Written Story Kalos Critique Lv.4 Teen Mon Revive

[pinkshellos]

I want to start off this post with a huge giant mega thank you to everyone who's nominated Revive for any of the Ganza awards! Revive has been my silly little hobbyist passion project - heck, it's the first big writing project that I've made any good progress through, much less started posting online - so it means the world to me that y'all really like it. There's a whole lot more exciting stuff to come!

Spoiler: also, replies

@SprungGeoduck: it was fun planning out the trio's teams and plotting who would catch what where! also, now with that travel chapter out of the way, the story gets to settle down in Shalour for a bit 👍

@crashcrashcrash: Chili vaulted the Simisear line waaaaay closer to my top 10 mons, he's such a gem and I'm glad other people are liking him!! and re: the moon stone, i loved writing that scene and all evolution stones just have so much worldbuilding potential?? as for your prediction about the key stone... 👀

@Dustox: always happy to see a comment from you :D glad you liked the chapter! switching up the gym leaders' teams for the 3 gym battles is really fun, it lets me get creative with what gets thrown at the trio's pokemon.

@theCape: thank you! i have such a soft spot for XY but on the other hand they're definitely not the best pokemon games that have ever been made, and part of my goal for Revive was to breathe some life into the region. I'm glad it's a good first experience of Kalos!

@MegaInfernape: evo stones 🤝 also I'm glad you like Chili, he's one of my favorite of the team :D re: Korrina, originally I wrote in the outline that Vee managed to beat her there, but then I realized that realistically there was no way, those Lucario are likely some of her highest level pokemon. Plus it makes for some fun variety of scenes when the main characters don't always win every battle. also....oh man. i'll be looking out in dread for the cyllage gym chapter of HINL... Grant tends to be quite a tough gym for early game XY D:
also, re: the writechat promo channel - i actually decided not to promo that last chapter there because i didn't wanna be that one person that pops in just to promo their own run's updates and nothing else, y'know? but if it's gonna be useful for people who like Revive, then I'll keep sending update notifs there.

@Cas: yes, let's inspire each other to continue improving our stories!! :D also, I wrote Cherry's intro like that for that exact reason! Calem is really good with pokemon, and he's got a good eye

@Vivace: I was trying to channel some Nemona into my version of Korrina here, so no wonder she came off a bit strong XD she means well, though. also thank you for all of the compliments!! you're not the first one to say that Revive is their first experience with XY/Kalos, and I'm honored that it's a good experience - XY sure could use a good rewrite.

@SayleeK: oh my gosh the cave description was so fun to write, I felt like I won the lottery when I came up with the comparison between the moon stone and a plume of smoke XD

@Black Viper: I'm really happy with how the banner turned out, it was fun editing the PSS sprites to look like the main trio ^_^ as far as your other comments go - yep, Vee still has a ways to go, but she's still got a lot going for her! I also liked the idea of a tour through one of the caves instead of the pokemon-typical "let the kids wander through the cave system alone." it makes the world seem a bit more populated, imo

@Leon Yorunaki: the trio are growing their teams! it's defo exciting stuff! i can't promise it'll be 100% fluff for the whole story, though... buuuuuut I can promise you it'll be worth it! also, thanks for the rest of your comment, I'm glad you've been liking my take on XY :D

♢ Extra 2: Calem This one's got a lot of feelings, y'all Spoiler: Chapter Calem keeps receiving bad news. He’s still taking Twig in for regular appointments at the Centres; he helps her with her prescribed exercises every day. She’s getting better, he’s seeing it himself - but somehow, it’s not enough. “Unfortunately, with an initial shock that severe, a full recovery is never guaranteed,” the nurse in Shalour tells him. “Her quality of life won’t be severely harmed at this rate, but you may want to consider registering her as an emotional support pokémon in the event that her mobility isn’t enough for battle.” He holds Twig on his lap and nods, silent. How is he supposed to tell the nurse that he watched her hatch from an egg? That the two of them were supposed to face everything together? That he’s dreamed about battling at the Pokémon League Grand Hall, with her soaring through the air as a fully realized Talonflame? He spends a lot of time walking laps around the blocks near the Centre in Shalour, kicking at pebbles. He becomes very familiar with the pale concrete of the sidewalks and the wrought iron lampposts. He misses the feeling of Twig launching off of his shoulder to flutter onto a nearby roof or tree branch to look at the view. After realizing he’ll have to challenge the gym soon, he works on keeping his pokémon sharp. His team has a good shot against fighting-types, so he’s in better shape for this battle than the one against Grant. But still. Grant. Calem’s hesitation during that last gym battle. What was wrong with him? At least the rest of his pokémon are still going strong. Hugo is a showoff of a Braixen, and Noir follows in his lead - they’re both eager to please. Lily takes a little while to get going, but once she does, the Ivysaur keeps up just fine with the other two. They handily beat the wild pokémon that Calem finds on a half-day trip outside the city the next day. He doesn’t throw Cherry into any battles yet - the Eevee seems far too new and too skittish for now - but he tries to teach her the start of some basic attacking drills. Twig sits off to the side near Calem’s backpack, nestled in a spare hoodie with her wings neatly tucked against her sides. She’s awake and alert today, if not a little bit shaky. All of her feathers have grown back in. Calem looks over, seeing her watching the others, and feels horrible that she can’t join in. He recalls her back to her pokéball, and then immediately feels even worse about that, so back out she goes. “I’m sorry about that,” he whispers, feeling defeated. “I really don’t know what to do.” She tilts her head to the side to get a good look at his face and chirps. Nothing to be done about it, he guesses. He hears more peeping when he starts to turn away and looks back. Twig slowly rises to her feet, spreading her wings slightly to keep her balance. “Hey,” Calem says, kneeling down in front of her and holding his hands out, “please don’t strain yourself. You need to rest.” She doesn’t seem to like that answer, but he insists, so she sits back down after shaking out her feathers in protest. He tries to shift his attention back to training. He’s partial to sparring, but with his flying-type out of the equation, Hugo and Noir are the only pair that can face off without it being a one-sided match against poor Lily. So he walks to the center of the clearing, draws a line in the dirt with a stick, and looks towards his two vaguely catlike pokémon. “How about you two both try to pull this stick over that line with your psychic abilities?” Calem offers. Like tug-of-war. He has to elaborate a little bit more and physically gesture a bit, but they catch on pretty quickly. Soon, the stick is floating in the air at a standstill, a pale blue glow surrounding it, with both pokémon concentrating intensely on it. Alright, next order of business. He turns back to Lily, looking around through the rocky forest and trying to come up with an idea. “Can you grab these stones with your vines? Try to see how heavy of a rock you can lift.” He’s almost immediately distracted by a snapping noise and two loud cries. Calem whirls around just in time to see the stick he had been holding just a minute prior go flying through the trees, hitting low-hanging branches as it goes. Noir turns to look at him expectantly, clearly the victorious one, and Hugo huffs and flicks an ember off the end of his wand that almost sets a nearby patch of grass on fire. Calem has to run over and stamp it out. Alright, maybe they can stop for the day. “Ok, you all, let’s take a rest for a few minutes and then head back,” he says, trying to mask his exasperation. Lily and Hugo find a spot in the sun; the Ivysuar closes her eyes and grumbles contentedly. Noir, who Calem has discovered is sensitive to loud noise and too-bright lights, sits down in the shade of a large chunk of stone. Calem approaches his Meowstic and sits down next to him, leaning his back against the rock. Cherry, who had been watching the wind rustle the grass a few yards away, perks up her ears and runs over. She wiggles the back half of her body before jumping over his knees and onto his lap. Calem smiles and runs his hand over her fur. He closes his eyes and sits there for a few minutes, feeling the breeze on his face. Then he hears the sound of rustling grass, louder than it would be if only the wind was rippling through it. He looks over to see Twig, with one foot and wing outstretched, halfway out of her makeshift hoodie nest. When she sees him looking over, she chirps loudly and takes a few shaky steps towards him. On the last step, she falls forward a bit, scrabbling at the ground with her talons to get back up. Calem lifts Cherry off of his lap and scrambles to his feet, running towards Twig and helping the Fletchinder right herself. “Why do you keep doing that? I told you already that you’re supposed to be resting.” Twig looks up at him, pushing against his hands. She flaps her wings once. Calem feels anger and frustration start to build in his chest again, like there’s something pressing on his lungs and making his heart hurt. “You’re not going to be able to battle again if you strain yourself! Aren’t you trying to get better?” As soon as he hears his own voice say those words, he knows they’re all wrong. His hand flies to his mouth. Twig can’t understand the full meaning of what he said, but she can understand the tone of his voice. She lowers her head, tilting one eye up to look at him, the feathers around her neck fluffed up. Watching silently, confused and wondering why he’s upset with her. He wants to apologize, but if he does, he thinks his voice will break. So he returns all his pokémon to their pokéballs and heads back into the city alone. --- ♢ ---​ He can’t sleep that night. Mostly he stares at the ceiling wondering how in the world he’s going to make things right with Twig. If she’s in her pokéball, he worries that she’ll be lonely. If she’s out and about, she might overdo it and make her recovery harder. Calem sighs, tosses and turns some more. The room is so quiet. Eventually he decides he needs some fresh air. He tries to close the door as quietly as possible on his way out, and heads down to the ground floor of the Centre. After double-checking that his trainer ID is in his jacket pocket - he’ll need to swipe it to get back into the Centre since it’s after hours - he slips out of the building and into the dark city blocks. The ocean inlet is a straight shot down the street. Maybe watching the waves for a little while would calm him down. He doesn’t see a single soul on his way there. Finally fishing his phone out of his pocket, he discovers that it’s three in the morning. Calem finally passes the last row of buildings, and the ocean and sky both hit him at once. The tide is the lowest he’s seen since they got here, the beach seeming to stretch out forever until the waves start to lap at the shore. He walks out onto the sand and looks up. It’s clear out tonight, with only a cloud or two hanging low near the horizon. The many lights of the Tower of Mastery appear through the far-off haze. He didn’t notice before, but as he looks back towards the city, the first few streets from the beach have few to no lights on. Even the streetlights are dim. He notices now because when he looks towards the sky, he sees bands of glittering stars hanging over the water - the most he’s seen since he left Kiloude. He starts to pick out the constellations that his parents taught him when he was younger. He’s in the middle of finding the seven stars in the Eelektross constellation when he starts to feel like someone is watching him. Calem looks over his left shoulder. Nothing’s there. He finishes counting all the stars, then realizes that the feeling is still nagging at him. He looks over his other shoulder. Making its way down the beach towards him is a sleek, quadrupedal shape, with white fur and a long, sickle-shaped black horn growing from its head. The Absol meets Calem’s gaze and starts bounding across the sand towards him. Calem has no clue how to respond to that - he knows any wild pokémon can be dangerous - but somehow he trusts that an Absol wouldn’t make its way into a city to attack a human unprovoked. So he turns towards it and tries to look as calm as possible as it approaches. The Absol barely leaves prints in the sand as it moves. It stops a yard in front of Calem, regarding him with unreadable red eyes. “What are you doing out here?” he asks. It takes another step towards him. It’s silent, except for the rumble of the waves. “Are you the same one that I saw near the train station? Or the same one that Vienna saw in Ambrette?” Calem says. He slowly lowers himself until he’s sitting cross-legged on the ground and hesitantly offers one hand. The Absol seems to feel welcomed by that gesture; it leans forward and sniffs his hand. Satisfied with that introduction, it wags its tail a few times and lays down, crossing its two front paws. It looks out towards the ocean and then back at Calem. His heart is beating double time with this wild pokémon - and a fairly powerful one at that - sitting so close to him with no way to gauge what it’s thinking, but he takes a deep breath and looks back towards the water as well. “I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Calem admits. “My partner got hurt bad and… it just seems unfair, y’know? Vienna told me that Twig still loves me, and that made me feel better while we were talking, but it didn’t fix anything. I wish I could just… go back and undo what happened.” The Absol blinks at him. There’s a long moment of silence. “Is it lonely when everyone thinks you’re bad luck?” he continues. The Absol suddenly rises to its feet, turning away from the water and looking back at the city. It seems alert. “What is it?” Calem asks, standing up as well. He hears it a split second before he sees it - a faint but growing high-pitched racket of chirps and caws. Then, an orange shape moving across the sand. Twig, running and hopping towards him, stumbling every few steps and pushing herself back up again. The last thing he wanted to see, but the thing he needed to see the most. Calem acts before he thinks, immediately taking off in a sprint. He crashes to his knees when he closes the distance between them, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in. “Did you follow me from the Centre?” he asks, his voice breaking. Did she break out of her pokéball to find him gone in the middle of the night? Why would she follow him all the way out here? He thinks about all the time he’s kept Twig in her ball since the accident. Earlier today, when they were training, when he scolded her for - For wanting to be near him. Because they’ve been together since she hatched from an egg. Because the two of them are supposed to face everything together. Why would that change now? “I’m so sorry,” Calem sniffs, feeling a tear start to run down his cheek. “I was only thinking about whether or not you’d be able to battle again. I wasn’t- I didn’t realize that I was pushing you away.” Twig gives a small peep. She’s warm - she warms up when she’s happy. He sheds a few more tears. “I’m just g-glad you’re still here.” --- ♢ ---​ Vienna and Shauna are awake and waiting for him when he gets back to the Centre. “We heard a bunch of noise coming from your room - the door was open when we went to take a look. Twig must’ve slipped out right before – is that an Absol?!” Shauna starts to explain before cutting off in surprise. Calem can’t blame her - if he saw a wild Absol follow someone into a Pokémon Centre, brazen as anything, he’d be shocked too. It had followed him as he carried Twig back from the beach. “Yeah,” he says. “It’s a long story.” “Is there anything you wanna talk about?” Vienna says, undoubtedly noticing his red eyes. “... I think so, yeah,” Calem says. Back in his room, he tells the two of them about how he’d decided to take a walk to clear his head, about the Absol approaching him and Twig following him from the Centre. (The Absol in question has been calmly investigating the lobby. Calem wonders if he should offer it a pokéball.) After recounting the night’s events, Calem keeps talking. He tells Shauna and Vienna about how, even though he loves battling, there’s a part of him that always freezes in fear at the beginning of a battle. Everyone always told him that he was such a good trainer - it feels like losing would be the end of the world. He could make a bad decision again and get one of his pokémon hurt at any time, and it terrifies him. He explains that the only reason he had the nerves to challenge the gym in Cyllage was because the two of them had battled Grant first. Calem cries a bit more. Leans on Vienna’s shoulder. Shauna offers her hand, and he takes it. Twig stays in his lap, warmth still radiating from her belly. It’s strange to him, opening up like this. Part of him worries that he sounds weak, but that part quiets as he starts to feel better. “Thank you guys,” he tells his friends. “There’s one more thing I need to take care of, and then I’m going back to sleep.” Calem goes back to bed with one more full pokéball sitting by his bag and Twig laying next to him, her beak tucked underneath one wing. She never leaves his side for the rest of the night. Spoiler: pokemon and A/N Spoiler: i talk in here one more chapter for Calem and Twig, because I think the two of them deserve it. I wanted to really resolve Calem's feelings about the accident while also introducing another new team member... everyone, meet Calem's new self-appointed therapy dog XD also, the three of them being friends. it makes my heart happy. next chapter will actually get to the important plot stuff in Shalour! which I am very excited about :) Vienna Shauna Calem Ram ♂​ Froabble ♀​ Hugo ♂​ Chili ♂​ Sugar Cube ♀​ Lily ♀​ Poncho ♀​ Wick ♂​ Noir ♂​ Exca ♀​ Cherry ♀​ ???​ Twig ♀​

 

[Vivace]

Calem looks over, seeing her watching the others, and feels horrible that she can't join in. He recalls her back to her pokéball, and then immediately feels even worse about that, so back out she goes.

"I'm sorry about that," he whispers, feeling defeated. "I really don't know what to do."

😭 SHELLOS HOW DARE

I had a faint suspicion someone would catch the Absol, and I'm so, so glad it's Calem. He needed some good luck for sure

This IS the important plot stuff!!!! It's my favourite chapter so far, too! Calem cradling Twig was just so PURE adslagdhasdl;jkzxl

 

[Dustox]

UGH, just me this entire chapter. How dare you toy with my emotions with your wonderful words!

Calem looks over, seeing her watching the others, and feels horrible that she can’t join in. He recalls her back to her pokéball, and then immediately feels even worse about that, so back out she goes.

“I’m sorry about that,” he whispers, feeling defeated. “I really don’t know what to do.”

She tilts her head to the side to get a good look at his face and chirps.

I can totally understand what Calem is going through. You're doing all the recommended things, and it's still not enough. And considering Twig is his first Pokemon, I'm sure there's such a close bond there. I'm glad both of them were able to work it out.

Who knew Absol can herald good fortune as well!

 

[Leon Yorunaki]

First things first, I loved the new banner. It's simple but encapsulates well the energy of the run.

But now into the serious part of it... welp, that hurt.
I feel Calem. Trying to do his best but having no idea what "best" means. Trying so hard to protect Twig it's actually hurt instead. The "I really don't know what to do" line is the icing on the cake.
Yet... it's lovely on its own way. Seeing how he sits on that, letting those thoughts cook as he learns what he has to do. Understanding how Twig is his pokémon second, partner first. And the Absol on top of that... (truth be said, I knew it would eventually be his pokémon because canon, but it was still nice to read).
It's because of chapters like this you're a fan favorite for the Ganza. You know how to touch your readers, and it shows.

And wdym "important plot suff" comes later? this is important plot stuff too! I'm trembling in anticipation for that though

 

[MegaInfernape]

Twig looks up at him, pushing against his hands. She flaps her wings once.

Calem feels anger and frustration start to build in his chest again, like there’s something pressing on his lungs and making his heart hurt. “You’re not going to be able to battle again if you strain yourself! Aren’t you trying to get better?”

As soon as he hears his own voice say those words, he knows they’re all wrong. His hand flies to his mouth.

Twig can’t understand the full meaning of what he said, but she can understand the tone of his voice. She lowers her head, tilting one eye up to look at him, the feathers around her neck fluffed up. Watching silently, confused and wondering why he’s upset with her.

He wants to apologize, but if he does, he thinks his voice will break. So he returns all his pokémon to their pokéballs and heads back into the city alone.

Like i know that direct attacks on my feels are just part of the package but still.

Absol just showing up and basically letting Calem vent is just very sweet.
Echoing Viv and Leon that this is also important plot stuff. It's character growth! I fear the upcoming stuff still though

Side note:The fact that your main Pokemon cast now both includes Whirlipede and Absol is making cackle. At this point i swear someone is pulling strings

 

[JavierE64]

This is already making me cry, poor Calem.

 

[Black Viper]

Well, that sure was a nice gut punch, right in the feels and yet, despite lacking in Vee, Ram, and most of the usual cast, I think this might have been my favourite chapter so far. Putting the focus on Calem and Twig like this really helps to work through their feelings and relationship and you absolutely made the right decision in doing this as a chapter in itself - trying to include anything else would have diluted this down and detracted from its raw emotional power. Everything here is great, from the tone and pace to just tugging on those feelings we all know, where you're in a bad situation and nothing you do seems to make it better. Being able to relate to a boy and his magic fire bird like that really helps to drive things home and make it so much more real.

The absol is a nice touch, and I love its role as Calem's Therapy Dog, but I had expected it to "follow" the group for a bit long, just popping up ominously every so often in the way that absol does. I guess I'll have to get used to it being a regular part of the gang! Calem may have lost Twig from his fighting team mates, but he's storming ahead in terms of catches, the two girls have their work cut out for them if they want to keep pace. Hopefully this absol isn't a harbinger of bad luck and it's not there to curse Calem further. I think he's suffered enough for the time being!

 

[Arowana]

hello hello I'm so sorry for not being updated the past couple of months and for not commenting on the previous chapters (and tbh this isn't much of a comment either) but like. dude. this CHAPTER omfg

like do you know how HARD it is to make me cry???? at least, I don't cry over fiction very often but YOU did, oh my god, my heart hurts SO much!!!! Calem is now my favorite supporting character and I'm SO salty I didn't nominate him for the ganza asdkljkadjklsldlkja

Spoiler: just some quotes I really liked from the chapter

Calem feels anger and frustration start to build in his chest again, like there’s something pressing on his lungs and making his heart hurt. “You’re not going to be able to battle again if you strain yourself! Aren’t you trying to get better?”

As soon as he hears his own voice say those words, he knows they’re all wrong. His hand flies to his mouth.

Twig can’t understand the full meaning of what he said, but she can understand the tone of his voice. She lowers her head, tilting one eye up to look at him, the feathers around her neck fluffed up. Watching silently, confused and wondering why he’s upset with her.

He wants to apologize, but if he does, he thinks his voice will break. So he returns all his pokémon to their pokéballs and heads back into the city alone.

He hears it a split second before he sees it - a faint but growing high-pitched racket of chirps and caws. Then, an orange shape moving across the sand.

Twig, running and hopping towards him, stumbling every few steps and pushing herself back up again.

The last thing he wanted to see, but the thing he needed to see the most.

He thinks about all the time he’s kept Twig in her ball since the accident. Earlier today, when they were training, when he scolded her for -

For wanting to be near him.

Because they’ve been together since she hatched from an egg. Because the two of them are supposed to face everything together. Why would that change now?

“I’m so sorry,” Calem sniffs, feeling a tear start to run down his cheek. “I was only thinking about whether or not you’d be able to battle again. I wasn’t- I didn’t realize that I was pushing you away.”

Twig gives a small peep. She’s warm - she warms up when she’s happy.

He sheds a few more tears. “I’m just g-glad you’re still here.”

anyway, god, shell, you're such a damn good writer. I really, really admire how you're able to make Pokemon seem so alive even without talking, and I know that I won't ever be disappointed with any of your updates, god, I REALLY cannot emphasize how much I love this fic omg

 

[Cas]

omg I'm sorry I'm so late replying to this chapter! I'd echo what everyone else has already commented, but it's clear to see why you've been nominated for so many categories for the Extravaganza. Your style is succinct but powerful, and tells us exactly what we need to know without any filters. Calem's feelings are, by far, superior in this very chapter, and I think it was absolutely necessary that you included this. Seeing Calem open up to his friends is so heartwarming. Your writing, and the feelings they invoke, is something I very much want to channel in my own writing. Lovely chapter ❤️

 

[apocalypsewriter]

I've caught up again! I won't repeat everything I commented on AO3, so this will be more general now that I've reread the entire story again. Even knowing the first eight chapters, it didn't take anything away from a reread. In fact, I think certain aspects I enjoyed more because I knew what was coming up. Calem and Twig are my favourite and whichever direction her recovery takes I just hope they get to stick together through all of it.

Sorry, still all teary. As always, looking forward to the next chapter and thank you for sharing~

 

[pinkshellos]

you guys??? i placed in all 3 categories???
thank you to everyone who voted for Revive in the ganza, the fact that other people have been able to find joy in this story makes me so happy ^_^ i hope you're expecting another great year of chapters because i intend to deliver :D
i want to whip up a little ganza doodle of the whole cast and their medals, but this chapter got done before i could get to it so i figured i'd tackle that some other day.

Spoiler: reptruths

@Vivace: I figured that scene would be a neat way to introduce Calem's new team member, you're for sure right that he needed some good luck! also i had the feels cannon locked and loaded for this chapter, i'm glad it delivered XD

@Dustox: I'm glad I was able to convey Calem's feelings clearly. He's cuddling with his bird! He has a new absol friend! Everything is ok now!

@Leon Yorunaki: aha, you noticed that I'm having Shauna and Calem's teams mirror their in-game/canon ones! with a few exceptions, of course. and as always I'm happy to see your comment :D thank you for your kind words!

@MegaInfernape: this was the Attacking Your Feels chapter for sure - also, thank you (and Leon and Viv) for pointing out to me that this chapter was just as important to the plot as the ones that actually deal with the XY plot! It helped me readjust my story priorities XD lastly, does this mean HinL is gonna have a Whirlipede and Absol in the main cast too? or?👀

@JavierE64: don't cry! Calem and Twig are both going to be ok! XD

@Black Viper: i was waiting to dedicate a chapter to the boy and his magic fire bird! i also didn't realize exactly how fast Calem reaches a full team until i wrote these past two chapters - the other two will be catching up soon enough, i swear!

@Arowana: wah, tysm for the comment, it''s so sweet!! :'D I'm glad you've enjoyed the past few chapters and that you like my run it means a lot!!

@Cas: thank you so much!! that's awesome to hear because your writing is aspirational to me :D

@apocalypsewriter: you know this already but i was so excited seeing all the comments you left on ao3!! glad you enjoyed the reread :D

♢ Chapter 11: A Key i wrote a 6.6k chapter whoops Spoiler: Part 1 My excitement grows steadily as Shauna, Calem, and I walk across the sandbar towards the Tower of Mastery. It seems to stretch upward, further and further, until it towers over us as we approach the arched entryway in the front brick walls. Craggy rocks peek out from the water at the edge of the island - see a Clauncher duck behind one once it spots me. Wingull flap lazily overhead, enjoying the clear, warm day. Just like Professor Sycamore requested, I called Dr. Gurkinn as soon as we were settled into our rooms at the Centre. We had to pick the date of our visit to the tower based on the tide table - as soon as the tide goes in, you’re stuck either on the mainland or the island, so we had to plan for a day where the tide would be out during most of the daylight hours. And today was finally the day. Two figures stand in the archway, with large wooden doors held open behind them - one I immediately recognize as Korrina, and an older man who I assume is Dr. Gurkinn. “Hello!” Korrina cups her hands around her mouth and yells to us as soon as we get even remotely close to the island. At first, I’m surprised to see her again - but as the gym leader of this city, I bet she has some kind of connection to this place. As the three of us finally reach the entrance, Dr. Gurkinn looks us over with a small smile on his face. He’s much shorter than Korrina, with receding ashy-blonde hair and bushy eyebrows. “Calem, Shauna, Vienna - it’s very nice to meet you,” he says, stepping up and shaking each of our hands. “My name is Cornelius Gurkinn, as you’ve heard from Professor Sycamore. And I hear you’ve already met my granddaughter, Korrina.” “I’ve earned my gym leader title, grandfather! Surely you could introduce me with that!” Korrina interjects. Gurkinn raises one hand and places it on Korrina’s shoulder. “Ah, you have, but the fact that you are my granddaughter will always be more precious to me than any title you have. Just the same as I felt about your mother,” he says, turning back towards us. “Excuse me - I got a bit distracted there. What I’m trying to say is that I’m glad you three have already met Korrina. Mega stones do tend to bring people together,” he hums thoughtfully. “Come - I’m sure you’d like a tour of this sacred place.” “Of course we would!” Shauna exclaims, eyes shining. Wick, who’s been walking beside her, responds to his trainer’s enthusiasm with an excited growl. Crossing under the archway, we’re greeted with an amazing sight - wide paths lined with buildings of several historical-looking architectural styles, stacked on three tiers with steep staircases between them. Stone brick reinforces the hillsides, and the trees along the pathways gently sway in the breeze. On the highest tier is the Tower of Mastery itself, with its three massive triangular entryways, stone support beams on one side, and the four silvery spires that seem to scrape against the sky. “I will warn you - this island is not very big, and word spread quite fast of Professor Sycamore’s chosen trainers vying for a key stone. Everyone who studies and works here is very fond of pokémon battles; you may be challenged to a few while you are here,” Dr. Gurkinn informs us. “Bring it on,” I laugh. “I’d love to let my team out.” “Go for it!” Korrina says. “I’d like to see the rest of your pokémon.” I settle on letting Ram and Exca out - Ram is excited by the new scenery, running ahead of us, and Exca rolls beside me, keeping a watchful eye on passers-by. Gurkinn leads us down the largest path, pointing out the variety of buildings - some housing, some classrooms, and some laboratories. He points to a huge gray building with a conical blue roof and tells us that it’s the largest library in all of Kalos. Tons of people live and work here - record keepers, archeologists, students, carpenters, stoneworkers, and most famously, trainers striving to become capable of mega evolution - who, surprisingly, are few and far between. Dr. Gurkinn remarks that he’s driven away quite a few students in the past with his strict training regiments; I laugh nervously and exchange glances with Shauna and Calem. “Let me tell you, I was tempted to refuse Sycamore’s request at first. He has a very far-out theory about what drives mega evolution - but he seems to believe in you three, and I’m interested to see what comes of this experiment of his,” Dr. Gurkinn says, turning around and staring me right in the eyes. I nod, trying to look unphased. This is the second time that Sycamore’s sponsorship has put the three of us under the scrutiny of someone important - at least Cornelius Gurkinn doesn’t seem to be quite as off-putting as Lysandre. We turn a corner to see a wide-open battlefield tucked between two buildings. There’s a small group of people and pokémon of various ages gathered - several of them wave as they see us approaching. Ram perks up as soon as he sees the other pokémon, springing ahead with an excited bark and a wagging tail. He runs right up to a Sawk, who’s surprised to see the rapidly approaching Quilladin, rearing back and raising one leg. Seeing this, I frantically run after Ram, hoping I can nip any accidental conflict in the bud; another man walks up, introducing himself as Igor, the Sawk’s trainer. We exchange polite small talk for a moment before Igor gets right to the point and asks me if I’d like to battle. I hesitate for a moment, but remind myself that I’ve been training a lot recently. I made sure to spend a lot of the free time I had over the past few days working with my team - Poncho’s and Exca’s attacks have been getting stronger, and Chili is even more agile now that he’s evolved. So, I tell Igor that Ram would probably be heartbroken if I refused. We’re just about to walk over to the opposite sides of the field when Dr. Gurkinn approaches and offers to oversee the battle. The man nods respectfully, accepting his offer with warmth, so I consider this a good sign - if not a bit of an intimidating prospect. The mega evolution guru watching me battle? What if I mess up? “And, Vienna,” Dr. Gurkinn continues, “if you lose this battle, you and your friends will have to leave the island immediately.” Ok, not a good sign anymore. Shauna and Calem look over at me with wide eyes. He turns on his heel immediately after the last words leave his mouth, leaving me to prepare for the battle as the other trainers clear the area. Win this battle or we all get kicked out before we can even ask about the key stone? Of course I can do that. Totally not nervous at all. Ram runs to my side, looking up at me and chattering loudly like he’s impatient that the battle hasn’t started already. I feel my nerves ease a bit, and I reach down to rub his head. Ironfist and Ram charge at each other as soon as the battle starts; Ram slashes with the spines on his arms, and Ironfist punches and kicks. Both land a few blows, but even after the hits, neither are deterred. They start to circle each other. It looks like this could turn into a stalemate, and I don’t want that for sure. This doesn’t have to be a close-up battle, though. I’ve got an idea. I shout for Ram to use a long-range move we’ve been working on since just before Ambrette – seeing Ram was able to produce seeds that could sprout and drain energy from his opponent, I started to wonder if he’d be able to use those same principles for something a little more fast-acting. He brays and winds up for the throw, lobbing three large chestnut-like seeds across the field; they pepper the Sawk, and Ironfist stumbles backwards, not expecting an aerial attack. I thought that would give us the upper hand, but then Ironfist strikes back with a jab from his arm covered in a sticky purple substance - the sight makes my stomach drop. Ram squeals, the poison leaving a brown mark on his shell. He could be down for the count in a second if I let him keep battling, but who should I send out? I feel the nerves start to set in - but then I feel a tap on my leg. I look down and see Exca next to me, looking up with a fierce look in her yellow eye. I nod to her. Ram is grumpy when I call him back, but I tell him that it’s because I want to keep him from getting hurt. Out of the corner of the eye, I see Dr. Gurkinn nodding from the sidelines. When Exca enters the battle, Ironfist is ready for her, bracing both arms as the Whirlipede charges forward and slams into her opponent. She spins around the Sawk in accelerating circles; it dances from one foot to the other to keep sight of her. They clash for a while - the Sawk is able to land some solid blows, but Exca’s even less phased by its punches and kicks than Ram was. Now that she’s out there, I realize that Exca is shockingly effective against fighting-types, outmaneuvering her opponent and shrugging off attacks left and right. She doesn’t strike back quite as hard, but she’s got the advantage of sheer tenacity. Exca blows past Ironfist and curves back around, managing to rocket towards it so fast that the jab with her horns finally manages to break through its braced stance. The Sawk skids backwards, dropping to one knee. “We’ve got a winner,” Dr. Gurkinn says, and I nearly collapse with relief. Exca rolls back to my side with a satisfied sounding chitter, and I stroke the top of her shell. When I look back up, I spot Dr. Gurkinn waving me over. I adjust my bag and jog over to the edge of the battlefield. He starts talking as soon as I’m within earshot. “My apologies for springing an ultimatum on you - but I’ve found that’s what it takes to get young trainers to take a battle seriously.” “Uh-huh?” I say, feeling like his years and years of mentorly experience are a bit lost on me. “You had an advantage in numbers, and Igor is not a trainer by trade, so I knew from the beginning you would win. What I was paying attention to was how you were working with your pokémon.” Dr. Gurkinn pauses, waving goodbye to the small crowd and motioning for me to keep walking with him. Before I can respond, my conversation with Dr. Gurkinn is interrupted by a yell. “Vee! Look!” I turn around and see two things: Shauna, waving her arms frantically, and a glowing ball of light rolling towards me. The ball of light elongates, stretching outward and upward; I have to close my eyes as it gets close. When I open them again, I’m staring right at a black and red face with two familiar yellow eyes and an impressive set of red-and-purple striped horns. Exca is now taller than I am. “Holy shit,” I say, absolutely beaming. With a quick glance back towards the battlefield, I spot a few people pointing towards us. I reach up and gently scratch under Exca’s chin. The black parts of her body are kinda leathery, quite different from the chitinous plates covering her back and head. She makes a quiet rumbling noise and closes her eyes for a second, but quickly pulls her head away and starts walking in a wide circle across the sidewalk. “Ah,” Dr. Gurkinn makes a motion reminiscent of stroking a beard, but there’s no beard there. “What I was going to say was that you didn’t do too bad for a new trainer. Your Scolipede evolving, though? That’s a good omen.” Shauna and Calem catch up to us with congratulations for my newest fully-evolved teammate, Korrina in tow right behind them. “Now I wish you’d come challenge my gym already,” Korrina remarks. She had been skating up and down the path during the match - I wasn’t sure she was even watching until she spoke. “There will be plenty of time for that another day,” Dr. Gurkinn chides her. We all start walking again, directed back towards the center of the island. Scaling one of the steep staircases - if we keep this up, my legs are going to hate me later - I realize that we’re heading vaguely in the direction of the Tower itself. Calem walks up next to me. “How about that battle? You really got put on the spot.” I sigh. “Right? I’m glad I kept it together.” “You did great,” Shauna reassures me. “I just hope that’s the last of his surprises.” --- ♢ ---​ I feel like a bug standing under the three archways leading into the Tower of Mastery. We head into a giant brick chamber, with gray stone floor and rough brown brick walls. The windows cast crisscrossing beams of light down towards us. In the center of the room is a huge statue of a Lucario - it must be its mega-evolved form, because it’s got a larger ruff of fur and a pattern of darker markings that I’ve never seen before. As my eyes travel up the statue, I’m distracted by a looping spiral staircase that climbs up the inside of the tower, lined by countless doors. “Welcome to the Tower of Mastery proper,” Dr. Gurkinn begins, his voice echoing upwards. He leads us up the staircase - I watch the Lucario statue get smaller and smaller as we ascend the tower - finally stopping at a wooden door framed by an ornately carved arch. When I look closer, I spot small gemstones set in the wood. “Why are we going to your study?” Korrina asks her grandfather, looking quizzical. In response, the elderly man only waves his hand. We file through the doors and into the room - it’s a bit cramped, but I guess that’s to be expected from a building that’s hundreds of years old. The brick walls are lined with bookshelves, and there’s a faded rug in dappled shades of blue and yellow rolled out across the floor. Light seeps in through a single window in the far wall. Sitting in one corner of the room is a Blaziken with a weathered beak - it’s the oldest pokémon I’ve ever seen. When it sees us enter, it makes a low croaking noise and stands, walking over to Dr. Gurkinn’s side. “Hello, Cetrillo,” he says, rubbing the side of (who I assume to be) his partner’s face. Stepping past his pokémon, Dr. Gurkinn approaches a set of wooden drawers that are taller than he is. He opens and closes a few drawers, finally pulling out a silvery box. “This,” he says, approaching a nearby lectern, “is the key stone you three are looking for.” Dr. Gurkinn opens the lid of the box and pulls out a white fingerless glove with a dark blue wristband. At first I don’t know where the stone is until he turns it around, revealing a glittering opalescent shape set in the top of the fabric, bordered by a black band. “Grandfather,” Korrina gasps, “you’re giving them your key stone?” “Really?” I blink a few times. The key stone that Dr. Gurkinn offered Professor Sycamore - to be given to three trainers who he’s never met in his life - is his own? “Yes,” Dr. Gurkinn says, walking towards us with the glove in hand. “I am growing old. Mega evolution is physically demanding for both pokémon and trainer; my days as a key stone holder are waning.” He shifts his gaze towards Calem, Shauna, and I. “You three are aspiring to join the new generation of mega evolution users alongside Korrina, are you not?” “Yes,” Calem and I say simultaneously. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shauna hesitate. After a moment, she nods. “That’s what I thought,” Dr. Gurkinn says, stroking his chin again. “Professor Sycamore is bringing new ideas to the discussion of mega evolution, and you three are young, with the unique point of view and optimism that comes with it. I think it’s time for new ideas in Kalos, which is why I entertained the idea of giving this key stone to you - but I’d like proof of your convictions first. This island is a place of legacy and tradition. While I can’t control what you do with this key stone after you leave this place, I want to know that you respect the history of the tower and that you’re determined to truly work towards your goals.” He holds the glove in his outstretched hand. “All I ask is that two of you battle for the stone - as a formality.” All three of us are silent for a moment - then Shauna shakes her head and steps backwards. “Count me out,” she says simply. “I’m not here to compete with you guys.” Dr. Gurkinn narrows his eyes. “Your friend lacks ambition. It is you two, then.” After Shauna steps back, it leaves Calem and I facing each other - he turns towards me, adjusting his bag. “Well, Vee – we are rivals, after all,” Calem says. He brings one arm up and offers his hand. “I challenge you for the key stone.” “Are you sure?” I say, remembering the battling anxiety that he had told Shauna and I about just the other night. “We don’t have to. Shauna and I could just… battle for fun. Or we ask Dr. Gurkinn for a different, uh, test.” I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I was also saying that because I’m nervous about going toe-to-toe with him - but I took a leap with the battle against Igor and Ironfist earlier, and Exca evolved afterwards. Hell, I’m standing here right now because I decided to try something scary. Maybe this isn’t such a bad idea after all. “Very sure. I’ve been training too, remember? Plus, you told me that when we finally battled, you’d make sure you’d win. Prove it to me,” Calem says, stretching out his hand towards me. He sounds sincere, so I smile and reach forward to shake his hand. “That’s a challenge, then! I accept.” Korrina laughs. “This is gonna be a good one.” Dr. Gurkinn smiles, the Blaziken watching us closely from his side. “Good. Now we must go up to the battlefield.” He leads us back out of the study and up the staircase for so long that I forget how many floors we’ve walked up. Spoiler: Part 2 The ocean stretches out impossibly far from the top of the tower - I almost feel dizzy just looking out towards the horizon. From up here, you can see the giant container ships sailing in from other regions. Wingull circle around us, squawking lazily. “How’s this for a view, huh?” Korrina has to shout to get her voice to carry over the wind and the waves. Her two Lucario stand by her side - seems like she let them out so they could watch the match. “Do people normally battle up here?” Calem calls back to her. “Only for really important matches,” she responds. “Consider yourself lucky!” I’ll consider myself lucky if I don’t blow away, that’s for sure. The brick walls that line the roof look just a few centimeters too short to be reliable. Set into the roof is a pattern of lighter bricks that outline the shape of a battlefield, and Calem and I take our places at opposite ends. For a moment, I start to wonder again just what I’m doing, volunteering to battle him just a few weeks after we were in Lumiose - but I tell myself that I’ve been standing my ground just as well as him against all of the gym leaders so far, and I believe in my pokémon. “I’m not gonna hold anything back!” I shout to Calem, just to keep bolstering my confidence. “Good! I won’t either!” He yells back, pokéball already in hand. I spot Dr. Gurkinn raise his arms from the center of the field, and my hand immediately flies to Ram’s pokéball. I did promise him the next battle, after all. My Quilladin appears with a cry and a wide swish of his tail, staring down Calem’s Meowstic, Noir. I’ve only seen Noir in action once since he evolved - but this looks like a pretty decent matchup for Ram, considering he’s not a full-fledged, fighting-type Chesnaught yet. Ram charges, lunging forward and snapping at Noir, but the psychic-type manages to dart backwards at first - dang, he’s fast. It sends out a brief blast of energy that pushes Ram backwards, kicking up dust as he skids. “Keep at it!” I tell him. Ram’s second lunge connects, just barely, as he manages to bite down on Noir’s arm. Ram yanks Noir to the side before the Meowstic unfolds his ears and unleashes another blast, deeper and stronger this time - I feel the thrum in my chest. Ram rolls across the ground, finally catching himself with his front arms and springing back to his feet with a growl. Noir is powerful, that’s for sure, but he’s wincing a bit now that Ram landed an attack. We need to keep this barrage up - I shout for Ram to use the long-range seed bombs. Calem yells to Noir - something about a screen - and the Meowstic raises his paws, creating a shimmering circular barrier that hovers in the air in front of him right as Ram sends the seeds flying through the air. They bounce off the barrier and roll across the bricks, leaving my Quilladin huffing in frustration - and then hurrying to dodge a beam of psychic energy. “A close-up fight it is, then,” I say under my breath. “Ram, charge again! Circle around!” “Keep your eyes on the Quilladin!” Calem shouts to Noir. Seeing how agile Noir is, I’m slightly less optimistic about Ram’s chances, but I’m not giving up yet. He manages to dodge multiple blasts as he runs towards the Meowstic again, the spines on his arms growing longer as he prepares to attack. He tries to jab the spines into the psychic barrier, but it bends almost like soft plastic. It’s trippy and kinda cool-looking, but more importantly, I realize he needs to get behind Noir before the Meowstic can react. “Ram, roll around him!” Ram barks and curls up into a ball, dipping just around the corner of the barrier and swerving around his opponent. He pops his arms back out in a flash, jabbing Noir in the back. The Meowstic stumbles forwards, the barrier disappearing. He whirls around and sends another rippling blast towards Ram, who manages to power through it and send two more jabs at Noir. Noir falls backwards, front paws splayed, with a mewling sound. The quills on Ram’s arms shrink, and he leans down and sniffs at the other pokémon with a few gentle squeaks. In response, Noir opens his eyes and lets out a gravelly meow. “Awesome, Ram!” I yell, pleasantly surprised that he pulled that maneuver off. It seems like luck is on our side so far. “Meowstic is unable to battle,” Dr. Gurkinn shouts. “Not bad,” Calem says, returning Noir to his pokéball. Ram runs back towards me, flexing his spines and chattering victoriously - that is, until he turns around to see Calem’s Braixen standing across the battlefield. Hugo huffs and brandishes his wand, waiting for a command from Calem. Ram growls, excited. Well, shit. This type matchup isn’t good. I’m considering switching Ram out, but would it look like a cheap shot? I don’t have time to think too hard about the decision, because my Quilladin starts charging forward just in time for Hugo to send a spiral of flame through the air towards him. He rolls backwards, looking a bit charred and definitely down for the count. “Quilladin is unable to battle. Vienna, select your next pokémon.” Well, if Calem brought out Hugo to hit Ram’s weakness, I know who I’m sending out next. “Let’s do this, Poncho!” She lands on the field and shakes out her feathery tail, staring down her opponent before glancing back at me. “Dodge as many attacks as you can and keep firing back!” Poncho croaks affirmatively, and her cheeks inflate as she readies a blast of water. Hugo raises his wand and lets loose another blast of fire that hurtles towards my Wortortle with a woosh. She douses it with a shower of water, running forward to close a bit of the distance between them. They send attacks back and forth, fire and shimmering psychic energy from Hugo and jets of frothy water from Pocho. One strikes Hugo in the shoulder, and he yowls, the flame on the end of his wand flickering. In the next moment, Poncho has to duck and turn her shell towards a multicolored psychic blast to disperse it. It’s wearing down on both of them, I can tell - but I technically have an advantage, type-wise, and I trust that Poncho can pull through here. And then Calem shouts to Hugo, telling him to charge. Embers start to slide off of Hugo’s fur, forming a flickering trail behind him as he takes off in a sprint right towards Poncho. Neither of us are ready for that - whatever command I was going to yell to her gets stuck in my throat. My Wortortle tucks into her shell, panicked, taking a flaming full-body tackle from the Braixen. She ends up stuck on her back, wiggling back and forth to try and flip over. After a few moments, her arms and legs slump in defeat. Damn, that Braixen is tough - all of Calem’s pokémon are. “Wartortle is unable to battle! Select your next pokémon.” “One second!” I call, running out onto the field to flip Poncho back onto her feet. She shakes her head, holding her clawed hands over her face. Kneeling down beside her, I rest one hand on her head. “You did good. Hugo’s been evolved for a month now - he’s a scary opponent for sure, and you almost got him, too.” Poncho lowers her arms, blinking at me before affectionately butting her head into my shoulder. I laugh and return her to her pokéball. She’ll get him next time, I’m sure. As I stand up, I see Hugo standing by Calem’s side. Calem is scratching underneath his chin, and the Braixen’s tail is swishing back and forth happily. “I like what I see, both of you, but we need to keep this battle moving,” Dr. Gurkinn chides. “Sorry!” I say, jogging back over to my side of the battlefield. I gotta get my brain back in gear if I want a shot at winning this match. Chili’s my next option, because I think Exca would get torched in two seconds if I sent her out. I grab his pokéball and cross my fingers. My Simisear appears, dodging out of the way of a psychic blast almost as soon as his feet hit the ground. Chili glances back at me, swinging his tail in wide arcs. “Get up close and stay there - he’s got blast attacks, and he can charge,” I tell him. Chili chatters and bounds towards Hugo, taking big, arcing leaps off of the ground. Hugo sends another shimmering beam of purplish-blue light streaking through the air, but Chili manages to counter it with a big breath of his own fire. He lands in front of the Braixen, who darts backwards and crouches low to the ground. I see embers start to travel up Hugo’s casting arm - that looks familiar. “Watch out - he’s going to charge!” I yell just in time for most of Hugo’s coat to burst into flame. It’s only a little terrifying to watch. He runs at Chili, and for a second it looks like they’re about to collide head-on like what happened to Poncho - but instead, my Simisear vaults straight up into the air, forcing Hugo to skid to a halt and turn around to face him. Chili darts towards his opponent, who fires another beam that briefly causes him to stumble, but doesn’t stop him from closing the distance between them. He snaps at Hugo’s arm, barely missing, and throws a kick as the Braixen darts aside. I know a few of Poncho’s water blasts connected, so Hugo must be getting tired by now. As long as he doesn’t have any more tricks up his sleeve, Chili could have this one in the bag. “Keep it up!” Chili’s faster than Hugo by a considerable amount, and now that they’re not on opposite sides of the field, Calem’s partner is getting peppered with attacks. Hugo thrusts his wand arm forward, winding up for a point-blank blast, but Chili manages to grab the stick in his teeth and throw it aside. This startles the Braixen so much that he loses his balance, and with one more headbutt to the chest, Dr. Gurkinn declares Chili victorious. “Dang, I thought Hugo was on a roll with Poncho down for the count,” Calem says. “You surprised me, that’s for sure.” I grin, flattered by the fact that I threw ace-trainer-Calem for a loop. Chili must have also understood the praise, because he chatters happily and hops from one foot to the other. “Let’s see if Chili can beat Onyx, though!” Calem holds out his next pokéball, and the lithe form of his new Absol leaps out onto the field in a graceful arc. I forgot about that one. Onyx tosses her head, staring Chili down with an intimidating expression. The pokémon waste no time before charging at each other; Onyx swings her curved horn around in brutal-looking slashes and Chili jumps around, trying to stay just out of the danger zone. A few of her attacks graze his fur, and I can see him wince. It only takes Chili one wrong move before he takes the brunt of a slash. It knocks him to the ground with a pained squeak, and I see Onyx winding up to pounce on him. “Fire! Now!” I yell frantically. Chili lets loose a blast of flame just in time to intercept the leaping Absol; he rolls to the side and springs back to his feet, taking a deep breath in preparation for another attack. The tuft of fur on his head is almost glowing with heat; I see the air around it warping like a heat mirage. Onyx staggers back to her feet with a growl - that fire must’ve hit her hard. This matchup feels a bit like a game of cat-and-mouse - Chili has to stay out of horn-slashing range, but Onyx is just barely fast enough to keep up with him, so he can’t get enough distance for a counterattack. I need to be smart about this or I could be down to one last pokémon soon. I squint and study the battle closely - and then I realize that Onyx isn’t putting as much power behind her strikes anymore. She’s tired from the point-blank blast of fire, focusing all her energy on keeping up with Chili. Ok, time to take a risk. “Turn around! One more attack!” This could be enough to send Onyx back off the field - or it could give her the perfect opening to hit Chili head-on. I believe in him, though. My Simisear’s ears perk as I call out to him, and he turns on his heel, blowing a bright streak of fire right at his opponent, who’s still barrelling towards him at top speed. Onyx skids to a halt, but not fast enough to dodge. She rears backwards, falling to one side. “Absol is unable to battle! Calem, select your next pokémon.” It actually worked! I’m giving my whole team a big plate of berries later. The battle is all but wrapped up after that - Calem sends out Lily next, but the poor Ivysaur isn’t fast enough to match Chili and has a type disadvantage to boot. I almost feel bad about how fast she goes down, but I remind myself that this isn’t an end-all, be-all battle. Cherry is nowhere to be seen; I guess Calem’s Eevee isn’t ready to battle another trainer’s pokémon yet. Dr. Gurkinn raises his arm in my direction. “Vienna is the winner of this battle!” I almost feel like I’m dreaming - just a few weeks ago, I wouldn’t have even thought I could beat Calem in a battle. I jog to the center of the field to meet him. “I kept my promise, huh?” I say, smiling ear-to-ear - but then I realize I’m forgetting about something. I can’t read Calem’s expression as he walks towards me. “I, uh - I hope you don’t feel bad because I won. Your pokémon are amazing - especially Hugo, I can’t believe he beat Poncho! And this was just a formality, after all. For fun.” I say, offering my hand for him to shake and hoping that I sound as sincere as I feel. Calem looks out across the ocean for a moment before turning back to me, his hair blowing in the wind. He grabs my hand and smiles. “No, that was fun - and I mean it. It’s nice having someone to battle with like that again. Plus, neither of us can actually use that key stone yet anyway.” Dr. Gurkinn approaches the two of us, holding the silver box in his hands. Calem and I hush as he begins to speak. “Congratulations, Vienna. A successful challenge for a key stone means that the potential to someday mega evolve your Blastoise is within your grasp.” He flips open the lid and gently holds the glove in his hand, offering it to me. “Thank you,” I say to Dr. Gurkinn, feeling like I should at least take this a little seriously. “I’m really honored.” I take it and turn it over in my hands, admiring how the colors in the stone shift when the light hits it. I don’t put it on, though - it feels wrong, somehow. Just because Calem challenged me for the stone and I won doesn’t mean we can’t share it, right? That’s not really a good way to test all three of us for our worthiness, or whatever Dr. Gurkinn was looking for. I look up and see Shauna still standing by the edge of the roof. She’s looking back towards the city. It’s strange that she shut down the idea of battling one of us so fast, and she hasn’t been nearly as enthusiastic as she usually is since then. I wonder if she’s feeling ok. There’s not very much fanfare after that - after all, there’s only five of us up here on the roof of the tower. When we start to file back down the stairs, Korrina calls out to me. “Vienna! Can you hang back for a minute?” I glance back over my shoulder and tell Shauna and Calem that I’ll meet them at the bottom of the stairs. As I turn around, one of Korrina’s Lucarios - right, his name is Dusk - perks up and barks at me. “Thanks,” Korrina says as I jog back up to her. She’s half leaning against the railing, where we can both see the dizzying view of the stairs spiraling back down towards the ground. “This won’t take very long, I promise. I was wondering, since you were the one that won the challenge for the key stone and all, if you’d be willing to help me with something. It’ll be easier to explain later, but it has to do with mega evolution.” “Uh,” I start to stammer, and Korrina hurriedly keeps talking. “No pressure or anything! I don’t think it’ll work, anyway, but I was just… wondering. Would you be willing to come back here in a few days and help me mega evolve my Lucario?” She tosses her ponytail over her shoulder and gives me a big, blue-eyed look. I don’t know what I expected, but that’s not it. “Well, I guess I can try,” I offer. It doesn’t sound very feasible - what, does she want me to use this key stone to mega evolve a pokémon only a few days after ever receiving it? - but I feel like it would be nice to at least give it a shot if she’s asking for my help. Korrina smiles wide. “Thank you! How about… five days from now? Or as close as we can get with the tide table? Let me give you my Holo Caster ID, and we can keep each other updated. I’ll be sure that you have an opening to come challenge my gym in the meantime,” she says with a wink. Mildly overwhelmed, I thank her, and we exchange IDs. Or, at least, she gives me her ID and I give her my phone number - I’m still not really using my new Holo Caster. Thankfully, they’re sideways compatible. She lets me go after that, and I hurry to catch up with my friends, focusing most of my mental energy on trying not to trip on the way down the stairs. I’m still holding the mega glove in my hand - I look down at it, and the key stone glints up at me. Between Dr. Gurkinn scrutinizing my battle with Igor earlier, and Korrina asking me to help her with mega evolution and urging me to challenge her gym, this island is feeling a bit stuffy. I’m glad that we’ll be back at the Centre soon, where I can just… hang out. After meeting up with Shauna and Calem at the front entrance to the Tower of Mastery, we head down the sloping tiers of the island and back out onto the sandbar. The shadows are just starting to get long, and as I look back, the Wingull that were soaring over the ocean earlier are now roosting on the rocks around the island. “So we’ve got a key stone now,” Shauna says while we’re walking, “and you two are rivals?” “Yeah,” I say, holding up the glove while Calem nods. Shauna laughs. “I didn’t think you were that serious, Vee. I can’t imagine the League being about anything but traveling and having fun - but the gym leaders, elite four, and champion all take it seriously, I guess. I’m not about that, though.” “Well, Sycamore sending us out here to ask Dr. Gurkinn for a key stone so we can try to mega evolve a pokémon he gave us is kinda serious,” Calem offers. “True,” Shauna hums. “And we’re one step closer to that now,” I add. “Mega evolution. Do you think any of us will be able to use it?” Calem is momentarily distracted by helping Twig up onto a stable perch on his shoulder. “Maybe. I hope so.” As we continue to walk, I think about what Shauna said about gym leaders and the League. When I decided that I was going to try being a pokémon trainer again, I was only thinking as far as the end of the summer, when the season was over. I hadn’t even considered if I want to keep battling after that - if I get enough badges, would I want to see if I could get a job at one of the gyms? When do I actually need to start thinking about that? I hope I still have some time before I need to have it all figured out. But hey, in the meantime, I just won a battle against Calem and we’re on our way to fulfilling the task Professor Sycamore gave us that day in the lab back in Lumiose. Spoiler: even MORE words and mons Spoiler: a/n i don't have a lot to say about this one bc i gave myself a headache reformatting the team tables XD i may come back and edit more in at some point idk tower of mastery chapter! i had fun finding ways that i could shake it up a bit/differentiate this chapter from canon, and i enjoyed writing calem and vee getting to battle for the first time. next chapter i'll probably get to finally introduce an encounter that's about two chapters late, story-location-wise! fun! Vienna Ram ♂​ Chili ♂​ Poncho ♀​ Exca ♀​ Shauna Froabble ♀​ Sugar Cube ♀​ Wick ♂​ Calem Hugo ♂​ Lily ♀​ Noir ♂​ Cherry ♀​ Onyx ♀​ Twig ♀​

 

[MegaInfernape]

When I open them again, I’m staring right at a black and red face with two familiar yellow eyes and an impressive set of red-and-purple striped horns.

Exca is now taller than I am.

Ah yes the daily reminder that Scolipede is absolutely fucking massive (like holy that thing is over eight feet tall)

Also that fight was so fun. And woo Calem enjoying himself. Good my man needs an angst break

 

[SprungGeoduck]

okay so I've already screamed at you incessantly about this one over discord but LET ME REITERATE: this slaps. i love it. i love this run. keep it up!

 

[SayleeK]

Ohhhhh, great battle between Vienna and Calem, your action descriptions were so vivid! Still feel bad for poor Calem and Twig, but hey, cool new Absol friend, that rocks!

 

[Arowana]

Spoiler: the good thing about only having like one update to read is that I can continue immediately

The ball of light elongates, stretching outward and upward; I have to close my eyes as it gets close. When I open them again, I’m staring right at a black and red face with two familiar yellow eyes and an impressive set of red-and-purple striped horns.

Exca is now taller than I am.

YEAHHHHHHHHHH SCOLIPEDE TIME!!!!!!! I knew it from the Discord messages but man, reading it is great actually, you do a fantastic job describing the evolution

Scolipede is my favorite bug ever okay, so glad to see it here

I feel like a bug standing under the three archways leading into the Tower of Mastery.

funny that you say that after Exca evolved

He shifts his gaze towards Calem, Shauna, and I. “You three are aspiring to join the new generation of mega evolution users alongside Korrina, are you not?”

“Yes,” Calem and I say simultaneously.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Shauna hesitate. After a moment, she nods.

oooooooooh 👀



aw man I was rooting for Shauna, I really like her


yoooooooo that battle was SO good, I was worried for a moment there omg

“I kept my promise, huh?” I say, smiling ear-to-ear - but then I realize I’m forgetting about something. I can’t read Calem’s expression as he walks towards me.

“I, uh - I hope you don’t feel bad because I won. Your pokémon are amazing - especially Hugo, I can’t believe he beat Poncho! And this was just a formality, after all. For fun.” I say, offering my hand for him to shake and hoping that I sound as sincere as I feel.

Calem looks out across the ocean for a moment before turning back to me, his hair blowing in the wind. He grabs my hand and smiles. “No, that was fun - and I mean it. It’s nice having someone to battle with like that again. Plus, neither of us can actually use that key stone yet anyway.”

oh thank god Calem's such a nice rival, he's my favorite after that rollercoaster last chapter!!!!!

although like... all three MCs are really good, god, I just love them so much

“Congratulations, Vienna. A successful challenge for a key stone means that the potential to someday mega evolve your Blastoise is within your grasp.”

still salty that the Kalos starters can't Mega Evolve up to now

 

[Black Viper]

That was a great battle between Vee and Calem and it's been overdue for a little while. What good are rivals if they don't face off from time to time? They both enjoyed it, their teams seemed to enjoy it too, and now Vee gets a keystone and a scolipede in the same chapter. It's really shaping up nicely for her and she's right to be thinking about her future. This has serious potential to be more than just a hobby, she's clearly a talented trainer and her confidence is finally starting to catch up to her abilities.

I hope Shauna's alright. Poor girl's always been the third wheel to Vee and Calem, and, if this was the anime, she'd be busy doing contests etc. in place of battling. With any luck this new capture might be a boost for her, but it could be anything.

I really didn't know what you were going to do with the keystone. Yes, Vee's our main character, but the three of them are equally important to the story and I couldn't rule out the prospect of Calem or Shauna getting it instead. I had expected some kind of tournament/three-way battle, but even that might have had a shock ending in the winner not having the same strong bond as someone else that was more deserving... I think it says something for the story and your writing that, even knowing Vee is the protagonist, it's not a formality that she gets all of the best stuff. That said, she's now starting to develop into a stronger protagonist who better resembles a main character and future champion, so maybe that's all about to change. Either way, I can't wait to find out!

 

[Dee]

This was recommended to me and I spent the last few days reading through. And I must say, this is a great run!

I love that you're sticking true to your "I just want the gen 6 cast to have personalities" tag. I couldn't agree more. I love gen 6 but the characters seem pretty bare-bones. I like how you take the base of what's there with characters like Sycamore, Shauna, Lysandre, and Calem and make them into actual people who breathe and live while also seeming true to their game formats!

Speaking of characters, I love the little tweaks you've been making so far. I knew something was up with Shauna based on those early chapters but I wasn't expecting a connection to Diantha! Making Lysandre/Team Flare more overtly connected to the lab side of his business and making them a shady corporation/science conglomerate as opposed to the goofy gang they are in the originals is smart and clever. Sina and Dexio are great interpretations of a duo as well, and I love their connections with Vee.

I especially have to praise the heartbreaking recent developments with Twig. I was seriously worried about her, and that recent Calem extra really tugged at the heartstrings! Overall, a wonderful run. I can't wait to see more!

 

[Cas]

what a great update! was this really calem and vienna's first time battling? but what a great battle it was--Hugo is exceptionally powerful (almost unfairly so), and he really gave her a run for his money. His angsty, looking-off-into-the-distance vibes didn't go unnoticed, either! I sure hope he's feeling better, if only just a little.

also: congratulations on your ganza win!

 

[pinkshellos]

"oh, i have plenty of time to write", i said, immediately getting launched into the busiest 3 weeks of the entire semester
i'm alive though! and i've got another chapter to post!

Spoiler: reep lies

@MegaInfernape: hell yes scolipede, i've been waiting to write this mon! glad you liked the battle, it was suuuuper fun to write. Calem needed an angst break for sure XD

@SprungGeoduck: thank you!! hopefully this chapter lives up to your enjoyment of the last, lol.

@SayleeK: thanks! i went a bit more in-depth for the action sequences for that battle cuz i thought it was fitting, but i wasn't sure how it was gonna turn out since that's a bit out of my writing element per se. glad it turned out well!

@Arowana: scolipede is such a well-deserved favorite bug - it was defo launched into my top 5 after using one for this run! also, don't give up on Shauna just yet :D Calem got a lot of early development as a rival but I promise I have plenty planned for Shauna that will be coming out in a chapter or two!

@Black Viper: i was debating for a while how i wanted to handle the key stone - Vee has some more thoughts on that in this chapter, but all in all i hope i was able to convey that she has some slight reservations about being arbitrarily thrust into the spotlight out of the 3 of them. glad she's coming off as a strong protagonist, though! :D

@Dee: Thanks so much for the comment, I'm glad you've enjoyed my writing so far! I've had a blast reading Airheart so it's cool that we're enjoying each other's runs ^_^

@Cas: i tried my best to make hugo a scary opponent and i'm glad i succeeded! glad you liked the battle, i really wanted to go all-out for Calem and Vee's first real rival battle.

♢ Chapter 12: A Trial Spoiler: Chapter Because no day on the League circuit is ever dull, I find myself spending an evening trying to coax a wild pokémon out from between the trash cans behind the Centre. When I was leaving through the lobby that morning, I overheard the nurse at the front desk complaining to her coworker about a Nidorina that frequently visits the back of the building to rummage through the trash. “It comes around almost every day now, and it makes an awful mess,” the nurse says, leaning against the counter. “I might have to call the pokémon rangers on it.” This catches my attention enough that I swerve towards the desk. “Uh, pardon me. What’ll happen to the Nidorina if you call the rangers?” The two Centre staff turn towards me. “Well, they’ll probably come capture it and release it outside of Shalour in a better habitat for it. Wild pokémon don’t belong right in the middle of a city.” “Right,” I say, nodding. “The pokémon rangers are qualified for dealing with cases like that.” I find myself thinking about that Nidorina as I go about my day, about the wild pokémon trying her best to get by in a city that’s not meant for her. I wonder how she’ll feel when the rangers release her somewhere out in the wild where she’s never been before. On the bus ride out of the city to Fourrage Road, a stretch of countryside that’s popular with trainers, I pull out my phone and scroll through some articles about her species. Apparently Nidorina aren’t genetically distinct from female Nidorian - just a more mature growth stage until they evolve into Nidoqueen, and the same thing is true about male Nidorian and Nidorino. The whole species family is omnivorous, and in the wild, they live in large family groups. Reading that makes me feel even more for the Centre’s unwanted visitor; does she have a group she returns to, or is she all alone? I’m temporarily distracted by those thoughts when the bus drops me off. Fourrage Road is great; turns out it’s a popular destination for trainers because a nearby ranch repurposed acres and acres of their extra land for wild pokémon habitat and training grounds - which can be one in the same, depending on your training strategies. I steer clear of some of the wilder parts of the area after I spot a Pinsir as tall as I am moving through the trees, though. My team gets quite a bit of training in; after a little while, a curious ranch hand approaches us with a Zangoose and Tauros by his side. It’s a challenge, for sure - Exca struggles to hold her ground against the Tauros until it wears itself out so much from charging around the field that it falls asleep standing up. The ranch hand and I laugh, shake hands, and call it a draw. At one point, we come to a wooden bridge above a wide creek. I stand in the middle and lean against the railing, watching the water run by. Poncho, who’s been out by my side this whole time, slowly makes her way down the rocks and grass bordering the stream and wades in with a satisfied croak - I almost drop my phone in there with her with how fast I pull it out of my bag to take a video of her swimming. I have to stifle my laughter as Ram follows suit, scrabbling over the boulders and kicking at the water. Playing back the video, it suddenly dawns on me that maybe Sina and Dexio would enjoy it. After the two of them left Vaniville, Sina kept our group chat alive by sending pictures and videos of their pokémon - mostly Rowe and Twilight at first, as both clumsy Eevees discovered the wider world outside of our backyards, but I remember at least seeing an Azurill that Dexio caught and an Oddish of Sina’s before we stopped talking. Well, we’re talking again, right? I fight against the thumping in my chest as I tap on our old group chat. Of course, in the moment I’m too nervous to realize that I’m out in the countryside with no cell service to speak of, so the video stays stubbornly unsent with a blaring red exclamation mark on my screen. Oh well. I call it a day soon after that, and the bus drops me back off in Shalour right as the shadows start to get longer. Midway through the ride back into the city, the sky turns overcast and drizzly. On a whim, as I approach the Centre, I decide to take a peek down the alleyway where the wild Nidorina supposably digs through the trash cans. It’s narrow, and darker back here than it is out on the sidewalk, so I gasp in surprise when I suddenly spot two red eyes staring out at me from between the cans. The gasp makes the Nidorina crouch down in a defensive-looking position, the spines on her back and ears raised. “Oh,” I say, lowering my voice to a whisper. “I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to scare you. I’m not gonna hurt you.” I slowly try to creep towards her, slowly reaching out one hand and avoiding eye contact just in case she finds it threatening. I’m optimistic, but it doesn’t take long until the Nidorina gives a warning growl, so I stand back up and back away. When I turn the corner and find myself standing in front of the Centre’s doors, the wild pokémon stumbles out of the alley as well, giving me an over-the-shoulder glare as she runs down the sidewalk. The drizzle turns into the first few raindrops of a spring storm, which sends me hurrying into the building before I can even think to track where the Nidorina is running off to. Ok, not a good start. But I think I have an idea. --- ♢ ---​ The night after, I catch the Nidorina visiting the alleyway again. She’s standing upright, with her arms braced against one of the trash cans like she’s about to push it over. When she hears my footsteps, she turns around and crouches down like she did the day before. This is where I use my secret weapon. “Hi there,” I say, reaching into my bag to pull out an apple. I stretch my arm out so the Nidorina can clearly see it and place the fruit on the ground between us. The sight of whole, unspoiled food is enough to make her eyes widen and some of her spines lower. I thought that would be the case - I doubt she was finding anything particularly appealing in the trash cans. I made sure to pick out the biggest apple they had at the stand. Slowly, the Nidorina inches forward before snatching the apple up in her claws and running behind the cans to eat it. She finishes it in barely four bites, then slowly pushes her head out from between the cans to look at me. Her nose and ears twitch a few times. “I do have more if you want it,” I say, grabbing a small bag of dried meat I bought from a corner store a few blocks away from the Centre. This time, she comes close enough to grab the food right out of my hand. This is going even better than I expected! She sits near me - okay, she’s closer to the cans than she is to me, sure, but not behind them - as she eats. Finally, after two day’s worth of coaxing with food, she lets me catch her. I name her Tango. The nurse (who’s shocked to see that a trainer managed to win the trust of the Centre’s unruly visitor) tells me that she’s unexpectedly quite healthy for a city-dwelling wild pokémon. Apparently she’s quite old for a Nidorina - usually, in their normal wild ranges, they’re able to evolve into Nidoqueen. I make a mental note to do something about that when I can. Similar to Exca, Tango doesn’t want much to do with my other pokémon, but she’s very attentive to me when the promise of food is in the picture. She catches on to battling pretty fast - as long as I reward her with a berry or piece of dried meat afterwards. It’s working great, but I think I’ll have to try and wean her off of it quickly, because she has a bit of a grumpy streak. I’ll have to ask Shauna about that; I remember she used to use treats when training her team. Not that I think Tango would hurt me or one of my other pokémon - she doesn’t lash out like Exca used to, only growls loudly and stands up to her full height until the instigator (usually Ram or Chili being curious yet a bit overbearing) is intimidated enough to walk away. I’m warming up to her, and I think she’ll warm up to the rest of my team in time. And it’s a good thing I’ve got a new team member to count on, because the Shalour Gym is an uphill battle from the moment that I walk in and promptly get handed a pair of rollerblades. “This is the part of the season where the gyms introduce some additional challenges,” one of the staff members explains to me, sounding mildly apologetic. I knew that already - the League hasn’t changed all that much since I was a preteen who spent all her free time watching gym battle replays - but I’m doubly daunted by the prospect of battling Korrina again while also on rollerblades. Even the preliminary matches against the gym trainers are difficult - house rules declare that you have to follow your pokémon around the field on your skates, and if either of you get too far away from the other, you have to call them back and switch to another one of your teammates. The gym staff are definitely experienced in the kinds of strategies you can cook up with these rules, like weird figure-eight maneuvers, and I’m forced to make a bunch of unexpected switches that end up forcing almost every one of my pokémon out onto the field. I’m thankful that you get plenty of time to go heal your team afterward. I don’t have too much time to breathe, though - in a flash, I’m back in the rollerblades, struggling to come to a stop on the challenger’s side of the suspiciously skate-park-like main arena of the Shalour gym. Korrina is skating laps around me. “I’ve been waiting for this! Show me what your pokémon can do, ok?” she shouts while rolling backwards towards her end of the field. I almost lose to her - it’s the closest call I’ve had so far, for sure. Korrina’s Meditite and Machoke manage to wear down both Tango and Poncho, and I impulsively send Ram out only for him to be immediately confounded by a terrifying Hawlucha. “Grant told me about your Quilladin, and from what I’ve seen, he’s every bit as strong as I’ve heard,” Korrina grins. “Plus that Scolipede of yours, too? I can’t help but strategize a little bit.” I huff to myself, wondering how that could possibly be fair. Neither Ram or Exca can stand up to a strong flying-type like Hawlucha, so I grip Chili’s pokeball, plant a kiss on top of it, and throw him onto the field. Our battle ends with a pulse-pounding dance of my Simisear springing across the rink, dodging as many of the Hawlucha’s aerial dives as he possibly can. The intensity is doubled by the fact that I have to skate at full throttle to keep up with the tussling pokémon - it has me desperately trying to balance between shouting advice to Chili and trying not to crash into walls. Chili pulls through like he always does, though - we find the one opening he needs, and the Hawlucha goes down in a literal blaze of glory. I feel so triumphant that I almost forget how stressed I’ve been since the moment I put on this pair of rollerblades. Calem and Shauna excitedly congratulate me on the win, but in the next few days, both proceed to totally show me up while battling Korrina themselves. I’m not upset about it one bit though - I’m just excited about them kicking ass against the gym leader as I was about beating her myself. Calem’s team’s psychic attacks make quick work of most of the fighting-types there, even when Korrina reveals a Pancham that manages to drive Noir off the field and a Heracross that ultimately gets torched by Hugo. Shauna’s match is even exciting; it seems like her team is struggling with Korrina’s heavy hitters, with Froabble having an especially close call against a Throh. It looks for a moment like she’s down for the count before she manages to disorient the hulking fighting-type with a circular pulse of water. I’m starting to feel nervous when a familiar Hawlucha takes the field - at least until Wick charges across the rink, rocks forming from thin air above his head, and heaves a barrage of boulders at Korrina’s ace. It’s a one-hit knockout, and the cheers from the audience are almost deafening. After shaking the gym leader’s hand, Shauna hoists her Charmeleon off the ground in a hug. “Where did you come up with that? How did Wick do that?” I start to interrogate her as soon as the three of us meet back up at the Centre. “You pulled something like that against Grant, too - you’ve got a lot of tricks up your sleeve!” “Well, after I battled Grant, I stopped by the gym the next day and to see if I could ask him some questions about strategies and stuff. He happened to have some free time that day, and he helped me teach Wick how to use that move,” Shauna sheepishly explains. “I’ve… never even considered doing that. Maybe I should try it - there’s certainly a lot to learn from any gym leader, I’d bet.” Calem sounds impressed. The buzz doesn’t die down one bit as we plan our trip into the next city over - Coumarine, which is famous for its stunning rocky coastline views and smooth sailing out on the Azure Bay. My family went on a vacation there once when I was younger; I remember loving the beach and the bustling seaside markets, and I’m excited to finally be able to visit again - all the better that it’s part of the League circuit. “Oh, I need to stop by the Tower of Mastery one more time tomorrow, so can we get train tickets for the day after?” I chime in, relieved that I remembered my meeting with Korrina. “Oh, yeah - Korrina asked you to hang back while we were leaving, didn’t she? What did she want?” Calem asks. Twig, who’s contentedly sitting in his lap, turns one eye towards me. “She hasn’t told me yet, actually. But it has something to do with the key stone,” I respond. “I think she’s got the wrong person, though - we just got the mega glove.” “I wouldn’t refuse an offer to visit again, for sure - as long as Dr. Gurkinn is less judgy, I guess,” Shauna adds, mumbling the last few words. “He really was,” I say, trying and failing to gauge Shauna’s expression. All three of us stay up late that night, hanging out in Calem’s room in our pajamas, talking about our gym battles, what we want to do when we get to Coumarine, and how crazy it’s been taking care of our pokémon now that our teams are getting bigger and evolving. When it’s almost late enough to call it a night, my phone buzzes. I grab it, expecting a notification from Chatter or Gogat Cab that I can ignore, so I’m surprised to see it’s a text from Sina. awwwwww i love them!!!, it reads. Then there’s one that says Dexio reacted to a video attachment with a heart, and it finally dawns on me that the video of Poncho and Ram that I tried to send while I was out in the countryside must have gone through at some point once I was back in cell-service range. Whoops we didn’t see this until now because this week has been super busy, Dexio’s next text says. Another message from Sina appears on my screen: we’re gonna be heading on a field trip out to coumarine with dr sycamore in a few days, youre gonna be there soon for the league right? I excitedly sit up and start typing out my reply. Yup! We’ll be taking the train there in two days. We have to make sure to hang out while we’re all there then, Dexio sends next. yeah!! adds Sina. A smile crosses my face; I’m glad I sent that video, even though it was a bit daunting. Even though we had a rough reunion, it’s really starting to seem like Sina, Dex, and I could actually be friends again, and I couldn’t ask for anything more than that - my new friends by my side, and my old friends on the horizon. --- ♢ ---​ It’s overcast as I head back to the Tower of Mastery one last time before we leave the city. The clouds are thin and dove-gray, not thick enough to block all of the sunlight, but not thin enough to let any of the sky’s blue through. Korrina meets me at the front entryway like last time, notably without her skates, her hair thrown into a messy braid. There’s no ceremony to it - she ushers me under the archway and starts to heave at a heavy-looking crank attached to a chain that pulls the doors shut. “Thanks a lot for coming,” she says. Surprisingly, her voice is missing a layer of enthusiastic energy that I had gotten used to. Korrina leads me up the tiers of the island towards the tower, and we make some small talk. She compliments me on my performance during our gym battle and asks me what I’ve thought of my time as a League challenger so far. Admittedly, I was expecting that we would get straight to business, so my answers are a bit jumbled. “Um,” she finally adds as we pass under the entrance to the tower, “you did bring the key stone, right?” I nod and retrieve the glove from my bag. “Oh, good,” Korrina says, sounding relieved. “I know I’ve been pretty vague about what this is all about, but- here, I’ll explain once we’re at the top.” So I hike my way up the dizzying staircase again, filled with the anticipation that comes with knowing this little mystery that’s been sitting in the back of my mind for most of the week is going to be solved soon. When we emerge onto the rooftop of the Tower of Mastery, the wind is a lot calmer than it was the last time I was here. I follow Korrina to the center of the battlefield, and she turns around to face me. She grabs two pokéballs off of her belt, and her Lucarios appear beside us. They both wag their tails and sniff her in greeting, and she reciprocates with pets and scratches. The one who I assume is Dusk turns his attention my way, walking over to chuff at me warmly. It’s a much more manageable hello than the times he’s charged at me and started sniffing my bag in the past. “These Lucario aren’t actually both mine,” Korrina begins explaining. “Dusk is my mom’s. Or, uh, was my mom’s. She passed away a few years ago.” “I’m sorry,” I offer. Korrina shakes her head. “It’s ok. She was sick for a while, so we… had time to prepare.” She reaches into one of her pockets and pulls out a glittering stone dangling from a silver chain, draping it around Dusk’s neck - it must be a Lucarionite. “There’s a chance you’ve heard the name Connie Gurkinn before. My mom was the number one expert on mega evolution after my grandfather. She didn’t really fancy the League all that much, but all the big-shot battlers came to her for advice. She was really amazing, and she taught me everything she knew.” She sighs and turns towards the other Lucario, placing her hand between its ears. “We used to battle, while I was raising Dawn, and I promised mom that one day I’d be able to mega evolve with her and we could really duke it out. All I needed to do was get strong enough that I could help Dawn mega evolve, and find a stone for her, ’cuz we didn’t know if a second Lucarionite existed back then. And because of that, I kind of made a promise to Dusk and Dawn too, not just my mom.” Reaching into her pocket again, she pulls out another gem, one on a gold chain this time. “After she died, I did a lot of traveling and managed to find one. I trained as hard as I could for a really long time, and at the end of it all, the League said they wanted me as a gym leader come next season - then the revive shortage happened, and everything shut down.” Hearing that, I know exactly how she must have felt. “I was going to challenge the League that year. I know how much it sucks having your dreams kicked to the curb like that.” Korrina nods. “It got yours too, huh?” “I guess,” I say, knowing the whole story wouldn’t serve the conversation well right now, but still feeling a sense of acknowledgement either way. “My mom said her greatest wish was that I’d be just as strong as she was, but I spent so long just… sitting around, not being able to battle anyone at all besides the people on the island. My grandfather thinks it would be disrespectful to my mom to battle with her pokémon, so he’s no help, either. I really want to honor her memory, so when I heard you and your friends were going to be coming here because you were looking for a key stone, I thought that maybe there was a chance I’d finally be able to fulfill that promise. Especially with Professor Sycamore’s theory that you actually might not have to train forever before you can help a pokémon mega evolve. So, um, if I was being way too pushy or kind of overbearing about it… that’s why. And I’m sorry about that.” Korrina finally finishes, taking a deep breath after she stops speaking. She doesn’t have any of the bravado or poise that reminds me of a gym leader right now, but I understand why, and I wouldn’t expect any of that from her at the moment. “Oh, uh, it’s ok,” I reply, at a loss for words for a moment. “So, you want me to see if I can help Dusk mega evolve so he and Dawn can battle?” Korrina nods. “I know it’s a big ask. But it would really mean a lot to me if you gave it a try.” “I will,” I say, looking over at Dusk, who’s walked over to stand by my side. “You think it’s possible?” “Maybe,” Korrina offers, folding her arms against her chest. “I can tell how strongly Dusk feels about being able to battle Dawn with both of them at their full strength - hell, you know yourself that he’s been chasing down every trainer he can tell has a mega stone. And, even if it doesn’t work, it’ll probably at least help you on your way towards mega evolution with your Wartortle.” I think about Poncho, currently sitting in her pokéball inside my bag. “Well, you know more about that than I do, so I’ll take your word for it.” I look down at the mega glove in my hand, and for the first time, slide it on. It’s… less climatic than I thought it would be. Plus a little tight and scratchy. “Alright,” Korrina says. “Concentrate, and try to see if you can feel Dusk’s aura.” I nod and look over at the Lucario, who’s watching me with a sharp-eyed gaze. He tilts his head to the side. I take a deep breath and close my eyes. At first, all I sense is the sound of the ocean waves and the blotchy colors behind my eyelids. A handful of excruciatingly long seconds pass by as I try to focus my thoughts entirely on Dusk. Mega evolution. I’m doing this. Then I feel a pulse. It’s hard enough that it almost knocks me backwards, and it comes with a deep thrum that I can feel in my chest. Suddenly, I can feel a pressure in the direction and distance from me where Dusk should be standing. There’s a ringing in my ears, faint at first, that starts getting louder. Painfully loud, and it’s coming from every direction. The pressure feels like it’s keeping my lungs from expanding. My eyes fly open, and I look down at the glove. The stone embedded in it is glowing faintly - but as soon as I look at it, the glowing stops, and the pressure and the ringing fade just as fast as they started. I’m out of breath. I think my legs are shaking a little bit. My mouth is dry. Korrina rushes to my side, looking me up and down. “Are you ok? You - you were getting there, for a second, but I think Dusk was forcing it.” I take a few deep breaths before speaking. “I’m ok. That was… awful, actually. I’m sorry, but I’m not trying that again.” “I don’t blame you,” Korrina says, still glancing at me like I’m about to fall over at any second. Once I don’t feel like I’m about to pass out, the humor of my reaction finally strikes me, and I stifle a few giggles with my hand. “Uh… what is it?” Korrina asks, looking a bit lost. “It’s just - that was ridiculous, huh? It kinda worked! That was horrible, though, I don’t know how you do it,” I say, grinning at her. She looks at me for a moment, and then starts laughing as well. “It gets easier with time, I swear! It’s not supposed to hurt - you have to get in sync with your pokémon first! That’s what all the training is for!” Korrina insists. We’re both laughing now. Dusk and Dawn shoot us quizzical looks from a few meters away. Once the two of us calm down, Korrina sighs and walks back towards her pokémon. “I can’t say I have much faith in Sycamore’s theory, but I guess this whole ordeal was just a shot in the dark, so who’s to say?” I peel the glove off of my hand and gently place it back in my bag. “Honestly, I have no clue either. Shauna, Calem and I are kinda just his test subjects. I hope one of us figures it out, though.” Korrina leads me back down to the ground floor of the tower, and I turn to her as we’re passing under the huge archway. We’re dwarfed in the late afternoon shadow of the Mega Lucario statue. “If I ever figure out mega evolution, maybe we can try this again,” I tell her. “Or if Calem or Shauna figure it out, I’ll send them your way. I mean it.” The gym leader smiles at me - not in the self-assured, cocky way she did while we were battling at the gym, but instead something much more genuine. “Thank you. I really mean it.” As I start heading back across the sandbar into the city, Korrina waves at me from the entrance for a while before closing the gate. I turn around, walking backwards so I can wave back with both arms. As I keep trekking back to shore, I grab Poncho’s pokéball and let her out, wanting a bit of company. The Wartortle bumps her head against my leg affectionately before drawing close to the water’s edge. She leaves footprints in the wet sand. I watch her for a moment before looking back towards the island, where the Tower of Mastery reaches up from the horizon. The clouds have finally cleared, at least a little bit - it looks like the tower is poking a hole through them, letting the blue sky through. This wasn’t really in my plan for my time in Shalour, but I’m glad I agreed to meet Korrina - I feel like I understand her better, and that’s got to be a good thing, right? Spoiler: Teams n' Notes Spoiler: Notes Tango was my encounter from the route outside of Reflection Cave, but for the life of me I could not find a good place to write in a scene where Vee catches her, lol. So here she is! as is reflected in the chapter, Korrina's gym battle gave me trouble. shoutout to chili being equipped with the rocky helmet so i could reasonably heal stall (whoops) hawlucha after like 3 power-up punches. probably wouldve lost a mon there otherwise, and i'm glad i didn't! the aside with korrina at the end wasn't exactly planned, it kind of took shape in my head over the past 2 chapters as the main 3 interacted with her and gurkinn more, i hope it doesn't stick out - i personally really loved writing it. next time, we'll be seeing some familiar faces that haven't been around in a few chapters... and not just sina and dexio :) Vienna Ram ♂​ Chili ♂​ Poncho ♀​ Exca ♀​ Tango ♀​ Shauna Froabble ♀​ Sugar Cube ♀​ Wick ♂​ Calem Hugo ♂​ Lily ♀​ Noir ♂​ Cherry ♀​ Onyx ♀​ Twig ♀​

 

[SprungGeoduck]

THIS IS SO GOOD I LOVE ITTTTTT

already told u in discord but i feel like i need to say it again

i quoted... so much

Spoiler: liveblog!

Because no day on the League circuit is ever dull, I find myself spending an evening trying to coax a wild pokémon out from between the trash cans behind the Centre.

this is such a good opening line!

I find myself thinking about that Nidorina as I go about my day, about the wild pokémon trying her best to get by in a city that’s not meant for her. I wonder how she’ll feel when the rangers release her somewhere out in the wild where she’s never been before. On the bus ride out of the city to Fourrage Road, a stretch of countryside that’s popular with trainers, I pull out my phone and scroll through some articles about her species.

Apparently Nidorina aren’t genetically distinct from female Nidorian - just a more mature growth stage until they evolve into Nidoqueen, and the same thing is true about male Nidorian and Nidorino. The whole species family is omnivorous, and in the wild, they live in large family groups. Reading that makes me feel even more for the Centre’s unwanted visitor; does she have a group she returns to, or is she all alone?

such cool lore! really getting the pokeani vibes from vee's empathy for pokemo

Playing back the video, it suddenly dawns on me that maybe Sina and Dexio would enjoy it.

OH BBBBBBBB

I fight against the thumping in my chest as I tap on our old group chat. Of course, in the moment I’m too nervous to realize that I’m out in the countryside with no cell service to speak of, so the video stays stubbornly unsent with a blaring red exclamation mark on my screen.

felt that

Finally, after two day’s worth of coaxing with food, she lets me catch her. I name her Tango.

I love the name Tango! I can't wait to see her fight and evolve!

“Well, after I battled Grant, I stopped by the gym the next day and to see if I could ask him some questions about strategies and stuff. He happened to have some free time that day, and he helped me teach Wick how to use that move,” Shauna sheepishly explains.

“I’ve… never even considered doing that. Maybe I should try it - there’s certainly a lot to learn from any gym leader, I’d bet.” Calem sounds impressed.

This is such a cool way to weave the Gym Leaders back into the story and explain TM moves and stuff!

“These Lucario aren’t actually both mine,” Korrina begins explaining. “Dusk is my mom’s. Or, uh, was my mom’s. She passed away a few years ago.”

“I’m sorry,” I offer.

Korrina shakes her head. “It’s ok. She was sick for a while, so we… had time to prepare.”

korrina bb :/

This wasn’t really in my plan for my time in Shalour, but I’m glad I agreed to meet Korrina - I feel like I understand her better, and that’s got to be a good thing, right?

HEY. YOU TWO SHOULD KISS :v

what a BANGER. keep it up!