat him…I don't know what will happen exactly, but it's usually a good thing."

"He wants to Battle…me?" Simon thought that over, then shook his head. "I wouldn't be any challenge to him, that can't be it."

"As you are now, no, you wouldn't be. But the Simon he knows you can be? That's the Simon he wants you to believe in."

The Drilbur slowly rose from his dirt. "I think I get it now…" The gleam in his eyes that'd flared up after his wins returned. "Alright!" He whacked his face with his comically large claws. Then he turned to his human. "Make me stronger! No more losing! I'm going to be a rival worthy of Kamina!"

Alex nodded sagely, as he saw Isamu and Judenho score another win. "Alright bud. That means Battling strategically. Ground Types are strong against Fire, Steel, Rock, and Electric Types. All those Types have Gyms on this circuit, so you'll be getting some action soon. Rest for now, and remember, it's not about winning or losing. Just have fun and think of Battling like a sport. Get some rest."

Isamu and Alex headed north then, only to find their path blocked by a massive crowd lining each side of Salvador City's main thoroughfare. The crowd was dressed primarily in reds, oranges, and almost obnoxious yellows. Fire seemed to be the theme, and the good mood of what could only be Rio's rather famous Carnival was infectious. As they looked around in vain for the gym, or a path to the Pokémon Center, a bright spotlight suddenly lit up their contrasting outfits, as white and black and Isamu's primarily green attire stood out quite obviously in the flamboyant crimson sea.

A charismatic man who seemed to be dressed like a Moltres shouted at them, from atop what looked like an equally flamboyant parade float coming down the thoroughfare. He was handsome, bronze skinned and had a microphone in his hand. "Salvadoooor City! Let's give our Challengers a proper welcome!" The crowd erupted with cheers and whoops, drowning out the catchy samba beat that seemed to be eternally playing in the background. The fiery man continued, "My name is Leader Thiago, of the Salvador Gym! You two have caused quite a stir, you know, hitting three Gyms in a single day on our Estrada Real!" Again, the crowd cheered, and Isamu looked down, overwhelmed by the attention. Alex, for his part, looked neutrally whelmed, and had his usual smirk on. "With two victories apiece, you come now to me, for your hat trick! The only question that remains is…who will be going first!?"

Alex and Isamu shared a look, but they'd already discussed how to settle this. The ancient art of Roshambo. The two faced each other, and with the majority of Salvador watching, they shook a single fist at each other, once, twice, three times, and there was laughter as they saw Isamu's scissors crushed by the Dragon Emperor's mighty rock.

Alex went first, stepping up onto the float, which seemed to be a stylistic interpretation of Rio's former draconic snake Guardians, who were recolored red, but with traces of blue and green upon the scales. About five Trainers stood between Alex and Thiago, who was perched on the top platform of the lead float, a battlefield artfully situated between the two snarling heads of Mamboa and Yacuma. Their heads at least, were accurate to real life colors.

Alex called out his Drilbur, and gave him an Elixir and a health potion. "This is it, Simon. The next three Gyms are perfect for you, and by the time we reach Thiago, you'll likely be an Excadrill." The Drilbur's eyes widened, and Alex chuckled. "Yes, really. You've been training hard for this my friend. Are you ready to go Beyond your limits?"

Simon clashed his claws together, and his eyes were on fire. "My Drill Run will pierce through all of them! Let's do this!"

And in short, they did. With familiar ease, Alex had Simon Drill Run through whatever their opponents could throw at them. The last Trainer, though, had something far, far above Simon's level. His Turtonator seemed to be his starter Pokémon, and he'd trained it fairly well. It also happened to be 'shiny' which in this species case meant his colors were brown and sulfuric yellow, instead of red. "Alright, Dragon Douche! This is where your mockery of our League Circuit ends! You're not getting past me with that pathetic little mole!" His Turtonator roared in agreement and smirked down at Simon as he Taunted the mole. "I've seen stronger Rattata." He rumbled.

Alex glanced at Thiago, who seemed stunned, but only shrugged in response to his unasked question. It wasn't like Alex had nothing that could take on the Turtonator. He was also allowed six Pokémon, while this Gym Trainer only seemed to have four, including his Turtonator. Irritated, Alex held up a single finger, and a Barrier surrounded the pair of challengers. "He's severely higher level, Simon. And a Dragon Type. Do you want to back out? I can use Fulguron-"

The tiny mole held up a claw. His eyes were burning with defiance and anger at the effective Taunt. "Back down!? Just who the Hell do you think I am!?"

"A young Drilbur high off a winning streak." Alex said calmly. "I don't want you to get hurt, Simon. I'm not saying you can't win…I'm just saying it's going to be painful. Turtonator can be pretty brutal."

Simon chuckled then, and as he spoke, Alex started to understand what Kamina had already known. "I used to hate getting hurt while Battling. But every day, my big Bro would hit me with Rock Slide when I poked my head up to eat. It always hurt. A lot. Until one day, it didn't. I used my Mud Slap to block them, and it helped. Then I learned Crush Claw, and eventually Kamina stopped trying to pelt me. He taught me how to Drill Run, and he trained me to use it until I could overpower his Rock Slide. That's the Move that'll slay this dragon!"

Alex stood and nodded. "So long as you understand. His armor is weakest in that gaping chest hole he has. Aim true, and your Drill Run might break through. Also, under no circumstance should you attack the shell. It explodes on contact."

"Avoid the shell, aim for the obvious weak point. Easy." The Drilbur waddled forward and slammed his claws together, undaunted by the obvious power of the dragon before him. The dragon smirked confidently, and shifted to all fours, as he started inhaling.

"Watch the Dragon Pulse." Alex said, grimacing as the lack of ground and dirt was a poor field for a ground type. The opposing Trainer called the move, and Alex shouted, "Iron Defense!" Simon raised his claws just in time for the intense dragon energy to slam into his claws, nearly knocking him over, but the stubborn mole held fast and managed to knock the beam away.

Capitalizing on his partner's strength, or luck, Alex said, "Alright, Drill Run! Stack up some damage!"

Almost immediately a cloud of dust and dirt swirled around the parade float like a Sandstorm and coalesced around Simon into a spinning drill shaped sand tornado. "Shell Trap!" The Trainer shouted confidently, and his Turtonator's shell spikes began glowing ominously with intense firepower.

Drill Run would not be deterred though, and Simon truly was a master with the move. Like Kamina, he could spin a few feet off the ground, though once again the terrain didn't help him. It was a cramped battlefield, and the clever, if poorly trained, Turtonator was able to spin and fire off Dragon Pulses. He missed all three shots he was given, and Simon struck him hard after each miss, right on his head. With his gathered speed, Simon spun past his opponent's hardened skull with another brutal thwacking noise.

As Simon slid to a stop, the tone of the battle changed, and Alex grimaced at his opponent as the Turtonator let out a snarl that promised death. "You've trained that Turtonator, right?"

The man just shrugged, cockily. "You know dragons, don'tcha? Barely in control at the best of times!" He laughed, sounding a bit unhinged, as the blurple energy radiating from his dragon turtle shifted to a dark red. The Turtonator leaped and landed on Simon with his still active Shell Trap. The intense explosion propelled the draconic turtle into the air, where he turned and aimed at Simon, "Outrage!" His Trainer ordered, and the sparking crimson energy coalesced and was fired as a beam at Simon. At Alex's order, he spun into another Drill Run, as the beam of draconic power carved through the parade float, and the one behind it, causing those on top of them to bail out as they caught fire and exploded into shards of wood and burning cloth."

"It's now or never, Simon! You know where to aim! Drill Run!" Alex ordered, even as the float they were on began to collapse and catch fire as well.

"End this farce!" The Trainer shouted at his barely coherent dragon, "Giga Impact!"

Intense orange aura surrounded the brown and gold Turtonator, as he let gravity guide him to Simon's rising Drill Run. The moves collided for a moment, and for a moment they were locked in a tense contest of power, before the collision made them explode. As the dust cleared, the Trainer whooped. "See!? I said I'd beat him! The Dragon Emperor is over hyped! Well done Turtonator!"

Alex just kept staring into the dust cloud and then smirked. "You think that overgrown turtle could beat my Simon? Just who the Hell do you think he is!?" Light flared from under the Turtonator, bright and blinding. As soon as it faded, the evidently fainted Turtonator was tossed off of the now fully evolved Excadrill, who let out a mighty roar with his exertion, and victory.

Leader Thiago carefully approached them soon after, with what Alex had read was the Fuego Badge in his palm. He smiled confidently at Alex and Simon. "It's a bit unorthodox, but I like to reward effort, in my Gym. Critically hitting a Turtonator that high level in his weak spot…took some serious skill. And luck. Well done…Simon, was it? You and your Trainer have definitely earned this. Also…" He gestured at the destroyed floats from Turtonator's Outrage as the one they were standing on creaked ominously. "This will take some time to rebuild. Tell your Padawan I am sorry, but our grand showdown must take place tomorrow, in the Gym."

The steely mole was given the badge, and with a big grin, he passed it awkwardly but carefully to Alex with his new, unwieldy, and razor-sharp claws. Alex took the badge, and then booped Simon's nose with his fist, the closest he could get to a fist bump now. "Well struck, bud. Just like Fulguron, you can have whatever you want to eat. You've certainly earned it."

The freshly evolved steel mole had a unique request, namely, some of the high-quality soil that Tyranus gorged himself on regularly as he strove to become a Pupitar, which was blended with Protein, of course, wrapped up in something that the locals of Salvador City called a 'spicy tortilla'. With evolution also came a new move, and one that Simon was eager to master: Horn Drill. Apparently, Kamina had a method to keep it from missing, and Simon was eager for a guaranteed OHKO in his arsenal. Since evolving, much of his hesitation was simply gone, but he was still far more reserved than Kamina.

Isamu took the extra time before his battle to train up Sawa some more, and by the time they returned to the camp in the midst of their nightly anime binge, the little Poliwag was a Poliwhirl, proudly wearing her King's Rock like a queen. Isamu approached Alex and all but begged for a Rare Candy, as the mighty Dragon Emperor, a true gamer at his core, had been going out of his way to collect the items they walked past the entire trip. Alex used the opportunity to finally get some backstory on his mysterious apprentice.

"Some answers, in exchange for a Politoed, seems like a fair trade to me." Alex replied to Isamu and Sawa, holding the sparkly blue 'confection' up tantalizingly. "I like to think we're close enough now, as allies, for some information to be unveiled."

Isamu looked around nervously, but Alex preempted his refusal by raising a Reflect Screen of his own around them, further empowered by a Barrier outside of that. "What you share will be kept confidential, of course." Alex added.

Isamu sighed heavily, and then called out the majority of his team, namely his new catches, and all five Zygarde Cores. "Hey guys. You're going to want to hear this too." Dynamight, Judenho, and Sawa all nodded in unison. The lead Core crawled out from under Isamu's tangled green mop of hair, and in perfect unison, the Cores bowed in Alex's direction. Then, the leader on Isamu's shoulder spoke.

"We greet you, Tamer of the Original Dragon. I am called Zyx, and I speak for these Cores. Your exploits have not gone unnoticed by us. Forgive us for not speaking sooner…we had to be sure that you are like the first Dragon Emperor…and not his successors. But it is clear now, by feeding all of Humanity and Pokémon through your people's mastery of what you know as Infinity Energy, that you are indeed a worthy successor."

Alex glanced among the multicolored Zygarde Cores and saw that only the red one seemed irritated by his presence. Zyx seemed to guess his intention and let him speak. "Greetings to you, Defender of the World. If any of your Cores have any problems with me hearing your secrets, feel free to voice them."

As one, the Cores turned to the red one, which sighed, and addressed Alex with his cyclopian stare. "You claim to have Tamed the Dragon. I dislike so-called Tamers. The way they treat their partners…irks me."

Alex chuckled casually. "I share your dislike. Many who aspire to tame Legends do so with ill intentions. Tao, however, is my friend, even if we sometimes disagree on certain issues, our bond remains strong and true. I could ask him to confirm my words, if you wish."

The red Core was quiet for a solid thirty seconds before it said, "Do not bother the Dragon with trifles." It turned to Zyx then. "I withdraw my reservations. Tell him what you wish."

Zyx nudged Isamu's cheek from his shoulder perch. "Go ahead, Ninth."

Isamu took a deep breath and began. "Our situations are…not that different, Alex. Like you…I was deemed incapable of being a Trainer. And all I ever wanted was to go on a Journey. I uhh…met someone, another Legend Tamer, who was looking for a Successor, and he chose me. And that's when I inherited Zyx, and five Pokémon from previous World Wardens. That's the title of the one who Tames Zygarde. I'm the Ninth."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "And the League was…okay with that?"

Isamu chuckled awkwardly. "Well, like yours, my Doctor was…less than trustworthy. Nothing evil though, just the usual medical insurance fraud, and such. He misdiagnosed me so that my parents had to buy an absurd number of drugs and medicine to 'treat' me. Those medications aren't for someone who, aside from some mild ADHD, is essentially 'normal'." He said with literal air quotes. "So, for years I appeared to be sick. Zyx healed me, and my mentor managed to prove to my parents that they were being scammed. We actually got quite a lot of money from that Doctor, after they settled things in court. He no longer practices, and the League gave me a Trainer Card once they saw how knowledgeable I am about Pokémon." Isamu was perfectly calm, but there was an intensity in his eyes when he mentioned the former doctor that Alex understood all too well.

Alex nodded as he listened intently. "I'm glad justice was served. Maybe not by the flames of Ho Oh, but legal methods are just as valid. So, what exactly is the purpose of a World Warden?"

The Cores, in perfect synchronicity, looked back at Isamu, who picked his words carefully. "A World Warden, uh, wards the world against danger. Threats to the land, existential crises, stuff like that. Most of what we deal with is caused by Humans. With the power that comes from combining Infinity Energy and Humans, Zygarde can empower a chosen Human to bring an end to threats that would normally be beyond even it's one hundred percent Form." Isamu took another deep breath and then bowed low and formally in the Japanese style towards Alex, which made the other eyebrow rise to Spockian heights. "I- er, We, would like your assistance in these matters, these threats to the ecosystem, and dealing with them."

Alex blinked. "What threat could overpower something as strong as Zygarde?"

Isamu fidgeted, glanced at the Cores, who continued staring at him, and then looked back at Alex. "You remember the person that shadowy dragon, uh, Alduin, took over?" Alex nodded. "Well, he had…let's call it an ability…he had the ability to create more of his mass…and turn anything he touched to dust."

Alex's eyebrows crashed together from their lofty heights. "That sounds…a lot like Xerneas and Yveltal. Creation, destruction."

Isamu nodded. "His name was Tomura. His father…once posed a threat to Japan's ecosystem. Zygarde, and my predecessor, stopped him, at great cost. So, Tomura was returned to his mother…the woman you know as the Witch Queen of Albion. Morgana. She's been active for a long time…and Tomura was experimented on while she worked with Team Flare. When they fell apart, she vanished back into the shadows, but Tomura was already…corrupted. You're old enough to remember the Kalos incident with Zygarde, right?"

Alex nodded. "Lysander somehow twisted the Legendary's energy into some kind of corrupting force, and that corruption spread throughout Kalos. Ash Ketchum and the Gym Leaders stopped him, but his Greninja spent the next several decades ruthlessly hunting down any trace of the taint with his Aura powers."

Isamu nodded as well. "My mentor said that Tomura was similarly corrupted, the first and only, hopefully, Human test subject…that survived. He was very much evil, but…nobody deserves a fate like that."

Alex frowned, slightly. "Better to end both threats at once. With the powers he had and who controlled him, I'm betting he killed quite a lot of people, Isamu. You would've, should have stopped him either way."

Isamu frowned as well, "You could just take someone's life that easily?"

"Can, have, and would again." Alex answered coldly, as he stared the teen down. "That's what being a Scale of Balance means, Isamu. We don't let threats fester. We don't let mass murderers walk away. I ended Caleb Pravus. I ended Alduin. And if I'd known what Tomura was, I would've ended him, too."

Isamu's frown deepened. "Then what about the Imperium?"

Alex's frown lessened into a depressed chuckle. "The Imperium is the world's Superpower. The de facto strongest entity on the entire planet. I have no illusions about that. The problem is that the Imperator has, not once in thousands of years, ever been deposed, or even attempted to be removed. Not by his sons, not by his people, not by his slaves. They have some sort of no doubt horrifying method of utterly crushing their enemies into soulless and willing slaves. To avoid that fate…we have to coexist with them. The alternative, war, means death and subjugation for all the free Regions on the planet. Japan included. Much of the Imperium's murdering comes from the Imperator's overzealous sons, and the wars they start. The Imperator himself has only personally gotten involved a handful of times, and only when his territory was directly threatened. Every single time he takes the field, the Imperium wins. His presence guarantees their victory. I've spoken with him, too. He's…a very rational being, with very good advisors. As long as we can keep things rational, civilized, and hold an open dialogue between our nations, the world won't collapse into blood and fire. Again. And I prefer that."

Isamu glared at him. "So mass murderers are fine, as long as they have bigger guns."

"The only being on the planet that the Imperium's mass murderers listen to, is their father. We coexist with their father, and we avoid getting slaughtered by the Great Wolf, or the Lord of the Red Sands. I don't like it either, Isamu, but this is who we have to coexist with. Poking the hive of genetically enhanced murderers is only going to end badly for everyone outside of the Imperium. While negotiating and speaking keeps the good people of Eous from being rounded up to die on their border. It keeps them from targeting Japan. It keeps the peace on Europa's borders."

Isamu shook his head. "You're sounding hypocritical, Alex. I'm as impressed as anyone else that you got them to stop the war on Eous's borders but do you think that's going to stop the slavery? The lobotomies? You were in Koria too, you saw their Servitors."

"And that fate is what awaits you, me, and our families, the family of every Scale, if we decide to start a war with them over things they've been doing for thousands of years with, for the record, little to no pushback from the rest of the world. Unova imposing sanctions doesn't really work if Italia and Indius keep trading with them. Right now, the only way to change the Imperium is by negotiating and pushing back on their darker impulses. In a war, right now, we would be obliterated. I'm taking steps to correct that imbalance of power, but until I can match the Imperator both personally and militarily, negotiation and appeasement are our tactics."

Isamu sighed heavily. "That still doesn't justify killing Tomura."

Alex shook his head. "Tomura wasn't a thousands of years old psychic at the head of a genetically enhanced empire of super soldiers. He was the kind of threat that we Can stop. And we did. With enough Legendary Tamers and good enough gear, we might be able to take the Imperium someday, but right now getting along is our best chance for survival. We need time, and politics buys us that time. Making nice by taking out threats like Alduin, and Tomura, and the Successor, buys us that time. I imagine the Imperator doesn't want him to return."

Isamu continued staring his master down. "You know, you haven't been forthcoming about him, either."

Alex nodded in casual agreement. "I haven't. But now that we're sharing…"

Alex elaborated on his efforts to find the Successor's tomb, and what led him to encountering Alduin again, and by the end of that explanation, both he and the Cores agreed to help Alex track and end him. They also viewed the Imperium as the most pressing threat to the ecosystem, and if things continued to worsen, would eventually step in to stop them one day, or die trying. On that day, Alex promised to help them, so long as they could back up their justification with evidence. None of the Cores opposed that condition.

With that agreement firmly solidified, Isamu joined the anime binge, while Alex focused on piloting his clones, and formulating plans. That was two Legends now, in as many days, that had asked for his aid in a permanent fashion. He had a sneaking suspicion that they wouldn't be the last, either. As dangerous as the Imperium's mining efforts were in the long term, currently, it seemed Zygarde was most concerned with the planet's alignment in their solar system, and the long-term effects that being locked in synchronized orbit would have on the ecosystem. Unfortunately, the Enterprise still wasn't complete yet. Running a starship on Infinite Energy sounded easy, but making sure the parts responsible for containing that awesome power didn't erode or shift in the turbulence from exiting the atmosphere, or flying through whatever they encountered in space, would take time. The shields were done though, and they had apparently been easily adapted to the Empire's powered armor as well.

Sawa decided to eat her candy with breakfast and spent most of the early morning hours getting used to the power in her legs. Thiago brought out a Slugma, and a Magmar first against her, and despite knowing electric moves, the Magmar was easily brought down by Sawa's combination of high jumps and Water Pulses from midair. The trouble came mostly from Thiago's Oricorio, who danced past the Water Pulses with ease and a flourish. Sawa wasn't skilled enough yet to stay indefinitely in the air, and thus she had to eventually come down.

Sawa did so, by creating a Rain Dance, and hitting the crimson bird with a surge of Muddy Water. Trailblaze helped, but the water still managed to hit. Judenho came out next, and the eager Pichu started getting frustrated as the crimson dancer dodging his Thunderbolts with ease. They kept the Oricorio at bay though, and Isamu noticed they were getting more accurate.

"Focus, Judenho! You've got this!" He gave the electric mouse a thumbs up, and the Pichu looked back at him, took a deep breath, faced his opponent, and raised his tiny arms to the rain clouds. "Wait! Thunder is too mu-" But the Pichu had already summoned the power. It struck his target with devastating power, but it also hit Judenho.

Isamu started towards his partner, but stopped short as the baby mouse began glowing bright white. With a confident "Pikaa!" Another Thunderbolt finished off the Oricorio, who'd been given a Potion. Thiago sighed and then shrugged. "To the Victor, the Gym Badge! Congratulations on your new Pikachu!" Judenho's ears twitched at his species name, and Thiago tossed him the Fuego Badge. The speedy Pikachu caught the badge easily, and brought it back to Isamu, all smiles.

Alex joined them, with Judenho now taking his spot on Isamu's shoulder, outside the gym. As promised, they backtracked to the area Isamu wanted to visit. After going deeper into the ruins than Alex liked, with Po and Kanchi guarding them, Isamu looked in three ghost-infested tiered parking lots, and eventually, found the Varoom he was looking for. He named the ghostly automobile Hayaisha, and with him properly joining the team with Alex translating, master and padawan departed for Porto Nova.

Sahqoreyth · Dec 31, 2024

Pé na Estrada Real, Part 2

The route to the northern districts of Rio, and the nation of Guyana, was the longest part of the Estrada Real, and after a strong sendoff with spicy breakfast burritos from Salvador City and Thiago, the pair were on their way to the northernmost port of Rio, one named for their greatest trading partner, Porto Nova, a port founded, built up, and created for Unovans, on the Dark Continent. It was a memento of a darker time from Unova's expansionist era, but one that, in the modern era, had only ever been the vital trade link between Rio and the States. Goods both regions needed and willingly traded for all flowed through Porto Nova. Naturally, this made it a hotbed for corruption, crime, and other dark dealings. Pokémon poaching, illegal trades of Pokémon who'd likely been stolen and then re-captured in a ball not tied to their original Trainer, and of course, illegal drugs. Not the fun ones, but the ones that made users hopelessly addicted by warping their brains.

Some parts of the old Earth remained alive and well across the centuries and Porto Nova had become infamous for exactly that, as it was also the record holder for highest number of gun related deaths every year, across the world. This was mostly due to the port's encouragement for everyone to own one. This too was a remnant of Unova, and the rest of the States, which had long since adopted strict control over firearms and TMs that had the power to kill people, primarily in the form of checking their Trainer Card or IDs for incidents with the law. As in the past, Porto Nova claimed heavily arming the population was an unalienable right, and the number of accidental deaths and shootings in places like schools or religious centers was completely ignored, in favor of profit for the weapon manufacturers in the port. Aside from their docks, Porto Nova also had ore processing facilities and were capable of sending the processed precious metals out from their mining efforts on the uninhabited western side of the continent quite quickly. While they sold their guns and metals to undoubtedly shady people, they did also sell, by majority, to the States and Rio as well. These facilities basically guaranteed that anyone in the port who wanted a firearm could easily acquire one.

Both Alex and Isamu wanted to get their badge and get out of this particular city, but agreed to investigate if the universe drew them into a situation they couldn't ignore. Alex also had little fear of bullets, for while they were fast, psychic powers were faster. Almost unfairly so.

The port was laid out pretty simply, with the main road into the city leading straight to the Pokémon Center, and the gym building directly beside it. A PokéMart was behind the buildings, and the three were surrounded by proper roads, capable of supporting eighteen wheeler sized traffic. A quick glance at the other buildings near the League related ones made Alex's eyes narrow, as they were almost too nondescript. They didn't even have doors, and a quick psychic scan showed no living minds inside.

Alex guided them to the Pokémon Center first, and once their teams, those who had battled on the long road north, were being seen, Alex and Isamu got some Dragon Burgers, and to all outward appearances, simply relaxed. "You notice anything off here, Isamu?" Alex asked quietly as a Barrier subtly warped the air around them.

Isamu nodded. "The people…are all watching us. They're not three Badge Trainers either. Since we entered the city, we've been tailed by a pair with ten Pokémon each." Alex nodded for him to continue, as those two had been so obvious about their tail, he hadn't bothered treating them as a threat. They were probably acting as a message, or they were just incompetent. "There's no people in or around the PokéMart, or on the streets. Not even wild Pokémon are around."

Alex nodded again. "Well done observing the physical evidence, but you should use your psychic prowess as well. The buildings. They have no entrances, and nobody is inside them. I'm going to try to sense where everyone is. Pretend to keep talking to me."

Isamu, naturally, kept talking anyway, but Alex had become quite good at multitasking lately, so it wasn't too distracting. "Are you sure you want to? I'm fine with not poking the Beedrill hive…"

Alex breathed slowly, munching his burger as his mind expanded through the city. "Normally I would be too…but there's a Lot of effort that went into making this front believable…and it seems extra steps have been taken on top of that now that we're here. I want to know what the scurrying Rattata are so afraid of the big bad Dragon Emperor finding out about. I guarantee it's nothing good."

Isamu sighed. "Alright…but let's at least get our Badges first…" He trailed off and glanced at their Nurse Joy, who seemed to be 'subtly' keeping an eye on them. "Do you think she's also on their payroll…?"

Alex directed his psychic probe to glance at her thoughts, and though she was nervous, she wasn't doing anything to their teams. In fact, their presence was inspiring a nervous kind of hope in her. "Time for some practice, Isamu. Use your Barrier and your charm to get Nurse Joy to confide in you. Casually. Once you finish your burger."

Isamu tested his Barrier beside him, making sure the emerald green of his aura stayed invisible, and then did as instructed. Suppressing his nerves and faking confidence as Alex apparently did to deal with his own natural awkwardness, Isamu approached the counter. Behind the counter, Nurse Joy stood with a polite but weary smile. She was the spitting image of every other Nurse Joy he'd encountered in his journey, but the faint shadows under her eyes and the slightly forced edge to her kindness betrayed the stress of working in a city like Porto Nova. An Audino stood at her side, looking as fake-happy as her Trainer, going by her eyes.

Isamu hesitated for a moment, then leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice to match the hushed undertone of the room and activated his Barrier. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy, but… could I ask you something? It's, um, not exactly about my Pokémon."

Joy's smile faltered just a touch, and her gaze darted toward the pair of Trainers lounging in the corner of the Center pretending not to watch them. After a brief pause, she nodded and gestured for him to follow her to a quieter area behind the counter and near the PC storage terminals.

Once they were out of earshot, she turned to him, her expression more serious now. "You're not the first Trainer to come through here with questions like that. But you are the first to bring a Champion with you. What do you need to know? I'll help however I can."

Isamu glanced around to make sure they weren't being watched. "It's about this city. Porto Nova feels… different. There's…not much going on here, at least on the surface, and I have a feeling it's because the powers that be are doing something unspeakable out of sight. And then there's the Gym Leader, Enzo Gambino. I've heard rumors about him, but I don't know how much of it is true. You work here, so I thought maybe you'd know more."

Nurse Joy sighed, crossing her arms as she leaned against the counter. "You're not wrong to feel uneasy. Porto Nova isn't like most places you've visited in Rio. It's a vital port city, a major hub for trade between the Dragon Empire and Rio, but with that comes… a darker side. Enzo Gambino isn't just the Gym Leader here—he's the one pulling the strings behind the scenes."

Isamu's eyes widened as she spoke. "So, the rumors are true?"

"More than you might think," she said, lowering her voice even further. "Gambino runs this city like a crime Boss from Italia. The Gym is just a front for his real operation. He's involved in illegal Pokémon trafficking, capturing rare and endangered species to sell on the black market. And then there are the illegal drugs as well, he uses the port to smuggle them in and out of the city, hidden among legitimate cargo. No one dares to challenge him, not even the authorities. Most of them are either too scared or already on his payroll."

Isamu raised an eyebrow at her. "What about the League? Don't they know about this?"

Nurse Joy's lips pressed into a thin line. "They know. But Gambino is smart. He keeps just enough of his activities hidden to avoid direct League action. Plus, he has powerful connections. Even if they tried to shut him down, he'd find a way to slip through the cracks."

"What about the Gym Battles?" Isamu asked. "Does he even take those seriously, or is it just a cover?"

"He takes them seriously enough," Joy admitted. "It's part of his image. If he didn't maintain the Gym, the League would have more reason to question what he's really doing. But don't think for a second that he plays fair. His Pokémon are trained to be ruthless, and there's a good chance some of them were obtained illegally. If you plan on challenging him, be careful."

Izuku nodded, his mind racing. "Is there anything else I should know? Anything that could help me understand what's really going on here?"

Nurse Joy hesitated, glancing toward the doors as if expecting someone to burst in at any moment. "There's a warehouse district near the docks. A lot of Gambino's operations run through there, especially at night. But be careful, Mr. Midorinoki. Porto Nova isn't the kind of place where you can poke around without consequences. People who ask too many questions tend to disappear."

Audino let out a soft, worried chirp, and Joy gave the Pokémon a reassuring pat before turning back to Isamu. "I don't know what you're planning, but if you're going to stay in Porto Nova, keep your head down and your Pokémon ready. This city doesn't forgive mistakes."

Isamu swallowed hard, tucking his Pokémon back onto his belt as the nurse retrieved them, and Alex's. "Thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll be careful. And… I'll do whatever I can to help. We both will. Tell the locals to keep their heads down for the next few hours. Negotiations might turn…aggressive."

The nurse's eyes widened, but she nodded in understanding, taking her place again, as Isamu returned to Alex, and handed him his balls. The Barriers merged, and their presence became about as obvious as the two Trainers now just openly staring at them from across the mostly empty Pokémon Center.

"You were right. The Gym Leader is running everything. Did you find out where everyone is?"

Alex nodded. "Most of the civilians seem to be in their houses, and there's a few underground and at the docks, but… something is off with the houses. The people are too scared…and there's a lot of latent hostility in some of their minds."

Isamu's eyes widened. "Do you think he's holding the people hostage? Probably at gunpoint, knowing Porto Nova. He wouldn't be dumb enough to threaten all of them in front of us, right?"

As if on cue, the doors of the Pokémon Center burst open, and the few straggler Trainers that hadn't left the lobby, now scurried away with Nurse Joy as Leader Gambino strode up to their table. Alex lowered the Barrier, and smirked at the man. He was dressed like a mobster, in a fine suit with an Italia brand logo that was black with golden pinstripes, and had a golden vest and black silk shirt under that. Gold watch on his wrist, evil in his eyes, he wasn't even pretending to be legitimate as a 'businessman'. Alex sensed the man felt disgustingly confident that his measures would stop the Dragon Emperor from getting involved, but of course, said measures were the reason Alex had noticed anything off in the first place. Gambino would've been better off not changing things with his arrival.

"Alexander Redwood, and Isamu Midorinoki. I'd heard you were comin' up to my humble city. How are ya findin' my port?" Leader Gambino asked in his authentic New Tork accent, clearly not expecting anything more than small talk. He seemed to think the state of his city was well in hand. He had a pair of black suit wearing goons behind him that further reinforced the mob boss stereotype he was living.

"Empty." Alex replied calmly, but the word still made Enzo flinch. "I'll be honest, I expected the largest port between my Empire and Rio to be a lot…busier. Where is everyone, Leader Gambino?"

A smile made of pure sleaze appeared on the not entirely unappealing features of Enzo Gambino as his hands casually sank into his pockets, undoubtedly to grip a miniaturized Pokéball. "You're da one that's psychic, o' Mighty Dragon Empra'. You tell me."

Alex stood up slowly, and his height made the comparatively small man frown, his large eyebrows crashing together as Alex glared down at him. The Unovan's stare was intense, and his eyes had a very faint, almost imperceptible glow to them as he said, "For your sake, they had better be unharmed. My Padawan and I are here to challenge you, and leave, Gym Leader Gambino." Behind him, Isamu stood up as well, shouldering his bag.

The obvious mobster grinned at them. "An' so long as that's what ya do, nobody here will have a problem. C'mon. Lemme show you the Gym." Being literally right next door, it was a short walk to what was obviously just a spare warehouse that someone had shoved a Pokémon battlefield inside. So far, on this circuit, Thiago had clearly put in the most effort to his battlefield, but then, early gyms were typically less complicated for a reason. There was a difference between simple, and a lack of effort, though. Sylvia's setup had been essentially a greenhouse, with a great view of the jungle, and Marina's relied on the masterful architecture of whoever had built Iaria.

The warehouse did, however, actually have one other feature to it, namely in the back, with what little space had been left, it seemed Enzo had set up…a small gambling corner, or that's what it looked like, as Alex peered into the gloom. Seeing where he was looking, Enzo gave him a nonchalant shrug. "We sometimes sell off the Electric Types we catch around here, to Trainers who want to get in on the action. We don' have any today, though. Sorry boys." By the time words stopped oozing out of his mouth hole, the Gym Leader was in his own box. Alex went first, and Isamu knew his role. He would be the psychic anchor that Alex would bamf a clone to, while Enzo was battling, and distracted. This was, of course, only if Isamu deemed that he needed Alex's help.

As Enzo called out a rather fierce looking Luxray, Alex brought out Simon, and Isamu navigated his way from the stands, to the bathroom. He did actually use it, and found one of Enzo's guards staring him down as he returned to the battlefield. By that point, Simon was having mild trouble with Fire Fang, and Luxray's other various moves, but against a Champion who also owned one, he was intimately aware of their line's strengths, and weaknesses, and made full use of them.

Isamu wandered past his bleacher seats, and on the set of identical seats across from him, the Gym Leader's lackeys watched him as he took in the gambling area. There were no Pokémon to be won, but the machines still worked just fine, and after spending more money than he wanted, Isamu finally felt the bodyguards focus more on the battle, as Simon shifted from a Drill Run into a point blank Horn Drill, and scored a OHKO on the Luxray and his burning fangs. With everyone sufficiently distracted, Isamu left Dynamight at the machine, wearing his green hoodie, as Isamu went to look around more thoroughly with Kanchi.

Being a Japan native, and a shameless fan of Red, Isamu looked first for a switch behind one of the obnoxiously capitalistic posters that had been plastered over the warehouse's back wall, but alas, Enzo Gambino was not that obvious about his secret bases. Kanchi, thankfully, had more luck from experience, and aura tracking. The switch was, quite logically, actually behind the coin counter, where exchanges and prizes were presumably given out, so that only employees could press it. It took them precious time, but Kanchi managed to find the button eventually. Thankfully, Alex and Simon were now stalling against Enzo's Toxtricity, despite their quadruple advantage boosted by a same type attack bonus. It wasn't unheard of for challengers to use the middle of three Pokémon to boost their stats for what was typically a Gym Leader's ace, but it was not how Alex usually battled.

The stalling paid off though, as the aforementioned button and the staircase it revealed, also behind the counters, led them down into a dark room devoid of humans, but not of Pokémon. Zyx began glowing like a Pip-Boy in a test Vault as Isamu slowly walked through the horrific basement. Cages were stacked upon cages, and all of them had Pokémon within, poorly fed Pokémon, who glared with mistrust or even hatred at the latest human in their midst. Not only were they malnourished, but nobody had been in to take care of their excrement for quite a long time, and the stench was overpowering. Seeing the squalor they were in, Isamu wanted to try Teleporting them, but knew better than to attempt it on his own, for Pokémon this unstable. He could hurt them, or worse, set them loose by only teleporting parts of their cages.

In short order, Alex had bamfed the entirety of the room, with his Kadabra's help, to their camping spot just south of the port. Psi kept an eye on them, slowly coaxing them to freedom one by one, while Alex shifted focus to the battle specifically. In the space of seconds, Alex told Simon what they'd discovered, and the metal mole's demeanor changed then, the confident smile gone, his eyes narrowed. The Toxtricity had tried some custom electric move that was like a combination of Discharge and Echoing Voice, in that it kept growing stronger, and doing absolutely nothing to the ground type.

With a single, ferocious Earthquake, Simon brought the electric poisonous lizard down, and Enzo's eyes widened. He brought out his next pick, which appeared as an Elektross, but Alex's eyes quickly saw what the Gym Leader had actually brought out, and what his ace seemed to be. "Brick Break." He ordered calmly.

Simon glanced back at his Trainer, but launched into the Brick Break anyway. Enzo countered with a weak Flamethrower, but Simon was too quick. He spun himself past the flames, and then brought his fighting energy limned claws across the Eelektross with a brutal chop. The illusion on it broke, revealing a Zoroark, but as it tried to counter with more flames, Simon brought the other claw around, on its face, and sent it flying.

The referee called the faint, and then handed Alex the Gym Badge, which he quietly pocketed. Enzo just sighed, and recalled his ace. "As expected of a Champion's Pokémon. I lasted longer than I thought I would, though." A healing machine rose from the ground by his box, and he healed his team.

Alex and Isamu high fived as they traded places. "I'm going to head back to our campsite. I'll meet you there, Isamu." The teen nodded, but seemed focused on the upcoming battle. One of Enzo's goons, upon hearing that, got up to follow Alex.

"I can feel you guys shaking." Isamu said quietly, as he brought out the red Core's ball in his hand. "We have enough Cells for this, if you want to exact some vengeance." The ball opened in response, and the red Core glared at Enzo.

"Wait, that's a…" The Gym Leader said, but anything else was cut off as the Core summoned Zygarde Cells from Isamu's bag, and assumed his ten percent form in a brilliant convergence of green light.

"We want in too, Brother!" The other Cores said psychically through their team's mental link. Much like Alex, Isamu had created one of his own. Enzo's bead of nervous sweat grew as more multicolored lights converged on Zygarde, bringing it to its fifty percent form. The draconic black and green snake roared loud enough to shake the warehouse. What followed was a spectacle of pain. A beatdown of Legendary proportions, and as it continued to shake the surrounding city, Alex glanced at his unwanted follower, as they both looked back at the gym following the powerful roar.

"You should probably check that out." Alex suggested.

"No. I need to make sure you get out of our city. Safely." The unshaven, burly man grinned at him, revealing three golden teeth.

Alex sighed, and flexed the hand that Aevum had marked with his hatching. "You don't want to follow me. You want to go back to the Gym, and check out that Battle with a Legendary."

The man's eyes went unfocused, as he said, "I'm gonna check out that Battle…there's a Legendary Pokémon in it after all…" and then headed back toward the gym. Alex didn't particularly like the 'mind trick', as Pokémon Wars fans would call it, but he made an exception for slavers. Once alone in the center-front part of the city, he took another psychic look at things, and this time, used the eyes of every willing Pokémon in the residential houses to see what was actually going on within.

Thankfully, they recognized his mind as a friendly one, and a rather concerned Reuniclus showed him three houses at once with its powers. All three had a goon with a gun inside with the families that, presumably, lived in said houses. Most seemed casual, which made some sense as the goons were probably members of their community, but too many of the well-dressed thugs seemed to be itching to pull their trigger, and judging by their surface thoughts, had done so before. That was enough, for Alex.

A psychic pulse went through the entire port, or at least the homes that had thugs within them, about fifty in total. Some of the firearms, naturally, went off. Those that did, had the bullet psychically stop and lose all momentum, becoming harmless, while others were simply stopped within the gun's barrel, which made the firearms backfire hard in the hands of the thugs that had unwisely pulled their triggers upon seeing the barrel of their weapon glow, and psychically bend upwards, or in a direction where they wouldn't hit anyone or ricochet.

In the quiet that followed, several doors to the residential housing banged open with a cacophony of similar sounds from around the city, and Alex bamfed Lux over to his palm. "Speed Style." He murmured, and the Sword Rotom grinned, as he changed forms. Alex sheathed him then, and prepared to draw. Naturally, the goons eventually noticed him standing quite obviously in the main thoroughfare, and within about two minutes after their firearms were destroyed, they had the Dragon Emperor surrounded, and looked disgustingly confident with their big, dumb grins.

"Hello there." Alex started, one hand resting casually on Lux's katana hilt, while the other stayed hidden beneath his dragon leather cloak. "Do you gentlemen need something? I was just about to leave your fine city."

A stereotype of a man with a practically gleaming overly gelled pompadour spoke up first. "You're naht goin' anywhere, guy. Not 'til yous explain why all're heaters are busted."

Alex blinked at the man, and his use of far, far too much hair gel. "Uhh…if your heaters aren't working, that sounds like a…building maintenance problem. I certainly have nothing to do with that." At this point, most of the goons were laughing, at Alex's monotone, lack of comprehension, and how angry their pompadoured friend was becoming.

"The guns, ya dumb Mudbray! The guns that just got psychically bent and broken! We know who did it, there ain't no other psychics aroun' that could pull it off, we'd know!" The man brandished a black metal baseball bat at him then, which had presumably been stashed under his jacket somewhere. It extended to full length with a flick of his wrist, and Alex smirked at him.

"Oh look, Lux, it extends. Probably not super structurally sound, though. Not that it matters, against plasma." He unsheathed Lux with a flourish, and held the black and white energy katana before him in the very basic stance he'd only recently started to attempt to copy, mostly through MewTube videos.

"You'll only get one warning." He said, as the other goons drew their own melee weapons. "I will disarm all of you, and those of you with metal knuckles might lose a hand. Think carefully about which hand you want to live without, because this guy…" Lux flared with light as he mega evolved, the symbol of Infinity Energy floating above his hilt, as the Mega Sword Rotom's eyes took in the number of enemies, and prepared accordingly with a sinister grin, "cauterizes what he cuts. For you geniuses among us, that means the Doctors can't reattach it once it's gone. Last chance to make a good decision."

Naturally, as soon as Alex uttered those words, his main body, in the process of freezing to death, started to shut down. This manifested as the clone going perfectly still, and Lux's eyes glanced worriedly at him.

A few of the goons shared looks, at least until pompadour yelled, and charged with his bat. Alex admired the guts it took, but those guts faded as, with a unified slash, Alex and Lux left a molten hilt in his hand, and then fell back into their ready stance. Alex was still thawing, but he focused most of his brain power on this clone, and his own body, while the rest essentially shut down.

Several more goons tried to rush in at once, and Alex used Agility, or his best attempt at it, a trick he'd been attempting to make combat ready for a while now. In a blue blur, he shifted past them, taking out all of their weapons in seemingly a single move. The rest of the goons seemed less eager to try him, after that.

The goons he'd disarmed also got knock out hits for their trouble, as Agility essentially allowed him to strike each of them twice, with how it altered his perception and only one had regained consciousness so far. At that moment, another massive roar echoed from the gym, followed by an earth shaking boom that Alex seemed unfazed by, but which knocked down every goon around him. With a sigh, he sheathed Lux, and Isamu walked out of the gym moments later. Enzo Gambino was right behind him, and looked pale. That look only worsened as he saw fifty of his best men, on the ground, in a circle around Alex.

"It's time to leave, Isamu." Alex said calmly, breaking the silence, and the green haired teen scurried over to his side, close enough for a Teleport. Alex fixed Enzo with a hard glare, then. "And you…the League will be in contact soon, about the contents of your basement. Well. Former contents, anyway. That, and taking your citizens hostage in their own homes."

Before Enzo could utter a weak refusal of his obvious crimes, the two men vanished in a flash of blue. Back at the camp, Psi had freed and healed the captive Pokémon, and many had opted to run away into the wild rather than have anything else to do with humans. Others, were understandably traumatized, and Psi did what he could to help their minds recover.

Almost immediately, Alex found several Pokémon articulate enough and angry enough to participate in bringing Enzo and his people to justice. Their testimony, translated by Alex, along with the photos and video evidence they'd gathered, would be enough to end the man, he was fairly sure. Or at the very least remove him from the position of Gym Leader.

In short order, police from one of the region's smaller towns arrived at the camp to get the official statement from the Pokémon themselves, with Alex's translation. This too was recorded, and Alex was legally sworn in on a book of Rio's laws to not tamper with or otherwise interfere with what the Pokémon told the police. While Alex helped the investigation as best he could, Isamu found his heartstrings being tugged by a particularly battered Dratini who he ended up catching, in a Luxury Ball, and loosely naming after one of his friends from back home. Shodoroki made a habit of wrapping around his Trainer's neck, and Zyx also comforted the young dragon. It seemed Isamu's actions regarding the little one managed to win over most of the Cores.

Alex enlisted his Pidgeot, Aero, for a ride in one of Rio's cabs, which were largely expected to be pulled by the power of one's own Pokémon. The Pidgeot had a harder time lugging them across the entire length of Rio's territory than he'd expected to, and when he returned to camp it was while wearing Blaze's old training weights.

Their next challenge was with Leader Aceron, the steel, rock, and ground type specialist who, allegedly, had founded the many quarries and mineral digs that his company owned and operated exclusively for the government of Rio. Naturally, hauling anything anywhere on Rio meant either long trips at sea through potentially hostile nations, like Atlantica in the south and Texico City in the north, or crossing the Jungle of Death. Modern convoys had become quite good at fending off, and not harming, the locals of Selva Muerta, but it wasn't uncommon to lose at least one life per convoy. Naturally, Alex had an idea of how he could help, and train his Scales at the same time. This was, essentially, the entire reason he'd embarked on this trek in the first place. If he could earn Aceron's goodwill by having the Padawans travel with these convoys, he could keep an eye on anything shady Rio, or their local businesses, were up to. He also hoped to get some of those precious metals Rio liked to hoard and then sell for truly exorbitant prices, as they were very much necessary for the armor designs the Brain Trust was coming up with, and Percy had already declined to help again.

Aero only brought them within about a day's walk of Sao Paulo, the home of the steel gym on this circuit, and the usual choice for a second or third badge. Alex was going in the order Nelinha had, but with some deviations. They hadn't surfed back down the coast for example, and missed probably quite a lot of road battling. Thus Alex had Aero give them time to prepare for their fifth badge battle, which was usually where new Trainers hit a wall. Four Pokémon offered the chance for more strategy, and they were usually either middle evolutions or fully evolved. Aceron famously had teams for all skill levels, just not the time to battle all of them. Typically, he only came out for sixth or eighth badge challenges, but Alex had a feeling he'd oblige at least one of them with a proper test.

His plan was simple, since Simon was now essentially the same level as all the other new faces he'd gotten in the Terarium. Dracala and Garuda, his Noibat and his Combusken, would be doing most of the road battling, so they could catch up with the others, and be ready for the Hyper Training they'd be doing back up north, by their sixth badge. The Dark Continent also has a spot like Paldea's, where one could quickly increase their attack and special attack prowess. Isamu had a similar plan, as Dynamight was built for this gym, and the two Combusken on the verge of evolution had taken to sparring often with each other.

The day passed quickly, at least from Alex's perspective, and as with every end of the day, he checked the World Tournament rankings. He was still in the top thirty two, but he blinked as he noticed a new entry into the top ten. Roboute Guilliman had not been idle, and Chatter was not happy about it. Seeing what he was scrolling through after Dracala, Dynamight, and Garuda had just finished a pretty intense road battle against a pair of very eager grass Trainers, Isamu said, "I didn't take you for one to doomscroll through X."

"Chatter." Alex gently corrected. "I don't care what Elmo Musk wants to call it, it's always going to be Chatter. Look, even the URL still says Chatter." Isamu found that as amusing as Alex did. "I'm just uhh…monitoring the aftermath of one of my less popular decisions. Thankfully, it seems to have only pissed off the usual Garbage people, and not everyone else."

Isamu nodded slowly. "I heard about Guilliman joining. I guess the Imperator has worse sons. He's pretty good at Battling our way, too. Think you could take him?"

Alex shrugged. "His Salamence is a monster, and the rest of his team is pretty well trained too… I don't know. The sons of the Imperator are renowned for their power, and it seems Guilliman has successfully adapted his skills for our rule set. I hope I do get to face him, but I also don't want the Imperium to know how I Battle."

"Oh, I've been taking notes on that." Isamu said, seamlessly segueing as he pulled out a well worn green notebook, and flipped several pages in. "You Battle with overwhelming power, just straight up overwhelming your opponent most of the time, unless they can handle it, and it's those times, when things are…heheh…balanced, that you shift to a more…clever style. Not all that different from what Ash does, honestly. Like against Archon, back at the Academy! You didn't even hesitate, despite his Ability, you just kept raising his defenses and landing super effective hits anyway, and you still managed to win! Most Trainers wouldn't have even tried that, let alone gotten it to work out. You're like a power combo of Ash and Leon. Always entertaining to watch."

Alex let the pause grow as Isamu finally slowed his roll. Then, he burst out laughing. "I think you missed your calling as a commentator, Isamu. I've peeked at your notes there before. It's impressive how much detail you manage to pick up just by sight alone." The Dragon Emperor pondered then, or at least made a show of doing so by stroking his curly black beard. "So how do I improve?"

Isamu chuckled but there was nervousness in it. "Uhh- well, I mean, you're a Champion already and ranked much, much higher than I am. I don't think I'm qualified-"

He stopped, as Alex held up a hand, and then placed it companionably on his shoulder. "Isamu, you have a skill there," he nodded at the notebook, "and I want to benefit from it. Your attention to detail on things like this is one of the many reasons I had for taking you on as my Padawan right after I finished elevating my last one." Isamu nodded, as they had already talked about Ladybug, and Night Cat to some extent. "So tell me, how do I get better? How do I prepare more solidly for the likes of legends like Leon and Ash. I know I come off with 'chill vibes' or whatever you kids say these days, but I do recognize the mountains before me that I need to climb."

Isamu went quiet for about a minute then, eyes closed, thinking intensely before suddenly they shot open, practically glowing green as he started talking fast, but not so fast that Alex couldn't understand him. "You need to use more status boosting Moves like they do and you also have to enhance your team's control of Type Energy so that they can keep up with the likes of their Charizard or other members with giant useful Move pools. Honestly you're already almost on their level at least in my opinion but for all I and anyone else knows your team already has mastered Type Energy and has an ace up their sleeve that we don't know about." Isamu finally stopped then, and inhaled, then stared with big, inquisitive green eyes directly at Alex "Do you? Cause I've- there are rumors, rumors of armor forms or power ups that your team and the teams of high ranking Scales have been seen wearing. An ace like that up your sleeve will change the entire outcome. Wildcard variables raise your chances considerably, but it also means you may lose the title in four years, once people master your method.

Alex shrugged nonchalantly. "I can't confirm or deny the existence of armor. Some secrets are perhaps best left unknown to the public. There are Some tricks, I don't want people with currency and drive to be able to use and abuse. And for all I know, Ash and Leon have already figured it out. There's a reason they're at the top every time we have this competition."

Isamu was quiet for a long time before he said, "What if the Imperium already knows? About your Battle style, and this armor trick you won't talk about?"

Alex sighed heavily. "Then no amount of upgrades and tactics will be enough to overpower them, and the world will embrace the Imperator's design."

On that cheery note, they had dinner and began the anime binge. They were caught up with Dark Clover, as apparently new episodes were being restored from the Old Net still, and sometimes old voice lines had to be redone. They'd gotten one hundred and seventy episodes in. The process took a while. Thus, they finally properly began Full Steel Alchemist. They'd had to, according to Leo and some written notes from Percy on the 'proper order of viewing', watch about eight episodes of the protagonists as kids, before the 'canon version' Full Steel Alchemist: Brotherhood actually began. Then, they'd watched the first two of that series, which was where Alex had initially jumped in on Leo's suggestion to start joining them in watching these shows, along with many new brothers at once, and the switch to Naruto and then Dark Clover had been decided on. Now, finally, they could begin the series properly, according to Percy's record. On the third episode. From the introduction of a fully trained and certified Edward Elric, acting as a condescending atheist to a stereotypical religious cult leader who was abusing his power, to the end of the episode, where Ed brilliantly demonstrated said leader's corruption to all of his people at once, it was actually worth the effort and catching up Alex had done. And honestly, compared to trying to watch the Clone Wars series in order from Old Earth's Cartoon Network, this was nothing.

By the time they left the next morning, they'd had to pause before a, as Leo called it, 'really sad arc' of Full Steel Alchemist. Despite that, his team seemed properly hooked in the Elric brother's adventures, and Alex was no exception.

Sao Paulo was almost indistinguishable from the rest of Rio's megalopolis, but that was mostly thanks to the fact that AceCorp, the company overseeing the quarries, was also responsible for the reconstruction of the majority of the inhabited areas of Rio. Alex also planned to use Purging the lingering Shadow corruption from the sorcerers who'd originally sacked Rio as a negotiating tool as well.

Isamu went first, mostly so that Leader Aceron had time to be informed that they were here. Dynamight, like most who chose a Torchic, had little trouble with the warm up Trainers, and after the final warm up opponent, an Aggron that he'd aggressively Double Kicked into unconsciousness, Dynamight evolved. Aceron's fifth badge stand-in was no challenge. Dynamight's Blaze Kick quickly became his favorite move, and for those partners who were Sturdy, the Blaziken's Double Kick did work.

Dynamight himself was hilarious, with his constant shouting preceding attacks. He was clearly riding the high from evolving, and every Trainer in the gym seemed to expect that. It seemed a lot of Torchic Trainers came here to evolve their Combusken, and Alex was no exception. At the end of the match, it was Leader Aceron himself who came out to hand Isamu his badge. It was at that point that Alex appeared seemingly from nowhere, and approached the gym.

The 'gym' in this instance was an abandoned quarry, open to the air, with bleachers perched on the numerous square outcrops that surrounded the battlefield on the lowest level. He strode past the Gym Trainer guarding the entrance, who seemed a bit star struck by Alex, and let his Voice carry, as he called out Aceron. "Leader Aceron!" The man turned, and Alex got his first good look at him. He carried a well used modern pickaxe, but unlike Byron, had no cape to speak of. In fact he seemed dressed more as a business executive than a miner. He was tall, muscular, dark brown skinned, with his not unappealing face covered by a standard amount of stubble. Some parts of the miner peaked through the quality gray suit though, like a compact tool belt, his well worn and steel toed boots, and a heavy pair of gloves that he donned as he saw Alex, and seemed to smirk.

Alex dramatically pointed at him, one dragonbone encased hand appearing from under his black leathery cloak as he did so. "I challenge you! Four Pokémon against four Pokémon, no substitutions, and World Tournament rules!"

Aceron bellowed back, once his gloves were on, as he lifted his pickaxe. "I accept!" He gestured to his Trainers. "Reset the field for the Dragon Emperor, and bring out the reserve Trainers. If he wants to reach me, he'll have to get past all of us!"

Alex smirked and said nothing more, waiting patiently, as his opponents healed their teams, and took their places around the quarry. The battlefield below was covered unnecessarily by a metallic shield with AceCorp's logo emblazoned on it. Each warm up Trainer stood by a switch, and the familiar echoing hum of a Drone Rotom filled the air. "I hope you don't mind!" Aceron shouted from his Leader perch, "but these Battles will count towards our World Tournament records."

Alex simply nodded, though he soon realized that meant his fifth badge was going to be more like a fight for his eighth. Thankfully, the first Trainer he faced agreed to match Garuda's level, so he could also have the opportunity to evolve. Each Gym Trainer had six Pokémon, and Alex rotated between Garuda and Revan for most of them. Needless to say, like every other gym he'd ever challenged, the Trainers were friendly, overconfident, but nowhere near approaching an actual challenge.

For those who didn't acquiesce to his level matching request, he brought out his Machamp and Conkeldurr. His Excadrill, Metang, and even his Electivire also got a good workout, and Leader Aceron seemed pleased at how Alex's team breezed through his battlers. Not one of them needed more than three moves to claim a victory, and he switched frequently, which his Pokémon seemed to love. They paused by the final lever, as he'd seen Nelinha do, and he healed his team, giving them a sandwich break before they continued. He created a sandwich for fighting types, which would boost the experience they gained, and then pulled the final lever.

The metallic triangular plates that had covered the field and folded back with each lever pull, like some kind of inverted pizza, folded away by the time he reached the Trainer box on his side of the field. Aceron took the other, and repeated the rules they'd agreed on. Once again, the Drone Rotom began recording. Aceron sent out a Steelix, while Alex opened with Champ, and the eager Machamp cracked his stone gray knuckles as he stared down the steel snake.

"You'll use your own judgment for this one, Champ." Alex said, knowing how eager he was to try battling solo. "Use Fighting Moves, and you'll be fine." Champ grinned, and launched forward. Every muscle he had was tensed and bulging as he sped towards his target, his burly arms crossed defensively in front of him.

Aceron started simply, but effectively. "Earthquake." His Steelix responded immediately, bringing his massive head and body down on the earth, shattering it in an impressive demonstration of Earthquake. Unfortunately for Steelix, his team was so used to the move that most of them had a counter to it. Champ's thicc thighs bulged, as he sprang into the air, over the damaging shockwave, coming down hard and then charging forward again, heedless of the shattered terrain. Steelix kept up the pressure, but Champ only needed two of his arms to break the stone and earth that came for him, while the third covered his clenched Focus Punch his fourth arm was charging up.

It was, quite simply, a masterful display of parkour and martial arts, culminating in a mighty punch that made everyone watching wince for Steelix. His titanic body shuddered from the shockwave of the punch, but Champ wasn't done. A brutal double Cross Chop, one from each pair of arms, followed the punch, and the Drone Rotom called the round as Steelix went unconscious. Champ halted the Karate Chop he was going to finish with, as he realized, with some disappointment, that his foe was already down. "Masterful, Champ." Alex said, giving him a thumbs up. "We're going to have to find you a bigger challenge. I'll need that power in the final rounds. Rest, now." Champ grumbled about not even warming up, but he returned to his ball all the same. Alex then bamfed him back to their camp, as he was simply too strong for the rest of Rio's circuit, but the likes of Arthur and Eternape would give him a proper workout.

Next up was Kel, and the Conkeldurr seemed as pent up as his Machamp friend. Aceron sent out an Escavalier, who greeted Kel with a nod of his crested head, before raising his lances in his direction. For his part, Kel let go of his concrete slabs for a moment, bowed in the Unovan style, and then gripped them again, with a confident smirk. "The only thing that'll even slow that thing is fire, Kel. It resists almost every Type, and it's fast. Watch yourself." Kel gave him a thumbs up, and by the time he looked back, Escavalier was already charging across the field. It didn't run or hop, but rather floated just above the ground with the power of what Alex assumed was some form of electromagnetism. Whatever force allowed it to evolve, also allowed it to fly faster than any equine Pokémon.

The Aerial Ace his Trainer called for swirled around both lances, while Kel's Fire Punch translated to limning his concrete pillars in flames, and crouching as the speedy bug knight approached him. What happened next did so too fast for regular humans to follow, but Alex enjoyed every second. Kel let go of one slab, still empowered by fire, and let the Aerial Ace strike his muscled arm, which he'd flexed and curled up against his body. The move landed, yet it did not pierce Kel's strangely thick skin, or even seem to really affect him as much as the move should have. Escavlier only had time to widen his eyes at the impressive physical defenses the fighting clown had, before a flaming pillar of concrete smashed into it with yet another wince-inducing blow. He was sent rolling across the field, and landed in a scorched metallic heap some yards away.

To Escavalier's credit, he wasn't taken down in one hit, and he got up quickly. An X-Scissor empowered by his Swarm ability lit up, only to find Kel right there as he turned. Having abandoned the first now once more normal concrete pillar, Kel had leapt towards his target with the other still empowered with fire energy, and the explosion of flame and bug energy colliding obscured the result, though both Alex and Aceron could guess who would emerge victorious. Sure enough, a moment later, Kel blew the cloud away by masterfully spinning his concrete pillar. He twirled it with an effortless flourish, and roared as he slammed it onto the ground hard enough to rumble the earth, flexing his free arm, the one Escavalier had struck, as he claimed his victory and then took a rest. Alex sent him back to camp as well, as he and Champ had both already done their Hyper Training. Now, they just had to master their moves and learn the secrets of wielding different kinds of energy, and they'd be valuable partners in the World Tournament's finals.

Aceron grimaced, as he recalled his partner. "Looks like I'm going too easy on you, Dragon Emperor. We'll have to step up our game. Come, Aggron!" With a smooth throw that was simple, but effective, the mighty stone and steel monster took the field with a roar. Alex smirked, as he could tell this one was probably an inherited Pokémon. It had shed its metallic plates many times, had long, vicious horns, and many gouges in its steel hide. Yet the elderly steel beast was in no way infirm in his advanced age. Indeed, like most steel types, age just made him stronger.

Alex smirked, as he brought out his Combusken. "This is honestly about how well all the other Gym Leaders I've faced have done against me, Leader Aceron. Don't be too worried, comparatively, you're quite good. And you can just call me Alex." He was technically doing better than Skyla had, anyway. He also looked confident as he saw Garuda.

"Well Alex…" He said as his Aggron smashed his fists together impatiently. "That Combusken may have some trouble against my Aggron here. Are you sure you want to go with him?"

Hearing the Leader's words, and tone, made Garuda go still. He'd demonstrated his skills on this man's Gym Trainers, and yet still he was being disrespected. The air shimmered with increasing heat and Garuda's form started to glow brilliant white, after that comment. Alex's smirk widened, while Aceron started frowning, slightly. "Absolutely." Alex answered confidently. "Garuda here is a cut above the other Blaziken you've faced!" Garuda shrieked in agreement, as his form solidified, and the air on the field became hotter as the fiery fighting chicken's flames surged with his emotions. "You know the plan, Garuda! You may have evolved, but he's still at a higher level than you. Flame Charge!"

Aceron countered quickly. "Don't let it speed up. Water Pulse!"

Alex's smirk lessened, as it seemed Aceron fully intended to take advantage of the World Tournament's rules, and Aggron's frankly ridiculous move pool. Having done the same with Cenomons, Alex couldn't complain, but he also knew what was in store for Garuda. "Focus on Dodging! Flame Charge!" Somehow, Garuda dodged that first Water Pulse, and then the subsequent ones with ease.

Seeing that, Aceron smirked again. "Ahh, I see. Speed Boost. Just like Nelinha's. Alright then. Aggron! Stone Edge, then use Surf!" Without preamble, the Aggron smashed the field, and massive pillars of stone rose around the entire space, making it all but impossible to run straight enough long enough to speed up more. Garuda dodged the attack, but it was never meant to hit him. At four stages of increased speed, few things could come close to hitting him. Then, Aggron raised his arms, and from seemingly nowhere, a massive wave of water surged onto the field.

"Use the pillars!" Alex shouted. Stay above them, and Flame Charge once more!" Garuda once more dodged masterfully, and then ran up one of the stone pillars, his sharp foot talons and powerful legs made the climb easy, and hopping from pillar to pillar, Garuda stayed wreathed in flames, as his speed reached its peak. The next move he had to master was Agility, as that, with Speed Boost, would make him capable of reaching this speed in only two turns.

"Aggron!" The titanic steel type looked back at his Trainer, eyes widening slightly. "Let's go all out!" Aceron lifted a gloved hand, and under the suit's sleeve, Alex saw a Mega Bracelet, a well-worn one made of steel, quite old and detailed, that reacted to its wearer's aura with a steely glow. Aggron's Aggronite floated forth from somewhere safe within its body, as they could actually store many things, like food, within certain places on their bodies, and it too began to glow. Mega Aggron roared as it finished evolving, and Aceron shouted again, "Don't give up on Surf! Drown it!"

The steel titan raised its arms, and water surged towards the burning dot that was Garuda. Yet, once again, he dodged, this time going low again around the surging water. Mega Aggron made it follow him, but Garuda kept dodging with his blinding speed, keeping just ahead of the surging wave of super effectiveness. Eventually, the move lost steam, right as Garuda landed by Alex's box, and looked at him expectantly. Alex arched an eyebrow. "Are you sure? You just became a Blaziken. And this is becoming a habit. I keep telling you guys, it's dangerous to Mega Evolve so quickly."

"Yes, I'm sure! It worked out for Kalagon!" Garuda shrieked, and then took his fighting stance. It was fresh, sloppy, and entirely based on guesswork, but it would have to do, at least for now. Alex sighed, but then nodded. "Alright. It's your only chance of cracking that armor, anyway. You're going to have to burn hot enough to evaporate the water. Bounce, and Blaze Kick."

Garuda nodded, and then raised up his Flame Plate shard, which started reacting to Alex's Key Stone. With a blinding flash of light, followed by the symbol of Infinity Energy, Garuda took his Mega Form. Flames streamed freely from his wrists as his heroic figure faced his massive foe, undaunted. He was quiet for a long moment, and then muttered to his Trainer. "How far we've come, eh?"

Alex nodded, confidently smirking. "I've always believed in you, Garuda. In how strong you are. You've got this. Go!"

Smiling slightly at the heartfelt enthusiasm from a human he'd thought he would forever despise, Garuda Bounced into the air before the Mega Aggron could react. Aceron ordered him to form a shield with the water, but Alex could tell Garuda was burning too hot for it to matter. Like a meteor from on high, Garuda came down with fire encasing his entire form. He sank into the Surf shield with a large splash, but the sound of water evaporating filled the air. Then, came the metallic sound of Garuda's flaming foot hammering the impressive defense of the Mega Aggron.

He was hurt, but not down. Alex shouted, "Go all in! Close Combat!"

This turned out to be a smart choice, as the Mega Aggron simply couldn't keep up with the six tier speed of Mega Blaziken. Garuda was a violent blur as he brutally beat the Aggron with his powerful limbs, though thanks to its ability, the damage was reduced. "Don't let up!" Alex ordered, but Aceron was ready with a counter.

"Knock it away. Earthquake!" Aceron ordered, but Garuda would not be denied. He leapt above the Mega Aggron, coming down hard with a Blaze Kick, and following it with more Close Combat. The earth buckled ineffectively beneath him as he kept hammering his opponent in mid air, but Mega Aggron's ability kept him conscious. Another Surf attack rose up around Garuda, swallowing up the Mega Blaziken completely.

"Flare Blitz!" Alex ordered, and Garuda appeared again within the surging wave, a brilliant burning orange beacon, before he shot out of the vaporized water attack and hammered Mega Aggron as hard as he could. Garuda flipped back to Alex after the attack landed, and he and the Mega Aggron stared the other down, with both panting rather hard. Then, the Aggron winced, and it's Mega Form broke, as it collapsed to the ground. The Drone Rotom called the faint, and Garuda fell to a knee, letting his own Mega Form fade as well. He acted strong, but that Surf had very nearly fainted him. If Aggron had more special attack power as a species, he would've fainted with Flare Blitz.

"Rest now Garuda. Well done." Alex said, as Aceron did the same with his Aggron. Alex levitated Revan's ball by his head, as Aceron threw first.

"It's time to end this! With my starter! Dhengo!" Alex smirked, as Revan was well suited to face a Gholdengo. Still, it was an equally fast special attacker that, usually, hit harder than a Ceruledge could. In addition to the leg thrusters, Alex's Pokédex had confirmed that Revan's armor had adjusted his stats, adding more overall, and sacrificing special attack power for better defense, and health. That was one of several reasons Alex had sought out a master smith for the armor. Now he'd be able to see if it was worth the price Antonio had charged for it.

His ghost knight took the field in a kneeling position, his eyes burning to life within the T shaped visor, his purple and crimson flames awakened as he stood, and stared down the surfing golden ghost, who'd already elongated a coin to use as a ghostly surfboard. "It's a fast Special Attacker." Alex started. "Reflect Screen, and then use Flame Charge. Warm up your legs. You'll need them."

Revan's burning orbs turned towards Alex as he crossed his purple and crimson swords before him, manifesting the layered protection of Reflect Screen. "Bitter Blade…" He said in his deep, metallic tone, "I understand it."

Alex's smirk widened. "Excellent. You'll need that too. Here it comes!"

The eye flames shifted towards the Gholdengo, who came in with a Shadow Ball it hammered towards Revan with its board. Revan's flames surged around him, as he dodged with Flame Charge, and then gracefully cut through the following Shadow Balls with Night Slash, the dark energy completely canceled out their explosions, and after Flame Charging again, Revan was becoming too fast to hit.

Dhengo formulated a Nasty Plot as Revan zoomed around the field, and used the stone pillars from the last round as cover from Dhengo's ranged attacks. Finally, Alex shouted, "Phantom Force!" And Revan vanished completely, as he prepared to strike his opponent.

Aceron smirked, as Revan reappeared, but Alex didn't have time to warn Revan. He struck with the Phantom Force, and then followed with Bitter Blade, as his crimson sword sank into the golden ghost, melting his coins. "Recover!" Aceron shouted, and with a dark grin, Dhengo reformed his coins, trapping the fiery blade. "Now Power Gem!" Stuck, for the moment, and unable to dodge, the shimmering crystals of rock typed energy fired at Revan, hammering the weak points in his armor.

"Get out of there!" Alex shouted, "Fire Spin!"

Revan didn't need to be told twice. His flames surged, melting the metal again, and he spun, briefly becoming a fiery cyclone, before he stopped a few feet away. The air shimmered as the two ghosts glared at each other. "Flame Charge, and Bitter Blade!"

"Reflect, and use Sandstorm!" Aceron countered, smirking as the field became obscured by sand. Alex had no doubt Dhengo was forming another Nasty Plot, and his suspicions were confirmed, as he heard Aceron order him to Make It Rain.

"Revan! Burn through it! Heat Wave! Then finish this!" Dhengo may have Recovered, but he could still win if they hit hard enough. A weak surge of heat flashed through the field, melting the coins from Dhengo's attack, as well as some of the Sandstorm. Revan used that heat to Flame Charge once again, and Alex saw the dual striking Bitter Blades slash Dhengo in a brutal fiery crosscut. Dhengo's power became Revan's, and the field only grew hotter, as his Ceruledge was finally warmed up. The most telling sign of this being his eyes, and how the flames that were his eyes glowed intensely bright with white heat once he was warmed up enough.

Dhengo fired more powerful Shadow Balls now, but Revan was moving so fast at this point that they might as well have been stationary. His Bitter Blades struck again, only to cut through a Substitute. Dhengo then hammered him with a Thunder Wave, and surfed away. Nowhere near done yet, Revan activated his leg thrusters, quickly catching Dhengo, much to his surprise and before he could use Hex. Again, his Bitter Blades recovered his lost strength from his opponent, and Revan backflipped away from Dhengo, letting him crash into the field as he landed gracefully, and readied another Flame Charge.

Seeing that using Recover would be pointless and just end up healing Revan, Aceron went for the win instead as Dhengo stood up again. "Use everything you have! Power Gem!"

"Brick Break." Alex said calmly. "Then finish it with Bitter Blades."

Dhengo raised his hands, and over a hundred shining Power Gems began firing at Revan, who rocketed into the field of prismatic rock energy, smashing through some with Brick Break, but not nearly enough. He took heavy damage, but not before reaching Dhengo, whereupon his Bitter Blades sealed his victory, sinking deep and draining the sentient coin hoard until it was unconscious. He let out a ringing victorious yell, flames surging as he stood over his opponent. Alex joined Revan on the field, as Aceron descended and recalled his starter. "That is one heck of a Ceruledge you have there. I believe I know which smith you got to make his armor, too. This might just be his best work."

Alex nodded proudly at Revan. "The armor had to be worthy of the spirit within it, and Revan deserved the best I could get for him. He had a little trouble with the boosters in his legs at first, but I think he's gotten the hang of them." Revan stood a little straighter, his burning eyes a little brighter, from the praise. Alex gratefully took the Steel Badge, and then said, "If you have a moment Leader Aceron, I have a proposal you might find interesting."

"AceCorp only does business with the ruler of Rio. Last I checked, that's not you." Aceron said, "but, you Are a great friend to our nation. I know of the role you played in returning Zigma to our flagging empire. I'll at least hear you out."

"Technically," Alex started, "we'd both be working for Rio in this instance. You see, we had a similar darkness to the Shadow infesting your old city ruins, in a place called Vega. Tainted by Shadow, full of ghosts, but I managed to Purge the corruption, although the city itself is going to remain the property of the ghosts who probably called it home, in life. My offer is this: I'll be traveling to the northern gate into Selva Muerta for our next Badge. On my way north, for the price of a few shipments of precious materials, I could cleanse the Shadow in the largest stretch of your ruins, and at least attempt to relocate the ghosts, to Vega City. This would leave things for AceCorp relatively easy to rebuild, compared to your current situation. Once I'm done, I have another proposal for you, one more long term, and again, beneficial to both me personally and Rio."

Aceron stroked his gray beard for a solid thirty seconds as he pondered. "I don't see a conflict of interest. I know the Queen desires her city intact once again. Alright, Dragon Emperor. Inform me when the job is done, and I'll give you the location of any lingering Shadows that we need to deal with." He offered a well-muscled forearm, and Alex clasped it. "Once you're done…we can see about your request."

"It's a deal. My Rotom will send you a written copy in a few minutes, for posterity, but I should have the task completed in a few days, at which point I'll let you know how my relocation efforts went. On that note, what do you do with the ghosts from the rebuilt parts of the city?"

Aceron frowned. "Unfortunately, they're usually too angry and volatile to train, so they're put into stasis. It's a problem we don't have a solution for."

"Well, in exchange for more of the aforementioned materials, I would be willing to take them. My Scales will benefit from powerful Ghost Types, and the rest can probably be released into the jungle, or Vega City, after I talk with them, of course."

Aceron smirked at Alex. "Honestly any of them that you can rehabilitate would be a big help. We're running out of space for them, and some try to break free regularly. It's a huge drain on our power."

Alex nodded again. "Right. Well, first things first. I'll start cleansing the Shadow, I expect it will take about three days. I'll be in touch."

With that, Alex and Isamu departed, once again trekking north to the strange city of Clara Vista, the site of Rio's northern gate into the Jungle of Death.

Sahqoreyth · Jan 5, 2025

Pé na Estrada Real, Part 3

The route north to Clara Vista being quite long, and Alex's efforts to Purge the old city, slowed their travels down. Despite being weak to ghosts, Alex used his Kadabra and Metang, and Shadow Ball/Claw respectively, to cut through the primarily lower-level ghosts lingering about in the closest parts of the infused ruins, mostly Lampent and Haunter trying their luck for a meal. Isamu had Dynamight and Kanchi protecting him, and the Blaziken and Riolu were further backed up by Po, who often just let them battle whatever tried jumping at them. He only intervened two times that first day, and that was against a rather strong Dusknoir, and a downright bloodthirsty Gengar who wasn't used to getting rolled by a single attack.

Eventually, Po called in Nox to help him defend Alex, and Nox, inherently lazy being that he was, jumped at the chance to stop training. Alex kept him busy, though. Any member of his species line they encountered, he had Nox face down. Usually to the wild Haunter and Gengar's amusement. Every single one laughed, once they saw what Nox was, and that seemed to irritate him enough that he didn't mind driving them off or sending them to reform in the Spirit World. Alex managed to Purge three sites that first day, and they actually camped at one. An old, abandoned posh hotel, that had many of the luxury items still intact. There was even running water, and with their electric types, they managed to get a TV functional. They took the penthouse suite, a bit structurally unsound, but mostly untouched, so long as one didn't mind dust, and that was where they had their anime binge that night. The next day, Alex and Isamu chuckled, as the local news, during their breakfast, reported sightings of activity in their skyscraper, which was apparently unusual in the Shadow filled zones.

About twenty minutes into the report, Leader Aceron appeared with an announcement, standing in front of a podium, before a crowd of people. "Fair people of Rio! Do not be alarmed. Yesterday, after his victory at my Gym, Alexander Redwood and his latest Padawan promised to purge the lingering Shadow in our old city. I'm guessing they took over one of the old hotel suites while they rested. Rest assured that Queen Iaria knows of the kind Dragon Emperor's efforts in further cleansing and restoring our Rio. It's also why the images seen were…" he squinted at his notes, and then pinched his brow as he said, "Evidently from the restored Old Earth anime, Full Steel Alchemist: Brotherhood." He faced the camera again directly. "There are no cults in the abandoned city, I'm told that some parts of that anime simply get a bit…dark. Again, there is no reason for panic or concern. AceCorp will be moving in a few days to make good on the Emperor's cleaning efforts, and soon we may just have our city restored to its former brilliance. I will keep everyone apprised of our efforts. Thank you."

Alex laughed for a full minute. "Oh man…his face was priceless, when he read the anime name."

Isamu was also chuckling. "You're not concerned that now all of Rio knows what you watch?"

Alex waved him off. "Not at all. That report will probably lead to people investigating the anime themselves. They won't be disappointed." Isamu had to agree, as he was enjoying it too.

Nox floated up from his shadow then, and said, "There's a lot of direct messages from Chatter about the proper viewing order…" He grimaced. "You might want to make a post about it."

And so, once his growing Chatter following knew the 'proper' order of how one viewed this Old Earth cultural classic, the pair resumed their trek, though unfortunately, Purging a city of Shadow was not as exciting as it sounded. Alex's team made any danger minimal, and most of their time was spent walking through hauntingly quiet ruins of people that were no longer alive, a fact they were reminded of by every ancient skeleton or long decayed home. It was actually quite a somber experience, and after the appropriately labeled 'sad arc' they'd gotten through the night before, involving a mad doctor, his daughter, and his pet dog, it put the pair of Trainers in a somber mood. It didn't help that the pupper had shared Alex's name, too. The whole thing had gotten him right in the feels.

The monotony was broken up by certain things though, things that progressed their readiness towards a World Tournament worthy party. Dracala evolved into a rather impressive Noivern, and was sent to Casseroya Lake to hone his special attacks, before Alex planned to use him in Clara Vista's gym. Isamu's Varoom evolved as well, as did Kurchak, who had taken to joyfully bashing down Gastly with his Knock Off attack infused into his drum stick, until doing so got him enough experience to evolve. The teenaged ape's personality shift was immediate, and disruptive, and Alex low key ground some Exp. Candy into his food so that this 'I'm a loud teenager, deal with it' phase would end as soon as possible. Over the next few days, Alex had him use Knock Off and Fling as often as he could, and sure enough, after thrashing that same violent Gengar who seemed to be trailing them now, Kurchak achieved his final form. Maturity tempered his desire to create an Uproar all the time, and Alex sent him briefly to Temere for his attack power training. The poisonous rocker all but demanded to oversee the drummer's training.

Only one other interesting event occurred, as often happens when one digs through the forgotten trash of a bygone city, Alex and Isamu eventually, through a series of locked doors, managed to find a platinum colored Beldum in a stasis capsule, that was deadlocked shut and powered by the earliest version of what was being called 'Infinity Tech', which was technology that could utilize the infinite power of that energy, and not immediately collapse, explode, or burn out.

The Beldum's mind was also asleep, but it had been Atlas who had even sensed them in the first place, while he'd been honing his Shadow Claw on the local ghosts. Evidently, the only way to open the capsule was by taking it to the Stone family, of the Devon Corporation, in Japan. Alex promised Atlas they'd take a detour there, and the Metang eagerly helped Purge the rest of the city after that. Alex understood his hurry, but he'd have time to send a clone after they finished gathering Rio's gym badges.

Psi was also in a rush, but the Kadabra simply wanted to return to searching Bulbapedia for answers on whatever interested him. The base forces that comprised reality had, naturally, snared his focus and he had been relentlessly studying Infinity Energy and the Types of it, for days now. In between launching Shadow Balls at the occasional Haunter. Their journey eventually culminated in a rather large source of Shadow, this one, Alex determined, belonged to a Pokémon, most likely. Judging by the higher level of those around them, which Po was taking care of, it promised to be strong. Alex brought out Atlas as well, and had him use Reflect Screen, and then Iron Defense for good measure. He would be on Barrier duty for this fight.

The infusion of Shadow they approached was the largest yet, and Alex summoned Lux again. This one was in a shabbier part of the city. When it was 'intact' it seemed to have been a haven of the poor and lower levels of society, which meant little else but shells of their 'homes' still stood. Much of the area was a barren field of ash, sharp, jagged, and long rusted corrugated metal, and the occasional stone structure of what might have been a more solid building, once. It was, naturally, into the lower level of one of these stone structures, that they found a door, which collapsed into dust when they touched it, leading to a hole in the earth from which a powerful wave of Shadow energy was radiating.

It might have once been a basement, or some sort of no doubt illicit storage facility, but in the modern era, all that remained were the solidly built concrete foundations. Even the floor was mostly dirt and dust. The dust swirled up in a tornado of malice and ghostly energy as Isamu brought out Dynamight. The air rose rapidly in temperature, as between ghost hunting and sparring with his rival Garuda, the young Blaziken had rapidly grown into his final form. Flames burned around him in a valiant attempt at an aura shield, but the fiery chicken was too frustrated by their refusal to obey him to properly focus them into a shield. His temper had only grown worse with evolving, and this was apparently common with freshly evolved Blaziken near other males of their species.

"Your Moves can only be normally effective, and that's only if they'd be super effective normally. Shadow Moves will always hit you like they are super effective. Build your speed and then hammer it with Knock Off."

The Blaziken acknowledged his Trainer with a caw, before crouching and leaping towards the freshly formed Zoroark. This one was the rare but not unheard of normal and ghost typing. It was however obscure enough for Alex to need to point Lux at it, and as he scanned the Dex entry, its burning, Shadow filled hair tentacles, presumably made of some kind of ectoplasm, smashed into the burning fists, and feet, of Dynamight, who held them off, but was also kept from getting close to the Shadow infused ghost.

The fury of the ghost fox focused on the young Blaziken, which left him open to a blindside from a Legend. Po was a blur of violence, and though the Shadow Zoroark saw him approach, and attacked, Po masterfully blocked the ghostly hair tendrils with one hand, while the other fist delivered his Foul Play straight to its midsection. The ghost fox's eyes bulged, and it went hurtling into one of the concrete walls with a thunderous boom. Dynamight watched in awe, his own attacks paused as Po took over and wasn't nearly done yet.

In another blur, the stocky Urshifu was above the crumpled Zoroark, and despite the wave of Bitter Malice the wounded fox launched at him, Po struck it with a Dragon Fist encased in powerful energy as he fainted the ghost. He stepped to the side then, eyes never leaving his opponent, as Alex hurled a Luxury Ball, and a moment later, it dinged shut. He psychically pulled it to his hand, and simultaneously tossed his hungry kung fu bear a meat bun. Dynamight cautiously approached, and began chatting with Po, while Isamu gave Alex a look, prompting him to say, "I can release him once he's Purged. This kind of Zoroark is tricky to cleanse, though. I'd rather get help from a Ghost Type user. I believe they're weak to the Light Type, and I don't want to injure this one more." He shrank the ball, put it in stasis, and shoved it into his bag.

He dispersed the Shadow with a powerful wave of Light and then contacted Leader Aceron. The man visibly grimaced as he saw Alex's face. "Redwood. Finally finished your anime binge and fulfilled your promise?"

Alex gave him a look. "We traveled as far as any reasonable people would, per day. What we did in our downtime at night, did not slow down our progress. The ruins are Purged, but the Ghost Types are...scattered. Disoriented, by living amongst so much Shadow Energy for so long. They aren't organized, not even in smaller groups, but you'll have to catch them to relocate them." Alex's knowledge of ghosts was, as a psychic, limited, but he knew enough to know that kind of behavior wasn't normal for them. They'd been absent, reactive, and violent. "They did seem to regain some focus after my Purges. Hopefully in time, and with the increase in Humans, they'll either acquiesce to being trained or depart for the jungle."

Aceron nodded, repeatedly as he took in the information. "And you're sure there's just Ghost Types?"

Alex shrugged. "I took the most direct route and only encountered a few properly Shadow Infused Pokémon. I just caught by far the strongest I encountered out here. Which brings me to my next proposition."

Aceron nodded again. "You mentioned having something else in mind for our new partnership. Go ahead, let me hear it."

"AceCorp travels all over the continent, mining things, growing food, etcetera, yes?" Aceron nodded and Alex continued. "I imagine you guys get attacked quite often, now that I know exactly how violent the wildlife really is out there."

Aceron sighed heavily. "You have no idea. Every single convoy is a death sentence for at least one of my people. Crossings without loss are seen as a miracle, and the food deliveries especially are relentlessly attacked."

Alex nodded with a grim expression. "Iara told me some time ago she was considering just giving up on growing food in the west. This brings me to my proposal. Don't stop growing the food, just give it to the local Pokémon in Selva Muerta. Let them learn that attacking Humans does not give food. To expedite this process, and keep it safer for all involved, I'd like to send some of my Scales to accompany your caravans as guards. No matter how much food you have, you will be attacked at some point, but my Scales are excellent Trainers, and Selva Muerta will sharpen them, as it has sharpened me, and my team. Your caravans get to stay alive, my Scales get some proper life-threatening training, and the Dragon Empire is more than willing to give you guys whatever Berries we have in excess, which last I checked, is most species of them. As our farms move away from costly crops, we will have more to share."

Aceron stroked his beard stubble and then nodded. "I'll have to confirm with the Queen...but I like this proposal. We should also speak of opening a training facility for your Scales in Rio. There's quite a lot of aspiring Trainers here that wish to join or at least see if they're worthy of wielding a plasma sword."

"If the Queen is amenable, I would be more than happy to train Rio's psychics, and other gifted individuals. Being so close to Selva Muerta, they would likely quickly become some of our strongest." Alex answered. They gave their pleasantries, and then ended the call, satisfied with the results. With that done, Alex and Isamu continued on their journey.

Clara Vista was a standard small town, with architecture that seemed more at home in the States than the rest of Rio. It was actually outside the northern gate into Selva Muerta, cordoned off from the megalopolis by a large white curtain wall that had, naturally, been absolutely covered in graffiti, on the side that faced the rest of Rio. They'd seen it on their way to Porto Nova, albeit from a distance, but it had not been very flattering towards Leader Serafina. Now, on the opposite side, they found the wall to still be mostly white, that is, until Isamu wandered closer to inspect it, and a cold chill went up his spine, as he realized it was a list. A massive list of names, in about a size twelve font, that went along the entire wall. He had no doubt, these could only be the names of those who had died in the aftermath of Rio's war with Atlantica, and the subsequent sacking by the Shadow sorcerers from the west. The very event that had turned most of the mega city into a Shadow filled nightmare and had cost Rio its Guardian.

Despite the spooky vibe that radiated from around the wall, the city itself was like any other human city. Aside from people commonly having a ghost Pokémon with them, it was a standard representation of modern humanity, going about their lives. Alex and Isamu went to the Pokémon Center first, where Alex had to affirm that the Shadow Zoroark was a fresh catch, and one he was bringing to Leader Serafina.

The creature was quite malnourished, at least physically, and Nurse Joy insisted on accompanying them to the gym, once Alex had mentioned the Gym Leader. The Clara Vista Gym was certainly unique in its design. It reminded him of one of those shrines in Japan with the unnecessarily long stairway that led up to a courtyard surrounded by buildings that each had different architectural styles. Some were influenced by the States, like the rest of the town, but the others were either too simple to have a style or had one Alex simply hadn't seen before. Either way, the architecture made him pause again, as his eyes took in the intricacy of how it all fit together.

A Gym Trainer he could only describe as creepy greeted them, not in a hooded robe, but one with a long round collar that covered her face's bottom half. She had dyed white hair, and her robe was adorned with glyphs that Alex didn't recognize. The woman's reddish-purple eyes glanced at Nurse Joy, and then the challengers. "You must have a Pokémon from within the Blight. Come. Lady Serafina can help."

They were brought into the lower levels of the gym shrine, where the architecture became simple concrete, covered in indecipherable glyphs whose meaning eluded even Alex's eyes. The hallways didn't twist or disappear, but they did pass rooms full of Gym Trainers who were sitting in creepy circles, cross legged. Alex could sense they were meditating, but Nurse Joy seemed unnerved.

"They're only meditating." Alex rumbled. "Nothing suspicious. Some Indius psychics have found that arranging meditation groups can sometimes amplify their psychic abilities."

Leader Serafina's office also seemed to double as a meditation chamber for one. She was as inherently creepy as her subordinate, with pale white skin that lacked the warmth of true life, white hair tinged with purple, adorned with two compacted Pokéballs, and reddish-purple eyes that held a quiet fire, and a confident, but small smirk on her unnaturally young face. She was dressed in a similar outfit as her Trainers, long black robes with frilly lace on the edges, with deep purple accents and a white center. Strange symbols marked the majority of the garment. She stood, but didn't rise very high in height, coming to a fun sized four feet, by Alex's guess.

She moved towards them slowly, and stopped before Alex, looking up at him with a creepy stare. "You have a Shadow Infused ghost with you. But it is not your partner." She raised a tiny pale hand and gestured at the meditation circle on the floor. "Release it there, and I will attempt to cleanse it." The runes around the circle started to glow, and Alex stared at the Gym Leader for a long moment as she also began to glow, with both psychic and ghost energy in equal amounts, before doing as she asked. The white hair, reddish eyes, and undeathly pale skin had raised some flags for him, but her intentions were genuine, and the Zoroark needed help.

The still mostly beaten-up ghost fox appeared where Alex aimed, and Shadow empowered ghost energy surged towards every human in the room. Or it tried to, anyway, stopping short at the circle. The tiny ghost and psychic typed Gym Leader, who seemed to embody those types literally according to Alex's eyes, started to sweat, as the powerful Zoroark released more of its Bitter Malice.

Finally, after about thirty seconds, she said, "I could use some-" Her words cut off, as Alex's aura burned to life like a lighthouse beacon beside her. Serafina winced, but then focused, as the potent mix of dragon and psychic energy surged into her floor and kept the Zoroark contained. Serafina stepped forward then, subtly keeping her face out of sight from every human present as she did so. Her eyes turned black, and the words she intoned came out in reverse. Pinpoint holes to another dimension, four in total, appeared on now revealed rather shiny and smoothly polished parts of the floor that had previously gone unnoticed around the main circle. The Shadow was drawn from the normal typed ghost inch by inch down its body, in what seemed like an excruciating process, down into what Alex assumed was the Reverse World.

When it was done, the runes faded, leaving only the containment circle intact and glowing, and Serafina fell to her tiny knees, panting as hard as the Zoroark. She tilted her head, as the two locked eyes. Something transpired between them. Then, seemingly recovered, she stood and leered up at Alex once more. "This one…I want him as my partner. I will Trade for him."

Alex shook his head. "That's alright, actually, I have all the Ghost Types I need at the moment…"

Serafina tilted her tiny, creepy head. "Ah. So, you have…been training harder than expected. I see. In that instance, I will use my Future Sight and see if I have a partner who will be of aid." Before Alex could object, the tiny Gym Leader's eyes rolled back in her head, and an aura of ghost energy started flaring around her form, not unlike a psychic's aura shield.

After a moment, the small woman's smirk widened. "Of course, it would be him…very well." She closed her eyes then, and moments later, an ancient style Apricorn Pokéball zipped into her hand from outside the room. She offered it to Alex, and he handed her the Luxury Ball that was bound to Zoroark. They confirmed the trade with their phones, and Serafina spoke, as she recalled the Zoroark. "Don't let him out here, alright? There's not enough space."

Eyes widening, as only one ghost type would have enough physicality and size for such a problem, Alex pocketed his new partner, and Serafina's eyes fell on Isamu then, who'd been quietly observing from the background. "This one will go first. Three on Three shall do, if I am to face both of you and not tire out my friends."

Isamu led with his Revavroom, but Serafina's Mismagius was well equipped with fire spells and psychic powers. She made short work of Hayaisha, leaving Isamu down by one. Mismagius had also not been hit by the freshly evolved ghost car, who was still getting used to his body. Isamu's counter to Mismagius was Blaziken, and Dynamight tore through her spells and her ghostly form with masterful Shadow Claws that had been boosted with bursts of flame from his feet, propelling him through the air and speeding him up. It was a custom move he'd learned from having to keep up with Garuda, who now understood the basics of Agility.

Serafina's second was a Chandelure, and while Dynamight had the firepower to match her, the ghostly décor brought him down with her, consuming his vitality and seeming to find it delicious. Now evenly matched, Serafina threw her last pick first. She wouldn't normally have used this one on Isamu, at his skill level, but she wanted the remaining three Pokémon she owned, the only ones she owned, to be ready for Alex, and his challenge.

A Xatu appeared from her side of the field, and it waddled forward a few awkward steps, and cawed, as it side-eyed Isamu, with its left eye. Serafina's creepy voice echoed over the battlefield. "The right eye sees the future. The left eye sees the past. What do you see, Xat?"

The clever bird then did something that Isamu did not expect. It verbalized its thoughts in Common, through its psychic power. The psychic flyer's aura was massive, permeating the gym, but nowhere near as oppressive as the Mind Sage's aura. Isamu stood tall, unfazed, as the bird spoke. "Small. Sad. Fate. Determination. Growth. …Might." The bird nodded in respect, seeing the most recent events, like Dynamight in Sao Paulo, and his Zygarde in Porto Nova.

Serafina grinned, as Isamu made his choice. An orange, brown, and yellow Luxury Ball enlarged in his hand. "And the future?"

The bird waddled awkwardly, and then rapidly turned its head. This eye was markedly different, in that it seemed to have natural pinkish sparkles amidst the typical black circle that was a Xatu's eye. "Training. Brotherhood. Competence. Conflict. Victory. …Hero."

Isamu blinked, as he called out Judenho. His newly evolved Raichu was living his best life, and he smirked darkly at the flying type before him, as his electric glow brightened in the gloom of Serafina's gym. The aesthetic was the same ancient, weathered stone, they'd simply gone underground to a standard sized League battlefield. The only thing notable about anything in this place were the nearly invisible runes carved along the battlefield's line, and every single stone brick of the walls around them. Because of how sturdy it was, the people of Clara Vista had nicknamed the gym, specifically the battlefield itself, Ultima Cancha. The last battlefield, since it would outlast all other structures around it, no matter what happened to their society, or the Earth in general.

As the silence stretched on for an awkward amount of time, as neither Xatu nor Serafina made a move, Isamu finally spoke, "Alright then. Rain Dance." Judenho started doing a hilarious jig as he appealed to the heavens to bring water, and a guaranteed hit for Thunder. Sure enough, the calls were answered, and the already gloomy battlefield became covered in clouds that quickly descended and filled the entire field. This happened, as the Xatu's eyes glowed with a powerful bright blue psychic aura and then faded completely.

"There's a good chance it hasn't moved, Judenho! Keep it that way! Thunder Wave!" Isamu ordered, and his partner responded immediately, his sharp ears catching the telltale bird grunts of a waddling Xatu. They had trouble flying naturally, thanks to the way their sight worked, and waddling was just safer for all involved, unless absolutely necessary. There were of course, more commonly, Xatu that leaned more into their flying powers, than their psychic ones, who had no trouble shifting their unique vision to all but simultaneously focusing on the near future and recent past. Serafina's was the opposite and had clearly focused entirely on honing its psychic power. They could still transport their Trainers, they just usually did so via Teleport.

As the Thunder Wave hit, something strange happened. It seemed to bounce off of Xat, and back onto Judenho, who then started to glow brighter in the fog, as his Lightning Rod boosted his firepower. His smirk was now a wide grin. Without prompting, the eager Raichu hammered his opponent with Thunder Wave after Thunder Wave, willingly catching the rebound six times. With its right eye facing Judenho, the Xatu simply ran around in circles, as it saw what was coming, though the franticness made Isamu wince. He could, clearly, sense that the poor bird was terrified of the pain a six-stage boosted Thunderbolt from a Raichu would cause.

"Judenho!" Isamu called out, and his Raichu was practically drenched in sparks by this point. Hearing his Trainer, he readied Thunder eagerly, and the mist around them crackled. "Judenho!" Isamu shouted again, and upon not hearing the move, he turned to look, blinking back to focusing. "Only use enough power for a faint. Don't get carried away. And don't make it needlessly hurt, either. You know where to aim."

The Raichu let out a disappointed huff, and let the energy die down some. As he did this, Xat also stopped panic-waddling, and then, Serafina recalled him. With a snap of her fingers, the damp fog disappeared from the battlefield as she said, "I forfeit. I don't want my poor boy getting zapped by such a strong Raichu."

Judenho, quite angry from the stress of holding so much power, was determined to discharge it, and did so with Discharge, filling the entire field with Electric Terrain. He sighed again, and returned to his ball, disappointed. Serafina giggled, as she handed Isamu the Spirit Badge. "Tell him I'm sorry, would you? I know how excited he was to zap something." She leaned in conspiratorially then, "Leader Duarte, your next challenge, has a Honchkrow that thinks it's hot Muk, but it's a real babaca. Have him Thunderbolt that one. He's earned it." Isamu nodded, and said that he would, and then, Alex was up.

The tone changed, as he took his place, and confidently brought out Revan. Serafina sent out a Claydol in response, one that sparkled with familiarity to Alex, at this point. Its golden eyes burned to life, and an earthy brownish golden aura surrounded it, as it took in Revan and Alex.

From the start, things did not go well. It was the kind of battle that, despite his best efforts, Alex was struggling in.

Claydol's mastery of Earth Power, combined with violent Psychic slams into the ground, where it used yet another Earth Power, quickly took Revan down before he could so much as Flame Charge. He managed to get in exactly one hit thanks to Phantom Force, but Claydol exacted a harsh toll for it, fainting him with an explosion of Earthy Power. Next up was his Kadabra, Psi, who fared just as poorly.

Despite being psychic types, it was a duel of Shadow Balls, one that Psi simply couldn't keep up with. For every single Shadow Ball the spoon wielding psychic conjured, Claydol had three to answer it, and did so immediately, not holding back as it fired the Shadow Balls from its arm cannons. Almost as depressingly easy as Revan, Psi went unconscious as well. Unlike Isamu, his match was a four on four, but thankfully, Psi had at least managed to overwhelm the floating clay doll's psychic defenses, to score more hits.

"Atlas!" Alex called, and his platinum Metang answered with a metallic roar. "We're down two, and she's down one. Even the odds for me, bud! Shadow Claw!" Atlas charged in with the speed of a Metang, roughly sixty miles per hour, but once again type advantage and Earth Power managed to slow them, enough for Claydol to pelt the steely psychic with Shadow Balls. To his credit, Atlas fired his own Shadow Balls and cut through the excess with Shadow Claw, enough to land another hit. Claydol continued to hammer it with ghostly balls of pain, but Atlas refused to let go, and the pair of Pokémon crashed in a fainted heap, together.

Properly backed into a corner, and not wanting to repeat this gym battle, Alex brought out his training team's ace. He hadn't intended to use Po for gym battles, but Serafina, through luck and ridiculously well-timed crits, had pushed him to this point. "It's down to you, Po. We lose here, and we lose our win streak. Not to mention we have to come back tomorrow."

Po smirked back at Alex. "No worries. I've got this."

"Interesting. It seems you are capable of taking me seriously." Serafina said quietly. Her next pick was a Gothitelle, but it was over in an instant, thanks to Po's speed, and a Wicked Blow. "Irritating. Serafina said, recalling her partner." I had thought only Single Strike Urshifu could use that annoying Move."

"Po's ability is Dragon Fist. This allows him to master both styles, and turn them Dragon Type, as necessary." Alex responded calmly.

Serafina grimaced. "So he knows Surging Strikes too. Great." She seemed nervous, but shook her head, and threw her next pick. An Annihilape. He put up a better fight than Gothitelle, managing at least to match blows with Po, but the Surging Dragon Fist ended it with three weaker but still guaranteed critical hits in a row. Properly irritated, Serafina brought out a Dark Ball. "That's it! I need to win this one, dammit! Come! I need your power!"

Alex's eyes narrowed, as the Pokéball she threw, did not open. And yet, the top split from the bottom anyway, and the darkness that poured forth had enough physicality and mass to force them apart even further. This all happened quickly, but having seen Dark Balls in action before they went out of style, replaced by the customizable and more fairly priced Luxury Balls, he knew the ball simply hadn't activated. She'd drawn it forth on her own, and as the Darkrai manifested before them, both Alex and Po had the final piece of their accusatory puzzle.

"Darkrai, huh. That confirms it. You're one of the sorcerers from the west. The ones that sacked Rio and worshiped the Shadow." Po breathed slowly, and his fists, as well as the fighting aura shield around him started to shine with the Light. His method of reaching divinity involved inner peace, being so emotionally balanced between harmony and focus that he could channel the power of the Alpha's realm. It was also worth noting that he had used this power, as they traveled, making berry trees grow, healing minor wounds, and sometimes ones not so minor, that had required Alex's help, along with his knowledge of human anatomy. Po's power always left those it affected somewhat dazed or even in awe, which amused him greatly. The exception to that, was when he channeled that awesome power into his Fists of Justice, which he readied as he took his Dragon Stance, and stared down the Darkrai.

Serafina's voice gained a ghostly reverb, and the sigils around the battlefield began to glow an ominous purple. "So you know my origins…it's been a long time since one of my Challengers figured that out…"

Po winced, as both the Darkrai and his bonded human's powerful fused presence surged through the field, and yet…he did not strike. Nor did Alex order him to. They shared a look, and nodded in agreement, on the same page. There was no Shadow between them, darkness yes, and Serafina's own perhaps too large affinity for ghost energy, but that was all. And if she was a Shadow sorcerer, one who must have turned, if she'd attained Gym Leader status, it meant she was ancient, and probably more dead than alive at this point, hence the ghost energy. All that to say, they were not radiating the usual malice and murderous intent, and thus, with a soft sigh, Po powered down the Fists of Justice.

Alex arched an eyebrow, as the dark, ghostly pair shared a look. They had revealed their fusion, and their auras bled together like one being with Darkrai surrounding and protecting their ghostly center that was Serafina, but neither attacked first. Indeed, Alex got the impression that, despite her bluster, Serafina disliked battling. "You're…not wielding Shadow." He said, awkwardly.

Serafina gave an exasperated sigh. "Of course I'm not! I'm a Gym Leader. My Pokémon regularly see Nurse Joy," she said, gesturing to the nurse, who was still present, on the sidelines. "If I used the Shadow, I would be caught immediately. Iara does not tolerate it within her demesne."

Nurse Joy also spoke up then. "I know you have an, erm…reputation for Purging darkness with the Light, Dragon Emperor. I just wanted to make sure you didn't Purge our beloved Gym Leader on a miscommunication. And, that Zoroark needed help. It's all better now, though." She smiled, and flashed a victory sign at him, which also helped kill the tension.

"Well then…" He rumbled, "By my count…we're both down three, and our fourths are already out. They're both Legendary, so things remain equal, more or less. Let's finish this Battle! I want a Badge from a Shadow wielder." The idea of such a thing amused him, and the fact that she was embracing the creepy little girl stereotype on top of that just made it a memento worth fighting for.

"Close Combat." Alex started, smirking as he spoke. Po was a blur, but Darkrai was classed as Legendary for a reason. It was the prime example of a fast special attacker, and because of its power, its defenses were quite good too. Thus, the counter was instant.

"Sucker Punch." Came Serafina's obnoxious voice.

Despite being struck first, Po snarled through the hit, surprising the Darkrai, and briefly overwhelming it with a brutal series of hard-hitting kicks and punches in return. But it was not enough. The Dark Void attack hit point blank, encompassing the entire field as it expanded, but before it could, Alex countered, "Flash!"

Also technically a Light move, albeit one more practical than damaging, it cut through the Dark Void, burning it from the field, even as Po's eyes drifted closed. Alex swore. He could flex through paralysis, lick away a burn with his bear saliva, and shatter ice, again also by flexing, but confusion and sleep, especially mind based moves, were very effective on Po, if they managed to land.

He fell forward with a heavy thump, his stocky muscled form rising and falling with a loud snore. Serafina acted before Alex could stop facepalming. "Dream Eater!" The being of darkness she'd bonded to her very essence reached towards Po with a glowing psychic claw, but before it could make contact, Po suddenly shot to his feet, still asleep, and began wiggling in place, as though he was climbing something.

The Darkrai paused, tilted its head, and then continued. With eagerness in his tone, Po reached for the Dream Eater, rumbling, "Coooookiiiieeee…"

"Po!" Alex shouted, making the bear's ears twitch, "That's not a cookie! Evil! Evil cookie!"

Pink dream mist started to flow from Po, but he suddenly leapt back from the attack, unevenly raising his fists. "Stay back, you doughy abomination! You're no cookie!" Irritated, the Darkrai's claws surged towards Po, but the sleeping Kung Fu bear dodged with another leap. "Confectionary criminal!" He shouted, before somewhat gracefully shifting away from another attempt to claw his dreams. "Kneaded knave!"

It was Alex's laughter that finally brought Po back to consciousness, and upon seeing this, the Darkrai abandoned Dream Eater for Psychic. While his dreams had caused him some damage, in a Darkrai's presence, said damage had not healed the dark entity. "Man, that was one sketchy cookie." He rumbled, taking a proper stance.

"A very suspicious sugar circle." Alex said, still chuckling. "End this, Po. Close Combat and Brick Break!"

"Hold nothing back, Darkrai. Psychic!"

The two Legends launched their attacks, but Po was ready. A pulse of dark type energy disrupted his opponent's Psychic, and he broke through the wave of power with Kung Fu fury. The following beating brutally knocked the Darkrai around, and Serafina held her face in panic. "Get out of there!"

Darkrai tried to retreat into a shadow, but Po literally grabbed him with fingers encased in fighting energy and pulled him back out. He slammed the dark entity into the ground, and then finally finished it with a Brick Break. The ancient entity tried to rise, but Po's fists hit like a truck at the start of an isekai, and unconsciousness claimed the dark being. It seeped back into Serafina's shadow, and she clutched her hair, before suddenly dropping her arms, letting them hang limp.

"It seems you've beaten me…how unfortunate…for you. You've been training hard indeed, to take my Darkrai down so effectively." She padded over with her tiny feet and handed him the Spirit Badge. Unlike the other gyms in her circuit, the generic type symbol had been changed instead to an ominous skull that seemed to have a purple sheen to it. "With your Badge…I'll pass along some wisdom, too. You should see your would-be wife. Sooner, than later, if you can."

Suddenly more concerned, the somewhat amusing end to the battle gave way to silent concern. "Why…" he tried, "Have you seen something?"

She grinned wide at his reaction. "Just…speak with your other half, Dragon Emperor."

With that, he turned and left the gym, a frown on his face. They made their way back to the Pokémon Center, only for Alex to call Jess three times, and still have no response. This either meant she was busy training, or with something else, or in mortal peril. Her Delphox hadn't reached out to him, so he checked mortal peril off the list. While he waited for a call back, he decided to meet his latest partner. He went outside to let him out, and sure enough, a Golurk manifested from the ancient ball in a kneeling position. "Hello there." Alex said, as the massive ghostly mech stood to its full intimidating height of ten feet or roughly three meters.

The ghostly automaton creaked a greeting, as it leaned over and scanned him with a barely perceptible ray of ghost energy. "Grrrrreetings, new Tamer." Its voice translated, genderless and very much robotic to Alex's ears. "Harmonia gene detected. Our...my...designation is...Vector Prime. I look...for-ward to wor-king with yooouuu..." His words trailed off at the end, as he held out a massive iron fist for what Alex assumed was a fist bump. He hesitantly booped it, and the iron giant stood back up to full height, as it started to glitch. Its head spun in a full circle. "Har-ar-ar-ar Harmonia Gene detected. Harmo-" It suddenly went quiet then, for a full thirty seconds. Alex let the ancient machine intelligence process this information. "Harmonia Gene detected. Communication level: comprehension. Error. Genetic sequence is not of Royal Family." The Golurk turned to Alex then. "Explanation requested."

"Look, Vector, was it? I don't really have time right now to-"

"Vector Prime." The Golurk corrected loudly. "Harmonia gene detected. Explanation demanded." It said, more forcefully. It seemed, for whatever reason, it was getting hung up on him being able to speak with Pokémon and not being a Harmonia.

And so, Alex recounted his trials in Unova and confirmed that he was the current Tamer of the Original Dragon. This made Vector Prime spin its torso and raise its arms in what Alex eventually realized was an expression of joy, or rather, a programmed joyous response to news of the Original Dragon being reconfigured into a single form. When Alex finished, Vector Prime said, "Designation updated: Emperor Alexander Redwood, Tamer of the Original Dragon. This unit will now Comply."

"Alright..." Alex said, somewhat following its processing. "In that case...state your primary purpose."

Vector Prime let out a series of low whistles, and steam. "Irrelevant. Previous parameters are now non-factors. This unit serves the Dragon Emperor."

"I understand." Alex said, patting his cold, but still very much physical leg. "But I'd still like to know. State your previous primary purpose."

Vector Prime tooted an acquiescence, and then said, "This unit's purpose was to monitor the Time Vortex for the previous Dragon Emperor Harmonia. Emperor Harmonia is now deceased. Current purpose: Unknown."

Alex nodded in understanding. "Time Vortex huh? Interesting...I guess...continue to keep an eye on that. Your secondary purpose is combat. Do you know what a Pokémon Batte is?"

The Golurk nodded. "Confirmation. This unit is capable of compliance with all official Victory League rules. Request modern update, records may be outdated."

Alex showed him how to use the Pokénet then, and had Lux and Nox further instruct him from within his ball, which Alex swapped out for a modern one. He still kept the old style one though, in case he ever needed it. Or wanted to try his hand at making one himself.

Once they were done in Clara Vista and had waited long enough for a return call from Jess, Alex and Isamu began heading in a straight line to the dark typed gym of Sombra Verde, owned and operated by a man called Duarte, it was apparently the most unconventional gym on the circuit.

Despite the bubbling frustration Alex had from not being able to contact Jess, as most of his clones were within the cellular black hole that was the jungle, he and Isamu continued on. Alex was impatient though, so he hopped on his Noivern while Isamu mounted up on Shodoroki, who had since become a Dragonair. It was still his first time flying with a human, so their initial pace was slow. Height didn't help with Alex's connection problem, so soon after they took off, they started speeding towards Sombra Verde. Once he was able to compensate for Isamu, the Dragonair naturally adapted to flying within minutes.

They actually overshot the city, hidden by foliage from above as it was, and one of Duarte's people came to guide them in on foot. Almost immediately, Alex and Isamu noticed that the 'city' was more akin to a war camp, and the buildings seemed to be essentially tents. There was, amusingly, a Pokéball painted onto one of them, thus, that was their first stop. Even on the edge of Selva Muerta, flying in the skies meant Crobat, especially at night or dusk, Noivern, and various other hungry flying types. Judenho had dealt with all of them and had a blast doing so. Isamu had also, finally, started emulating Alex by picking up items on the ground, and through doing so had acquired a Zap Plate shard, which the thunder mouse was now holding.

They healed their teams, had their respective sandwiches, and continued their discussion about Taijitu Moves. "Basically, you activate the Plate shard, while Judenho forms the other half of whatever energy you're using. Then, you have him draw them together in an equal amount. You'll know when they're equal, the energy will form a familiar pattern, and at that point, you just have to aim."

Isamu's eyes moved back and forth as he stared at the table, processed, and chewed his sandwich. "The focus on Type mastery…on using not just a few extra Moves, but all of them…" A sound stopping Barrier formed around them, as his Padawan made the connection. "You're doing this with as many Types as you can, aren't you? Once Pokémon learn a Move well enough, they can draw on that power effortlessly. You could combine them all!"

Alex smirked, just impressed. "What you're describing is Stellar Bomb, and that's…just theoretical still, as far as I know, for every Pokémon not named Terapagos. Mew or Mewtwo could probably do it. And it's only feasible with other Pokémon in a Double or Triple Battle, not to mention, quite draining on both Trainer and Pokémon."

Isamu smirked back at him. "You've definitely tried it."

Alex sighed deeply, checked his Barrier's integrity, and then leaned forward. "I've discovered that weaving more than two Types together is something Pokémon at or above what we Humans call level one hundred can do. With absurd ease. If they practice enough. It also helps them use the entirety of those Move pools more effectively. This is what most of my new catches are striving to reach, as we speak, and it seems to be working. I like our odds against Ash, or Leon. Aside from them and Red, I feel confident against the other usual World Tournament Trainers."

With their lunch finished, the two looked around for a gym of some kind, but everyone they asked about it either sighed, or just laughed at them, and said nothing. There weren't many people around this camp, and everyone around was very clearly doing something, usually, related to reinforcing the well-crafted wooden barricades, and anti-flying type defenses for the 'city'.

Asking for Duarte led them to the largest tent, where they were brought to a man with serious eyes, clad in all black. His clothes were leather, but suited for the jungle, and a pair of knife hilts sat on his back. Tying his entire look together was, naturally, his hat. Undoubtedly from East Texico, where the pale toned man was from, apparently, it too was black. Duarte looked between them as he turned around from what looked like a map of the area, and his eyes went dead. "Let me guess. You want a Gym Badge."

Alex slowly raised an eyebrow. "Is that a problem?"

The man sighed. "No. Fine. Whatever. I can do a two v. two, no substitutions, for both of you. I don't have time for anything else. Let's go."

Before they could even ask what was going on, Duarte led them out of the tented area, to a small clearing amidst the trees of Selva Muerta. They were properly in the jungle by this point, but this spot was technically closer to the ruins of Rio, and thus would have less Pokémon, probably.

Once more, Isamu went first and brought out his Riolu. Nodding in understanding, Duarte picked a partner that would, potentially, push the pup to evolve. He seemed high enough in level, and close to his Trainer, so all that was really needed was a legitimate challenge.

"Mayhem." Duarte said, and from his belt, a flash of black and light brown, a golden sand colored Tyranitar with a pink armored crest on its stomach manifested in front of the Gym Leader. Seeing its opponent was Kanchi, the gold-colored male roared at him, hard enough to send his much, much weaker form sliding back several feet. It was the physical manifestation of the difference in power between a 'baby' Pokémon, and one regarded as a pseudo-Legend.

Even Isamu looked shaken, but then, a Tyranitar was exactly what he expected of a seventh badge fight reduced to a two on two. "Y-Your only chance is speed. Agility! And Dodge!" Kanchi nodded and started running. The impatient pupper had actually mastered the move, running up and down large swathes of the Estrada Real while Alex and Isamu had battled Trainers, wild Pokémon, or got distracted by running to grab an item.

Duarte, for his part, seemed content to do absolutely nothing. He had his hands in his leather jacket's pockets, watching the Riolu run around his golden tyrant with a bored expression. In a bored tone, he finally gave an order, and to his credit, his clearly impatient Tyranitar did not strike before that.

"Stone Edge." The Tyranitar stomped the earth, and even at six tiers now of enhanced speed, the move rose from the earth in front of him and hammered Kanchi, brutally ending any momentum he'd gotten as he was sent rolling across the grass. "You took too long raising your stats." Duarte muttered, fulfilling his obligation to teach Trainers who came to him by the barest minimum. "You could've struck, with quadruple effectiveness, and still built speed later. Now you won't get the chance. Hyper Beam."

Kanchi struggled to his feet, panting hard, but nowhere near done yet. Isamu's eyes widened, as Mayhem formed the Hyper Beam with speed and ease in his toothy maw. As Kanchi had mastered raising his speed, it seemed this tyrant lizard had mastered blowing things away with one of the most powerful moves a Pokémon could use. Knowing outrunning the area of effect was a pipedream, Isamu prepared to take the hit instead. "Bulk Up as much as you can and then use Rest!"

At six raised tiers of speed, Kanchi managed to bulk up his tiny body twice, before the Hyper Beam hit. He stayed just conscious enough to use Rest and returned to full health through the move's psychic power. Then, while sleeping, he stood up from where he'd taken the hit and raised both paws, and smacked his cheeks, waking himself up with minor Force Palms. Mayhem's sharp eyes narrowed in anger, but Duarte smirked. "So, you do have some tricks. Good. Mayhem! Ready another one!" And despite being exhausted from already using a Hyper Beam, the Tyranitar charged another anyway, albeit slightly slower. Even as Kanchi could power through sleeping, Mayhem apparently could overcome its exhaustion. At least once. That probably got harder to do with repetition.

"Copycat!" Isamu ordered, "Then get Protect up as fast as you can!"

Aura radiated off the Riolu as his move copied the awesome power of Hyper Beam, and he fired back. It struck Mayhem full force and yet, through the dust from the explosion, that ominous orange sphere continued to grow, unfazed. Tired though he was from even copying the draining move, Kanchi managed to raise the beginnings of Protect thanks to Agility, but Mayhem's power blew it away and scored a hit. Once more, he was hurt but still standing.

Isamu didn't wait. "Kanchi! Time to finish this! Low Kick!" Sensing what his Trainer had in mind, the speedy aura hound dashed towards Mayhem, who was readying, naturally, yet another Hyper Beam. The fighting energy encased paw of the Riolu's leg spun into the stocky Tyranitar's legs, and yet despite the size difference, Mayhem fell onto his stomach as the tiny fighting type stole his balance. Isamu followed up while he was prone. "Reversal!"

Kanchi's aura turned more intense; the deep almost reddish orange that fighting energy appeared as visually. He leapt, somersaulted in the air several times, and then came down between the Tyranitar's back spines, as he was smol enough to hit between them. Mayhem's eyes bulged, and he fainted as the damage from Low Sweep and the empowered Reversal, with a quad weakness to fighting moves, brought him down. As Kanchi leapt off his opponent, Isamu was there, smiling genuinely, with a fist bump. They bumped fists, and sensing his Trainer's emotions, the Riolu began to glow.

Isamu and his Lucario shared a nod, and then Kanchi returned to his ball, as Isamu readied Judenho. "I want your Honchkrow, Leader Duarte."

Duarte gave him a strange look, then shrugged. Sure enough, the massive black boss bird appeared with a confident gleam in his eye, as he took in Isamu. The green haired teen sent out his Raichu then, and the Honchkrow's smirk shifted to a frown. Judenho grinned darkly at the Honchkrow, as his electric aura flared to life around him. The Honchkrow let out a low honking caw, and around them, in the trees, Murkrow started appearing.

Duarte went first. "You know what to do, Honcho. Haze." The giant black bird raised his wings, and with a single flap, turned the battlefield into a haze-covered murk. "Heat Wave." Duarte followed.

"Discharge!" Isamu countered, testing whose special attack was stronger. The electric and fiery energies collided in equal terms of power, and Isamu followed up with, "Thunderbolt!" Judenho launched it at what looked like Honcho's form, but it was just a trick of the Haze, now made heavier by the move collision.

"Psychic." Duarte ordered the counter, and somehow, the dark typed bird sent a wave of powerful psychic energy at Judenho, flinging him into the air, and then hammering him into the ground.

"Grab it! Quick Attack!" Isamu countered. Despite rising slightly slower, Judenho got to all fours, and then ran, rapidly striking Honcho, and then grabbing his body. "Thunderbolt!" Isamu called, and the Raichu summoned all the power he could. One hundred thousand volts surged through the Honchkrow, and yet, it did not die, but rather fainted, giving Isamu his seventh badge.

Isamu and Judenho moved to the side of the field, to watch Alex, as he took his place. Though he looked irritated, Duarte promptly brought out his next Pokémon, which appeared as nothing but a floating sharp-toothed grin. Recognizing a Muertan Meowscarada, as Noir had since become one, Alex brought out Gauss. The Vikavolt tended to spend his days sucking sap from trees, or electricity from power poles they passed, in between being used on any Trainer with a flying type that Alex had run into. This clone's team composition meant that only Fulguron and Gauss were really equipped to handle them.

"It's like Noir." Alex said quietly. "Bug Buzz. Don't let it get close." Gauss buzzed an affirmative, and the electric yellow sparks along his body shifted to green. As the sinister smirk advanced towards him with fire manifesting around the fangs, Gauss let out an ungodly shriek manifesting and expanding as a wave of potent bug energy. The smirk shifted to a frown, and the lithe striped, green fur of the Meowscarada became visible as he rolled on the ground, holding his ears with his paws. The ever-present floating pink flowers also became visible, and Gauss followed his attack with a rapidly formed Thunderbolt, aimed not at the Meowscarada, but his flowers. The surging plasma arced purposefully through each of them, reducing them to ash.

With a grimace, Duarte countered. "Shadow Clones. Get in there with Fire Fang."

Alex responded with his own counter. "Bug Buzz."

Though there were more of the Meowscarada this time, they were visible, and the powerful wave of screeching bug energy overwhelmed the dark feline enough to cause a faint. Alex tossed Gauss his berry of choice, since he didn't really care for any human food he'd tried, and Alex recalled him to his personal pocket plane to enjoy those noms. Next, he brought out another of his bug types that needed a workout. Blaze had actually recruited him, and after learning Ancient Power alongside Blaze, Velocibra had become a large percentage of their bug typed power.

His Yanmega took the field, and immediately, he started flying in a triangle pattern as his Speed Boost got to work. Even Eric had been shocked by how absurdly fast the Yanmega could beat his wings without them sustaining some kind of strain or damage. It also made his moves quite powerful. Frowning, and wishing now he'd saved Mayhem for this, Duarte brought out his Krookodile. "Alright, Chomper. Rock Moves. Crush the bug."

The crafty sand crocodile nodded and sank into the ground like it was water. "Stay high, Velocibra. Break any rocks that come near you and watch the shrapnel. Krookodile are crafty." His Yanmega was high above the battlefield in under a second, content to further build his speed, as Chomper took his time trying to get an angle. Suddenly, the crimson crocodile jumped up from the ground it submerged in, and with his landing launched a multitude of rocks at the Yanmega with Rock Slide.

Already boosted by four stages, Velocibra's wings sped up suddenly and rapidly, and the resulting Sonicboom shattered every rock into a fine powder, surprising the Krookodile. Then, came the Bug Buzz. Everything Gauss knew of the move came from Velocibra, and the speed with which he attacked actually launched, by Alex's guess, three Bug Buzzes in a row. The powerful move rolled across Chomper, who then fell onto his back, fainted and clutching his ear holes.

Alex hid his disappointment as he congratulated his partner and then recalled him. He wasn't impressed with the lack of experience this far into the circuit. No warmup Trainers, and only two of the Leader's Pokémon, neither of which appeared to be his ace. The Meowscarada might have been, but a quad bug weakness was crippling against a special attacker like Gauss. He was supposed to face Drago next, and yet Duarte seemed to have made this a habit. While they'd battled, Alex had asked around, having spotted a break area on their way to the 'gym battlefield'. Apparently, Duarte rarely went more than three on three, because he wanted them fresh for the nightly raids from Selva Muerta's Pokémon.

Duarte recalled his partner with a sigh, and casually walked over, handing him a badge that looked more like a kid had made it, than an official League emblem, but Alex could tell effort had been made on it. There were giant trees, and the darkness flaring from between them made the whole thing appropriately edgy and ominous. Fitting, for the Sombra Badge. Alex spoke, as he pocketed the badge. "You guys have it pretty rough out here, huh?"

Duarte glanced up at him, his expression having been hidden under his hat until now. "Oh boy, is it my turn for some Imperial charity? Don't bother. The kind of buildings you make just crumble down onto my people and kill more of them. Tents are superior."

Alex blinked, as the man guessed his intentions. "You need some kind of defensive structure, or they won't stop. I've been in their minds; predatory Pokémon will see a setup like this as weak enough to test. You need to make the attack not worth the effort, and even if they hate you, they'll try their luck on easier targets." Duarte raised an eyebrow, and Alex nodded. "Most predators, but felines especially, are actually typically rather lazy. An easy meal, and time for a nap, is always preferable to battling and being hurt. Usually. There are exceptions to that, especially among Fighting Types."

Duarte nodded with his reasoning. "That aligns with what I've seen. Hmm. If only we had a Tangela…or another prolific Grass Type. Tangela vines automatically attack anything that damages them, and as long as you keep them moist, they don't shrivel. Not hard to do, in a rainforest."

Isamu had come over as well by this point and he and Alex shared a look. Alex smirked back at Duarte. "How do you feel about lime green?"

In short order, Alex had Chloros on hand and called out. Duarte looked up at the massive shiny Tangrowth, and it greeted him with a simple wave of an arm tendril and an unblinking stare. Isamu brought out Kuromuchi, and immediately, the two shiny Tangrowth stared each other down. Despite technically having eight badges, Kuromuchi ignored Isamu, far more focused on Chloros. The two seemed to be having a staring contest, as their vines linked, and they communicated. The neon green vines started glowing with grass energy, shining brighter until it became blinding, and Alex felt his Tangrowth tapping into the infinite power of the Meadow Plate shard he'd been given to hold.

When the light faded, Kuromuchi exploded in a cacophony of fresh, new vines, and the older ones, Alex now saw by comparison were much more brittle and almost shriveled, were willfully cut away. Isamu spoke then. "Kuromuchi hasn't really been able to stretch his vines for some time now. Being back in this climate helped, but he did eventually tell me it was just an age issue. But it seems…the shard of the Plate has rejuvenated him…" he looked up at Alex. "Pokémon like this could live forever while holding something like that…"

Alex nodded. "And so long as he does not abuse his power, the Plate shard will be his to wield. But I trust Chloros, he's good people." A wad of neon vines rose up around their Trainer then, and Alex chuckled as they tickled him mercilessly. In short order, they had given Sombra Verde the makings of a legitimate town, instead of a bunch of tents. Fifty-foot-tall stone walls surrounded them, topped with Murkrow sentries. Outside, on the ground, Duarte had his Meowscarada looking for trouble, or ground attacks. Alex had also had Simon reinforce the walls beneath the earth, specifically so they could handle an Earthquake attack, using human methods and technology, and replicating them with bending, and various types of ground and stone. Sombra Verde happened to be atop a large amount of granite, so that was what Alex used. That night, for the first time in years, the locals of Selva Muerta didn't test the defenses of the unwanted human settlement. Not in meaningful numbers, at least.

Alex heard their cries and snarls towards the humans, and understood them, but they mostly boiled down to blind hatred over how much space the humans were taking up. Alex advised Duarte and his people against expanding outward, and recommended going either up, or down, when they needed to. When the sun rose the next day, they departed, with Alex getting Duarte to promise to take his next challengers a bit more seriously.

As they came in through Rio's southern jungle entrance, near the grass gym, they walked into what seemed like a crowd of people lining both sides of the route into Rio's center, waiting for them specifically. Apparently, people had seen the walls and sturdiness Sombra Verde now benefitted from, and thus rightly assumed Alex and Isamu would be heading for Drago next. The city was alight with eagerness. Cheers of good luck came their way, as well as quite a lot of homemade food, the closer they came to the gym stadium, which judging by the roars from within, was already packed.

As they came within sight of the entrance, there was a loud whoop and a sudden and increased cheer from within the stadium. The unmistakable baritone of Leader Drago filled their ears. "Laaaadies and gentlemeeeen! Our Challengers have finally arrived!" They looked up, and saw Drago, atop his Salamence, shouting down at them. "Now the only question is…who goes first!?"

The cheers were deafening, and then, the crowd started to chant something, something Alex made a show of pausing and listening to, smirking wide as he heard the words coalesce from thousands of voices: "Ro Sham Bo! Ro Sham Bo!" He laughed, and turned to Isamu, who had already readied his fist. Once again, in front of all of Rio this time, probably, the Drone Rotom caught them engaging in some rock paper scissors. This time, it was the Dragon Emperor's mighty rock that was covered by paper, and thus, Isamu went first.

"Looks like it's the Padawan's turn first!" Drago shouted eagerly. "In the interest of fairness, I'll kindly ask the Dragon Emperor to wait in the locker rooms below, while the Battle is ongoing! No peeking, now!"

Alex looked disappointed. "I want to watch it though!" He shouted up at Drago, who heard him.

"You can watch the replay! Our Battle is going to be for World Tournament standing, and I want it as fair as possible when I face your best Dragon Types! The people of Rio's heart crave an all-out high level Dragon Type showdown! And we shall give it to them! But first, young Isamu must prove himself worthy of eight Badges! Please proceed to the field!"

Grumbling and salty, Alex went to the locker rooms and sat quietly as he listened to the no doubt awesome spectacle above. He'd tried sneaking a clone through, but security was checking everyone's face, and the box he'd sat in with Iara last time was shuttered closed. Even the TV in the locker room was missing its power cord into the wall socket, and Alex's saltiness increased, as he decided he'd be wiping the floor with Drago. Nothing too crazy, but an appropriate reality check on the difference between a Gym Leader and a Champion. He started bamfing over his dragon types, as he had a feeling Drago would pitch a fit if he used anything else. Revan, Atlas, Fulguron, Gauss, Garuda, Simon, and Kurchak were all just as salty, as they'd been looking forward to facing some dragons. Psi, as usual, did not care, and had about twenty Bulbapedia pages open within his ball. "It's alright guys." Alex muttered, as he sent them to his main body. "We'll get you a proper eighth Gym Battle. I have to rework the Victory League's lineup anyway."

It was an issue he'd been putting off over Festivus, and the weeks that followed. Both Cheren and the Striaton triplets were retired. Skyla was demanding freedom from Gym Leader duties but still wanted to keep the perks of being Gym Leader, and Elesa had also announced her retirement. Things were, she claimed, just not the same without Burgh, and it was time for a new light to shine in Nimbasa. That meant his Victory League was down by six Gym Leaders, as Marlon had decided to stay in Fornia, and Nate wanted his free time back as well. Roxie remained at her post, and Clay intended on passing his mantle to his daughter. That left every other slot open and their status as the hardest League in the world was very much in jeopardy, but he had a plan to keep them sharp.

Nate had been the latest to withdraw his willingness to oversee Opelucid, though at least he and Elesa had replacements in mind. Skyla hadn't responded to him about who would take over her gym, and Lenora had also declined to take up the role again, meaning they now completely lacked a starting Gym Leader. The tattered state of the Victory League was going to be one of his first projects upon his return, as he needed a lineup before the summer started bringing new Trainers. Already, there were gripes on the Pokénet about incompetence from the Champion. There were also rumors that Will and Shauntal wanted to retire and start a family, but he had begged them to hold off, at least for this year, and they'd agreed to stay on, understanding how it would look if two of the Elite Four left as well. This had happened before in the Victory League, and not since Alder was Champion had things really changed. It was halfway into planning, finally, who would take such iconic spots in what was, arguably, his League, that he heard the victory announcement for Isamu, and the call for him to ascend to the battlefield.

Alex had his seven dragons on him, including Archon, who had finally made his way to their camp, just in time for this match. He and Shruikan would likely end up doing the most work, as Drago's team was no joke. The other six he had with him, who floated into a semicircle behind his head, were Shruikan, Kalagon, Blaze, Arbor, and his newly competition ready Kingdra, Kral. Dracala took the last spot, though Alex doubted Drago would use anyone at his level if this was for World Tournament standing.

Alex put on his armor for the first time since the war ended, in its entirety. The roar of the crowd and the feel of his full raiment made him pause for a second, as the snow and blood filled images he'd witnessed from under the helmet flashed past his eyes. He shook his head free of them and focused on the present. Drago was still dressed in black and gold, flying on his Salamence, and judging by the look on the ground bound referee's face, it seemed like he'd stolen the man's mic. "Oho! The Dragon Emperor dons his armor, just for us!" There were just as many jeers as there were whoops, following the Dragon Master's statement. "I'm glad you're taking us seriously." He said, grinning down at Alex, and his levitating Pokéballs.

Alex shouted back up at Drago, and yet the entire stadium heard him. "I'm using all seven of my Dragon Types. Only one isn't quite ready for ranked World Tournament Battles."

Drago caught on to what he was saying. "Six on Six then! Substitutions from the Challenger only, and freedom to use all Moves and power ups as we see fit!" The crowd roared, as Drago and his Salamence descended back to the field. "You know my first pick! Summon yours, and we shall begin!"

Alex thought his choice over carefully, as this battle now mattered, thanks to Drago. His several ranked battles on the Estrada Real had helped him keep his status in the top thirty-two, and he'd been sitting at twenty consistently, while other Trainers continued to battle and raise their points. Defeating a Dragon Type Master, and a Gym Leader ranked as the eighth in his region, would probably catapult him back up to tenth in the world, or even the single digits. Masters over a single type were exceedingly rare, especially in the modern era when any Trainer worth their ID knew type coverage was essential. Finally making his choice, Kral, his Kingdra, came forth from his ball, and though Shruikan and Blaze were salty, Alex prioritized his newer team members over a species both of them had fought plenty of times. They were just eager for a battle that counted, and he was sure he'd need them later for Drago's team.

The Salamence eyed the Kingdra, and growled a statement of respect towards him. Kral returned it with a trumpeting roar, demanding a worthy battle from the strong Salamence, and with that, the Drone Rotom began the match. Drago went first, mega evolving his partner as he shouted, "Get in there Sala! Dragon Claw!" The crowd roared as they bore witness to a Mega Salamence, hiding what Alex said to Kral, but the attentive Kingdra listened carefully.

"Bring the rain and snow. Keep it back with Ice Beam and use Agility when you can." Kral nodded, and psychic power surrounded his form as the Salamence closed the distance. With Agility, Kral dodged, and a series of rather accurate Ice Beams forced the aerial dragon to loop away from them, though one of the three did hit the dragon's flank.

Again, Kral sped up, and again, Drago ordered the same move, and again, Kral dodged it with ease. This time the Ice Beams formed a frozen prison several feet thick around the Salamence, blocking off sound and sight, as the Snowscape mixed with the Rain Dance Kral had summoned. Alex had, while training his Kingdra, taken a page from arguably the strongest Kingdra known to the Trainer world, who just so happened to belong to Sikandar Jiyoshi. The Great Wall of Indius had no issues against dragon types, and Kral was lowkey Alex's answer to Raajapani, assuming he met Sikandar in the finals.

Finally, furiously, the Mega Salamence Brick Breaked its way free of the ice, only to emerge into a raging snowstorm. "Blizzard!" Alex shouted again, and as the Mega Salamence emerged, it was quickly shoved back into the ice dome, which became absolutely buried as Kral directed snow, wind, and ice to fill it and trap the Salamence within. A quadruple weakness to the cold made this tactic all the more effective, but Drago's Salamence burned free regardless with a mighty Fire Blast. To its credit, it did manage to drive off the Blizzard, but as it focused on doing so, the speed boosted Kingdra shifted into its blind spot and sniped it with a pinpoint Ice Beam, ending the round.

Drago grimaced, as he recalled his partner. "You Battle like the Indius Champion."

Alex smirked at him. "I Battle to win, and Sikandar is quite good at winning. I'm glad to be compared to the Strongest in Eous."

The crowd cheered at his words, and surprisingly, there were quite a few loud shouts of Sikandar's name as well. It seemed the Indius Champion had a following on the Dark Continent. Drago brought out his own Kingdra next, and Alex had Kral fire off a Draco Meteor as it took the field. With Dragon Dance it spun past most of the meteors, though a few area of effects were unavoidable. As the Kingdra prepared to fire back, its eyes widened along with Drago's, as they realized Alex had made a switch, resetting Kral's depleted special attack power, and summoning the perfect counter to a Kingdra.

Archon's massive form rose slowly from the sleeping position he'd been in, and he roared at the Kingdra, his Voice shaking the air as he woke up. Alex's was almost comically small compared to it, as he shouted, "Dragon Pulse!" The stadium shook as the titanic dragon bridge fell to all fours, and the crowd cheered as they saw the sky darken in response to how much dragon energy the ancient Archaludon was summoning.

The draconic energy manifested the vaguely draconic head and wings of a dragon as it boomed towards the Kingdra, and despite firing an Ice Beam, the sheer amount of dragon energy overpowered it, and struck home. Despite being critically struck, the Kingdra held on, but Archon didn't even blink at the Ice Beam it launched and finished the sea dragon with another massive Dragon Pulse. "That Archaludon…" Drago said, as he recalled his Kingdra.

Alex nodded at the unasked question. "Behold Archon, Ace of the first Dragon Emperor! He has agreed to join my team. This is actually our first Battle together." Drago just sighed and nodded, bringing out a well-trained Flygon. Its wings buzzed to life as it faced down Archon and narrowed its eyes. "It'll be too fast for Dragon Pulse. Just keep the Rain Dance going." Archon nodded, and with a roar, the rain increased to uncomfortable levels. The ground typed dragon was visibly irritated.

Alex switched again then, back to Kral, who began adding snow to the intense rainstorm as he appeared. Drago smirked, as Alex ordered an Ice Beam. "Flamethrower!" The fire and ice attacks canceled out, and Drago followed with, "Alluring Voice, go!" The Flygon tried to whip up a sandstorm, but the air was already dominated by the wet and cold. Powerful waves of fairy energy hammered Kral, who struck in turn with Ice Beam.

Both dragons were panting hard after that, and their Trainers repeated the moves called once again. Ice Beam from the sniper struck home, but so too did the fairy typed sound waves that Flygon shot at Kral. Both dragons went down, fainted, but Alex retained the lead. Next, came a dragon Alex had long sought but never found the secret to acquiring. Hydrapple was a grass dragon, a literal wyrm in an apple, but there were actually seven dragons in there, and the 'apple' that constituted its bottom half was no apple at all, but rather congealed and hardened (and quite delicious) syrup that Hydrapple naturally produced. Despite its sinister serpentine appearance, it was actually quite friendly and would often share its sugary syrup for those lucky enough to know how to acquire both a Dipplin and then make it evolve.

Alex threw Kalagon out, and his violent shark dragon started to drool as he scented the opposing dragon's syrup. "Kal!" Alex called, and the Garchomp snapped back to attention. "Watch the Syrup Bomb, it'll make you slow. You can eat some after the battle, right now, focus. If it hits you, you will be a sitting Ducklett." Kalagon growled an affirmative, and Alex pointed, holding up a Draco Plate shard that resonated with his Garchomp's Draco Plate, and empowered his dragon moves further, one time. "Mega Dragon Claw!"

Kalagon shot forward with the speed of a fighter jet, closing on the much slower dragon as he attained his Mega Form, and somersaulted his massive draconic scythe arms through the air. They struck home not on Hydrapple, but the candy-coated shell they were all hiding in. It started to split but was quickly sealed by a spray of syrup from one of the wyrms within. "Watch the counter!" Alex warned, and Kalagon started spinning into a Dragon Dance.

Sure enough, Syrup Bombs started falling across the field, and though the ravenous Mega Garchomp wanted to bite one, he held off. "Sandstorm!" Alex ordered, as he looped around their side of the field. A sudden explosion of sand overpowered the fading rain and snow, and Kalagon's moves grew even stronger. "Poison Jab and Aerial Ace!" He shouted, trusting the shark dragon to use them as needed. In a display of aerial agility that the crowd had to watch through heat vision on the stadium's screen, Kalagon masterfully sliced through the Syrup Bombs with Aerial Ace. His scythes had such fine precision, that the syrup didn't even linger on his blades to slow him down.

They sank easily into the freshly made syrup, spreading dark purple poison with Poison Jab. At that point, the round devolved into a melee, and there was only one dragon that excelled in such combat on the field currently. Somewhat sticky, Kalagon emerged from the fading sandstorm victorious, but damaged, and Alex recalled him, as Drago did the same. The Dragon Master had lost his bravado with each defeat. Being down four to Alex's one did not sit well with his ego. He brought out a Naganadel next, and seeing its level, Alex only had one real choice. Also, Shruikan was likely to burst out, if he wasn't picked soon.

Alex summoned his sparking black Salamence to the field, and Drago's grin returned. "Now that's who I wanted to see! Your Ace!"

Shruikan raised his head proudly, taking in the cheers that followed Drago's statement. Alex responded by raising his Key Stone, and Shruikan nodded, ascending to his Mega Form, and setting the crowd off again. A Mega black Salamence was a new sight for them. "Alright Shruikan! Plasma Bomb!"

Drago grinned darkly. "Keep pace with it." And despite sitting at a terrifying seven hundred points of power for its stats, the Naganadel kept pace with the Mega Salamence, with ease. "Dragon Pulse!"

The two dragons fired their projectiles and peeled off from each other. Shruikan Dragon Danced away from the arcing beam of blurple energy, but his Plasma Bomb was locked onto the biochemistry of the poisonous dragon. It slammed home hard, but the Ultra Beast was nowhere near done. "Alright Shruikan, Earthquake!" His Salamence smashed into the ground immediately, and the crowd roared as the electric dragon proved he could Earthquake as hard as the rest of his team, with ease. "Now get in close with Psychic Fangs!"

Despite its attempt to dodge, the wave of rising ground caught the Naganadel, and then, in a blur of pain, Shruikan was there, his psychic energy limbs fangs sank into the Ultra Beast. "Leech Life!" Drago ordered, and the Naganadel shifted, piercing Shruikan with its stinger.

Before it could start absorbing, Alex shouted, "Fire Blast! Get away from it, and Plasma Bomb!" A massive five-pronged blast of flame suddenly overpowered the bug move and burned the Ultra Beast's stinger as it forced it away and then exploded in flame. Naganadel roared free from the attack's smoke cloud, Dragon Pulse ready to fire, but Shruikan had already launched his Plasma Bombs. Not taking any chances, Alex added, "Dragon Claw! Make sure it's down!"

Shruikan nodded and flew rapidly into the dust cloud of the exploded Plasma Bombs, found his target clinging to consciousness, and then ended the round with his claws. A thunderous crack boomed through the stadium, and the dust cloud instantly dispersed, as Shruikan stood victorious, and roared. The crowd roared with him, and his tail swished eagerly at so much praise. Alex was just glad to see him enjoying himself. His partner didn't smile nearly enough these days, and Alex knew why. He was smiling now though, and that grin grew wider on his sparking, toothy maw as he saw his next, and final, opponent as Drago shouted, "Come, Helion!"

The evolution of Heliolisk was exceedingly rare, in that only Dragon Tamers from the Dark Continent had ever managed to figure out how to evolve one. Doing so, and bringing out Heliodon's full potential, was what had made the League qualify Drago as a Dragon Type Master. It was big, built like a Druddigon, but far less rough. Its leathery skin was primarily yellow, though its head and belly were mostly black. Four black spikes and three yellow spikes flared from either side of its head and a crest of spikes ran from its shoulders to its tail, but Alex saw no sign of the trademark frill of its prior evolution. At least, not until it stood up to its full height, and stared down Shruikan. A strange arrow-like shape burned to life over its tail, and with a roar, a burning halo of radiance appeared behind its head. White in the center, and ringed with orange, it glowed like the Sun, but the energy it gave off was electric, not fire. Though he'd studied Heliodon, there was much he did not know about it, like that its frill was composed of energy and not always visible.

Shruikan sparked with electricity in response, as he came around, and landed before Alex. The battlefield began sparking with the potent mix of electrical powerhouses that would normally never have encountered each other if not for humans.

"Plasma Bomb!"

"Solar Burn!"

The two electric dragon types fired off their signature moves, and the concentrated burning beam of plasma shot towards the condensed, spherical ball, also of plasma, where the attacks collided. This only served to properly electrify the terrain, as they canceled out.

Alex grimaced and then shouted at Shruikan. "Time to use it! Storm Voice!" Shruikan looked thrilled at his Trainer's words. They'd determined using Hyper Voice to combine three attacks was a bit too strong for regular battles. But the Heliodon could take it, Alex was sure. "Dovah! Qo! Gol!" Shruikan chose his three elements, in this case, dragon, electric, and ground, and weaved them together with dragon energy into a swirling multi typed ball of pain. Helion looked back at Drago, whose mouth was open. Then, he reacted, "Reflect Screen, and Dig!"

The Sediidah exploded on the field as the Heliodon hastily formed a psychic shield, and then dove into the earth, its energy frill once more vanished. Alex didn't know exactly what that meant but given that he'd bet money the frill was a part of or reacted to the electric dragon's ability, whatever it was, he preferred forcing them to keep it hidden. He smirked, as he heard Drago call for Dig, and the counter was immediate, and brutal.

"Earthquake."

Shruikan was a speed boosted blur, and this time, his Earthquake was also boosted thanks to Dragon Dance raising his speed and his attack power. The field shattered, and the yellow form of the Heliodon appeared amidst the raging sea of earth. "Finish it!" Alex ordered, "Dragon Claw!"

Drago wasn't done yet, though. "Helion! Sunny Day!"

Shruikan struck the electric dragon as he fired the burning orb of fire energy into the sky above the stadium. Shruikan roared in victory, but the referee didn't call the match. He buzzed the ref and growled, trying to get him to pay attention, but his eyes were focused on the sun dragon. Alex grimaced, as he made an assumption.

They were going to have to eat the sun.

"Shruikan!" His name got the dragon's attention, as Helion started glowing a bright, intense orange and yellow. "Use Psychic Fangs and swallow the Sunny Day!"

Shruikan gave him a look, and started moving, but mentally he said, "I'm not fireproof on the inside. You know this."

Alex sighed. "Psychic Fangs will create a bubble around it. You need to control that energy and make it yours. The Sun is just a star. And what are stars made of, brother?"

Shruikan smirked at him from the air, as he shot towards the Sunny Day.

"Plasma."

As Shruikan opened his psychic encased toothy maw to literally swallow the Sunny Day, he winced from the heat but then turned it to his purposes. Alex called the move as fiery plasma became condensed, focused, and enhanced within Shruikan's maw.

"Plasma Bomb!"

With the light from Sunny Day literally eaten, which seemed to stun the crowd, and Drago, the Heliodon stopped glowing, and slumped, but slowly raised its head towards Shruikan. This time, the Plasma Bomb was burning red, and it practically roared as it detonated with enough force to shake the stadium, and the surrounding city. Alex slowly stroked his beard, watching with interest at the difference in power, and Shruikan sighed, as he had a feeling he'd be doing his sun-eating trick again. It wasn't that bad, though. Aside from a few painful but small mouth burns, he was fine to keep battling.

Helion however, was not. That final, brutal explosion had sent him into unconsciousness, and Drago recalled him, as he began walking across the field. Alex, meanwhile, examined Shruikan's 'minor burns' which were actually pretty severe. Nothing a Max Potion didn't fix, but they needed a better way to contain the heat of Sunny Day. Maybe Fire Fang, or dragon energy.

The crowd started chanting as they realized the match was over, and Shruikan eagerly raised his wings. "Go on." Alex said, "Bask in the glory." He chuckled as Shruikan, still boosted from Dragon Dance, shot into the air with a victorious roar. The crowd was chanting 'Sol Comedor' over and over, and though he wasn't super familiar with what was left of Rio's languages aside from Common, he knew enough to know what Sol meant, and guessed they'd dubbed him the Sun Eater. Shruikan was definitely enjoying the newest of his titles.

Drago handed him the Dracon Badge, which was shaped like a Heliodon, but colored the blurple of dragon types. "That…is one impressive Salamence you've trained there." Drago said, offering his muscled arm for a handshake.

Alex took it, gripping it Norstad style, and nodded. "His temper can flare sometimes, but yes…he certainly is something." Their manly arm clasp ended, as the sound of the World Tournament rankings updated, and Drago winced, as he saw how far he'd fallen. Alex, meanwhile, had a wide smirk. "I have to thank you Drago. Your Battle got me back up to number nine."

Alex and Isamu thanked the Dragon Master again and then returned to the locker room below to use the healing machine there. "What will you do now?" Isamu asked sensing rightly that Alex was about to finally dissipate this clone.

"I have some things to deal with back in Unova. You'll be alright in Paldea?"

Isamu nodded. "Aria wants us to take our Champion Assessment together, and I need seven more Badges to do that." He sighed, heavily. While he enjoyed Gym matches, they did, he had noticed, tend to get somewhat repetitive eight times in a row. The same was true even for Gym Leaders, but the system worked and had been in place for centuries. It was unlikely to change much.

Alex shrugged. "Naranuva may allow you to get credit from your Battles here. Gambino and Duarte may not end up being enough to count, given what happened with them, but the others should be fine. If there's an issue, just have the Paldea League contact me. I'll corroborate your competence." Alex held out a hand, then. "Good luck, Isamu. Once you work with the rest of your team some more, you're going to be more than worthy of Champion rank."

"Does…does this mean I'm a proper Scale now, too?" The green haired teen asked.

Alex shook his head. "Not quite yet, Padawan. But I think we can at least see about getting you a plasma sword. Finish your travels in Paldea, and when next we meet, we'll pay the Chargestone caves a visit." With their goodbyes said, Isamu left the locker room, and Alex bamfed his partners to his main body. The clone body he'd used for a few weeks now, by far the longest he'd kept intact, finally dissipated, leaving the tiled locker room emblazoned with Rio's colors eerily empty.

Sahqoreyth · Jan 8, 2025

Chapter 58: Rumble in the Jungle, Part 2

A/N: Same deal for this part of the chapter, more stories, taking place somewhat concurrently with the shenanigans on the Estrada Real. This is the final part of the bits I've been cooking for some time now, but don't worry, more will come in probably the usual amount of time between chapters.

Enjoy.

A Tale of Types and Triumphs

Several weeks passed, and the Dragon Emperor's team trained hard, either in their balls or against the dangers of Selva Muerta. Astrum had chosen his ball, when he kept falling to violent poison attacks from pretty much every inhabitant of the Forest of Death that wanted to taste a golden Togekiss, and eventually, he just Teleported to Jess and her team, since they were in an altogether nicer place. So far, the training with Gelauros had gone well for Alex, Terra, Kalagon, and everyone else with an ice weakness. The entropic cold was not so painfully shocking anymore, and while things like Ice Beam would probably still do the same damage, they wouldn't stun anymore. While most of their training had hard limits at endangering their lives recklessly, there was, as usual, one exception.

Alex's currently not-possessed R-Phone case started beeping, as even without a Rotom, it could still tell time and set alarms, along with all the other basic functions of a smartphone. This particular alarm was for the temperature, and it had been going off for quite some time before Alex's prime consciousness actually noticed. He'd been so engrossed in journeying with Isamu and training the teammates actually traversing the jungle that he hadn't realized how far Gelauros had gone.

He tried moving a limb, only to find himself completely frozen, which was, medically, very not good for his continued survival. His first thought though, was his teammates enduring the frost with him. Sure enough, Terra's body had gone into hibernation, as had most of the others with ice weaknesses. He kept from panicking, but the worry was obvious as he reached for Blaze and suddenly found his mind sluggish. For whatever reason, it seemed noticing his peril had increased its effect on him all at once, and his team reacted as his desperation started rising.

He felt his clones ceasing to function and move and urged his Charizard to hurry. The sight Blaze came upon appeared to be an icy hill. The surrounding area was so cold, even Gel's body had eventually shut down and focused only on expelling his frosty power into the air, as he'd been doing for days now. Blaze tried to get his ice typed contemporary to notice him, but his roars failed. A Flamethrower managed to get a response at least, namely an ice beam that had become more energy than ice. Blaze dodged it easily and mocked his sleepy little brother.

That got Gelauros to wake up though, and the Blizzard finally stopped as his blue eyes slowly widened, then shot open in realization and horror. He didn't move, terrified that he'd frozen his brothers as he had his mother, when he was young. He knew from traumatic experience that moving too much might break and irreparably damage their bodies. Immediately, Blaze used Heat Wave, which helped. The fact that each of them had been maintaining barriers against Gel's cold was probably what had saved their lives, though as things stood, they were pushing the edge of safe training.

Alex kept mentally downplaying their situation, even as Heat Wave, despite its power, did not completely thaw them. They were visible now, no longer buried in snow, and the natural power of the Sun itself was being used for Sunny Day, rather than the fiery orb that appeared in indoor battles. When outdoors, and during the daylight, the move could become much stronger, as it acted more like a fire-typed magnifying glass of an already existing and nearly infinite heat source. Blaze could take it further though, he had learned. Like the Articuno of Norstad, he had learned to incorporate the Light into his flames, and though it was his first attempt with Heat Wave, he focused his considerable power to make it into a newer, more advanced, and potentially more damaging move. Sun Wave.

Alex felt the minds of his teammates waking, and he urged them not to move, psychically holding them in place, as they tried to do so on instinct. Like a pair of hot pockets in a microwave, they needed to be 'cooked' long enough to not have an uncooked frozen bit in their middle. Then, he needed to use Heal Pulse. For a tense five minutes, Blaze continued to burn like the Sun, and when Alex felt their insides were all sufficiently warm and gooey again, a wave of Light infused psychic energy, as he took a page from his Charizard, pulsed through his team. One by one, he made sure their bodies, and cells, were functioning properly from their unintentional cryo-stasis, and then released the psychic hold on them. Within ten minutes, he'd gotten his clones functioning again, which was good, considering what he and Isamu were dealing with up on the northernmost coast of the megalopolis that was Rio, in Porto Nova. He'd had to cut his focus down to one, but now the Mind Plate's energy was flowing once again.

For the first time in days, his actual body stopped floating and landed by his team. Those who'd been frozen seemed more worried about him, than the fact that they'd almost become an unintentional creepy ice sculpture display. "I'm sorry, guys…I was careless." He checked his phone then and nodded. "Seems like your power was starting to mess with the weather anyways, Gel. I think we're about as used to the cold as we can be. Go and gather the others…I need to cut down on the clones for a while, and I think it's about time for a…convocation on how the various Types of energy work." All but Terra left his side, and he patted the massive earth tortoise. "I'm sorry…I could've lost you guys, with my carelessness. Or permanently injured you. The scans say you're fine, but…" He sighed, heavily. "It was too close. I need to be better."

Terra nudged him with his hard head. "Things like this will happen, at our level. We have grown stronger. We can resist the freeze better than before. Your methods worked…even though we became perhaps…overconfident in the face of our brother's power. We survived." Alex smirked at the pride Terra felt in Gel's strength, even despite almost dying to it. He felt an apple, fresh from his starter's tree, fall toward his behatted head as it moved through the air, and he psychically caught it, pulling it to his hand. He munched quietly, but his mind had not shifted.

Terra was making him feel better, but he'd still failed his team. Kalagon especially, having this kind of potential damage to a growing body…he decided they would all be getting rest, for at least two days. He was done with the apple, having devoured it, by the time the team had gathered. He nodded at them, impressed by how much stronger everyone was looking, and he felt noticeably better as he reduced the number of clones. From their eyes, most of them seemed to be either worried for him, and their brothers, or annoyed that their training was stopping. Khan in particular was practically panting fire from his toothy maw, but his claws had cooled down, at least.

"Now that most of you are here," Alex began, as his clone with Isamu bamfed over Po, Champ, Fulguron, and Gauss, "I wanted to get a rough estimate of how many teammates we have of each Type. This will determine who we add next, to finally fill out our roster to sixty non-Legendary Battlers." Gelauros stood alone, and with a wide area of space around him, as he naturally cooled the air in his vicinity.

Alex started counting then, and for his dual types, which was most of his team, he counted them twice. Overall, they had a very good spread if one wanted coverage, and when he considered the move pools of each partner, they were more than covered. "What I'm seeing so far…is a lack of Ice. Which is needed, and also rather common, in competitions. The only question that leaves…is who?"

Lux, now in his phone again, floated in front of him. Alex read the words, and smirked. "So. Chonkley has a new son, and Rick Astley wants a good Trainer for him. Interesting. Walrein is Water and Ice, and he could cover for Pruina. I like it. Now we'd need just one more, which would bring us to a solid four." He glanced around, but nobody offered any species. It was Terra, who spoke first. "Use your clones in Paldea. The fighters are done at Fury Falls. Send that one to the Ice Mountain. You'll find a partner there if you descend the peak."

Alex nodded in agreement, as his starter was correct. Sneasel, Cetoddle, Cubchu, Swinub, there were plenty of valid candidates he could run into. Quietly, and hidden from his team, Alex had the clone in question use his R Phone case to look up what Glaseado's residents had for shiny variations, and one in particular caught his eye immediately. The clone fed his party a sandwich with a Klawf stick, and some of the salty mystical herbs Florian had told him to grab, if he saw them. Apparently, they were more common than ever, and it was actually very helpful for local Rangers and local Paldean Trainers if those herbs on the road or in the wilds were gathered before some overly territorial Pokémon got them. Team Star had actually been the ones handling those Pokémon that did find those herbs, and become Titan sized as a result. Beating them shrank them down to Alpha size. Most were caught and distributed to a team member afterwards. That was probably why ninety nine percent of Naranuva Academy's students were also in Team Star. Everyone wanted Alpha sized Pokémon.

"Aside from Ice…Fairy also sticks out. As powerful, and special, as Astrum is, we can't leave it all solely to him, and the Fairy Type is also quite useful in competitions. The only problem is…" He had Lux enlarge, so the gathered Pokémon could see the list of known fairy types. Very quickly, they understood. "None of them really match…our…" He stopped, on the Galarian Form of Weezing, and his team began to chuckle. "Vibe." Alex finished, smirking wide. "Right, so I'll bamf to Galar, and try to find a Weezing, or a strong Koffing with the right personality. That'll raise our Poison power, too, and he'll only have to be wary of Steel Types. We do need more Poison, though…hmm. I'll talk to Tony, when we next see him. He and Maria have plenty of Nidoran Eggs." Just then, his phone beeped, with a call. It was Eric, probably with bad news. He looked at Terra. "Start teaching them about the Grass Type, and how best to wield it. Saur and Arbor too." The Torterra, Venusaur, and Sceptile set about their task, and very quickly, Arbor became the more popular explainer, mostly because the two oldest starters tended to ramble, about the nature of growing things, like dew on the budding leaf, or wind on an open hill. They also tended to speak very slowly, by comparison. Eventually, Saur and Terra just ended up speaking to each other, while Arbor confidently handled explaining the nature of the Grass Type to the others.

For his part, Alex answered his phone with a smirk. "Brother. What's wrong now?"

Eric looked haggard, as if he hadn't slept. Rolling out the Rotom Replicators and dealing with the aftermath of that, was becoming a full-time job. Thankfully, it was a job Tao had already created a government organization specifically to handle, but they were still being implemented, and there were still instances and problems to deal with. Mostly, it was either some thug attacking a Replicator, and being hurt by powerful electric and ghost moves, or a cultural issue. Not every culture viewed burgers as 'suitable food' but Alex reasoned, correctly, that if say, Indius, had solved world hunger they'd all be having rather simple curry, or some other local dish he was unaware of. But, it was the Dragon Empire that had solved the problem, and thus, the world got burgers.

It was, in every way, a ClusterMuk. But the world was fed, and the people finally had an option to avoid starvation. For free. Food prices had initially skyrocketed, but as more people got home Replicators, they fell quickly, leaving much egg on the face of food companies. While expensive to produce with a Rotom, many people already had one in their phone and teaching them how to run a Replicator was quite easy, as the intelligent little sparks caught on fast, and had a blast doing so. Indeed, Rotom had almost become considered holy in some places, usually remote places that had never had a surplus of anything, let alone food.

"Well," Eric started, "Aside from a dangerous drop in your biorhythm, which seems to have normalized, the weather. Your Aurorus has managed to create a massive thunderstorm over the rainforest, and the forecast is predicting Rio will be hit by a rather intense tropical storm as a result. I take it since you finally answered, he's stopped, so you may want to deal with that."

Alex simply nodded. "Shruikan can handle it. He's been playing in the storms forming around Gel for weeks now." Despite his own ice weakness, the proud dragon claimed that attacks didn't make him so much as flinch anymore. He talked big, but his control over type energy backed up his words. Now, that control would save Rio from storm damage. Alex mentally explained to him how storms formed and worked, and within maybe thirty minutes, the black dragon was driving the ones over the jungle out over the megacity to the east, and then out to sea with temperature-controlled air currents of his own making.

The rest of the team had since moved on to how water moves worked. It was actually James Pond who was explaining, given his eloquence, accent, and intelligence. "Water, is the foundation of life. It exists in most living things, which is why many Pokémon can use Water Moves. The trick to controlling Water is controlling its flow. Once you figure out how to do that, you can make your attacks faster, or more condensed as needed." Someone asked about ice, and Bubble O7 replied, "Turning Water to Ice is actually a matter of controlling heat, which brings us nicely into Fire…"

Alex closed his eyes, focusing on his Paldean clone on Glaseado Peak as the team discussed the nature of flame with Blaze. His Charizard knew what he was talking about, and they didn't really need his insight, for this part of their training.

Paldea's Highest Peak - Paldea Region

Alex Redwood took in a deep lungful of frozen air at the highest peak in Europa, outside the Mediterra Mountains of course. He was alone at the top of Paldea, and as he exhaled, the snow under his stupidly large feet formed into a passable pair of sharp ice skis. He leaned forward then, and let gravity do the rest. Very quickly, much quicker than the last time he'd gone skiing at the age of twelve, he approached a dangerous top speed. He raised his hands and sliced the air with his airbending, propelling himself even faster, as he sailed out over a river carving into the mountain.

He had no fear though, since this was a clone body. In fact, the rush of adrenaline was practically addictive. As he hurtled down the mountain at a pace that would probably kill anyone else, he went soaring off a perfect incline and waved at the Pokémon watching him sail through the air below, who murmured quietly to each other, though none of them made an effort to stop his seemingly suicidal descent. He tasted salt in the air, briefly, before gravity started pulling him back towards the snow. He gestured with a hand then as he landed hard but felt nothing, seeing a glint in the snow, and pulled an Ice Stone into his palm.

He smirked, as he psychically killed his momentum, and started skiing at a leisurely pace looping side to side, the proper way, as he made his way towards a massive herd of Cetoddle and Cetitan lounging around the frigid beach on Glaseado's northern base. It seemed the onset of spring was when their species gathered in massive numbers, or perhaps it was his meal's power at work. Whatever the reason, as he skidded to a hard stop on his ice skis and pocketed the stone, he gave a friendly wave to the few Cetoddle who noticed him.

Adorable as they were, he didn't try catching them, as white and pink was not really his style. He was after something specific. The toddling cetaceans found it very funny that he could speak Pokémon, and a crowd of them was gathering around, the more they asked for tickles, or a berry. He did note the nearby Cetitan, but the gentle giants, while very much watching him, soon were able to realize he was no threat. Just another Trainer, probably looking for one of their black skinned family members. After speaking with some of the older Cetoddle, Alex learned that the herd, and species in general, apparently didn't care for the darker toned members of their line. Black Titans, they called them, which funnily enough only made Alex more eager to train one.

He hiked back and forth down the coast, from the beach up to the salt sprayed snowy cliffs, and sure enough, with time and patience, he found what he was looking for, long after the Cetoddle stopped finding him interesting. His feet were sore, his leg clothing, despite being special, was very much soaked, and he was starting to shiver, as his cold, wet state was feeding back to his prime body, but he hadn't given up, and his persistence was rewarded. His target was massive for a Cetoddle, at the very least bigger than usual, which meant he promised to live up to the moniker his species had given him. He was staring determinedly out at the ocean's horizon from the edge of an icy cliff and looked like he'd been in a battle recently.

"Hello there." Two large, adorable eyes ringed in a bright orange that contrasted his dark grayish skin looked over the human, and blinked, as he realized he could understand the human perfectly. "Looks like you've had a Battle recently, my friend." Alex knew he was looking at the loser of that contest.

The Cetoddle nodded, sadly, as the consequences of his loss set in. "It was…Big Chief's son. He does that a lot…fight me…usually he has his friends help…but this time was…different. We Battled for a female, and I…even alone, I lost to him."

Alex nodded, sagely. "It's because he's gotten more Experience, from winning those other Battles. While you haven't had…any wins, I'm guessing." The Cetoddle nodded. Alex just smirked at him. "Well. I can help you, if you like. I happen to be pretty good at training Pokémon, or so my fellow Humans tell me. We have two paths before us, assuming you're up for it." The Cetoddle thought for a moment, and then agreed, as he realized the human knew what he was talking about. Even Pokémon understood that to become stronger, one had to win. Losses gave a different kind of experience, unfortunately, one that did not spur their growth.

"I can take you, in a Pokéball, to the south, and have you fight some Grass Types. There's quite a few Tropius herds around, and with a little effort, you could grow strong against them quickly. They're also quite a friendly species, as I hear it. Very close to the people of Medali, who make good culinary use of their fruits." The Cetoddle's eyes widened with recognition, and Alex guessed his nest was near the city, as his species appeared around that side of Glaseado as well. "Our other option is to leave Paldea entirely. Travel with me, and my team, and come back as a Cetitan they won't be able to match. It'll take longer, but I can guarantee you'll win, if we choose that path."

The Cetoddle thought it over for a minute, and then said, "I want to stay here. I never thought of fighting the Tropius. And if I can find the right rock…I'll be a Cetitan!"

Alex's smirk grew, and he pulled the freezing stone, that was not helping his chilled state, from his pocket. "A stone like this, perhaps?" The Cetoddle's eyes grew wide, and he nodded excitedly. Alex held up a Luxury Ball then, already colored black and orange. "Hop inside this, my new friend, and I shall take us to Medali quite quickly."

The Cetoddle tilted his head, and Alex realized he was pretty young. The female in question must've been his first. "That…metal Apricorn will take us to Medali?"

Alex shook his head. "Not quite. This is…what Humans call a Pokéball. It's essentially a whole other world, just for you, that I can carry around in my pocket, or elsewhere. It's designed to keep Pokémon safe and comfortable, while they travel with their Trainer. Walking everywhere would get tiring." The Cetoddle nodded, clearly fascinated with the ball.

"And…this one is mine?"

Alex nodded. "It can be. Choosing to come with me is a big responsibility. It will change your life forever. In a good way, I hope."

Suddenly leery, the dark cetacean leaned away from the object slightly. "But…what if I don't want it to change…"

Alex chuckled and held the ball out fully. "If you don't like it, or my team, I can always release you right back here."

That seemed to calm him, and the Cetoddle began to think, which Alex encouraged. He was young, but his species was quite smart, like Wailmer. Finally, he said, "You have…other Pokémon?"

Alex nodded. "Quite a few, actually. It's not like your herd, either. Every single one is a different species."

The Cetoddle's eyes widened in the cutest way again, even his sigh of exclamation was heart melting. "Every one!? How many do you have?"

Alex tilted his head. "Around sixty. Which is a lot, for most Humans, but uh, I plan on getting a lot more, over time."

"How many more?" The Cetoddle asked, eyes still wide.

"All of them." Alex said, chuckling and smirking.

"...All of what?" The Cetoddle asked again, his blubber now furrowing slightly between his giant eyes.

"All of the known Pokémon species. Not all at once, of course, but that is the goal."

The Cetoddle let out what seemed like a held breath, as he laughed. "Silly Human! You can't catch all of us! You'd die before you did!" He kept laughing for a good thirty seconds, and Alex let him.

"It's been done before. There have been new species discovered since, but yea, there's already a pretty famous Trainer who caught them all, already. Excluding Legends, of course."

The Cetoddle looked surprised but then laughed heartily again. "Of course! No Human could catch a Legendary One!"

"Actually…" Alex said, further blowing his new young friend's mind, as he confirmed that he did in fact claim partnership to quite a few Legendary Pokémon by this point. Four was four more than most humans ever even had contact with. After that, he gladly booped the ball, confirmed that he liked it after being inside for a few minutes, and just like that, they were on to Medali's outskirts.

There were Trainers about as Alex hopped out of the Flying Taxi, mostly younger academy students, who seemed to immediately recognize him. Ignoring them, he tossed his newest partner into the air, and he popped free with an adorable cry, and that signature sparkle. He toddled excitedly from foot to tiny stubby foot, and then Alex pressed an Ice Stone to his body. He grew in size three times before his shining body stopped, and he embodied his species name, as the titanic cetacean let out a loud howl.

The other Trainers took note of them now, cautiously staring their way, and the Cetitan, now dubbed Orcinus (or - see - nus) waved a flipper at them. That made them smile, as they waved back. Alex had him start watching TMs then, which thankfully still worked on his phone case without needing a Rotom.

Once Alex had loaded in the moves Orcinus would need, he left the comically large jet-black titan watching the much smaller screen with intense focus. Alex heard a cough behind him, the kind to get his attention, and turned, giving the group of students his iconic smirk. "Hello there!"

The group giggled and chuckled, and one whispered, "He said the thing!"

"How can I help you guys?" Alex continued, resisting a laugh of his own.

"I have a Turtwig!" One of the youngsters shouted. He had plain features, brown hair and eyes, and his clothes matched his starter. The others laughed, and Alex got the feeling they weren't traveling with Turtwig kid, they'd just happened to meet him out here. He had awkward loner vibes, and Alex sympathized. With a toss, the aforementioned Turtwig came out of his standard Pokéball, and the kid gestured at Alex with his thumb as he stage whispered, "It's the Dragon Emperor!"

The tiny turtle's eyes widened, and he looked up at the towering human, as Alex examined him with a sharp eye. He frowned, slightly, and the two looked worried. "You uhh…you do water him, right? Their backs need to be kept moist. Or their growth will be stunted." The two looked panicked, and Alex cringed, as he realized how this must seem from an obvious Rookie's perspective, to have a Champion question his competence, in front of his peers. The smirk shifted to a smile, not large, but confident. "It's alright guys, it's easy to correct. Grass Types are very resilient. Uhh…here." One long arm reached behind his back, to his backpack, or a copy of it anyway. It was still bottomless, but the items within were not duplicated. Every clone had access, and could add to their stores, but they also drew from them.

"This is Protein. Give him some of this with his food, water his back regularly, and he'll be just fine." Alex handed the young Trainer the vitamins, and his eyes widened at the quality. The Scales did not skimp on their vitamins and had the same access as the State's military forces to lower prices or slight discounts, depending on the area.

"I was going to ask you for tips on raising him! You really are Psychic!" The boy seemed easily impressed, which amused his peers, and Alex.

"Ahh, well, I didn't read your mind. I just saw his back was a bit dry. Before I was ever Psychic, I was a Turtwig Trainer. Just like you. Take care of him, and you'll go far." The youngsters started to ask more questions, but then, the lumbering titan that was Orcinus stomped up behind him. He didn't quite shake the ground just yet, low level as he was, but he did have height, and an almost menacing natural stare. At least until his eyes turned happy, and he greeted them, then nudged his Trainer. "Sorry guys, I'll answer all your questions next time. We need to train for the World Tournament."

One of the others, a girl with blonde hair and brown eyes that almost seemed red in the right light, inhaled with obvious excitement. "Are you really going to try to take on Ash Ketchum!? I'd heard you were training so many more Pokémon!"

Alex humored her, as he tightened his gloves, and noticed a shoelace was loose. He'd also noticed one of her friends, a nerdier or tech savvy sort, start recording without so much as asking, but that was what Alex expected of the R Phone generation at this point. "Y'know, I've met Ash. He's a genuinely good guy. And strong. He lives up to the hype. I saw his Charizard take on a Shadow Pokémon, a Legend no less, and win faster than I could." He omitted the fact that Charizard against Virizion was a terrible matchup for Virizion, and that she'd basically been berserk and barely able to aim her moves, just like her counterparts. He stood up and stretched, saying, "If I get to Ash, it will become a Battle of luck. He has lost before. If I can gain a solid lead early on and hold it, I might outlast his team. But only if we keep training!" He chuckled. "Come, Orcinus! Let's ask the locals to spar." His Cetitan let out a mighty roar, and stomped after his Trainer, who was letting his black and white robe with the symbol of the Dragon Empire on its back flare epically as he walked. Naturally, the video of a world leader going off to train yet another new catch caught fire quickly on the Pokénet.

In about half a day, Orcinus had gained enough power to face his rival, by his own estimate. As the sun set, they tracked down his rival back where Alex had first found his species gathered. Orcinus' rival, now a Cetitan as well, was doing what seemed like a mating dance with a female Cetoddle. This enraged Orcinus, and he slid on his belly into his rival, letting out a challenging roar as he did so.

The Big Chief's son, as Orcinus called him, rolled back onto his feet, roared back. The two titanic cetaceans started circling each other then, as their vocalizing strove to overpower the other with sound, specifically, an Echoing Voice. Orcinus had started his first though, so it quickly rose over his rival, at which point the white Cetitan spun into the species unofficial signature move, Ice Spinner. Orcinus eyed his opponent, remembering how he'd lost a head-to-head Ice Spinner clash before. Instead of meeting the powerful ice attack, he used his new knowledge of type advantage, and the large pool of moves Alex had given him.

He leaned back on his powerful tail as the icy Beyblade came closer. A steely gray shine covered Orcinus' black body, and the following Heavy Slam sent the Big Chief's offspring flying. He tried to rise, but collapsed, fainted in a single blow. The disparity in their strength was now reversed, and even larger. Orcinus let out a victorious roar, and the members of his species who'd been watching the mating display, and then the battle, roared with him, but Alex, who was watching closely, frowned.

The crowd, such as it was, was not with him. They acknowledged his victory, but did not cheer him or look happy about it. And as Orcinus stomped towards his 'prize', the female in question, she slid past him, to his fainted rival, and helped him to his feet. Orcinus watched with disbelief, then anger, and then sadness, as he realized she'd apparently made her choice. The defeated Cetitan lowered himself humbly, before Orcinus. "You are stronger. If you lead, we will follow."

Orcinus' large brow furrowed. He didn't want leadership. What he did want, no longer seemed to be considering him as a mate. "Forget it." Orcinus answered, with an angry rumble. "I want no part of this herd." He turned then and stomped over to Alex. The human frowned further as Orcinus said, "Recall me."

"Are you su-"

"RECALL ME!" Orcinus thundered, and Alex did so, sighing as his heartbroken friend disappeared in a flash of light.

Alex fished out a large Sitrus Berry then and approached the wounded Cetitan. "May your line be fruitful." He said, offering the berry before vanishing in a puff of psychic sparkles, simultaneously Teleporting Orcinus back to his main body. By this point in the day, the team was almost done discussing typing, with the final explanation being dragon energy. None of his other dragons quite had the gall or daring to take that role from Shruikan, which amused Alex quite a bit. Alex intended to let Orcinus out again, as he knew from personal experience not to let him stew in solitude over his rejection. What his new friend needed now, was some positive masculinity.

The Metal Megamind

Alex had never been to Rustboro City, but he did find it a bit odd. It didn't really look like a Japanese city, and his growing appreciation for architecture had him guessing most of these buildings were styled similarly to those in Europa, for whatever reason.

The flustered receptionist was levelheaded now, as she acknowledged his presence again. "Mr. Stone is ready for you, sir. Please make your way upstairs."

He thanked her, and started walking with purpose, causing murmurs among the people working on the floor between the reception desk and Steven Stone's office. It wasn't every day a world leader walked into one's place of work, let alone the man responsible in part for their free lunch. A large painted portrait of the first, and late, President Stone was on this level, looking older, but confident as he held a stone Alex was unfamiliar with. It was black and sparkling on the outside, but almost like a geode, and the exposed part was gold, and had a rainbow sheen over the star pattern within the remarkable stone. He also admired the skill of the painter, as the subtle changes to his vision were letting him see the masterful strokes that had created this painted memorial to a man of perhaps grayer morals that had, regardless, revolutionized modern technology. Devon had coined the term for Infinity Tech, and they'd also been the first to try to harness it, albeit with abhorrent methods that were realistically always doomed to failure.

To Steven Stone's creditable morals though, when the Hoenn Champion and the Tamer of the Sea had come to him, a mentor figure of sorts to both of them, he'd made the horrific details of the Sea Mauville's power sources public and had apologized for the actions of his company. He'd also, rather boldly, vowed to continue developing the technology with humane methods, because it was worth it for humanity, and their future.

"Eye catching, isn't it?" A confident male voice came. Alex looked up to see the world-renowned handsome visage of Steven Stone. He'd added a well-kept short beard to his appearance, but his hairstyle hadn't changed in decades. Alex nodded, and Steven continued, "I'm sure you noticed the stone he's holding. We call it a Sync Stone. It's actually a much stronger version of lesser Sync Stones we found in the same area. Would you like to see it? It's in my office."

Alex nodded. "I was just on my way up. I'd love to see it."

The workers shared a knowing look as the two men ascended. The President had tried, with all of Japan's Champions, to get them to hold his father's treasured 'Ultimate Sync Stone' but none had been able to make it sparkle. Not one to let opportunity slip by, when the Dragon Emperor came calling with a mysterious package from the ruins of Rio that apparently belonged to the Stone family, he had another opportunity to present it to a powerful Trainer. The late President Stone had believed his find to be divine, as the energy it once gave off was the same as that measured from Arceus.

In short order, Steven Stone had brought Alex into a vault absolutely overflowing with precious stones. Diamonds, rubies, gold, and more dazzled his eyes, but only for a moment. The crown jewel of this collection, one radiating a familiar if muted power, sat on a white and gold pillow at the back of the vault.

He felt the famous Trainer turned CEO watching him, as he approached it. The case folded away as he approached. "May I?" He asked, and Steven nodded. Alex carefully lifted the stone…but nothing happened. He turned it over, admiring the naturally formed beauty. "I'd love to know where your father even found something like this…"

Steven was quiet for a beat, and Alex heard the disappointment in his voice as he said, "A small, isolated Region in the southern islands of Japan. The Ferrum Region, I believe. The seabed around the Region's main city was teeming with them." Another pause, then, "I admit, I was hoping it would react to you…"

Alex blinked and reached his senses out to the stone. "Oh. Uhh. If it's okay, Mr. Stone, I'd like to try something." He raised a neat eyebrow, and Alex elaborated. "It feels dormant, like a Plate shard out of power. I think…yea, I think some Draco Plate Energy would awaken it again." He muttered softly then, mostly to himself, "that formula has promise."

Steven Stone was quiet for a moment. They had, naturally, tried tapping it against an awakened Plate shard. He'd never considered that the type of Infinity Energy would matter. And one of the few people with access to a Draco Plate was before him. "Of course, Dragon Emperor. Go ahead. You'll forgive me if I uh, back up a skosh…"

Alex nodded and then held up the Ultimate Sync Stone. His right Salamence-headed gauntlet manifested around his arm then, and radiated blurple aura. He poked the stone, and once more Alex's intuition proved accurate. He blinked, as he sensed something else awaken. He heard Arceus in his head and nodded at his request of him.

"Umm. Mr. Stone, I believe…your father may have left a message of sorts for you. Just grasp the stone and…yea." He did hear its contents, but he decided to forget the words, pushing them from his mind, as they weren't for him. Steven took the stone, and gasped. His eyes rolled back in his head, and Alex briefly hoped the man was okay.

A moment later, the man's eyes were normal again, and leaking tears. He wiped them away quickly, flushing red. "I'm sorry, Dragon Emperor. I wasn't expecting…I don't normally…cry like this in front of people."

Alex companionably patted his sharp suit's shoulder. "Just Alex, is fine." In a gentle tone he added, "There's no judgement here, Steven. I once got a similar message and had the same reaction. There's no shame in crying."

Steven nodded. "I always forget how forward thinking you Unovans are. Thank you, for this. Apparently…Arceus desires me to wield this stone. He also told my father where to find more. Including one for you, o' Slayer of Shadow." He chuckled lightly, composed himself with a small cough, and said, "Now then…you came here for an entirely unrelated reason, didn't you."

"I did." Alex answered, sensing the CEO wanted to move on. "Atlas, if you'll join me?"

Steven gasped, as he saw the shiny Metang manifest beside Alex, and then smirked. "Ohh, that takes me back. Right, Metagross?" Another flash of light from Steven's waist brought out the living legend, and the massive platinum Metagross rumbled a greeting to Alex, before his eyes widened, as he saw Atlas.

Their Trainers watched with interest as the two started conversing rapidly. It was faster than Alex could properly hear though, and in binary, which he did not even remotely understand. He was more impressed at the terrifying speed with which the two could converse. Steven's Metagross started the conversation. "01001001 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101100 00100000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110011 01110101 01101110 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110100 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101101 01101111 01110010 01101110 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110."

To which Atlas responded, "01000001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101100 00100000 01100001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110011 01110100 01100001 01110010 01110011 00100000 01100111 01110010 01100101 01100101 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00101110."

Steven smiled at Alex. "It must be fascinating, being able to hear them speak."

Alex smirked at him as the two spoke even faster, and in longer bursts after what seemed like a greeting of some sort. "It's…Binary, to me, honestly. Anyways. We found something, in an abandoned hotel in Rio's ruins. Something that uhm, has your family's name and seal on it." He pulled out and enlarged the stasis capsule then, and Steven's eyes went wide.

"Holy Muk…this is…" He stared up at Alex. "You went into the Hotel Esqueleto? Willingly? And lived?" He gave Alex a once over, as if the man was properly taking a look at him for the first time. For Steven's part, he had never seen someone so strong be so…chill. And yet he recognized the strength, now that he looked. The fire in the eyes, the confidence in the casual stance. He wasn't all that different from Rikuya.

Steven pressed his family ring, once his father's, into the sealed container's bottom. "My father said his grandfather was also supposed to have gotten a shiny Beldum for a Pokémon partner. It's a bit of a tradition in our family, but my great-grandfather never got his Beldum. He died when Rio was sacked, and we assumed his possessions were lost. I don't think anyone even knew he'd acquired one. We're lucky Beldum are so resilient. Any other typing and being in stasis this long might have killed them. The tech wasn't very good back then."

Just then, the Metagross and Metang nudged their Trainers. Atlas spoke directly to Alex's mind. "I have conversed with the elder. We should speak to the Beldum first. It will be…confused. And potentially violent." Suddenly, with a blink and a bamf, they were on the roof, and Atlas shielded the humans, as Metagross gently awakened the sleeping platinum Pokémon. With an enraged metallic cry, it roared to life, and aimed at the first thing it saw, which was Alex. Atlas's Reflect Screen was no joke though, and a significant number of levels separated the Beldum and Metang.

The Metagross took up its vision then, psychically forcing the mind within to calm, and speak with him. Atlas soon joined in, and soon, the three were chatting with bursts of binary so fast, Alex couldn't even hear the numbers anymore. "So, Atlas." Alex finally said after a solid five minutes, "Are they interested in joining us?" He glanced at Steven. "Assuming that's okay."

Steven shrugged, with a small smile. "The laws of the road are clear. Finders keepers. Unless what you find is a wallet, or something personal."

Alex gave him a look. "I'd say a shiny Beldum destined for the Stone family has a bit more value than a wallet." Steven just shrugged again, dropping the issue.

Atlas acknowledged his request, and patiently, after another entire five minutes he said, "Agreement has been reached. We shall become a Metagross." With that, the three shiny examples of the Beldum line began harmonizing their voices, and Alex fished out the Rare Candies he'd been saving for this specific moment. Steven just watched, his eyes mostly on his Metagross. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a shiny Beldum came hurtling towards them eagerly, propelled by its psychic power. Atlas and Beldum greeted it and began communicating. After exactly sixty seconds, they turned as one to Alex, who was scanning the Beldum with his 'dex, and making sure they hadn't just accidentally summoned a shiny Beldum that someone was already training.

Alas, the Beldum was wild, and eager to form a Metagross. Apparently, it had spent its life sad, outcast among its group, as it had no other shiny Beldum to merge with. It also seemed to like the idea of being powerful. And it seemed eager to try anime, if Alex heard it correctly. It'd fit right in. Thus, Alex tossed the stasis Beldum the first Rare Candy, and both it and the wild Beldum became a Metang. Atlas ate the next one, and as his golden claws, brimming with Infinity Energy, met with the claws of his counterpart, the two Metang became a single being, with a mind that could match an Alakazam.

The freshly evolved Metagross roared loud enough to echo across all of Rustboro, and Steven examined Atlas with an expert's eye. "You took excellent care of your Metang. Their composition is quite strong." Atlas thanked Steven, and Steven smirked, running a hand along the smooth top of the metallic megamind. Each powerful spiked foot tapped the ground, as Steven gave each brain scritches.

Alex hopped atop Atlas with psychic aid and smirked at Steven. "Only the finest Protein for my boys. Now then, if you'll excuse me Mr. Stone…we need to be returning to our World Tournament training."

Steven nodded. "Of course, Alex. I wish you luck…in fact…seeing your bond, and Atlas' evolution…it makes me yearn to try my own hand at the World Tournament, again." He let out a wistful sigh. His team was pretty long into retirement by this point, and the World Tournament was well under way already.

"I don't know if you'd win." Alex stated plainly, "We have some serious contenders this year. But I do know that Ash and all your fans would enjoy seeing you and Metagross in a Battle again. And I count myself among that number as well. I watched your matches all the time as a kid, though I eventually went with a Gallade for my main Psychic Type."

Steven glanced at his Metagross, who gave a cry of encouragement, and he smiled. "I may have to consider it, now. Metagross seems quite eager." He looked back at Alex. "I'll let you know if I find more of those stones. I have a feeling…they have great power within. I'll need your help to figure out how to draw it out."

"You have it." Alex said, with a nod. "Until next time, Hero of Hoenn."

As Atlas bamfed away, Steven looked back to his Metagross. "Haven't gone by that title in quite some time…we haven't needed to."

"Meta."

"Do you really want to compete again? Get the others back in shape?" Steven asked. "Whoa!" He shouted suddenly, as his suit jacket flared, and all six of his partners came out at once. In unison, they shouted at him, and had big grins on their faces, as if they'd been waiting for their Trainer to find his spark again for quite some time. He chuckled. "Alright guys…but first, we find those Ultimate Sync Stones. If we're going to get a rank in this Tournament worthy of our skill, we'll need that power." His team roared in agreement, and in short order, he was flying atop his silvery Metagross over Rustboro City for the first time in a long while, headed southwards, towards the Ferrum Region.

The Final Faces

Alex and Kalagon were soaring above the western mountains of the Dark Continent, testing his speed and power against the local Noivern, except after several days of doing so, the local Noivern had learned to avoid them out of fear. Kalagon was becoming a proper terror since growing into his final form, that also meant he had an attitude to match. Very few inhabitants of Selva Muerta had actually managed to challenge him so far, and he was growing more bored by the day. Like Shruikan, he was begging for Alex to take them to Norstad or Unova for the final days of their training.

"What arrre we even looking for, anyway…" Kalagon snarled in irritation. His Trainer's large frame was harder to fly with than he'd ever willingly admit, and he wanted to battle something. They'd been at it for some time now after a sweet and salty basil sandwich break, then, suddenly, Alex pointed. "There! That giant black dot, Kalagon." The Garchomp dove, and his eyes narrowed. "Rrreally? Camerupt?"

"Absolutely!" Alex shouted into the wind with a smirk. "He's practically tournament ready, large, and…" The Camerupt in question suddenly turned towards them as they approached, and the Numel around him fled in panic. "Oh…Muk. Kalagon. Dragon Dance and dodge!"

Once he felt his Trainer grip tight to his burly neck and shoulders, Kalagon flared with blurple energy and barrel rolled effortlessly through the rain of erupting rocks launched at them from below. Kalagon landed with an Earthquake, which the angry looking Camerupt effortlessly stopped from affecting his person. The two Pokémon stared each other down, as Alex hopped off and got out of move range.

Flames erupted around them, as the Eruption attack landed, and the Camerupt formed them into a circular flame wall, entrapping the two outsiders. Kalagon was wholly unbothered by the flames and faced down his opponent with a pent up roar. The Camerupt roared back, and the two started moving towards each other. Alex let Kalagon take this one solo, and the dragon barely acknowledged him, but immediately launched into a move. They weren't in an official battle, so nobody needed to call them out, and taking turns based on speed wasn't a thing. It was just two powerful Pokémon who needed some exercise, ready to beat the Muk out of each other.

Kalagon launched first, a deadly, snarling, blurple blur. Unfortunately for him the black Camerupt had spent a lifetime going second. A Protect stopped the Dragon Claw, and with a simple raise of his head, a powerful Stone Edge sent Kalagon hurtling away with an angry snarl of surprise. An orb of orange energy formed in the volcano camel's mouth, condensed, and then began sparking with raw, familiar power.

The Hyper Beam lanced out at Kalagon, but his Garchomp was already gone, into the earth, as the ground exploded in a line, but missed the subterranean dragon. Normally using dig against a famed Earthquake user like a ground type at this level was a bad thing, but Kalagon had time, thanks to Hyper Beam's toll. The Camerupt eyed the nonchalant human with his arms crossed, as the Hyper Beam exploding near him didn't so much as bother him, nor did the wall of burning rocks. Seeing he wasn't going to give commands, the Camerupt ignored him completely. Before the black furred Camerupt could capitalize on his opponent being underground, Kalagon struck twice, thanks to its exhaustion.

He came up under its jaw with Dig, and then used Dragon Hammer, which he had managed to master thanks to Dragon Tail, and Shruikan's instruction. The heavy flame camel wasn't sent flying by the powerful tail strike but rather kept his feet as he was forcibly slid through the ground. Now recovered, but damaged, he decided to try to end Kalagon. Fiery Infinity Energy flared up from the ground beneath him, and his form shone bright, solidifying as Mega Camerupt before them. The intelligent camel watched them expectantly.

Alex smirked and nodded at the black furred volcano camel. "Kalagon!" His Garchomp eyed him and then nodded in agreement. That Stone Edge had hit harder than he'd ever admit, but a crit was a crit. He was close to losing, unless he matched the Camerupt. The next moves would decide their match. With a flash of blurple light from his Trainer, Kalagon ascended to his own Mega Form, and let out a roar that shook the air and rang throughout the Dark Continent's western mountain chain.

The Mega Camerupt looked at the pair, mostly Alex, with newfound respect. He roared in response to Kalagon, and fired off a powerful Earthquake. Alex's Garchomp sneered at it, until it rose out of the earth, like Terra's could. As somewhat of an Earthquake expert by this point, Alex's smirk widened. This Camerupt was legit, and his power was just under Terra and Hydrus. It seemed they'd found a naturally talented Earthquake user.

The team had been brainstorming a way to 'evolve' Earthquake, the way Blaze had with Sun Wave. Not with the Light, but as essentially the same move and power expenditure, with much bigger results. Lux had even downloaded a Richter Scale app to help measure their prowess. He and Arthur had really stepped up and into their roles as teachers, while simultaneously honing their own skills as well.

Kalagon sliced through his opponent's wave of earth in a flash of unnatural speed. In the space of half a second, the Mega Garchomp was on him. The Camerupt let out a roar of pain as the dragon's claws, limned with water, sliced into him. The Liquidation stunned him, and Kalagon masterfully followed that strike with a rising spin into a Stone Edge to the jaw that actually managed to knock his heavy opponent onto his side.

With a heavy groan, the Camerupt lost his Mega Form. Kalagon roared his victory, and the nearby Numel herd started wondering aloud if his win meant Kalagon was going to eat them now. He stared at them for a long moment as he heard that, but eventually let his own Mega Form fade too. By that point, the Camerupt was slowly making his way to his feet again.

In short order, Alex had recruited him with his usual tactics, and dubbed him Eruptus, which was the name he preferred most. With yet another defense heavy Earthquake user, Alex and Kalagon returned to the camp to continue training. He contacted Tony then, and his Nidoking did, in fact, have a special Nidoran for him, one who sought power, and battle, unlike most of his other offspring. Once Alex brought him out, and saw that ultramarine blue color, he tried to think of the most historically favorable Ultramarine from the Imperium's less murderous eras of history, and dubbed him Calgar, after a famous Legion Commander of the Ultramarines who had advocated against the Imperium's reliance on slaves. Marneus Calgar had owned many, and yet he'd made them into ideal specimens of Man, many had even been uplifted to Astartes, and being kept as his slave was seen as a position of honor. He was also less controversial outside the Imperium, and was generally seen as a positive force. That is, of course, until he died, under mysterious circumstances, which people outside the Imperium also always brought up when recounting Marneus Calgar's achievements. Tony arrived with his offspring, intending to train him personally alongside the other ground types.

As Alex watched his team hard at work, mastering their moves, both offensive and defensive, he eyed his Deino currently in stasis. They couldn't speak telepathically thanks to the power of his dark typing, but the young dragon could hear and see around him, if he so wished. Alex levitated him up by his head, for a better view. "This is what our team looks like. This is how we train. Most of my friends have nicknames, and I have one for you, if you want."

The ball twitched in his psychic grip, and Alex let it fall back to his hand. "I'm sure you've had nicknames before, but since we'll be moving on from those past lives, I figured a new name is appropriate. A name fitting for the power you'll one day wield. Two shakes for yes, three for no. How do you feel about Ghidora?" The ball shook twice, and then Alex sensed the occupant fall asleep. "Alright then. Ghidora it is." He pocketed the ball, and then sent a clone to Galar.

Motostoke City - Galar Region

Alex had little trouble finding Rick Astley, as his hit song Never Gonna Give You Up, and Release You was still number one on Galar's music charts. This meant that he had quite a fan base at this point, and the crowd's murmurs only increased as Alex appeared. The two men shook hands, before Alex said, "I hope Chonkley is alright with this. I'll make sure his son becomes properly strong in no time."

Rick chuckled. "Actually, he was quite happy when he heard you wanted to train Chonkers. That's what we've been calling him, but he doesn't seem to care for that name."

"Well, I'll help him figure out what he wants his nickname to be. Shall we head to them?" Rick nodded, and then led Alex out into the Wild Area, which was where most of the crowd of normal folks stopped following them. On the eastern shores of Lake Axewell, the mighty Walrein known as Chonkley, Rick's starter, was teaching his young son how to use something called an 'Aorfquake'. It was essentially just a combination of Surf and Earthquake, but the results were impressive for one who was not ground typed.

In short order, Alex gave him his usual greeting, and after a brief discussion, the young Spheal abandoned the nickname Chonkers, for Boreas, much to Chonkley's disappointment. Alex bid them farewell, and then he and the young Spheal went for a walk around the area. "So what is we looking for?" Boreas asked, as he rolled along to keep pace with Alex's long stride.

"A Weezing. Once we have him…we'll head back and you can all meet the team." Alex paused then, as a familiar, dank smell wafted through the air. Before they could follow it though, a wild Butterfree attacked them, and to Alex's ears, it seemed quite angry for some reason. "Boreas. Ice Beam." Having already watched several TMs, the young Spheal had also been taught a bunch by Rick and his father. He seemed to be quite good at learning new moves, and had promise as a special attacker with impressive chonkiness.

A perfectly aimed beam of ice smashed into the Butterfree, freezing it solid, and then fainting it as it smashed into the ground, and the ice broke apart. "Quick. With me!" Alex said, as he left the Butterfree, and ran after the dank scent. The scent turned out to be a Stunky, but the foul odor had also attracted a Galarian Weezing, who fed on the foul smelling air and released a delightful lemony scent as a result. There was hard evidence that the Galarian government had once genetically modified their Weezing population, but given that the more common form of Weezing had been so common and so strong during Galar's industrial revolution, something had needed to be done. To this day nobody knew exactly what their scientists had done, but the end result was a rather polite and dapper looking pollution eater dedicated to keeping the air clean and nature pristine.

"Hello there." Alex said, as he and Boreas casually rolled up on the stink-munching Weezing.

The Weezing inhaled the foul scent like one slurped a noodle, and expelled a stream of pink, sparkling mist afterwards from his larger steam vent. He looked at the pair, then. "Hrmmhmm! Hello indeed! A fine day, to you gentlemen!" He started inhaling again, then realized it wasn't the Spheal who'd spoken. "Hold on a tic…"

Once again, Alex explained to the dapper smog eating monster how he'd come to be able to speak like a Pokémon. This was Boreas' first time hearing the explanation too, as Rick and his father had simply rolled with it like it was perfectly normal. "I say!" The Weezing vociferated with a wheeze, "What an astounding tale! I never thought when I woke this morning that I'd be meeting an Emperor!"

"I have more." Alex said, with a smirk. "If you'd like to hear them, you could come with me. I'm making a team of powerful Pokémon, dedicated to keeping the peace on Earth. The entire Earth, eventually."

"Well," The Weezing began, tilting his head to look up at the sky above them. "I cannot say I am overly fond of Battling, as you Humans call it, but Peace…I can think of no nobler task, than guarding Galar, nay, the World, from the horror and misery of war." He nodded then, at Alex. "If this be your goal, you shall have my assistance, my Lord."

Alex waved a hand. "No need to be so formal. Alex will do fine. Do you have a name, sir?"

"You are the rightful monarch of your nation, my Lord Alex, therefore I will address you properly! Let it not be said that Winston C. Smogsworth is lacking manners!" The dapper Weezing bellowed, drawing looks from several nearby rookie Trainers.

"Do you prefer Winston, or Smogsworth?" Alex asked, with a smirk. He knew better than to fight against manners of this caliber.

"Smogsworth is how the locals know me, I see no reason to change that. I am at your service, my liege."

In short order, Alex had Smogsworth and Boreas in their balls, briefly, before he and the other clones with new catches gathered back at their base camp. Thanks to the efforts of Terra and the other grass types, the damage Gel's ice had done to the surrounding plant life was already vanishing astonishingly quickly. Once everyone was gathered, he finally released most of his clones with a tired sigh. He was going to sleep well, soon and probably for eight hours.

"Boys," Alex said calmly, as he released the newest, and final catches on their team before the older members, "this is our team. Team, say hi." An incomprehensible noise erupted from almost fifty mouths as they all spoke at once. Orcinus and the others slowly returned the greeting. The newbies seemed surprised by how strong they all looked. His newest partners looked back at Alex, who said, "They're discussing the usage of Types. You've missed most of it, but your brother Lux here recorded it all, for you, and for those who weren't Paying attention. You know who you are. You'll all be having a review session later, over the parts I saw you spacing out for." Several of the gathered horde of species groaned, and it was mostly from the felines of the team. "No groans. You need to know this stuff. There are as many Battle styles as there are Trainers, and every single one we face is going to have tricks that we need to be able to understand, and counter, before they do too much damage." The felines still looked displeased, but the others begrudgingly nodded.

Then, as if planned, Shruikan suddenly shot down from the sky like a black blur, shaking the earth as he landed. Steam rose from his scales as the remnants of the rain he'd been flying through and controlling evaporated away. With a flare of his wings, those gathered briefly felt the power of his aura and he began his lesson, the final lesson on typed energy. Most of the new faces, like Eternape, Orcinus, and Chloros had not yet properly laid eyes on the only one of the top ten that could claim to be able to beat Arthur, who had become the bar by which the rest measured themselves very quickly, a role he was all too eager to keep. Shruikan had mostly battled him properly to prove a point. He and the psychic swordfighter actually got along pretty well, and Shruikan would always prefer to battle Blaze, especially when their eternal rematches did not favor him. He began speaking as he paced before the group.

"Dragon Energy… is power."

Astrum visibly rolled his eyes and moved to perch on Alex's shoulder. Shruikan glared at him, until the golden flying fairy shrank from his fierce gaze. "It is the oldest Type, and the first that the Alpha Pokémon wielded, when he created everything. Using it, if you have the ability to, is not difficult. The difficulty is controlling that awesome power. Without control, a Dragon is little more than a rampaging beast. But with control? We are…mostly, unmatched. Resistant to the elemental Types and weak only to Ice, ourselves, and…Fairies…Dragon Energy naturally dominates the other Types, and can be used to block attacks from them, or weaken them. Blaze, if you would."

The lying Charizard raised his head, narrowed his eyes, and always willing to take a free shot at his rival, he inhaled deeply, and the others blinked, as a full power Fire Blast that had to have used most of his available power for the move roared towards Shruikan, who had a familiar smirk on his face. He let his aura shield flare hard enough to remain visible. Doing that usually meant the one being shielded was wasting more power than necessary, and Shruikan was naturally quite good at determining how much power he used. The blurple and yellow streaked aura shone brighter, and then turned a dark red, while the lightning went from yellow to bluish white. The Fire Blast slammed into him with a mighty burning roar, and Espeo raised a Barrier to keep the team safe. With a thunderous crack, the smoke from the explosion vanished outward from the focal point that was Shruikan, practically burning now with the power he'd usually use for Outrage. The team stared at him in awe. There wasn't even a scorch mark. Blaze spat embers, irritated. There was a reason he didn't bother with elemental moves against Shruikan. He was just showing off but also making a point.

"Dragon Energy can also be pushed to a higher forrrrm…it requires rage, and anger, and perfect focus, to not go wildly out of contrrrrol." He stared Terra down then in particular, and the grass tortoise's eyes widened as Shruikan kept that crimson energy burning, without tiring, or losing control, for a solid thirty seconds. This was what mastery of Outrage provided, and Terra quietly and simply nodded his armored head in recognition that Shruikan had won whatever disagreement they'd had between them. Shruikan let the aura fade then and spoke with finality. "Remember your resistances, as well as your weaknesses, and you will find Dragon to be a Type worth shielding with in most instances." The intense eyes shifted to the subtly staring ninja frog who flinched as he met the dragon's sharp gaze. "You may even find that using Dragon Energy to control other Types can help you with mastering a Move that's particularly difficult for you. As with the others…I am available for questions." He sat then, looking quite regal and proud of himself.

"Actually, my friend," Alex said as he came up beside the large black dragon, "There is one more Type we must discuss. And one point I must correct you on. Light, is the oldest Type, and has existed before even Arceus. There are many kinds of Light, but by all accounts the Light was the first Type that appeared and exploded when Arceus first hatched into our Universe. It's why his…dimension, or home pocket plane, the Realm of Light, is so large, compared to our own."

Shruikan seemed irritated. "More of your…Human knowledge, is this?"

Alex nodded. "It's amazing what technology can read from the energy emanations in distant Space. After Light came the rest, with Dragon first among them, but it also caused the most chaos. At some point, presumably Arceus, formed the existing Types into a…pattern of coexistence that allowed for order and life to be brought forth, instead of pure elemental chaos. This is what our scientists have divined from the pattern and age of the emanations we can observe."

Shruikan snorted, forgoing chin scritches to lie on his forepaws, eyes closed. "Bloody Human Science…" He muttered, as Alex continued.

"I can't really claim to be an authority on the Light. Those of you who have experienced it, and wielded it, understand its…uniqueness. And it is rare. As far as I know, the original Arceus is the only truly Light Type Pokémon we know of. Except maybe Ultra Necrozma. I use it, because I've opened my bodily energy to the Universe, and at this point, I don't need to fully immerse myself to draw upon the power of Arceus's realm. Others, like Arthur, are born with it, in the form of Excalibur. He didn't just get Excalibur though, he had to learn to form his arms into swords, master Sacred Sword as a Move, and take it to a level high enough for it to become something greater. He trained constantly to reach that level. It's the same thing Blaze did with Sun Wave." Alex pondered for a moment then, as he thought out his next words carefully. "I don't expect you all to be able to use it, and it's not a mark against you if you can't. Everyone here has different strengths and weaknesses. We don't know the criteria the Light requires to answer us, but we do know that it has appeared by honing our Fighting Typed and Psychic Typed aspects. If you train hard enough in those areas, you should also be able to tap into the power of the Light."

"But what about the Shadow?" Came a question, that made some of the war veterans shift uneasily at the mere memory of what it had done to the Crusader's Pokémon. Seeing hordes of Shadow Infused Pokémon had deeply upset quite a few of Alex's veteran team members. Khan, the asker, rose then, and stepped forward. "Surely, if Balance exists, Light must have existed alongside Shadow. So why do we not use it, as well?"

Anger was the first response, and a pulse of Aura from Alex stopped his top ten from attacking Khan. Every one of them was blazing with a shield of aura shining around them and readying an attack. "Stop! He's just a kid, guys. He doesn't know. He didn't experience it. Yet." Khan, who looked very much like a freaked-out cat with all the hostile glares coming his way, looked up at his Trainer for help, as Alex walked towards him, and gently patted his head. Slowly, everyone calmed down, though the frowns were universal now. "Because you're young, and because you haven't faced the Shadow yet, I'll forgive that suggestion, Khan. It's not a crime to have questions, your brothers are just…justifiably against the Shadow, in all its forms."

Khan shrank but rose again as Alex gently scratched behind his ears, eliciting a purr from the dark fire tiger. "But…we should discuss it. Pretending it doesn't exist won't help any of you when you face it. Know thy enemy."

Alex thought over his words, and his available knowledge for a solid thirty seconds before he began. "Shadow…is malice. Hatred. Rage, most of all. It's the unholy amalgamation of the negative emotions sentient beings possess. Darkness, the Dark Type, is what first existed along with the Light. The Shadow is something else entirely, but it has historically corrupted those with darkness within them more easily. For those who wield the Dark, that should be for obvious reasons. The scientists of Cipher managed to create this foul power in a more tangible and nearly permanent form by combining Dark Energy, Ghost Energy, and Poison Energy in the confines of a lab, in the Orre Region. Now, as I understand it, natural Shadow does also exist, but the kind we have dealt with most has been a byproduct of Cipher's research. It forces a Pokémon's body into a heightened state of aggression, twisting their very soul into a bitter shell of what they could be. There is no rest, for those infected with Shadow. It's like…a forced Mega Evolution, but a constant one, that never ends. There have been instances of individual Pokémon adapting to the Shadow or physically being changed by it beyond the usual aggression, but said Pokémon are not good examples to be like. Humans can be evil, but so too can Pokémon. You guys have as much capacity for evil as Humans do, you're just naturally drawn towards the Light and the good, because that's what ultimately is responsible for creating you. Mew's power comes from the Alpha. There were markers in its DNA for the capacity for the Light, but we didn't understand what they were until the Light Type was properly discovered."

A new, feminine voice from above the gathered lads drew their attention as a whole. From the setting sun of the freshly cleared sky, came a Mewtwo, the same that Alex had awoken under the Desert Resort's ruins, in the lair of what was being dubbed 'Team Rainbow Plasma' whose rise had been so short lived it never actually got out from under the ground. "Does that mean that I would have the capacity to wield the Light as well?" She asked, landing softly before Alex, her tail swishing somewhat nervously, as more eyes, entirely male eyes, than she was used to dealing with stared at her all at once.

Alex got over his initial shock and replied, "I believe it does. With training, I have no doubt that you could wield the same power that Red's Mewtwo has. But I thought you were with the other two… Does this mean you're…?"

The genetically altered psychic Legend smirked at him in a manner that was rather familiar. She'd copied him well. "It does. I've made my decision, and I will find this Successor eventually, if I stick by your side. I find you worthy, Dragon Emperor."

Her smirk widened. "Train me."

Almost forgot. A current protag roster, for those who can't remember the entire team. Which I assume is everyone (me included, sixty is a lot fam)

Sahqoreyth · Feb 19, 2025

Chapter 59: The Weight of Bonds

(This part of this section is, chronologically, around when Alex and Isamu set out on the Estrada Real.)

The forest of Colville - Fornia Region

Jessica Gladstone had, much like her fiancé, established a forest-based training camp, this one near the ruins of Colville. Apparently, the people of the Tribes who'd once lived here had either died, or were staying in their unofficial city in New Vega. Many of the Tribe's people had congregated there after the war, and given how many of their people had died there, nobody had suggested they leave. In the absence of humanity, nature reclaimed everything quite quickly thanks to Alex and Tao's shenanigans, and her team had made their shelter essentially from scratch. She'd just finished appointing Fornia's newest Gym Leaders, and setting them up in their Gyms, which meant it was now time for her team to train. Unlike Alex and the boys, the girls were split. Roughly half wanted to battle, while the other half were dead set on the World Festival. The majority were eager to try both.

That didn't make things easy, though. They were also split on what to train for first, and had been arguing about it for half an hour at least. Finally, Jess made a decision, and as she spoke, the gigantic crimson form of the roosting Ho Oh she had Tamed raised her head from her perch on a rather sturdy branch of a rejuvenated tree, to watch the human. Her Articuno was beside the Legendary phoenix, also watching, but with a far different expression in her young eyes. Jess was practically her mother, and the young Legend adored and admired her. Jess was making strides as a leader, without male distractions around. "Girls, most of you can Battle already. We need to work on Contest combos.Those aren't the kind of thing we can BS our way through. The judges will see right through that. We need to be practiced, and perfect. Several of you, are probably going to quit immediately." She smirked, as she saw that rile up a few, naturally, the quitters she was expecting. They knew who they were. "But perfection is something we have to achieve, if we want to win. Besides, we're already in the top thirty two. Unless that changes, we don't really need to Battle."

The contest-hopefuls cheered, while her battlers, namely her Empoleon, Heracross, and Nidoqueen, quietly sulked. Those eager for contests of beauty and battle were her Serperior, Delphox, Ampharos, Shieldon, Drakloak, Lopunny, and her newly acquired Glaceon, Geli, who'd actually been one of the Eevee that Alex had caught. Apparently she'd hit a wall only a Trainer could get her past, and after telling Alex, he sent her to Jess. She was a bit of a spoiled girl, the kind that was adorable and knew it, but she was also kind, like the rest of her family. Her latest catches, Eiwa, who had since become a gorgeous Ninetales, Rouge, who now wore high quality and quite expensive Auspicious Armor as an Armarouge, Liva, who had also evolved, though only once, Mirkke, who had become a Low Key Toxtricity, Carmilla, her newly caught and evolved Gliscor, and Silvi, her Sylveon were all more neutral about the whole debate, not really yet understanding the difference between a performance and a battle. Her Charzard, Altaria, Articuno, and Florges were all quite eager to start. As the most vociferous for entering the World Festival, they'd formed their own clique within the team.

As they split off into what they thought the best performing groups would be, namely those with complementary move pools and personalities, Jess decided something else. They needed a few more partners, to be properly prepared for both global contests of skill. There were some pretty glaring type deficiencies in her party, and those types would be needed in both battle and performances. "Delphi." Her Delphox, ever at her back and side simultaneously, stepped forward with a knowing smirk. "Have them begin practicing making their Moves…y'know, sparkle. I'm going to recruit some more talent."

The Delphox amusedly twirled her redwood staff. "Finally going to use your status for your benefit? It's about time. Especially since all that currency is just going to lose its value in time." Her tail brushed her Trainer's face as she walked past. "Grab someone interesting, won't you?"

Jess nodded, made sure she had her psychic anchor set, and then Teleported away to the Pokémon Center in Castelia, right at home in the heart of New Tork City. She actually appeared in a hallway, outside a room she and Alex had stayed in for a time, shocking a pair of female Trainers as she appeared. Seeing their reaction, she gave them a small smile. "Sorry, girls. It'd probably be more surprising if I appeared without a sound though."

They had the body language of good friends, but the slim figured blonde of the pair was clearly crushing on the pretty brunette who, upon examining her frilly outfit and quality shoes, Jess surmised was going to perform in a contest soon. The brunette looked at her with awe, while the blonde saw her as a rival, and gave her a fake smile. "It's alright, Fornia Champion. We were just getting ready for a performance."

Jess nodded, taking the hint. To the brunette she said, "Well, I wish you luck. Perhaps we'll meet in the World Festival." The girl, who like her friend seemed to be in her late teens or early twenties, just nodded, unable to make words.

Jess left them, wincing inwardly as she heard the brunette whisper, "Ohmygosh! She's so pretty! And that hair! I wonder if I could make mine do that…" Jess twirled a rainbow sheened lock as she remembered how Alex had been enamored with it too. Sure enough, it was gaining her attention, as he'd predicted.

She found a free PC, but didn't find the function she was looking for, namely, the Global Trade Network. She intended on trading money for the Pokémon she was after, and since she also wanted a shiny variant or three, that was actually the normal and preferred trade for them, given how rare they were. Her first pick was a Dratini, the only pink Dratini available, as it turned out. She charged the blood pressure raising amount with her father's black credit card, and retrieved the ball a moment later. Sure enough, a little pink cutie popped out, but she frowned inwardly, as she realized that it was male.

He seemed to sense her disappointment, but she couldn't resist that cute, pink face, and he trilled happily as she gave him scritches. "I don't think I'll end up being your Trainer little one, but for now, you can come with me. Let's see who else we can get." The Dratini nuzzled her, and she felt her heartstrings tugged. He was certainly a cutie, but with his adamant nature and craving for battle and strength that she recognized all too well, he'd be a better fit for Alex's team.

Her next pick was a Frillish, of which there were a lot more choices, and for a price that was actually reasonable, probably because they were more common than a Dratini. When Jess released her as well, she greeted both her and the Dratini in a dignified manner, and seemed to agree to being trained. Once more Jess sighed inwardly, realizing just how dependent she'd become on Alex's powers. Her final pick was a bit more difficult.

In her head, she listed the types she didn't have, and found herself lacking a rock type, which could also use ground moves. She scrolled through the available options and raised an eyebrow at one in particular that was quite cheap, but exactly what she was looking for. Aside from a supposedly useless nature, she was perfect. "Alright my new friends, I believe we have our next candidate. From Champion Juliana no less. Hmm." She made her purchase, and retrieved the Ultra Ball the machine transported to her. She let out the cyan colored Glimmet, who just seemed happy to be out of her ball. Then, she saw Jess's hair, and started excitedly chirping as she flew around the human's head.

Jess looked at her trio of cuties, and smiled. "I'm your new Trainer girls and boy. I hope we can be good friends. Who wants to go meet your new sisters?" The three uniquely colored Pokémon let out a combined cheer. She let them stay out as they left the Pokémon Center, but seeing three shiny Pokémon all at once made the nearby Trainers stare at her, and then murmur to each other.

As they left the Center, they heard a commotion down the street. What looked like a small locally formed tournament was drawing a crowd by the piers. Jess and her trio quietly wandered over, and watched from behind even the sidelines. She blinked, as she recognized one of the participants. Former Arcean Champion Brad Pineus had his Charizard, one of Chari's own sons, out against a Trainer with a rather strong looking Swampert.

Looking at the board, she winced, as Brad was up by three, but then, she noticed. His opponent had used a Torterra, Gallade, and a Luxray already. It made her chuckle, as she guessed Brad's opponent had tried copying a certain Unovan Champion, which was likely the reason he'd wanted this battle in the first place. Apparently the rivalry they'd had while training with the Swamp Sage had become public knowledge.

"Sunny Day." Brad said, with confidence.

The plain looking opposing Trainer barreled ahead with a strong attack. "Rock Slide! Make it too wide to dodge!" Jess just shook her head, as she knew what came next. Charizard's move pool was legit, and while Swampert had the type advantage, the time he took to widen his already wide attack would seal his fate. She looked curiously at her new partners, as they watched. Her as yet unnamed Frillish watched with mild interest, but was otherwise seemingly ambivalent. Her Glimmet was zooming happily between staring at her hair, and watching the battle. But the young hot pink Dratini had his eyes wide, and was shivering with excitement around her neck.

She gave the little dragon scritches under his chin. "Watch the Charizard." She murmured quietly, and the little one obeyed.

As the Swampert fired off his Rock Slide, the Charizard had finished his Sunny Day, and was already building power to handle the rock move. "Solar Beam!" Brad said, sure of victory, and his opponent's eyes widened as he realized that was, in fact, a move Charizard could learn. It was also quadruple effective.

The burning beam of grass energy shot through the Rock Slide, and then passed back over, to hit the Swampert. It tried to shield with Sand Tomb, but sand didn't really make a good shield against the amount of power Solar Beam had. Brad didn't take any chances. "Make sure it's down! Dragon Pulse!" The Charizard didn't waste time, inhaling deeply as he launched a blurple beam of power into the dust cloud, which blew it away, and then created another cloud simultaneously. Jess smirked as the young dragon around her neck shuddered at the sight of the beam, not with fear, but excitement. She'd gotten better at sensing emotion since Gwen joined her and the Dratini was radiating excitement and anticipation.

As the dust cleared, Brad glimpsed the trademark crimson rainbow that was Jess' head, but then she and her three shiny new Pokémon vanished in a flash of scarlet energy.

Several Weeks Later…

As the days began flying by, Jess and her team progressed rapidly. Those who were already high level had little trouble using less power for their moves, trading it for speed or versatility. Her three new partners all shared similar level requirements for evolution, and hit them relatively quickly. Knowing how Alex would feed and train the Dratini, she had her three most battle hungry partners train him, and the others. He seemed quite happy, and had grown like a weed in terms of length and power, until he became a truly beautiful Dragonair.

He was powerful, but not so powerful that his training partners were above him, which helped curb his arrogance. Jess had, upon his evolution, told him about his eventual Trainer, and while he said, with Delphi playing translator, that he'd always care for her, he was very eager to get stronger, and no longer be hot pink in color. It was a shame, as his beauty was obvious every time he flew, but the Dragonair unfortunately had zero interest in contests. He found wasting power on displays of beauty to be tedious, at least until another of her new additions, an Eevee she'd evolved into a Sylveon, set him straight on the nature of beauty.

It had been their practicing that had drawn the little Pokémon to their camp in the first place. Since she joined, the local fauna had also become more friendly with them, and tended to stop by to chat or watch their efforts. Her final addition was one of Alex's, another Eeveelution called Geli. The Glaceon had also shared what she knew of her Trainer with the pink dragon, though she saw him more like a landlord who didn't charge rent.

Around the time Alex and Isamu beat the Clara Vista Gym, Jess deemed her team ready for a World Festival qualification contest. After the hundreds of thousands of applications following the announcement of the festival, they had changed the structure, for this first time only. It was too popular to just cancel and doing so would likely dissuade those who wanted to perform from joining the next World Festival.

Thus, all one had to do to enter the final rounds was demonstrate enough skill and finesse with a single five minute display that had to be original in concept. No ribbons required. One could copy moves or other Coordinator's tricks with move combinations, but the performance itself needed to be original, and Jess was finally satisfied with how everyone was doing. There was also technically no limit to how many of her partners could be in said display, so she'd made a performance that incorporated all of them, even, begrudgingly, her gorgeous male Dragonair.

Fornia didn't have a participating Contest Hall, but Unova did, even though it was new. As she was getting ready, she noticed Alex had actually called her. Twice. Which meant he needed to talk to her, but it wasn't anything life threatening. Having seen enough of their mother's soap operas to know how talking to her love interest before a big event would likely go, she held off on returning it for the moment, choosing instead to focus. Alex would understand, and he was too chill to be mad at her. In fact, as she finished her makeup, she tried to recall a single time he had been mad at her, but couldn't recall one. That thought made her stomach flutter and calmed her nerves. She sensed her Delphox smirking at her from within her ball.

She was in a small, very basic prep room designed for a single occupant, where she'd changed into her current dress. It was primarily crimson, though a more fiery shade than her hair, that gradually shifted to a blend of red, yellow, and orange as one went lower. Her own role in this chaos was minor, and she was dressed accordingly. As she finally saw the light on the wall flash green, signaling it was her turn, she calmed herself with one of Tao's breathing techniques, and made her way onto the stage. Other Coordinators, who had either already gone or had arrived mostly ready to perform were waiting backstage, and she ignored their eyes as she focused entirely on what she was about to do.

Jess smirked as she heard the announcer. "Laaadies and gentlemen! Our next performance will be by…wait, is this real? It's right? Oookay then! Ladies and gentlemen! I give you…your future Empress! Jessica Redwood!"

A few people exchanged looks, as that wasn't technically her name yet, but their sovereign's surname had gotten their attention on her, like she wanted. Their eyes were back on the stage as a Pokéball with a Seal or three on its Ball Capsule made the materializing form appear within a tornado of sparkling flames. Delphi appeared, in a specially tailored dress of her own that sparkled like the one Jess was in, but had the reverse color scheme. They had the same smirk, and bowed in perfect sync. Then, they started firebending. The judges murmured to each other as they saw Jess was producing her own flames, while Delphi masterfully wielded them into a giant, burning Yin Yang symbol above the stage.

Through that, with a burst of fairy energy to prevent burning, came Melodi, her Altaria. Her Dazzling Gleam shone like a pink sun with a rainbow corona and her pink Dragonair flew above and over the rainbow, his appearance brief but memorable as he spiraled and sparkled through the air, and just as the Dazzling Gleam started to fade, both her Altaria and Folokraan used Substitute, and switched places in a flash of smoke. The crowd gasped at the sight of an Articuno, and the lingering light made the always present ice crystals around her sparkle.

In the shadow of the blinding, sparkling light, Delphi launched a Sunny Day from her staff, while the rest of her team, released from their balls with seals that had produced temporary but obscuring smoke, used Ice Beam on the master of the ice type flying above them. With ease, Folokraan guided and bent the Ice Beams into a reverse of the first Yin Yang pattern, this time in ice.

The Legendary bird guided her creation to the left side of the stage with a graceful twirl through the air more akin to the Galarian form of the Legend, while Jess and Delphi reformed the fiery Yin Yang on the right side. The rest of her team started flooding the space between with as many moves that created things as they could. Rock Slide, Leaf Storm, Electro Ball, Bubblebeam, even a Blizzard. There was a move of every single type, and the eagle eyed judges noted they'd appeared not only in the classic order of typing, but none of the moves were colliding and causing the usual explosions of smoke and dust from doing so.

Jess nodded at her Articuno, as she had her recently evolved Armarouge launch the fiery Yin Yang. Delphi demonstrated her psychic prowess as she levitated into the air, and surrounded each typed move in a psychic bubble. A Dark Pulse in sphere form and a similarly formed ball of bug energy shot up beside her, rising in perfect sync in what appeared to be an offering of power, to the sky.

Jess watched quietly, hoping Ho Oh would actually indulge her this time. For a long moment, Delphi hung in the air, straining to keep herself and so many moves suspended in the air at once. Then, Jess exhaled, as she heard a powerful, familiar cry. The gathering of typed energy was masterfully broken down and converted into pure energy, which was then absorbed by the gigantic rainbow phoenix descending from on high.

The judges gasped now, properly as surprised as the audience was, and Jess mouthed a silent 'thank you' to the Guardian of the continent's western coast, and the entirety of Japan. The rainbow phoenix had a small smirk, and winked at her Tamer, before examining the latest gathering of humans before her. What she saw, melted her heart a little more. Elderly people, bearing the pain of living longer than the human body was ever meant to. Young children, staring in complete, adorable awe at a Legend in the flesh, practically close enough to touch. Then there were those in between the extremes. Trainers and their Pokémon, couples holding hands, and among all of them, for the first time in an age, she sensed no evil thoughts. No unspoken desires to bind her. Just humble gratitude that they'd been able to see such a reclusive Legend before their very eyes.

The Taijitu symbols of fire and ice collided above her, and she gave the humans a gift. With a single wing flap, a pulse of Light spread through them, and the fiery crystals of ice that she purposefully fused together, despite their opposing natures. Her Light began repairing their bodies, curing their ills, and blessing the rest of their days. Jess let them bask a bit longer, and then snapped her fingers twice, before she projected as loudly as she could. Hearing her, her Pokémon quickly lined up beside her. "For your consideration." She bowed, and her team did as well. She let out a breath as the cheers started, at which point her team morphed into a group hug.

The judges gave them a moment, as the audience stood, mostly cheering Ho Oh, but as the Legend departed back into the sky, the focus became Jess and her team. The head judge eventually made a polite but loud cough, and a moment later a slightly disheveled Jess pulled free from the hug fest. Delphi fixed her outfit with a casual twirl of her staff, and the man began.

"Future Empress." He inclined his head. "We were initially inclined to grade you harshly, but…I admit even my practiced gaze spotted few errors of note. You all clearly worked hard on this performance, and I would say it has paid off. Your Type control was impressive, not one of all those wide area Moves collided, and surprising us with not one, but two Legendary Birds was quite memorable. I know my score." He held up a card with a ten on it, and glanced at the two other judges.

The second judge, a simple featured example of humanity with a dopey smile also gave her a ten. "You have a talent for this, that much is clear after this, and the performance that dethroned the Kalos Queen. I look forward to seeing your future performances." Jess smiled at him, but then the third judge, the only woman, held up a nine point five.

"Your Dark and Bug Energy were a bit uncontrolled, and were clearly newer Moves…but otherwise I must agree. That display, and the fact that you succeeded in using your whole team, was quite impressive. Good luck at the World Festival."

Jess thanked the judges, and then the crowd one more time, before recalling her team, and leaving. She was stopped behind the stage by a dolled up blonde, clearly what one might classify as a rich Trainer. She was quite obviously relying on her admittedly impressive cleavage, puffed up purposefully by her black and gold Kalosian dress, to draw the crowd's attention to her. "You! Gladstone!" She blocked Jess' way, and put her hands on her hips. "Two Legends!? How the Muk am I supposed to follow that!? How are any of us??" She gestured to the other Coordinators getting ready, and more than a few eyes narrowed at her.

Jess nodded quietly, but stayed composed and smiling. "A fair concern. I would set the tone from the start, maybe some thematic music, or a suitably flashy Move as you begi-"

The blonde cut her off. "So I have to change my entire routine because of you!? Ridiculous! Absolutely ridiculous! I refuse."

Jess just sighed, and shrugged. "Then lose." As she brushed past the woman, she said, "The World Festival is going to have enough bared cleavage with, or without you." She smirked slightly as that got some quiet laughs and knowing smirks from the other Coordinators. Jess could tell this piece of work had probably been a menace to them while they prepared. She knew her type, though as her eyes burned with scarlet red psychic aura, stopping the ditz's knife aimed at her back, she was actually surprised. She hadn't expected her to try something so overtly violent and against the rules.

By this point, the entire backstage area was focused on them. Jess's hair flared as she whirled on the blonde woman. With a snap of her fingers, her pitiful little knife's blade fell to the floor, snapped cleanly off. "I've been in War. I'm technically a General of this Empire, and you seriously thought you'd get anywhere near me with that?" She let her power go, freeing the woman, who slumped to her knees.

"I didn't think you'd…Mukking abomination…those 'abilities' you freaks have are unnatural!"

Jess just rolled her eyes at the Arcean rhetoric, more than ready to leave, when one of the other Coordinators apparently had had enough. Jess blinked as she recognized the brunette from the day she'd abused her privilege to acquire special Pokémon. Her hair had a rainbow braid in it, and was styled like Jess's this time, which made her smirk, as did her words.

"The only thing that's unnatural here, are your implants. Just leave, and maybe we won't report you for attempting to stab a Hero of the Empire."

The blonde woman struggled to her feet, with indignant rage, and Jess subtly stepped back as she noticed the blonde had grabbed her broken knife. Her ire was on the brunette, though. "I don't need judgement from a flat che-"

"That's the girl, officer! She just tried to stab the Empress!"

Jess, the loudmouth, and the younger brunette glanced over at the voice, and saw another Coordinator beside a Mienshao, the one responsible for security backstage, nodding beside a UPD officer who seemed exasperated. Apparently, his Mienshao, sensing how powerful Jess was, determined that it didn't need to jump in to save her from a potential stabbing. He apologized for his Pokémon's inaction, and then led the loudly protesting bourgeoisie brat away in handcuffs, after taking their statements.

This left Jess alone with the brunette. Finally, she said, "Thank you, for standing up to her. I don't believe I caught your name."

The girl flushed red. "Ohh, you don't need to know my name, Empress, it's not impor-"

She was interrupted, as the stage announcer said, "Ladies and gentleman, thanks to a last minute withdrawal, our next performance will be from…Alyssa Carter!"

Jess chuckled at her. "Alyssa, then. You, can just call me Jess. It's fine. I have a reward for you, and your sense of right and wrong." She held up a sparkling pink crystal. "How would you like to have the same rainbow shine to your hair as me? It will affect everything but your braid."

She ran her fingers down her braid, and Jess could tell she was remembering the fun she'd had dying it, with her Good Friend. "Could…you make it accentuate the braid? I want everyone to see how well it came out." Jess nodded, and when she was done, Alyssa was grinning ear to ear once she got in front of a mirror.

"Alyssa Carter…to the stage please! Last call for Alyssa Carter!"

The young woman eeped, thanked Jess again, and then ran off. Jess wished her luck, and stuck around to watch her performance. Her team was well balanced, well groomed, and clearly practiced hard for their Trainer. Jess made a mental note to keep an eye on her, and was impressed with her skills. She'd captured the audience immediately, as suggested, and the result seemed to work on the crowd.

Finally finished, Jess bamfed to the top of the PNN building with her anchor there. It wasn't one she'd made on purpose, but being surrounded and outnumbered by hostile Arceans had burned it into her memory. With a satisfied exhale after an exhaustive performance, she felt more confident in her team's ability to compete at the World Festival. "Now then…let's see what all the fuss is about with the boys…" She activated her phone's video chat, and finally called Alex back.

Subterra - Somewhere Below Wyogon

Caleb Callen had never enjoyed his life so much. Despite being named for his Prophet, he had never excelled at anything in particular, had no special skills, and was exceedingly average. Even his looks, a thin body and brown hair and eyes, were exceedingly plain. Average school grades guaranteed an average menial job in the Arcean empire. Even his Pokémon, the one he'd been able to afford to feed, a Psyduck, was abnormally average in weight, height, power, and color. The collapse of the Church had guaranteed an average job in the underground colony that clung to the Arcean's fading ideals, but then, their newest leader, Lord Proditor, had elevated him, claiming he had psychic powers. Even since then, Octavius Thorne had begun to train him, and despite not being initially impressive psychically either, they had discovered an untapped reservoir of potential after he'd finally unlocked his latent powers. This sometimes happened, as even the best methods of detecting psychic power had limits. He was, as Master Thorne called him, an 'unexpected bounty in a meager yield'.

With that bounty, had come promised status. Proditor had, like Pravus before him, secluded himself in the weeks since taking over, obsessed with some 'great work' he was creating. Caleb had only seen him one time since, and he had been…different. His eyes, a fusion of crimson purple, his mouth, filled with razor sharp teeth that spread far too wide for any natural human, pale skin that looked like a corpse's, but that aura…was unmistakable. He was exactly what Caleb had always been told psychics were: an abomination, and yet, Caleb found he didn't care. His clothes were nicer, his family no longer had to work the 'mines' they'd dug into the Stoney Mountains since they went into hiding, and despite the undertones of prejudice, people listened when he spoke. Life was good, for once. And thank was all thanks to the 'monstrosity' that was Proditor. If he'd found his abilities before, he would've quietly disappeared, like every other psychic in the western States, taken to the brutal, and often fatal, training that created the Hands of the Prophet.

His new Lord had requested that he specifically abuse his newfound privilege, to weed out the seditious bigots among them. He'd taken great pleasure in doing so, first going after the losers who'd bullied him as a child, and then later those who had been superiors and coworkers in his adult life who had been horrible to him. Pleased by this initial influx, it had eventually faded as people learned to hold their tongues around him, and that was when his Lord had urged him to find more. Thus, Caleb had made it his quiet mission to root out those among them who still had sexual predilections towards children, and there were a depressingly high number of those, especially in the education centers of their underground city. Unlike most Arceans that Caleb Pravus had elevated, Callen prided himself on strong morals, and made a point of not abusing his authority to acquire sex. There had naturally been several women who'd made advances, but after digging into their motives, he found them impure. Women who wanted a piece of his status, but couldn't stand him, and those who'd been sent to him by Master Thorne to 'make more psychics' had been dismissed, once he confirmed their lack of interest.

All he wanted was a genuine relationship, if Arceus saw fit to guide him to one. Upon hearing that, Master Thorne had told him that Arceus very likely would no longer have anything to do with them, and him, after pledging themselves to Lord Proditor, but Caleb Callen kept his faith, as well. His training had seen his Psyduck finally evolve into a Golduck, though it had a tendency to do whatever it wanted in battle, as he also lacked badges, and their friendship, like everything else, had also been average at best. Caleb got the sense that Golduck still resented him for infusing him with Shadow, even though that dark power had since been cleansed by the Dragon Empire, but he still got his partner good food, cleaned him regularly, and even had a pool built for him to swim in, at his family's new compound. He'd intended to share it with everyone else at the compound as well, but his unruly psychic duck had gotten quite territorial about sharing it.

As a compromise, Caleb made him share only when they left home, and went about tracking down those with the aforementioned predilections. This activity was something the psychic duck seemed to do gladly, when he asked, and together with their psychic power they'd managed to track, entrap, and ship off no less than ten pedophiles to Lord Proditor. Needless to say, despite not appearing again, the Lord was apparently quite pleased with his efforts. In order to keep him pleased, with a steady supply of deviants, they often had to go scouting around Subterra, and even the regions above. It was impossible to completely ignore the above world, and he disliked going there. Over time he had also found, depressingly, far more of his targets underground, among the Arcean remnants, than he would have liked. As much as he despised the Original Dragon, his Scales had been impressively ruthless when it came to imprisoning pedophiles, and on that single issue, he agreed with their actions completely.

Today, however, his task was different. Master Thorne had tasked him with a job suited to his 'remarkable plainness', which was to make contact with Sophia Sanctis, former Champion of the State of Montaho, and one of the only remaining Arcean leaders to not pledge herself to Subterra. Caleb's job was to either bring her on side, or convince her to visit so that Lord Proditor could handle her personally. If she refused…well, he hoped she did not. Things would be much worse for her if she did.

He'd blended perfectly into Montaho's relatively sparse population, and even choked down an admittedly scrumptious Dragon Burger to sell the illusion to any Scales tailing him that he was exactly as ordinary as he appeared. Once he arrived at his destination, he glanced around the massive cathedral in the center of the State's capital city of Nemesula, and frowned.

Caleb Pravus had made a habit of showing off the most opulent and openly extravagant buildings owned by the Arcean Church, so much so that the Arceans had been required to watch exceptionally boring videos touring them, with loud, trumpet based music that was so cheesy it belonged on a plate of nachos. Now, after losing the war, the busts of the Prophet's face had been demolished, usually on video by the invading easterners, which this far north had belonged to Norstad's mighty contribution to their counterattack after the Blitz. The idea of the snow savage's leader and his legendary hammer smashing apart the face of the man he'd been named for made Caleb's blood boil.

The ornamentation had been stripped from all their most opulent churches, and melted down by the Dragon Empire, before being added to their gold reserves. Now all that remained was a giant symbol synonymous with Arceus that had clearly been painted to be gold, and not very well. Sophia Sanctis herself had also once been beautiful, adorned with fine jewelry and a custom Power Stave. Now, she'd been reduced to plain white robes with black accents, and yet was still quite beautiful despite the lack of ostentatious ornamentation.

His walk in had gotten him looks, and Sophia herself came to greet him as he approached the altar and gave it the very overtly Arcean salute they'd used to venerate the Prophet of Arceus. He knew the gesture had caught the eyes of the Scales of Balance stationed at the cathedral, but he didn't care.

"You must be Caleb." The former Champion said, greeting him with a quiet, serene voice that would not reach the Scales watching them. "I will tell you what I told Thorne, and all of the others. I'm not interested in whatever evil you've allowed to control Subterra. Montaho is once more a part of the Dragon's Path, and we're following the true will of Arceus, not the minions of Shadow using his name."

Caleb blinked, as he had a sudden uncharacteristic urge to strike the woman for her traitorous, heretical blasphemy, but unlike the zealots before him, he controlled himself. "If you would simply visit, you would see that we are not defeated. Our Lord Proditor will return us to the Glory we deserve. Surely being reduced to rags is degrading to such a respected priestess of the Alpha's will?"

Sophia firmly shook her blonde head. "All Arceus has ever desired of Humanity, is a true bond with his creations. Built on trust, friendship, and the power that brings. Not Shadow. He was kind and merciful enough to show me the truth of his desires, and I will not betray them. Leave in peace, Caleb Callen. And do not return."

Caleb nodded solemnly. "I understand. Unfortunately…I have orders if you choose not to visit."

The woman let out a tired sigh. "Don't try anything. You seem like a decent man, more decent than most of those in Subterra. Don't throw your life away for them."

Caleb shook his head. "My life is not at risk." He raised what looked like a gun of some kind at her, and pulled the trigger. Then, his psychic senses warned him to pull his arm back, and he did so, as a humming blue blade of focused plasma flashed past him. It was too late though, the Scales had been much faster, striking as soon as he raised the weapon. His dismembered hand still pulled the trigger though, firing the gaping black energy portal that was supposedly connected to somewhere in Subterra right behind the altar.

The pair of Scales scowled at the portal, their helmets appearing on their heads as they sensed the Shadow. With a blank expression, Caleb tried levitating Sophia into the Shadow portal, but to his surprise, she stopped him with her own psychic powers. "Was every Mukking Hand…actually a Psyker!?" He snarled as their auras clashed and sparked.

Sophia grimaced at him. "Yes…Pravus was a hypocrite! That's the doctrine you're following! One based on lies and hypocrisy!"

"And yet…the Power he held Made his lies into Truth and his Ideals your own! His only flaw…was that he was Weak!"

The dueling psychics looked up in surprise, as a voice of pure evil emanated from the dark hole. Then, came two shadowy hands that warped into tentacles as they wrapped around Sophia and Caleb. Two more tentacles thwipped towards the Scales, but their burning blue plasma blades cut through them. The tentacles recoiled, briefly, and then swept low, at their legs. The younger one tripped, and ended up wrapped up in a tentacle as well. The older Scale, more experienced and well prepared for trouble, brought out another plasma sword, and with two psychically twirling blades, they kept the Shadow at bay effectively. Then, the three wrapped humans began being pulled towards the shrinking portal. The more experienced Scale threw a Pokéball, and shouted at the Reuniclus that appeared.

"I've found a major source! Contact the Emperor! It's a hostage situation! Do not fail me, Uni!" The Scale charged then, at the portal, and a swarm of new tentacles attacked them. Like a spinning plasma Beyblade, they cut masterfully through the tentacles, and those around their Padawan. They tossed a blade to the younger Scale, while psychically retrieving their fallen one, and leaping through the shrinking portal after Sophia and the Arcean cultist who'd possessed the portal gun.

They put up an exceptional fight, as they appeared in the chamber that Proditor had left his dark passenger within. Back to back, they gave their all, but inevitably, the Shadowmind had them surrounded, and a new fresh horror lumbered forward to face them. It stood on two legs, with a freshly made carapace of black chitin encasing its two-legged form. The central eye on the head of the burly abomination was shaped like an ominously glowing red ring target. Three more, also seemingly functional, eyes were in the center of its chest, and on both chitin encased arms. Each thick arm sported three massive talons, while from its back, multitudes of chitinous tendrils cracked and shifted. Two of them began glowing with an ominous purple light, while the main and largest pair of tendrils launched towards the Scales with unerring accuracy.

The sheer power the creature possessed made them falter, as the chitinous plated tendrils met their plasma swords and smoked, but did not fall to the cutting power of their focused beam emitters. Not immediately, anyway. It was starting to turn red, but it was already too late. With their blades occupied, the pair of glowing arms stretched and pierced both Scales, filling their bodies with dark Shadow energy. Then, the creature began to absorb their flesh, muscles, and bones. Not one single scrap of matter would be wasted.

"Wait!" Caleb cried out, unable to fully process the situation. The whole fight had ended in about five seconds after the Scales appeared.

The grinning, toothy maw of his Lord Proditor turned towards him, as did one of the monstrosity's eyes. "What is it, little Caleb? Finally reconsidering obeying me?"

Other sounds chittered in the dark chamber, which he now realized, was unnaturally obscured by the Shadow. "N-no…I mean…that is…that is terrifying, b-but no, I r-remain loyal, my Lord. It's just…"

Proditor, who had Sophia Sanctis by the neck with one of his own Shadow tentacles, tilted his head at the young man. Caleb continued. "Y-you said we needed Psykers, my Lord…s-surely two Scales would make for powerful allies…"

Proditor looked back at the Scales, and gestured. The Perfect Tank Form dropped them off of its sharp chitinous tendrils, and their blood began to leak onto the floor. "They will join us…or Die…"

The two Scales shared a look, before the more competent one, with two plasma swords, spat on the ground, and snarled, "We will never join you…the Emperor will Purge you all once he finds out where we've gone…you lost…as soon as you brought us here…"

Dark, rolling laughter echoed through the chamber, as Proditor's mouth expanded unnaturally wide to emit the awful sound. "HAHAHAHAHA!" Though it literally hurt to hear, the mirth was genuine. Proditor snapped a finger, or maybe a tentacle, Caleb couldn't tell, but suddenly, the Shadows obscuring the room vanished, revealing a teeming, ungodly horde of perfected Flood Forms. There were several more quadruple-eyed tanks, multiple four legged monstrosities bristling with sharp spines that seemed to somehow be dripping Shadow, and leading them all, was one form in particular that hurt to look at. Not because it was more hideous, in fact by comparison it was probably the most aesthetically sound of the entire horde of abominations.

It was Caleb's very mind that hurt as he stared at the beast. One massive eye surrounded by five smaller ones, chitinous claws like a Tank Form, and just as many tendrils. Purple runes in a language not yet uttered in this dimension covered its body, and the beast shrieked as it felt others looking upon it and its palms and several tentacles began to pulse with intense psychic power, making all but Proditor squirm in agony, as he just kept laughing, when suddenly, he stopped, and grinned like a Muertan Meowscarada, his horrible psychic baritone cutting through the keening. "My dear discarded Scale of the Dragon…I am counting on your little Emperor coming after you…I cannot wait to make him into my servant as well…such a powerful psychic…his material must be…high quality. Think of what we will Create…" He gestured at Caleb then, and bamfed the man back to his home, with a final psychic message that rang in his all too mortal skull. "Continue gathering meat for me, little Caleb…and this fate shall not befall your loved ones."

This was, of course, a lie, but Caleb Callen answered affirmatively, and the Shadowmind cackled again, as the Perfect Tank Form resumed reducing the dying Scales to their base matter. He focused his grin on Sophia. "As for You…I've something…special in mind…"

Genoa City Gym - Italia Region

Cassius Proditor stared at the fainted form of the Hippowdon belonging to the Italia Region's fourth Gym Leader, as his violent Budew began to glow with power. That infinitely bright light made him wince, his expression neutral and somewhat ominous. A smile did crack his now slightly older child visage, as his earlier one was so young, adults had constantly asked where his parents were, and it had become too annoying. As Rosator finished becoming a Roselia, he cheered, jumping, spinning, a stark contrast to his calm Trainer, who he spun in front of, stopping with a flourish. "Yes, you did very well, Rosator. Congratulations. We'll have to get you a Shiny Stone soon."

Rosator shuddered in anticipation of how powerful and poisonous he would soon be, and returned to his ball with several berries. The Gym Leader, Dara, looked at the child as his partner evolved. Being the typical fourth choice for the Italia Circuit, she'd seen hundreds of Trainers react to an evolution, and this one had by far the most tame reaction, for a tweenager. It was odd. Odd enough to stick out from the monotony of low level battles, but not enough for her to pry. In Italia, it was always better to not ask questions. The buff ground type specialist walked over to him, as they met in the middle of her cavernous battlefield. "Not bad, kid. You've earned the Terra Badge, and this Earthquake TM as well. Be careful with it, it's a very powerful Move."

Proditor gave the woman a smile. "Thank you, Leader Dara. I'll be sure to practice it somewhere first before we use it in a Battle." He took his prizes, and then left, leaving the Gym Leader frowning slightly, before she shrugged, and went about her daily routine. With his fourth badge, Proditor now only had to cross through the region's capital, Aurelia, one more time before heading to the significantly harder gyms in the southern part of the region. First, back to Florencia, to face the fighting specialist who lived in the nearby mountains, then southward through the capital, to Mt. Etna, home to Leader Etna, named for the volcano she had tamed and trained in, and then he would head east, to face Leader Arvid of the psychic gym in Bari, and Leader Liora, who resided somewhere in the Mercadante Forest.

The forest stretched all around Bari, and it was where Proditor intended to genuinely begin his recruiting efforts, as he had realized early on in his journey that Aurelia was home to weaklings. Those with actual potential, would be wandering the forest in search of Leader Liora, the fairy Gym Leader, but instead, they would find him. If they had psychic potential, he would use his charms to bring them into his fold, and if they didn't, they would never see him at all. Once he had enough, he'd poach who he could from Arvid's gym, and leave the region before anyone noticed the sudden lack of seventh badge holders vanishing. He took a deep breath of the fresh Italia air as he started walking southward through Genoa City, and he had to admit…he had missed this.

For the first time in literal eons, he was as close to being free of the Shadow as he had ever been. Not since he first contacted the Shadowmind and learned the truth of this universe's creation had he been so unbound. Only Mordred, his traitorous Malamar, Malum, his Hydreigon, Toraigon, and his Guzzlord, Rapax, were still even infused with Shadow at this point, and hidden safely within his bag, waiting in much more comfortable balls for when he needed them. He'd finally upgraded his entire belt's containment spheres, and he had to admit, his team seemed to be enjoying themselves. Shellraiser especially, had been having a Wailord of a time surfing Italia's many waterways, and surfing on his back had been nostalgic for both of them. He didn't know when, probably after he learned to psychically fly, but they'd simply stopped surfing around one day, in their distant past. Shellraiser had focused on living up to his name, and Proditor had focused on empowering his cult while not being taken out by Light wielders.

Rapax, Toraigon, Malum, Sparda, Shahir, and Immanis were all that remained of his original team of ten. Mordred and Grendel, Morgana's Grimmsnarl, were welcome additions, but he'd added a few new faces as well, in addition to Balmut the second, and Rosator. Aquilus, a shiny Shellder, had become a valuable defensive tank for their fresh team, as Shellraiser was very much a special attacker more than a defensive fighter. There was also Vesper, a shiny Gligar he'd stumbled upon, and decided to catch on a whim. Now a Gliscor, he'd proven quite malicious, and powerful, and fit well with his team. He'd made a trade for Settarok, a Hydrapple with a 'bad attitude' as his previous owner had called it. He was simply embracing his draconic nature, and once Proditor encouraged that, the seven headed grass dragon had obeyed him with gusto. There was also Voltus, who'd joined them as a tiny little Tynamo, and was very much the baby brother of the party. He was an Elektross now, and had become properly powerful, though he still had a ways to go to be truly competitive. He was also by far the kindest of their new little team, and Proditor almost felt guilty about how the Shadow would warp, and change him.

There was only one other from the old team that was still alive, who Proditor hadn't reclaimed yet. Carbonis, a Coalossal, had been among the three starter Pokémon he'd once been given, alongside his Snowver and his Omanyte. Unfortunately, Nautilus had long since passed away, perhaps even fossilized, but Proditor had no way to track which Helix Fossil might be his. Unlike his Abomasnow, Optimus, Nautilus and Carbonis had never been infused with Shadow, but rather had, quite early on in his journey, separated from him to aid the ancient world by bringing the rains and shedding coal for the recovering human societies of the age.

As far as he knew, Carbonis was still producing coal for Eous, as he'd been doing for millennia by this point, and Proditor doubted he had any loyalty left to him. Once they were on the route south of Genoa, Proditor summoned Sparda, his Ceruledge reborn. True to his name, he had yet to lose a battle. "I'll be using you against the Fighting Type Leader." Proditor said bluntly, and the Ceruledge nodded in understanding. "Vesper." His Gliscor appeared with a shiny flash, and the light blue flying ground type grinned at him with his fanged, toothy maw. "If Sparda falls, or becomes too injured, you'll take over." The two Pokémon shared a look, and then nodded. "We're in the latter half of the circuit now, so things will become tougher. There's no shame in switching out. Rely on each other, and we'll be fine. Now, back to training."

The two chirped an affirmative, and returned to their balls. Proditor felt them shifting and twitching as they got to work, and marveled again at how far Pokéball tech had come. It had taken a long time for him to accept, but modern capture technology was, in every way, superior to what the ancient humans of his time had used. They had never even explored the idea of having Pokémon train within their crystal spheres, they had simply been for stasis, usually used if said Pokémon was injured. It was as he was ruminating on the many advancements of the modern age, that fate saw fit to interrupt his journey again, with a time honored tradition that every Trainer on the road, especially around the start of their circuit, ended up going through eventually.

A rival battle.

"Hey! Kid!" Being the only 'kid' around on the route from Genoa to Florencia, Proditor turned and looked to behold the child who'd impeded the start of his journey with his indecision. He was dressed like a rich Trainer, though he was still wearing black. His hair also had less gel in it, though there was still far too much, and his bangs were actually styled in a sweeping parting that looked like a pair of wings. He actually looked objectively better without it covering his face. His young eyes narrowed in confusion as he noticed Proditor was several years older than he remembered. "Uhh…wow. Geeze dude, you look so much older."

Proditor smirked at him with a look that suggested he knew more than the child. "Yea. I uhh, had a growth spurt." Just then, following behind the boy came a slightly older girl, who was naturally taller than both of them. But in worse physical shape. "So, you ditched your bodyguards, and got yourself a girlfriend?"

The two youngsters shared an awkward glance, flushed, denied what was as obvious as the Sun in the sky, and then the boy, whose name Proditor still hadn't caught, said, "Whatever!" Which judging by his friend's face, had been the wrong thing to say as her tiny fists balled up in indignant anger. He continued, oblivious to the trope he was living. "My Magmar and I have gotten stronger!" The Magmar popped free of his ball and let out a Flamethrower into the air.

Proditor frowned, as he knew his freshly evolved rose would quite easily burn in such flames. "We wanna rematch! Unless you're too Kalosian to accept!"

Proditor just stared at him in confusion. "Did…did you…just use a place of origin as an insult?"

The two kids shared a look, and then the girl stage whispered behind her hand, "Nico, this guy has peak Sippi energy, no cap. Is he really your rival?"

Proditor just blinked again. They were using State names as insults now, too. That, was what broke him. He started laughing, as did the rest of his team, for a solid minute. It was genuine mirth, the kind he hadn't felt in literal eons. "Ohhh…merciful Arceus…the youthful slang never disappoints." Even the Magmar had chuckled at his Trainer's words. "Let's…let's just Battle. Before your generational terminology gives me a hernia." He tossed Rosator's ball in his hand, and enlarged it.

The girl was around the boy's age, had nice clothes that were slightly less quality, but still suitable for a Trainer's journey, and had rich brown hair. Her big blue eyes were narrowed in suspicion. "This kid talks like a Relic Hunter, are you sure-"

Proditor interrupted her. "Y'know, fam, I still haven't gotten your name."

"Oh gosh…why does it sound so cringe, when He says it?" The girl whispered again. The boy snickered, and then needlessly ran his fingers through his gelled bangs, which judging by how gross and slimy his fingers got, was a mistake. "I never got Your name, either! And you're not my fam! You're my Rival!"

"Hear that, Rosator?" Proditor said as his partner appeared. "Do you think these two qualify as our Rivals?" The two kids stared and frowned at the dark sparkles that accompanied the Roselia's appearance. The sentient black and purple bouquet wielding rose plant eyed the two, and then chuckled into a bouquet, shaking his head.

"Hold on, when did he turn shiny!?" The boy shouted.

Proditor smirked, having way too much fun as he continued to gaslight the child. "He was always shiny. It's just hard to tell with Budew, sometimes. He's freshly evolved so he's probably not going to win this. Not against a Magmar. But I'm guessing you don't want to let Shellraiser handle this?" Rosator flared with a pulse of grass power, and his poisonous spores filled the air. "Very well. Set the field, then! Grassy Terrain!" Rosator's power pulsed through the road, but Proditor knew they were at a severe disadvantage, probably. With both fire and psychic moves at his disposal, Magmar would likely very easily bring Rosator down. But not without being severely poisoned for his efforts.

"Flamethrower, Magmar! Burn this stupid rose to ash!" A dark grin came over the fiery creature's features as he inhaled, and flames spewed forth from his weird duck lips. Proditor frowned.

"...Don't bother dodging. Dazzling Gleam." Proditor countered. Rosator smirked, and then shone with powerful fairy energy, a brilliant and focused example of a move, compared to the Magmar's haphazard Flamethrower. The flames eventually petered out, and Proditor said, "Sludge Bomb." The black bouquet raised to aim at the Magmar, and the sphere of poison was halfway through the air by the time the boy finally realized his attack had done nothing.

"Muk! Uhh…dodge, Magmar! Flamethrower again!" The attempt at dodging was as awkward as his Trainer's commands, and the lumbering magma clown was hammered with focused sludge that sent him sliding back across the grass. A dark look came over the Magmar that had nothing to do with his emotions. "What!? Poison? Uhhh…" His Trainer was unfocused as he set his backpack down, and started rummaging through it. The Magmar fired off another Flamethrower, somehow even more haphazard and unfocused than the first. Rosator blocked it with another Dazzling Gleam, as the boy retrieved a berry, and shouted, "Here, Magmar! Quick, eat this!"

He tossed it to the fire type, who being in battle mode, almost instantly burnt it to ash. He chewed on it anyway, seemingly preferring it charred. By the time the Magmar turned back around from eating the berry, and his Trainer focused on his opponent again, Rosator was ready. Proditor's estimation of his 'rival' had dropped severely. "Finish it. Solar Beam."

"Ha! Grass Moves are weak against us!" The boy said confidently, as his Magmar tanked the beam. And yet, both of them started to sweat, as the focused beam of solar power continued driving the Magmar back, and left him damaged, panting, and smoking. He stomped back to his position then, and roared, but Proditor knew it was nothing but bravado. Rosator figured it out as well.

Since 'light breeze' wasn't a move, Proditor said, "Poison Sting." At which point Rosator fired off a single purple needle at the fire type. He didn't have time to dodge, nor could he have done so, and the needle sank into his fiery body as it deposited its poison.

The boy laughed confidently. "That won't be enough! Another Flamethrower should end-" He paused, as his Magmar fell over, fainted and unconscious. "Wh-WHAT!? Magmar!" He ran over to his unconscious partner, and fed him a Revive, which helped him sit up, with a groan. The boy glared at Proditor then. "Cheater! How'd you do it? Magmar is too strong to go down that easily!"

Proditor snorted, and Rosator mimicked him, raising his head haughtily, in superiority. "Your Magmar is poorly trained. Not one of your Flamethrowers even touched Rosator with how unfocused and weak they were. Sludge Bomb is a powerful Move, and you took too long getting out your berry to heal the poison. You also decided to tank a Solar Beam instead of burning off its power with a Fire Move, at which point all we needed to win was a weak little Poison Sting. Not even multiple, either, literally just one. Well done, Rosator. I apologize for underestimating you." His Roselia bowed gracefully, and returned to his ball. Proditor just sighed. He didn't blame the child, he was clearly new at training as a concept. His Magmar had potential, but his Trainer had no idea how to bring out that potential. Probably because he was, at most, a mere decade old. Proditor wasn't quite arrogant enough to mock the boy, for he'd been just as incompetent. Most ten year old Trainers were, though thankfully most of their mistakes with their Pokémon could be made up for or fixed with Trainer items.

Proditor quietly tensed as the boy recalled his Magmar, and walked over to him. Then, he held out a hand with a fistful of Pokédollars. "Here. For winning. And for the last time you won, too. I'm Nico, by the way…"

Proditor briefly contemplated refusing the prize money, but then took it anyway. Refusing it was always more effort than it was worth. Handing Trainers money when one lost was, apparently, just the thing modern Trainers did. "Cassius." He answered, before forcing a smile. "But since we're Rivals…you can call me Cass."

The boy looked down for a moment but he had more to say. His little girlfriend walked up beside him. "I'm not…good at this, Cass. And you clearly are. I…I was hoping we could travel together. You, Sera, and I. We want to be better Trainers, for our Pokémon, but…books are so boring…"

Proditor chuckled. "You need to be able to read them, if you want to improve. The more reading you do, the easier it gets. The key is being comfortable while you read. Having an interesting subject also helps." He was quiet for a moment, then said, "How many Badges do you two have? Did you beat Leader Dara yet?"

The two nodded. "Sera won easily." Nico said, "But I…was lucky. Leader Dara's Pokémon goofed around too much and we managed to make it faint. She almost didn't give me a Badge, at least until she saw my last name."

"Which is…?" Proditor said, invitingly.

The child paused, and grimaced. "Uhhh…Greco. I'm Nico Greco." He winced, as if expecting a harsh reaction, or a beating, but Proditor just tilted his head. Aside from the Rossi familia, better known as Team Rocket, there were the Gambino and Mancadreigo families running things as well. Proditor had assumed Nico belonged to one of the families, but he must have been in a family loyal to one. Getting information on them was extremely irritating, as nobody willingly disclosed such things to children.

"I'm glad to meet you properly, Nico. You have potential to be a great Trainer, you just…need a little help to get there. We all do though, when we just start out." Proditor said, hoping he sounded encouraging.

The irritating girl spoke up then, suspicion obvious on her face. "You're barely over our age, though. You should be at our level…but you're clearly not. Weirdo. I'll be watching you…" She stuck her tongue out at him, and Proditor resisted the urge to strangle the child with Shadow for her insolence. She was just being a spoiled, rich, brat, and that wasn't entirely her fault.

The days flew by quickly after that, mostly, Proditor had to admit, because they were actually fun. He couldn't openly take out his high leveled partners as much anymore, not without altering his appearance to that of an adult, but he found teaching the two youngsters to be a refreshing change of pace from drowning in the rage and power the Shadow brought. They ate meals seasoned with the mystical herbs, they battled Trainers on the road to Florencia, and camped under the stars, sharing their dreams. Proditor found himself enjoying it, but in his heart, he knew how it would end. How it always ended. In blood, and tears.

It started when Proditor wiped the floor with the fighting Gym Leader, a martial arts master called Lucia, with Nico and Sera watching from the stands. Sparda was masterful, and after gaining three levels, Proditor switched in Vesper, and his Gliscor made short work of the rest of her team. After that, the two children were more quiet around him, whispering, thinking he couldn't hear them. But he could. They knew he was not what he seemed, for though they were kids, they were kids who'd been given an education and warned that the world, and its people, were not always what they appeared to be. The resentment, mostly from Sera, only grew, when Lucia wiped the floor with them. Twice. They stuck around Florencia for a while, but apparently Proditor was being 'salty' about not being able to move on.

Finally, one night, it came to a head. "You should just go, Cass." Nico started. "It's clear you're so much better than us. Just move on and leave us in the dust."

He was quiet for a long time, and his Pokémon, Rosator, Aquilus, Vesper, Voltus, his Elektross, and Sparda all watched him, quietly nomming dinner as he chose his words carefully. "I may be many things, even a bit salty about Lucia clearly going harder on you two than she went on me," The two children flinched, grasping that yes, he had heard them, "but we agreed to travel together, and I agreed to help you become stronger."

"Well it's not working bruh." Sera said in her irritating voice, "Just take your W and bounce already."

"We're just…slowing you down, Cass." Nico added. "Maybe this is our skill issue…as far as we can go…maybe we should go home."

Proditor's tone turned malicious, as he saw the young girl grin. He'd heard her phone conversations too. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Sera. The Moncadreigo would reward you quite handsomely for finally convincing their young scion to return." He turned his head, purple eyes catching the firelight, and the kiddo's shocked expressions. "That's right, I know who his family is. It took a while for someone to share that the Mancadreigo were once the Greco family, but now I know. What did they offer you? Thirty thousand, right?"

Nico was on his feet in a flash, fists balled up. "She wouldn't do that! She's my girl, bro! My ride-or-die! Where's the receipts?"

Proditor manipulated his shadows and with a psychic pull, acquired the girl's phone. "Receipts? Ahh, evidence. Let's check her call history, shall we? You tell me if you recognize this voice, Nico." He showed them the call log, and Sera's eyes were wide in disbelief, her words lost as she tried to understand how her precious phone had ended up in the hands of their resident creeper so easily. Proditor pushed the last number that wasn't labeled as a contact, and hit the speaker button. By the time Sera realized she could've ordered the Rotom inside to stop the call, the dialed number picked up.

"Hello, miss Sera. It's not time for our weekly report yet, has something happened?" A pause. "Miss Sera?"

Proditor watched, as the young boy's world cracked before him. His knuckles turned white, and started shaking. "Just hang up, Sergio! I'M NOT GOING MUKKING HOME! EVER!"

"I see." The voice said, "We'll retrieve you by force then, young Master, now our confidant has been found out. Leader Lucia wasn't going to let you past her anyway."

Proditor ended the call, and smirked, tossing the phone back to its owner. "Bribing a Gym Leader…that's…diabolical."

Nico whirled on Sera. "I trusted you! I caught feelings for you! And you just…finessed me for some money!?"

"You need to go home, Nico. You know what your Father is like…he didn't give me or my family a choice. You know what he'd do if any of us defied him." She kept her eyes hidden under her bangs as she spoke.

"Was…any of it real? Or were you just playing me to get your payout?" Nico asked, despite knowing the answer.

Proditor finally spoke up. "She reported on everything we did, Nico. Weekly. It took me some time to notice, but eventually I figured it out." The two children looked at him then, Sera with unabashed dislike, and Nico with confusion. "I think it's time you left, Sera. I'll protect and watch over young Nico from now on. I'll make him strong. He has potential that his family would just waste on things like crime or brainwashing. I will teach him how to make his power his own."

Nico blinked dumbly. "W-what? Power?"

Sera's eyes widened. "I knew you were after him for his gift! Absolute Creeper!" She gave him a dark smirk, then. "Raichu! Volt Tackle this weirdo over the cliff." Said cliff, near their camp site, gave them a rather iconic view of Florencia below them.

"Balmut." Proditor said, rising, as the brat's electric rat charged up. With a flash, the massive Hippowdon appeared, and roared at the Raichu hard enough to make its electricity just disappear from the force of it. Such was their disparity in level. "Crunch the rat, and throw it over the cliff." A Pokémon could survive such a fall, especially a fully evolved one. Chaos erupted, as Balmut moved through the earth, tossing Nico aside, and doing as he had been ordered. Proditor angled the Raichu's fall to land in a bush, as Balmut had given it more height than was needed, or safe.

"My Raichu!" Sera squealed, terrified.

"Is safe." Proditor said calmly. "He's fainted, but landed in a bush. He'll be fine. Go and retrieve him, and then go home Sera. You are not welcome in this camp any longer."

"That's…not your decision! I-"

"Just leave Sera…" Nico said, eyes watering up, as he glared at her. "He's right. Just leave, and go home. You're done here."

"But Nico, I…" She started, looking genuinely hurt.

Nico wasn't having it, though. "I said GET THE MUK OUT! You lied to me…the whole time. Just…" He deflated, too fond of her to hate her, at that moment. "Just get Raichu and go home…"

Quietly sobbing, the young girl packed up her things, and ran off hurriedly to get her Pokémon. Nico whirled on Proditor then. "And you! I'm not traveling with you if you don't start being honest! Who the Muk are you!?"

Glancing around, Proditor sensed they were being watched. Leader Lucia had a Lucario, and he had no doubt the criminals she was beholden to would like that information as well. "Not here. We're being watched." He psychically recalled his team, and sensed their watchers moving. Not having time to warn the child, Proditor swallowed them both in Shadow, and they were gone. The Lucario followed them, but it wasn't fast enough to keep up, and once they got distance, Proditor Teleported them away, to a place not far from the Snowver grove he'd visited before.

Nico staggered, and hurled up his dinner, as they reappeared. "What the actual Muk…" He groaned.

"My apologies." Proditor started, and the child stared at him with wide, fearful eyes. "For that…rushed exit, and for deceiving you, Nico Mancadreigo. I had to be sure of who you were, and the power sleeping inside of you, before I revealed what Sera was, and who I am."

Shadows enveloped his tiny body, and it grew taller, more muscular, and objectively hotter, as he resumed his preferred size and shape. He was in his robes again, with the mantle of a Shadow Wielder in the form of long metal spaulders stretching horizontally from his shoulders. "I am Cassius Proditor. The Successor to the Holder of Arceus. Eons ago, I walked this world, and chose my own destiny. For doing so, the minions of the Light decided to kill me. Recently, I was brought back to this world…and now, I seek those with potential like mine, so that we might reshape this modern world how we please."

Nico's eyes went wide. "Y-you…you're Mukking with me…that's…that's just a fairy's tale…"

"I assure you…I'm quite real. There was once a man who managed to Tame the Alpha Pokémon, and I was to succeed him. That…didn't work out, obviously."

"You…that means you began the Dark Times!" Nico said, still in disbelief. "That…means you're Evil! A Shadow user! Literally the Biggest Baddest Evil Guy in…forever!"

Proditor chuckled. "Wielding the Shadow is no different from wielding the Light, young Nico. One must embrace both, to understand the truth of this Universe. To gain real power. I now offer that chance to you. Within you is the potential to become a powerful psychic. It's why your family wants you close to them. It's why they were so against you going on a Journey, despite getting a Pokémon. Join me, and I will show you the true meaning of Power. I will make you strong enough to usurp your father, and choose your own path."

Nico shook his head. "You're…just lying again! Like everyone else! You just want to use me…"

"I have never lied to you." Proditor stated, "I may have omitted some truths, altered my appearance, but I have always been me, and all I have ever told you, is the truth. You deserve that much, at least, surrounded as you are by a world of crime and lies. This is your chance, Nico. I can teach you everything I know. Join me."

"Why…why would you just share that? There's always a catch…people don't just hand out their secrets." He answered cautiously, but Proditor knew he had him.

"You…remind me of myself, when I was your age. Young, a gifted Trainer with a bright future, and psychic potential unrivaled. Honestly…all I want, is to see what you do with the gifts I give you. All I ask in return…is loyalty. Become my Apprentice, learn my ways, and never betray me. Do these three things, and I will make you into one of the most powerful Trainers in the world. As feared, and respected as your Father. Perhaps, even more so."

The boy thought it over for a minute, and then nodded. "You're right…you're the only one who hasn't lied to my face…alright. I accept." He looked up at the man with big, hurt eyes. "Train me to be like you." Proditor grinned at the child, and then they disappeared in a flash of purple light.

The Ferrum Region - Islands South of Japan

Alex Redwood was sitting cross-legged atop his Metagross, as Atlas brought them to the Ferrum Region at impressive speeds . It had barely been a week before Steven Stone asked him to join him in the Ferrum Region, in an attempt to unlock the power of these Ultimate Sync Stones. He and the boys had cleaned up their camp in Selva Muerta, and were planning on using Tao's realm to perfect their special moves next. Everyone was finally maxed out with ideal stat spreads, and currently, most of the team was at the Palace of Ideals, mastering moves they were having trouble with, from the Scales who resided there.

Alex heard Atlas rumble as he sensed his kin, and Steven waved them down as they approached. He was standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a crowded beach. Below, there were beachgoers, food stands, and of course, Pokémon everywhere. He'd watched Ferrum battles before, and while their tech certainly made them interesting to watch, they did, with excessive watching, become a bit…repetitive. Atlas greeted Steven's Metagross with a burst of binary, which was returned in kind, in what Alex was fairly sure was the exact same greeting they'd given each other last time. If a bit faster.

"Dragon Emperor." Steven said, bowing slightly. "Thank you for indulging me so quickly."

Alex smirked. "I'm as eager to see these stones in action as you are. I trust you and Metagross have practiced with it since last time?"

Steven nodded. "It's not at all different from using a Plate, but it does require more build up, and tends to be paired with a powerful Move. I also found one for you." He tossed Alex a similar stone then, but immediately, Alex could tell it was different. As if the core energy it resonated with was different from Steven's.

Though the potency of dragon energy had awakened Steven's Sync Stone, that one had felt more like steel typing. What Alex held now was, undoubtedly, dragon typed. Alex smirked, as his eyes hinted at what needed to happen. "I think…much as I would enjoy testing our Metagross against each other…we should use our Legendary Pokémon instead. Give the people of Ferrum a show worthy of these stones."

Steven gave him a sly smirk. "Interesting. How did you know I'd Tamed one?"

Alex's smirk widened in response to the fire in the CEO's eyes. "I was the one who freed him of Shadow." With a flash of silver, Cobalion appeared beside Steven, and inclined his horned head in Alex's direction. Alex returned the nod of respect. "It's good to see you again, Cobalion. I hope you'll indulge me for a Battle."

"I would be honored, Dragon Emperor." The Sword of Justice answered. "But we should use the arena below. It will…contain my power, and keep your pick from damaging the landscape."

Steven nodded in agreement. "A wise decision, Cobalion."

In short order, the people of Ferrum were rushing to Thalia Beach, for a battle between the CEO of Devon, and the Dragon Emperor, using a newly discovered kind of Sync Stone. That kind of thing drew a crowd, but the vibes were good, and even here in a more remote region of the world, people and Pokémon were existing in harmony, and shared a love of battle. Lux took over officiating, since this would be a battle of Legends.

"This Battle will follow standard World Tournament rules, and will not be a typical Ferrum Battle!" Lux announced, to some disappointment from the crowd. "However, both participants will be using a new kind of Sync Stone! Therefore, if I give the warning for everyone to back up and take cover, do so immediately, and in an orderly fashion!" The gathered onlookers shared looks, and then backed up anyways. Ferrum's shields had yet to fail, but these two were renowned Champions, and the rumors had spread already that they'd be using Legendary Pokémon. Almost everyone in the crowd had their phone raised to record this epic clash.

Lux shot a spray of black and white sparks from Alex's Pokédex and shouted, "Begin!"

"Alright Aevum!" Alex said, raising the palm he'd marked. The mark started glowing, an effect they'd discovered it had whenever they battled together. "Dragon Dance!" Aevum shot forward first, his streamlined form slicing through the air as sparking blurple energy crackled around him. Then, he started to spin.

Cobalion stood his ground, his steel hooves digging into the sand as he watched Aevum approach. "X-Scissor!" Steven ordered with his trademark flair. The instant the spinning Latios got into range, Cobalion's eyes gleamed. With a sudden burst of speed, the Sword of Justice sidestepped the incoming dragon and retaliated with his lime green energy slash. Aevum smirked at the Legendary Sacred Sword user as he spiraled past, and up into the sky, for his counter.

Alex's eyes narrowed. "Aura Sphere!"

Aevum banked hard and formed a swirling, and then condensed ball of fighting energy with ease. He fired it at the Cobalion, and then spun into another Dragon Dance, as Alex called it. Cobalion didn't falter, lowering his horns and charging straight through the attack, his horns glowing with the light of Aerial Ace. The perfect flying typed slash cut through the sphere of aura, only for the two halves to then, at the direction of Aevum, swerve suddenly and slam into Cobalion anyway. The collision sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield. Sand exploded into the air as Cobalion skidded to a halt, sparks dancing across his metallic frame.

Steven smirked. "Clever. But that won't be enough. Cobalion, Quick Attack, and then use Iron Head!"

Cobalion's body shone white with light, as he started speeding toward Aevum. Then, he leapt, and in a flash was right in front of Aevum, but Alex had been waiting for them to get close. "Luster Purge!" A psychic sphere of powerful energy expanded, shining impossibly bright, as the crowd cheered. Cobalion was sent hurtling back towards the ground, but the Sword of Justice got his footing right, and landed, skidding to a stop. He gave Aevum a slow nod of respect.

Then, as the two Legends prepared to continue, their attack buildup faltered, as something happened that no one expected. Both Steven and Alex's Ultimate Sync Stones began shining with steel gray and draconic blurple light respectively. That, wasn't what had everyone speechless though. Above the arena, looking majestic, and oddly pleased, was the unmistakable white form of the Alpha Pokémon. His Light pulsed through the area, enhancing the good vibes, and causing his Pokémon to cheer after the brief silence. Even the lounging wild ones reveled in the Alpha's power.

Steven Stone. The red eye shifted to Alex, then. Alexander Redwood. The Alpha Pokémon reared up in the sky, shining with power, as the respective stones glowed even brighter. Show me thy bonds!

Alex's smirk widened, and he locked eyes with Aevum, who mirrored his Trainer. He was a carefree sort, and tended to go a bit overboard with his antics and his attacks, but he was also a wise mentor, his youthful energy belied the aeons of experience he'd lived through. Of all the ancient Pokémon that Alex had come to know, Aevum by far had the best attitude. Friendly and calm, at least until he ended up in a battle. Then, he raged like a wildfire. The two draconic psychics nodded in unison, and Alex raised his Sync Stone.

Steven, for his part, had been having the same moment with Cobalion. They'd been sharpening their skills over the past week, traveling around Hoenn, and rolling everyone they came across in battle, including Champion Rikuya. He too raised his Sync Stone, at which point, their lights expanded over both Trainers.

As it faded, the crowd of onlookers gasped. Steven Stone was now a white clad golden trimmed almost demi-god like figure, shining bright as the symbol of Arceus, in the steel gray color associated with steel types, appeared behind him. In contrast, Alex had not changed much. The Yin Yang symbol was still there on his back, though it was now black and gold, and the lower part of his robe now had gold flames along the lower edge, and his sleeves. His hat had also become black and gold, and behind his back, a draconic blurple symbol of Arceus shone, humming with power.

Their power extended to their partners, as they began glowing too. Alex was confident, steadfast as the Light of the Alpha flowed into Aevum. Steven, by contrast, looked somewhere between focused and constipated, but the powerful Light reached Cobalion as well, despite the newness of their bond, they were actually almost equal to Alex and Aevum in terms of how long they'd been partners.

"Aevum! Draco Purge!"

"Cobalion! Sacred Steel!"

Aevum soared into the sky, summoning a maelstrom of draconic power as he effortlessly shifted to his Mega Form, and enhanced the Luster Purge with dragon typed energy. Cobalion roared and lunged forward, his hooves shattering the earth beneath him as he blitzed toward Aevum, his horns forming his Sacred Sword, which now shone with steel energy instead of fighting.

The Latios rocketed forward, his entire form pulsing with energy as he unleashed his powerful move. With a deafening explosion of light from the empowered and colliding moves, the battlefield was engulfed in pure energy. The Ferrum field's barrier activated, and to the relief of all gathered, held fast against the intense energy being released. Cobalion appeared first from the dust cloud, sliding across the field, as his sword faded. He let out a final, defiant cry before finally collapsing onto his knees, his head lowered in submission to the clear winner.

Aevum psychically removed the dust obscuring him with a pulse of psychic power, and then let his form drop. Alex also let the power go, closing his eyes as he did, and when he opened them again, his clothes had returned to normal. He smirked, glad to have yet another card up his sleeve for the World Tournament. Aevum helped Cobalion to his feet, and levitated a Max Potion from Alex's bag for him, as their Trainers met in the middle of the field, and shook hands.

Steven spoke first. "That power was…intense. I almost couldn't control it…but you didn't seem to break a sweat."

Alex smirked, letting the man's hand go. "I've been handling the Light for a while now. That was your first time, Steven. Don't worry, you did Excellently for your first attempt. By the time we see you in the World Tournament, I'm sure you'll have it mastered." His smirk widened then, his eyes on fire. "But, so will I."

Steven chuckled, a bit unnerved by the ferocity in his expression. "I have no doubt you will. Ash had better watch himself…if I was a betting man, I'd put you as one of the three most likely to win."

Alex chuckled. "I'm honored. It's just a privilege to be able to face so many legendary Trainers at once. I can't wait."

Steven nodded with finality then. "Don't let me keep you, Dragon Emperor. Train hard. If you want to surpass our World Champion, you'll need to be the Best. Until we meet again."

The two Champions left the field then, signed some autographs, interfaced with some fans, and then departed on their respective shiny Metagross. Alex was eager to hone his new power, his own 'special move' as it were, and there was no better place to do that, than Draconis Mons, with the rest of his team.

Sahqoreyth · Sunday at 11:13 PM

Chapter 60: The Law of Balance

Tao's Home - Divine Realm of the Original Dragon

Alex Redwood and his team, were in rare form. He was currently watching Vector Prime face off against two of his recently evolved powerhouses-in-the-making, Calgar, his Nidoking who actually wanted to battle, and Kurchak, who like most grass types, had grown quickly into his adult stage, albeit after several weeks of training in Tao's weird time-warpy home. Tyranus, his Pupitar, was still regularly munching premium quality dirt, which Alex was ninety percent sure was just regular (if admittedly fertile) soil filled with Protein. Since all Tyranus really did since evolving was eat, Calgar and Kurchak had quickly outpaced him, making Tyranus the official 'weakest link' on their team of just over sixty Pokémon. Of course, whenever one of the others called him that, the Pupitar would, quite literally, fly into a rage. His Take Down was actually pretty strong…but he could only do it once, because he had to expel gas from within his body in order to move his titanic shell, and anything less than all of it, thanks to his absurd size of eight feet tall, already two feet higher than the average Tyranitar, was just not enough to lift his corresponding weight. Alex could've trained him to do more with expelling gas, but he wasn't going to be a Pupitar long enough for that to be worth the effort. Thus, he'd had the hungry boi focus solely on eating, something he was all too willing to do.

Vector Prime was having very little trouble dealing with his 'little brothers', easily stopping their attacks with only one arm for each of them, but Prime never had trouble when it came to battle. It was everything else, social interactions, formulating answers that made sense, and his strange ritualistic patterns that made him an outcast. Respecting his strength, many of Alex's Pokémon had tried to warm up to the sentient ghost golem, but he'd ignored pretty much all of them, and simply gone about his weird tasks. Sometimes it was stacking rocks. Sometimes, he'd write random Rioan names of people probably several centuries dead in the dirt. Other times, like when he was overwhelmed, he'd shift into his rocket form, and very loudly make his displeasure known, as he flew away to continue his strange behavior. So far, Alex's strategy was to let him be, and socialize if he wished to, and eventually, the rest of the team followed his lead.

In battle though, he came alive. Or, as alive as a ghost could be, anyway. Alex winced, as he sensed the final blows coming. Vector Prime spun his torso into a brutal Fire Punch that Calgar saw coming, and managed to dodge, leaving Kurchak to take the hit, and faint. Alex sighed. The ultramarine blue Nidoking had exceptional battle instincts…but no instinct for working with a partner. Despite knowing it was coming, the poisonous blue bipedal rhinoceros could not stop the sheer power of Prime's Bulldoze, and fainted soon after.

"Session complete." He rumbled, as his trainees came to. "Attack Strength: A, Tactics: C, Evasion: C, Teamwork: F. Logging results." The golem rumbled and churned for a moment, then let out a mechanical sigh. "Over one hundred sessions have failed to increase teamwork parameters. Solution: Try again. Error. Error. Teamwork unlikely to improve. Seeking alternate solution: Consult the Trainer." Alex sighed. This too, had happened every single time, over one hundred times, when the boys had failed to use teamwork. "Trainer Redwood. Replacing this unit as a teacher is strongly advised." Then, there was a flash of red within the golem's housing, and Alex blinked, catching it, brief though it was. "Error. This request has been denied the same amount of times as Teamwork Improvement failure. Seeking alternate solution…calculating…"

Alex raised a brow, and crossed his arms. It seemed, finally, they'd hit some sort of threshold that made even a construct realize the sheer insanity of doing the same thing again and again and expecting a different result. After a moment, Vector Prime spoke again. "Conclusion: This unit must be paired with Rillaboom, Kurchak and Nidoking, Calgar. Solution: A new presence is required to demonstrate teamwork. Trainer Redwood. Please assign a fourth training partner to work with this unit."

Slowly, Alex smirked. Finally, the construct was thinking. Elite Four Shauntal, a renowned master in this particular species, had written that if one could get their Golurk to logic hard enough, its prowess in battle would increase exponentially. Thus, Alex had given him a nearly impossible task: get two proud, juvenile, testosterone-filled Pokémon renowned for forming harems to work together as a team.

"Alright Prime, I accept your solution. Your new partner will be…" He looked around, his smirk growing. Blaze and his Yanmega were honing their aerial prowess, the rest of the A Team was lounging or training others, which left the B Team. Alex settled on his pick. If one wanted to instill logic in a construct, making them battle alongside a supercomputer was the obvious solution. "Atlas." As Alex said his name, the Metagross reacted, hammering Champ with a Zen Headbutt, and finishing their own battle. Strength had made the four armed mass of muscle a bit arrogant, and Atlas had risen to the Machamp's fighting words. They'd been matching blows arm for arm for almost two hours now, and it seemed Atlas had just been toying with the fighting type. A blow that strong getting past his guard had to have bruised Champ's pride.

Atlas zoomed over, and greeted Vector Prime in Binary, and the golem responded in kind, oddly enough, Alex was fairly sure, with the exact same greetings that Steven's Metagross had given. He was starting to wonder if this was some kind of…universal…language thing, or custom, that Pokémon who could speak Binary used amongst themselves. In short order, Alex revived the two KO'd newbies, and the four Pokémon went at it. Almost immediately, the bout was over. Atlas had shot forward with a Zen Headbutt against Calgar, utterly rolling the Nidoking, and Prime had then followed with another short mechanical sigh, and a Fire Punch against Kurchak. Prime said something to Atlas in Binary again, and then the shiny Metagross let out a metallic roar.

Canis appeared in a flash of psychic energy, sighed at the unconscious newbies, and then used his Heal Pulse and Life Dew for good measure. In an attempt to hone his healing, he was acting as the team's medic during their training. "Tao is back." Canis growled at his Trainer, as he restored Calgar and Kurchak. "He wants you in the Tower."

Alex nodded, sighing inwardly. It seemed it was now his turn to be trained. He didn't bother leaving a clone, as they could contact him mentally if they needed to, and ever since entering the divine realm of the Original Dragon, it had been nice, not having to split his focus between so many copies of himself. As he entered the dragon's chamber on the lowest communal level of the tower, he found Tao coiled around the radius of the room, as was his wont, with Alex's own food making supplies set up before him. Unovans typically got portable grills, and had meat-heavy diets, supplemented of course, by condiments from around the world. Alex raised an eyebrow at Tao as he sat across from him. "Are…we making sandwiches?"

Tao's draconic lips pulled up into that knowing smirk of his. "No. I am making a sandwich…just for you."

As if that explained everything and was a perfectly normal thing that Legendary Pokémon did, Tao began psychically manipulating the foodstuffs before him, using his awesome, Legendary power…to make a sandwich. Alex almost said something, but by this point, he knew better. There was a reason behind everything the Original Dragon did, and if he wanted to make his Tamer a meal, Alex knew the only real choice he had, regardless of his questions or comments, would be to eat it. Thus, he stayed silent, and saved his effort. This seemed appreciated by Tao. As the dragon loaded it up with a, naturally, balanced mix of meat and vegetables, he made idle conversation. Idle for a Legend, anyway.

A golden flashed appeared beside Alex, and a pair of crystals floated forth from what he recognized as the dragon's opening of his personal pocket demi plane, where he put important things that fragile humans would hurt themselves with if left alone with them, unsupervised. Alex's eyes widened, taking in one crystal gleaming with divine Light, and the other, radiating a clear and present Shadow aura, as Tao spoke.

"Before you…is our scientist's efforts to recreate my own Burst Heart. The one the first Dragon Emperor used with me, which shattered when I did. Through modern science, and the Seven Sage's guidance, it has been remade…the other…is a Shadow Burst Heart, used by one Admiral Nauta, during the war, against Rio's fleet. By empowering it with Infinity Energy from Indius's Infinity Stone, he removed the natural type resonance it once possessed, though our scientists predict it will gain resonance with the type of the Pokémon next used to Burst with it. It has also been proven to be able to bond with multiple Pokémon, of a single type. If it could be cleansed…it would be a powerful asset."

Alex blinked at the dragon, as the sandwich prep continued, now, floating condiments were being added, along with, notably, every kind of Herba Mystica from Alex's stash of them. Tao wasn't just making an ordinary sandwich, apparently, but then Alex had kind of expected that. "I take it that cleansing a Burst Heart is…more difficult than just using Purge?"

"Correct." Tao rumbled. "You must attain the next level, in order to wield this power…and it is a power you will need, against the Shadows surging around our world."

Alex raised a brow again. "The next level?"

Tao smirked at him. "Eat, Tamer of Balance, and you will understand."

Alex stared at the dragon for a long moment, then sighed, and started munching. It was, naturally, quite delicious. He didn't particularly care for vegetables in general, as the taste and texture made his mouth cringe, but the Herba Mystica helped make even something as bland as lettuce taste good. Tao watched him in silence, patiently watching as Alex quickly munched down, bite by bite, until it was gone. As he licked some stray BBQ sauce and mayo from his thumb, Alex finally spoke. "I don't understand…what…" He paused, as he noticed there was a new source of light in the room. He glanced down at his stomach in alarm, as it was, for some reason, radiating a golden glow. "Tao…what the Muk did you make me eat!?"

The dragon let out a booming laugh, seemingly very amused, and at ease, despite his now glowing Tamer. "Only what you needed…to be ready for the next step. This one is quite important…so pay attention, young Redwood…and you will achieve Enlightenment." One of the long tendrils hanging from his snout shot towards Alex's forehead then, and before he could so much as blink, they were elsewhere. Still sitting across from each other, but their surroundings had radically changed. Alex was now in the middle of a familiar Yin Yang symbol on the 'ground' of what he recognized as his own inner mindspace. But it felt…different, somehow. Like…a wave of energy was building deep within his glowing gut.

In this space, unbound by things like physics, Tao looked quite different, and yet all but the same. Gone were the white scales, now turned to shining gold, the black underparts he had now as dark as an abyss. He spiraled above Alex, still smirking with that knowing smirk of his, but the most obvious change was his eyes. He now had six. The topmost pair, blue, kind, rounded, but also sharp. The bottom pair, red, focused, intense, and unwavering in their fixation on his form, and then, the central pair, still golden, but framed by ice, into sharp angles that also stared into the center of his very essence almost…expectantly.

"I am sorry, Alex…" Tao thundered from above. "This will feel…unpleasant. And then, euphoric. Prepare yourself."

Alex had no idea what that meant, but he did as Tao isntructed, trying to calm himself as he usually did in tense situations, by drawing on that core of inner peace he'd had since Taming the Original Dragon. To his shock though, it was no longer a source of calm, but rather, the source of both his new glow and his sense of impending energy. Suddenly, beams of red, blue, green, yellow, light blue, intense orange, purple, a more ominous darker purple, white, black, earthy brown, light brown, light green, steel gray, hot pink, and scarlet erupted around the Yin Yang symbol. Above them all, was an all too familiar sphere of draconic blurple, and Alex realized they had to be a representation of each type. Then, from the Yin and Yang itself, rose two spheres of divine Light, and corrupting Shadow.

All at once, the energy beams representing the known types surged towards him, and by pure reflex, he grabbed the spheres of Light and Shadow. The two naturally opposed forces, pure cosmic Yang and Yin respectively, flowed into his shining golden stomach, where they formed a mirroring pattern of white and black in a Taijitu swirl once again. Despite the surging energies slamming into him, he didn't feel pain. Just…discord. Then, he understood, as if the answer was obvious, and to be fair, it kind of was. He was literally standing on top of it. They needed to be rearranged, organized, balanced, even.

As he felt each type, it wasn't actually that hard to sort them. Some, like fire, were obviously more active, associated with light, etcetera. Others, like dark, were obviously more influenced by passivity, and belonged on the Yin side of things. In short order, he'd arranged most of them, usually opposite a type they were strong or weak against, with himself at the center, probably representing the normal typing. Once that was done, he felt it, the surging energy felt overwhelming, and the Yin Yang branded core of golden light in his stomach floated out of him, finally, levitating before him, as he realized it was him, somehow. Like his very consciousness had split in two, but this new piece of him, this sphere of condensed energy imbued with the very essence of his consciousness, was also something more. And, he realized, not entirely unfamiliar.

His mind drifted back to his Trial of Eight Paths, specifically fighting his darker half, and where it had formed from, and returned to. As he had that thought, the Yin Yang sphere radiated golden light, and then, everything went white. Suddenly, Alex was sitting again, on the 'floor' of his mindspace, as if he'd never moved. Tao was floating above him now though, their eyes trained on a new figure sitting before Alex. It was him, in mind, body, even clothing, right down to the selfsame smirk on his features.

"Hello there." The other Alex said, smirking in a manner that reminded Alex of Tao's own visage. "Been a while, hasn't it, Me."

"How…what…I don't even…you…you're me…I know you're me…but…how…?"

The other Alex nodded. "I am thou, and thou art I. Go on. You've almost grokked this."

"But…why are you me? I…don't really understand."

Alex watched his own smirk grow wider. "Think of me…like a permanent Psychic Clone. But better. I can go places you can't, do things you don't want or don't have time to do, and if you get Hyper Beamed into atoms, I can bring us back into existence…with some time, and effort. I'm basically a hard copy of everything you are…and when we're combined like this within our body…well, we could probably take on a Mewtwo."

Alex balked. He did feel notably stronger, but not that strong. "I didn't think I was that arrogant. Mewtwo is on a whole other level than…us."

His hard copy smirked at him. "No. Now, we're on their level. Or close to it." The smirk shifted to a grin, and Alex saw his eyes light with a familiar fire. "Only one way to find out, really."

Before Alex could respond to that, Tao thundered from above. "An excellent idea! You will understand the heights you have reached, once you test them against a worthy opponent!"

And just like that, with another flash of light, Alex was back in reality, but Tao was already waiting up above for him. He felt his new inner self, their actions perfectly in sync, from this perspective. The world seemed…sharper. Colors were more vibrant, and though he'd noticed certain details, like architecture, before this, now, it was as if his sight, altered since the Trial of Eight Paths, was in overdrive. The patterns lingering at the edges of his vision were no longer vague, and he found he understood them easier. He quietly marveled at the sheer perfection of Tao's home, and the ideal Feng Shui he'd managed to achieve on every single floor.

With little more than a brief thought, he Teleported himself to the top of the tower, and donned his armor. He had the sudden urge to try manipulating the Plates as his partners did, and his eyes widened, as he drew from every piece of his regalia at once, forming multiple tiny energy orbs in a rainbow of colors that orbited his hand. What shocked him was how easy this was to do now. Just ten minutes ago, doing this would've taken intense focus. Now? He'd drawn out the energy and even formed it into that balanced pattern he'd had within his mind, in under a second, and with only minor concentration. Even Arthur would've taken at least a little longer to do that, with the types of energy he could control. A small smirk appeared on his face. With power like this? Maybe matching Mewtwo wasn't as impossible as it had once seemed.

Tao's voice echoed in his skull, quieter now, for some reason, but apparently amused by his thoughts. "You have mastered the Law of Universal Balance…and you will find that you can now impose your will on the energies that make up this existence. I have guided you to this point, because you have proven to be everything I had hoped you would become. A fair ruler. An unmatched Trainer. And a good friend. I have no doubt that you will wield this strength for the betterment of all…but understand Alex, you are now on a level far above most other Humans. As you continue to ascend, you will become a true force in this Universe."

Alex frowned. "What…does that even mean, Tao? Can Universal forces have families? Lead nations? How am I supposed to provide for our people if I can no longer relate to them?"

The dragon regarded him as he coiled around the topmost layer of his home. "A fair concern…but one I do not think you need to linger on. You will be able to do as you please, when you please, where you please. If you so desire, you could send one of your Multi Clones to every city in the Empire, if not the world, and be able to process all of that information. Now that you have reached this state…all that remains is to master your abilities. And on the day that you do…you shall ascend the Master Plateau, and face a true test of your skills."

Alex looked down as he processed the dragon's words. They seemed absurd, but given the sheer amount of power he felt radiating from his stomach now, how fast his mind worked, and this new seemingly perfect control over typed energy, maybe he could do what Tao suggested. The Master Plateau was a mystery wrapped in an enigma, too high to be able to comfortably breathe on, too flat to build anything without the strongest materials mankind had access to, but even those would eventually erode to the fierce winds that rolled over the massive geological mystery. But with mastery over flying typed energy like he now possessed? It was possible. Many things were now possible, with this level of manipulation. Maybe, the only limits he had now were the ones his mind was imposing on him, and if there was one way to smash through said limits, it was in a battle. Either way, he wouldn't know until he'd tested himself against a proper opponent.

"Mewtwo."

The single word reverberated across their mental network, not as a command, but as an invitation. One that was sent to all of his teammates. He wouldn't deprive them of the chance to watch a showdown this potentially epic, and, he wanted them all to understand the new heights he had apparently reached thanks to Tao's culinary prowess.

The psychics Teleported over first, bringing along whoever they'd been near. Mewtwo, naturally, had responded first. Her feminine eyes narrowed at him, and a smirk appeared on her face. "Interesting…you've finally Awakened, haven't you, Alex Redwood." It wasn't a question, but an observation.

"I…have." Alex said, still not quite confident in his new level of strength. He had no idea what his limits were now, which was almost as dangerous as breaking past them. "I don't trust anyone else to be strong enough to handle sparring with me right now. I don't know my new strength yet. Care to help me test it out?"

The catlike psychic Mew/human hybrid's smirk widened. "I will gladly remind you of your Human limitations…" He felt her draw on the Mind Plate fused with his armor, and he let her wield the power willingly. He wanted nothing but her best, as he quietly felt he could, at least, match her base form. As she ascended with a flash of Infinity Energy, her intense purple aura burned around her. "Come! Show me your strength!"

There was a long pause, and a light breeze blew between them as the rest of the team arrived, then, they both raised their right hands simultaneously. Psychic bolts of power manifesting as a Psystrike collided in the air, and it was Mewtwo who had to Teleport first, which was Alex's plan. He had purposefully fired more bolts, as he was familiar with how many Mewtwo usually used. Not only had he made more, but they'd exploded while colliding, meaning his attack was strong enough to not simply be torn through, even in her Mega Form.

Another Psystrike rained down from above, but Alex didn't Teleport. He relied on the movements of Tao's style to guide him through the rain of psychic power, and despite the speed of the projectiles and his large frame, the psychic strikes were slow enough for him to perceive, and dodge. As he dodged, he built up a Psystrike's worth of power, and then launched another Psystrike atop the first.

Mewtwo dodged just as easily as he had, but her perception hadn't noticed the second layer of Psystrikes below the first, and her form exploded with smoke and damage. In under a second, she parted it with her arms and a flash of psychic power, but Alex had already raised a hand at her, and readied his next attack. "Vul." A pulse of red, purple, and black darkness shot forward from his palm, and Mewtwo's eyes only had time to widen, before the Dark Pulse hit her, hard. Alex wasn't idle, though. As Mewtwo righted herself, she searched for the suspiciously absent presence of her Trainer, and sensed nothing.

For his part, Alex had 'skittered' behind her, covering and suppressing his aura with bug energy, then, came the smack. He leapt quickly, not trusting his ruse to last, and roundhoused her spine with a spinning foot glowing with bright green bug energy. Despite turning towards him at the last moment, she was still hit and sent several feet away, but she caught herself quicker, and the Y strand's Mega Mewtwo responded with her own barrage of Psystrike.

Alex's aura shifted, with a murmured Word, to dark typed energy, completely nullifying the attack, and then, he vanished again. Mewtwo looked around angrily, not liking how confident the smirk on his face had been. From about a hundred feet above her, Alex spread out a smaller barrier of bug energy below him, as he raised both hands, and summoned the essence of bug and dark type energy in each palm. This had been beyond him before, but now, with his armor as an Infinity Energy infused well, it was almost unfairly easy. It was Psi who betrayed him as he grew the energy orbs to even larger spheres with a cry of "Above you!" As he gestured with his spoons.

Mewtwo glared at the Kadabra for interfering, and then looked skyward, eyes widening as once again, a fast moving attack was coming her way with impressive speed, but this wasn't a regular move, it was a Taijitu Move. Alex fully expected her to block it though, and she did, raising four Barriers before her with near instant ease, the dual attack sphere of balanced energy smashed through three and exploded on the fourth for minimal damage.

Then, came the Dark Signal Beam. He'd wanted to try forming dual attacks into different kinds of shapes for a while, and now, he found he could do it himself. The spiraling twin beams of super effective energy pierced her final Barrier, and hammered her into the ground with enough surprise and force to make her rise slowly from the ground with an Ice Beam forming in each hand, but as she raised her head she found herself looking into the humming concentrated darkness of another Dark Pulse in Alex's palm, inches from her face.

"I think that will do." Tao rumbled from above them, sounding very pleased with himself. Mewtwo's eyes narrowed, but she dropped her Mega Form, and let it go.

Alex offered her a hand up, and to his relief, she took it, despite not needing it. He nodded at her, and noted a new hint of respect in her eyes. "With a little more Battle training, you'll have instincts sharp enough to beat me, I'm sure. Arthur and Canis can help with that." Mewtwo nodded, and thanked him for the lesson, but she knew where she had erred. Had she used type advantage as he had instead of relying on Psystrike, she would've made things seem much more equal, if not beaten him easily. Her move pool was massive, and this bout had reinforced the fact that she needed to master the moves available to her, as well as understand what they did.

Alex approached Tao, as the dragon brought his titanic head, once more at his true size, around to speak with him. "This awakening of yours comes at an important time. We've received a…disturbing report from the Montaho Region. Champion Sanctis and two of our Scales were ambushed by an Arcean that summoned…a creature of pure Shadow. I recognized it…as the entity that once overtook Giratina. It was the very reason Giratina was labeled the Renegade, and sentenced to the Distortion World. If it is free now in our world…nothing good will come of it. The footage our cameras recorded from within the Champion's cathedral is on your device."

Alex grimaced as he watched the video. He recognized the Scales who'd been dragged in, as well. In the wake of the war, some, like Rick Astley, had semi-retired to do other things, and other regions. The triple platinum singer was starting a family, and creating a musical legacy, and without dire need, Alex had no reason to recall him. Drake, his partner, had opted to take on an apprentice…and those two had been assigned to Montaho and Sophia Sanctis to determine whether she had ties to the rumored underground Arcean base they had yet to actually find the location of. "Three guesses who let it out." Alex muttered, now wishing Tao had stopped the Successor when he'd had the chance. "An entity like that should require a body, though…the other Mewtwo's last Scry said Proditor was somewhere in Italia, so how…is it grabbing people?"

Tao watched the footage again, and rumbled in irritation. "Your eyes are sharp, Alex. I should have noticed. We but recently confirmed the Successor is indeed in Italia still, and this event occurred quite recently as well…it is unlikely a being of Shadow could psychically clone themselves…which means…they must have fused." The rumble of irritation turned to a snarl. "In ages past, the Successor managed to successfully steal a Burst Heart from one of its wielders…I tried to convince other Legends and Tamers of that era to retrieve it…but none ever managed to do so, and it was not discovered amongst his Cult's hideouts. I knew leaving its fate to chance was a mistake…he must have offered it to the entity controlling Giratina…and then fused with it. It is the only way it could have escaped the Reverse World without the Renegade."

Tao's tone was calm, but there was rage in his visage. His nostrils were flaring and his eyes narrowed, though Alex sensed it was not directed at him. "If they are fused with a Burst Heart darkened by Shadow…they may prove too much for you alone. Bring Arthur and Canis. I will instruct Mewtwo in their place, along with the others. Go. Use your new abilities and end this abomination."

Alex nodded slowly, glad Tao was prioritizing their World Tournament prep, but given the seriousness of the situation, he was surprised he was only bringing Arthur and Canis, who by all measures, were ready to compete. The Original Dragon did nothing without purpose, and it seemed that competing in the World Tournament was more important than he had so far let on. "Alright." Alex said finally, as Arthur and Canis bamfed beside him. "We'll find our Scales, and Champion Sanctis quickly."

Tao nodded his massive head again, "Your team will be ready by the time you return."

With that, Alex recalled the pair and turned to leave, only to find Po waiting, determination in his eyes. Alex raised an eyebrow, as he spoke in his awesome voice. "The foe you go to face…is powerful. Legendary, even. I will go as well. Tao said it was okay." He held out a fist, for a bump, and smirked in a familiar manner.

Alex chuckled, and didn't leave him hanging. "With the four of us…that thing won't know what hit it." Po was also, technically, World Tournament worthy, though the rules would not allow an Urshifu to participate. He'd been training relentlessly with all the moves he could learn, since evolving, and his efforts in Selva Muerta had paid off. He was confident, shredded, and eager to prove that all he had learned had been worth teaching to him. With a little more genuine experience, Alex intended to turn him into a teacher as well. He recalled Po, added him to his belt, and then departed to the real world, and Draconis Mons.

Cathedral of Light - Montaho Region

Murmuring filled the massive building as Alex walked in with the casual stride of a visitor and no trace of the pomp and security that usually trailed world leaders. As he approached the altar at the back of the building, an incensed blonde man glared at him, face reddening, temple veins bulging as he stomped towards Alex.

"You! You have some nerve coming here!" His shouting immediately drew what few eyes hadn't noticed them, to them. And, of course, people started pulling out their Rotophones. Anything to go viral on Chatter.

Alex smirked at the Arcean, chill incarnate. His hands were even in his pockets. "This is…technically Imperial property. A property where Shadow Energy was used." His aura suddenly turned intense and heavy, as Alex stared the man down. He flinched, a look of panic and fear as he felt the increase in gravity and intensity. He tried to look away from the Dragon Emperor, but couldn't. "It's not the first time that Arceans have dabbled with that dark power."

That, as expected, triggered the man. "It was your sorcery that stole our Saint! What possible reason could WE have to take her!? It was your government, there's no other explanation! And now you have the gall to come here and Accuse us!?" The man was shaking with rage, but Alex didn't feed it with any response but his usual smirk.

At that point, another man in similar simple white robes and the symbol of Arceus around his neck moved beside the first man. "Garrett, please stop. The Dragon Emperor lost people too." He looked at Alex then. "That's why you're here, right?"

Alex looked between them, and opted to stop teasing. "I'm here for all four who were dragged through that portal. Including the Arcean man who opened it. I will root out the Shadow, wherever it is, no matter who uses it. Now clear the cathedral, please…I don't want anyone else getting dragged in once I reopen the portal."

The face of the man who Alex had already forgotten the name of grinned darkly. "So you can wield the Shadow! I knew it!"

Alex rolled his eyes, his neutral baritone laced with sarcasm. "I wield Balance, you absolute pinnacle of Human intelligence. If the Light is pure cosmic Good, then the Shadow is pure cosmic Evil. I will manipulate both to uncover the Arcean plot festering in my Empire. Again."

The smarter priest nodded, accepting his words. "I'm sure this is a new or rarely used power…we will move everyone out of the danger area."

Alex thanked the man, and got to work. He held a mental powwow with himself and his team. Canis, Arthur, and Po were surprised by the fact that there were now two of him in his mind space.

His inner self spoke first. "There's a Mukton of residual Shadow Energy in here. The best way to shape it would be to impose our Will on it."

Alex raised a mental eyebrow. "Impose our will? On pure 'cosmic evil'?"

The other him nodded. "It's a new trick, but one that we can use to balance and neutralize any kind of energy. We can also control the Shadow Energy, without fear of corruption."

Alex's team shared a look as his conscious half said, "How do you know this, and I don't?"

The other him chuckled. "You do know this. You just haven't done it yet. It's a new, enlightened concept, but you'll understand, once we begin. Just…trust our instincts."

Opening his eyes, Alex brought out his team. Arthur seemed amused, Canis was confused, and Po…Po had a big grin on his ursine face, and looked very ready to punch some Shadow beings.

With a deep breath, Alex trusted his instincts, and sure enough, he somehow understood what his mental copy had in mind. The Words fell from his mouth before he knew what he was saying. "Vahzah Ro!" The verbalized command rolled through the cathedral, and his team gasped, as a very familiar sphere of black and white appeared under them in the symbol of balance, with Alex as its central point. Before them, traces of a portal made of Shadow appeared from the aether, and again, Alex relied on instinct.

Light energy outlined the remnants of Shadow, and he manipulated the Shadow just as easily, grimacing as he did so. If the Light was warm, calming, and slightly gelatinous, the Shadow was cold, clung to him, uselessly, and was far more…sticky. Like tar, or the body of a Muk. He reformed the portal, and he felt it connect to the other side. He also picked up an intelligence on the other side, sensing its rage, surprise, and the bad kind of amusement.

"We're going in hot, boys. Guards up, stay close, and summon the Light." Alex spoke quickly, before jumping through. Arthur's blades burned to life, Canis formed a pair of Light Spheres in his paws, and Po centered himself, his muscular arms circling around him, meeting in his center. Light flared around him, and the three followed their Trainer through the Shadow portal.

As they appeared on the other side, Alex had already created a new Yin Yang on the floor. The area around them was unnaturally dark, and an ominous chuckle echoed through the space as they appeared.

"Ahh. Emperor Redwood…we meet again." A massive glowing crimson eye and a toothy maw in the shape of a wide smile formed out of the darkness. "Come to retrieve your lost Scales have you? Such compassion…for ones that are so…average."

Alex smirked. "Ahh, I remember you." He nodded at Arthur. "You recall that metaphysical parasite we found in Giratina's realm, and then blew up?" Arthur chuckled with a mocking tone, but said nothing as Alex continued. "I was hoping you'd died. Or at least had enough sense not to bother reforming. So let's make this quick. Return my Scales, and Champion Sanctis, and I won't hit you with a much stronger version of our last attack, which if you recall, scattered you across your dimensional prison like Shadowy diarrhea."

"Such…confidence! You step into MY workshop and think to give Me orders!?" The dark void around them faded, revealing a horde of Shadow infused flesh abominations that Alex had indeed seen before, through Delphi's power. This was not that space he'd seen in the future though, this area was entirely different, and within the Earth's atmosphere. He hoped things had changed, as the idea of battling in actual space was a worrying one. Even with suits for his partners, one stray blow or piece of random debris could end them.

The Shadow being gestured to an abomination that was using actual psychic power to bind and levitate Drake and his apprentice. "I have your people right here…still mostly intact, but the woman…has become something…Greater. She may be my Magnum Opus!" The Shadow being devolved into mad laughter, as something shuffled forward from the horde.

Six serrated tentacles ending in a trio of claws had grown from her back, her entire body was black, her facial features were gone, and her hair waved wildly around her body in pulsating waves of purple and black. Her form was covered with purposefully engraved glowing purple runes. Her legs were bent the wrong way, for a human, and sharp spines were jutting up from all over her body.

Alex grimaced as he met her eyes, and recognized what was left of her mind. Sophia Sanctis had been irreversibly mutated by the Shadow, and was now something else. A small spine dropped from her form, and mutated into a small skittering abomination that crawled away into the writhing horde of its kin. "Pl…plee…please…" She managed to croak. "A-Aaa-Al…"

Alex held up a hand, his eyes hidden under his hat, as for once, he was frowning. "I understand, Sophia. And…I'm sorry I wasn't fast enough to stop this." He sighed heavily as he reached for the Light, and it answered. Rapidly. The first pulse that radiated out from him was small, but enough to engulf the corrupted Champion. She faded away with her arms outstretched, a seemingly content look in her eyes as she was vaporized. Alex grit his teeth, and the open hand became a fist as he drew on more of the Light. His Ultimate Sync Stone flared to life, but he barely noticed, consumed as he was by thoughts of just how many people this abomination had managed to twist. The Light revealed many, if not all of them. There had to be almost a hundred people, assuming each abomination of flesh had only taken one to make. They were his people, even if they likely would've spat on him before admitting they were. He'd still been charged to protect them…and he had failed.

Anger surged within the realm of Light, and Alex let its righteous fury flow through him, sharing the Alpha's anger at a worthy Arcean life cut short before her time. The second pulse drowned out the Shadowmind's cry of alarm and rage with a loud 'bwom' and expanded to the rest of the room, the parts which Alex was aware of anyway. Shadow abominations shrieked briefly in pain, letting out hisses of blissful release as the Light was able to Purge them. Drake and his apprentice, bound psychically by another abomination, fell to the ground, cleansed, wounded, but alive as their captor was also reduced to atoms.

An armored abomination smashed through the wave of Light energy, disrupting it with a powerful aura of Shadow, but Po was already moving before either of his brothers, who had chosen to Mega Evolve upon leaping through the portal, could react. Po smashed its centermost glowing red rune, and followed it up with another punch to the rune that served as its eye. He then spun into a brutal, crushing roundhouse kick to the creature's side, sending him flying towards Arthur, who bisected the creature with his Excalibur.

Canis joined in as well, as Light Spheres of varying sizes flew into the horde of creatures, detonating among them with purging Light. Arthur and Po each grabbed a Scale, and leapt back through the portal, and by that point, the Shadowmind had steeled itself against its natural type advantage.

Tentacles of Shadow shot towards Alex, but he just smirked, as Canis leapt behind him. Precious few of the Shadowspawn were still corporeal, and the tentacles were desperately protecting them. "Vahzah Ro!" He Shouted again, reinforcing the effect that had followed him from the other side of the portal. Time slowed, but only to Alex's perspective. He psychically assessed the threat to them: no less than forty two Shadow tentacles were aimed for him. About five of those were on Canis. His goals were clear; protect the pupper, bind the unspeakable evil, Purge it until it tried running, trace it back to the Successor, which was who it would likely run to, assuming it was bound to him.

Ice energy formed under his feet with a thought, and he made a mental note to thank Akos for teaching him how to do this. Literal ice skating was not as easy as one would think, even for a waterbender. It was less easy for those with large, stupid, stompy, uncoordinated feet such as Alex had, but his former awkwardness was now simply gone, replaced by confidence. A burst of flying energy shot him towards the tentacles aimed for Canis, and he grabbed them, grimacing at the foul texture, but once again, it tried and failed to enter his being. While inside this circle of his will made manifest at least, it seemed the Shadow could not corrupt him. Then, in the most efficient manner possible, he zipped around the circle of Balance he'd made on the floor, grabbing tentacles as he did so, and leapt upwards.

Canis, who'd been using a very outlawed tactic in official Pokémon battles to psychically boost his Agility usage to three at once, followed his Trainer's movements, and was already reacting. As Alex yanked the Shadowmind's tentacles upwards, the entity's eyes only had time to widen in response before Canis hammered it with a massive Light Sphere, which detonated, filling the space with golden aura.

Alex landed as the tentacles burned away in his grip, and time began flowing normally to his perspective once again. The Shadowmind recoiled in on itself, drawing what few of its creations had survived into its darkness.

"So you've Ascended…the Dragon will come to regret giving you such power…this is Not over, Alexander Redwood!" The Shadow being grinned, as multiple new portals opened around it, and previously hidden, but rather small, Shadow Flood Forms leapt through them at its command. "Have fun tracking them down…if even one manages to spread successfully, the entire planet will succumb!" With a deep cackle, the Shadowmind oozed into a portal of its own, and Alex swore. Even with clones, there were just too many portals.

"Go!" He shouted at his team, "Eradicate whatever the Muk those things are!" Properly irritated now, he grabbed a piece of the lingering Shadow energy, and sent it through the portal the being had used for itself, before it closed. Alex had imbued that pure cosmic darkness with the 'desire' to seek out and join to the largest source of Shadow energy it could find. He could also track it.

Wasting no more time, he split into multiple clones, and leapt through the portals his team hadn't gone through. One by one, he felt his clones quickly confirm their eradication of their targets, and then moments later, Canis, Po, and Arthur did the same. Oddly enough, Alex prime did not immediately sense his own target. Then, he realized where he was. "Oh…Muk."

He'd only been to Blueberry Academy once, but he knew a school when he sensed it. The scent of fresh antibacterial spray. Linoleum floors. Lockers lining the walls in that trademarked blueberry blue. Then there were the developing minds of the inhabitants, full of teenaged worries, priorities, and hormones. He walked quickly down the hallway he'd appeared in, trying to find somewhere familiar.

By the time his team bamfed back to him, he was standing in front of a school map directory, looking quite confused. "Ahh, Canis, finally. Please tell me you can sense where this thing is…"

The aura hound, still in his Mega Form, closed his eyes as his 'ears' flared up. "Wherrre…the Muk even are we?"

"Blueberry Academy."

"I sense it…" Canis's brow furrowed. "Uh oh."

Alex grimaced. "Uh oh?"

Canis nodded, and opened his eyes. "It's heading quickly for the Terarium…there are students down there…and one of them is infused with Shadow."

"Uh oh." Arthur and Po echoed in unison.

"Go." Alex ordered Canis. "Your Agility is still active. Don't wait on us." The aura hound nodded, and dashed away on all fours, but Alex, Po, and Arthur were right behind him. "Canis! Light Sphere!" Alex shouted, as he saw the hound leave the tunnel and sprint into the Savannah Biome. There was a Garchomp and a Charizard, along with four students not far from the entrance, and given that it was about ten thirty in the evening, they should not have technically been in the Terarium. There wasn't actually a rule forbidding some late night Pokémon hunting, but the school security generally preferred all students to be in bed, and not potentially roaming the halls. Some students, like Florian, famously ignored this 'suggestion'.

The ball of concentrated Light landed on the student who, to Alex's slight horror, was being infected and turned by the shard of a Shadow being that had managed to get farther than any of its brethren. Alex had just enough time to sense the woman in question, someone a bit old to be in the academy uniform yet wearing one nonetheless, was currently infused with Shadow herself, though it was imperfect, nothing like what Pravus or Proditor had achieved. So, likely caused by an accident.

As the move detonated, the Light purged every trace of the Shadow from her. Seeing several other students nearby, Alex had Arthur use some Life Dew to bring them back, and then he flew over to the collapsed student, and the other student who appeared to have been…fighting her. With his bare hands. As Alex landed, and eyed the teenager, seeing he was part psychic, part fairy, he saw the look of instant recognition as the student realized the leader of the Empire had just landed in front of him. Alex smirked, never tiring of that reaction. "Hello there…" He started, "Is…everyone okay?" He nodded towards the unconscious woman on the ground.

"Haloo." The teen said, in a thick Germanian accent in a higher pitched tone that was just, for lack of a better word, delightful. "Ya, she vill be fvine…I think. Zat thing zat vas…fused to her back, your…Lucario got rid of it. Quite easily." Canis nonchalantly rubbed a paw across his nose, and the teen just seemed impressed.

"That wound is…grisly…I'm just gonna…" Alex muttered, raising a hand as he summoned the Light again. That turned out to be a good choice. Had the Shadowspawn not been in a hurry, it would have fully bonded to the unconscious woman's spine, at which point even the Light would have trouble eradicating it and not her. Thankfully though, the Shadow had not reached her brain, and anything that had turned corrupted and been purged away was now regrowing rapidly thanks to the frankly ridiculous healing power the Light held. The woman was still unconscious, though.

"So, ahhm, mister Emperor, sir, vhat…ze actual Muk vas that, exactly? Are zere more? Is ze school in danger?"

Alex looked the teenager with fairy typing over again, and his eyes narrowed slightly. Not out of displeasure or dislike, but from the depth he saw, and did not expect from typical BBA students. He mentally nudged Lux awake, and had him pull up the student's records from within his cloak, as he said, "That…was…hmm." Alex paused, looking up as the other students approached. One, very obviously a fellow nerd, was almost frantically sketching in a large notepad, and judging by her gaze, she was currently focused on Arthur. The other, Alex had actually spoken with, through one of his clones that had been relegated to dealing with the hundreds of menial tasks Tao couldn't handle.

Jade Drachenfel had abandoned his Imperium-friendly clan, moved to Unova, and then applied to become a Scale of Balance, and Alex had spoken with him for about eight minutes. He was, naturally, an aspiring Dragon Tamer. Out of all the students around him currently, Jade seemed the most competent, proper, and put together. Having seen some of his battles, Alex knew he had the panache of Hassel, and the brutality of Lance, which, with a little training, would become a very powerful combination.

At that point, Lux beeped, and floated out of his cloak, the files in question ready for perusing. "Let's see…" Alex started, "Adrie…no surname. Hmm. Says you're from…Italia. Not with that accent…" He muttered.

"Oh, yaa, zat is a…whole story…but I can tell you if you vant to hear it."

Alex glanced at the time, fifteen minutes to eleven P.M. and then shrugged. "Sure, I have time, go ahead Adrie."

The fairy teen smirked at Jade and the artist. "You two have not heard zis either, so listen vell!"

He launched into a lengthy tale with his delightful accent (and for the sake of my sanity, I'm just going to summarize it.) As a child in Germania, the Imperium had discovered that he had the potential for 'abnormal abilities'. The device he described using, made Alex grimace, as it seemed the Imperium had their own version of a Pokémeter. Upon discovering his potential, his parents had tried running and hiding him.

"But zey found us…almost immediately. Ze Iterator, zey are ze propaganda arms of ze Imperium, he killed them, set mein house on fire, and zen took me to a…bad place. I am sure you have heard of it. Ze Obsidian Keep."

Adrie continued, describing a brutal process for humans and Pokémon alike within the Keep that had been designed to test them to their limits. They'd also injected him with no small amount of chemicals and physical augmentations over the years, and those experiments had also killed quite a few of the other children, according to Adrie. The only one who'd been around to help him survive, had been his shiny Eevee, and to the chagrin of the Librarian who molded him, said Eevee had become a Sylveon, named Ribbons. Alex grimaced the entire time, but from what he knew of what it took to create an Astartes, the boy had survived to essentially their Legion's equivalent of a scout. Had he stayed, he likely would've become a Thunder Warrior.

"One night, as I vas on patrol, I heard ze alarms of ze Keep go off. I found a redheaded voman running avay, und decided to help her. Ve found a Genesect on our way out, as vell as a little girl, beaten, and tossed on ze ground outside ze Keep. A strange man vith pink hair, calling himself 'Rick' appeared from a strange pink portal zen, and tried to shoot her, but ve stopped him, und he ran back to his portal as soon as ze Assault Thunder Varriors flew down from ze Keep's upper levels on zere jetpacks. Ze voman had me take ze child vhile I left Ribbons to help her. I stashed ze child in a cave und ran back to help, but zat Librarian had ze at his mercy."

Alex grimaced. "It must've been hard to get out of that situation…the Imperium's Librarians are no joke."

"Actually it vas soopah easy, ya, barely an inconvenience. Zis vas ze bastard who had trained me, und vhen I saw vhat he had done to Ribbons, I…started sparkling vith ze Fairy Energy, und beat ze Muk out of him until he vas…no longer breathing. Zen, I took his cape. Stylish, no?" The traumatized teen did a little twirl, and indeed, he was wearing a half-cape on one shoulder. He'd made a jagged slash through the Keep's symbol, and wore it proudly.

Alex shared a look with his partners. "You took out a Librarian with your bare hands, and Fairy powers?" Adrie nodded. "And you're still alive…" The teen nodded again, and Alex gave his Pokémon another look.

"We should train this one." Arthur said, mentally. "He has serious potential." The other two agreed.

Alex nodded, and at that point, the woman on the ground came to, tried speaking, but all that came out was gibberish. Alex hit her with more Light energy, which seemed to do the trick. She thanked him weakly, as he pulled out Lux.

Alex looked over the information his government, and the academy, had on these particular students. "Let's see who we have here…Jade Drachenfel, Viggo Spruce, and…Elena Grimwood is our victim, hmm? I see." He looked over the curious students, the still seemingly woozy victim, and the aspiring artist and note taker, Viggo, who was still furiously sketching, and seemed to have moved on to capturing Alex on her page.

Alex shrugged, and addressed Jade and Adrie, who seemed to be paying the most attention. "That's…quite a story, Adrie. As for what attacked you…I'll just start from the beginning. I was called into the Montaho Region. Their Champion was taken by a man who opened a Shadow portal, and two of my Scales who were guarding the cathedral were taken with her, so, they sent for me. On the other side…I found those…Shadowspawn. I Purged most of them. The floating cyclopean Shadow blob that created them, I fought it before, in the Reverse World, blew it to pieces."

"I blew it to pieces." Arthur verbally chimed in with a smirk.

Alex nodded. "Arthur blew it to pieces…but it has somehow reformed. This time, it managed to escape. It opened a bunch of other portals, and sent more Shadowspawn through them. My team and I got the rest of them. This was the last one." He looked down at the woman in her twenties lying on the ground. "Had I arrived any later, she would've been beyond saving…like Montaho's Champion was."

As the silence dragged on, after he shared that information, the sketch artist checked in with the woman, Elena, and Alex eyed their respective grades. Adrie was, not too surprisingly, a 'problem student'. Consistently low grades across the board, and a literal quadruple F minus from the gym/battle class that Colonel Surge participated in here, when he had time. Apparently the two had butted heads frequently. "Alright." Alex said, getting their attention, as he stowed Lux. "I'm going to offer you a chance to join the Scales, Adrie."

"Und…vat vould zat entail, exactly? I am not ze most…law abiding of citizens…"

"It's not complicated." Alex said, deadpan. "Just don't kill innocent people, control your powers, and stand ready to face the Imperium when this peace inevitably devolves into war again. With your grades…you'd be here for years…and selling your…" He double checked his phone, "Drugs made of Fairy Dust…whatever that is…isn't going to cover your tuition forever. Professor Pino would be free of his financial burden as well. Basically, I'm going to train you myself. You, Jade, and whoever else wants to join in."

The sketch artist, Viggo, raised her hand. "Oo! Me. I'll join. Will it help me become a Professor faster?"

Alex glanced at her record again, and nodded. "Oh yea…there's a whole…Brain Trust that I can pair you with. I can teach you to use a plasma sword if you want, but…with grades like these and your whole demeanor…you might be better suited as the 'woman in the chair' for your friends here."

That seemed to make her happy. "Oh, I can do that. Whatever you need, Emperor, sir."

Alex smirked. "Just…Alex, is fine. And easier. Don't feel obligated to bow and kneel in my presence."

Adrie gave him a wide, honest smile. "I wasn't going to."

Jade smacked him upside the head. "Yes, you were." He looked back at Alex, "Does this mean we can get our ten Pokémon license?"

Alex nodded. "Ten Pokémon, plasma swords, and the chance to unlock your potential, each of you. Once you're ready…I'm going to have you focused on stopping the Imperium's efforts to indoctrinate our people. Mostly in Europa."

Adrie grinned. "Oh, I can do zat. Und you are fine if zey…disappear und are never seen again?"

Alex stared him down, and employed his serious tone. "No. Killing. Innocent. People."

"No Iterator I've ever met vas innoce-"

"Adrie!" Jade smacked his head again.

"Right, right, okay, no killing, fine, ve torture zem instead."

Alex and Jade shared a look. "You'll be the one in charge of them…making sure they don't go rogue or wildly off-mission…can you handle that?" Alex asked.

Jade nodded. "I'm already their floor monitor. I can handle it."

Alex nodded as well. "Good. Then tomorrow is graduation day. Get some rest, and be at the front entrance bright and early."

The students walked towards the exit then, seemed to rendezvous with another of their group who apparently had gone for a jog and missed the entire Shadowspawn debacle, then headed up into the academy. Alex sighed, heavily, and bamfed to Draconis Mons.

The rest of that night was spent in Tao's realm, finalizing their World Tournament efforts. At around one in the morning, Alex emerged, with the entire team, fighting fit and ready. He bamfed to his room at the palace, and despite his best efforts, woke up his sleepy redhead. They watched some anime and then fell asleep halfway through, but very comfortable.

As the morning arrived, so too did an update. "Wakey wakey! Wakey wakey!" Lux chimed, and Alex groaned awake, once again waking Jess up with him. "Lux…it's too early to be this peppy."

"We get it, you're not a morning person! Whatever! Listen!" The Rotom chirped excitedly. "The Preliminary Matches for the World Tournament have been decided! The top thirty two Trainers in the world are going to face off, and give us our Superior Sixteen!"

Alex sat up a little straighter, suddenly very awake. He got the attention of his team, and soon, they were all waiting on Lux. "Well? Don't keep us in suspense, who are we facing first?"

Lux, currently possessing his phone/Pokédex device, chuckled in the air, and then expanded his screen, displaying a visage Alex was very familiar with. Spiky oak brown hair. Cocky smile. Taijitu pendant. "It seems the Gods of Fate, or someone high up in the League, has a good sense of Destiny!" Lux chuckled.

"They do…" Alex chuckled.

Jess raised a brow at him. "Why? Do you know him well? I know we ran into him that one time, but…"

"Oh, yea, did I not tell you?" Alex said, smirk widening. "He gave me Saur. In fact…in a lot of ways, he started me on my Journey…kind of. It was delayed over a decade, but he still technically gave me my first Pokémon. Heh."

He looked at the screen and grinned. "Gary motherMukking Oak, huh? Bring it on."

Happy High Holiday, fam

[Pokémon] The Redwood Saga

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