IV: A Fresh Start
Mylo sat with his back pressed against a large tree looking out at the small settlement before him, a rainbow hued stone perched between his fingers.
"Remember, that which separates them from us. A true bond. One beyond the mere idolization of power. A bond that evokes the very essence of trainer and Pokemon. The memories you build together, the foes you overcome. The love and devotion shared through your journeys, and a resounding trust forged through unshakeable faith in one another. These virtues are what must fuel you both. The stones shall then merge these essences, revealing your true natures."
He held the stone up into the light, gazing into the catseye at its center.
"A true bond…" Mylo had felt from the moment the stone touched his skin, that this task would prove to be a new type of challenge altogether. After all, Mylo had met every member of his team during his initial journey through the Sevii isles. Their greatest memories and trials were therefore directly connected to the many locations scattered across the distant archipelago. His Electivire, hatched from an egg he had taken care of at the pokemon daycare on Floe island. A Sneasel snatched inside the freezing icefall cave while Mylo was being tutored by a then Indigo Elite Four member, Lorelei.
Then came Magmar, who had nearly sent him flying off the edge of Mt. Ember when its wicked flamethrower blew open the mountainside. An unexpected Togeipi, given as a gift from a funny old man in the water labyrinth near Chrono Island. And finally, a magical surprise when smashing rocks in the Sevault Canyon revealed a sparkling blue shelled Shuckle.
After his adventures in the isles came to an end and he boarded a ferry for Johto though, he realized that he had left behind his desire to capture Pokemon. This was no doubt caused by a strange, laser focused mindset he had acquired. A desire to help each member of his team further themselves by fully evolving, and mastering moves he had hand-picked after thorough research. All to create a perfect battle strategy.
Sadly, not one of his current Pokemon were compatible with the Key Stone they had won, preventing him from delving into the well of history they had built together to perform Mega Evolution. This in turn had left Mylo fearful that he had ruined his chances at ever pulling the transformation off.
"Such a somber expression my friend, and after such a great accomplishment!" Mylo looked up to find Steven Stone approaching. With him was a man in a dust covered lab coat, A large brown book bag, and greenish brown shorts. "Mylo, I would like to introduce you to my accomplice. This is Professor Birch, the Hoenn regions leading expert on Pokemon habitats and distribution."
"It's great to officially meet you Mylo!" chimed the professor, helping him to his feet and shaking his hand, "I never had a chance to properly thank you for you and your fathers help with my research a few years back!"
"The pleasure is mine," returned Mylo with a smile.
"Steven here has taken the liberty of filling me in a bit on your current predicament. A tough choice I'm sure! There are after all forty-eight species of Pokemon that are capable of Mega Evolution. It has also come to my attention that you still have an open slot on your team though, so at least we don't have to worry about swapping out any current members! As good as any a place to start planning so tell me Mylo, any inclinations on which Pokemon you might want to catch?"
"That's just it professor" said Mylo trying to hide his embarrassment, "I have no idea what Pokemon I want to add to the team! For so many years now, it's just been us five. I'm uhm… Afraid, of tampering with the group dynamic. I don't want the others thinking that this Pokemon will be more important to me than them."
"Come now, do you truly think them capable of such a thing?" said Birch with a confused look on his face. Mylo could feel the panic in his chest.
"It's Just. I don't want to turn into one of those trainers that only cares about their mega! I don't want to become another Thomas!" he blurted turning his attention to Steven, "You understand what I mean, don't you?"
"Quite so Mylo," he said with an unwavering gaze, "however, I must admit that this sudden hesitation seems to be more of a thinly veiled excuse. Something else is troubling you, isn't it? Besides the idea of adding a new Pokemon to your group." Mylo blushed red, nervously fiddling with the strings of his traveling jacket.
"Wow you see through people fast don't you Mr. Stone? Alright fine, the truth of the matter is. I don't think I will be able to live up to the Elders expectations. I don't think I'll ever be able to mega evolve this Pokemon."
"Nonsense!" chortled professor Birch, "the elder has impeccable eyes when it comes to this sort of thing. If she gave you a stone Mylo, then I have no doubts that you will be just fine!"
"But the bond she spoke of. How can I be certain we'll forge something of that magnitude? When I traveled the Sevii Islands it… they came to me so naturally; my team I mean. I was never some collector out hunting for a specific choice, we just happened to find each other. I fear that if I plan out the encounter in advance, it will remove a crucial part of our bond! Make it, artificial somehow." Steven smiled.
"You know Mylo, I think I know exactly what you mean. One of the greatest joys of becoming a trainer is the freedom we experience. The entire world opens before you, and the thrill of discovering new Pokemon is quite unparalleled. Yet you believe this experience is lost to you forever. A silly misconception, and one that derives from a prolonged period of separation from the wilds of the Pokemon world. You've been so focused on competing in battle facilities, you've forgotten what it is to be a wandering trainer."
"A wandering Trainer!" shouted the professor with a sudden look of realization in his eyes. Without delay he quickly began to head for a larger building towards the back of the town, his smile beaming from ear to ear. With a quick wave of his hands, the two trainers followed, Mylo noticing that he had retrieved something from his lab coats pocket.
"Mr. Stone makes an excellent point! And I think I have a perfect solution. You see Mylo, many trainers far and wide travel to the Kalos region to study Mega Evolution at the hands of those silly Guru's. Now I am not saying that they don't have legitimate skill, but their claims on mega evolution are simply misguided. For instance, did you know that it was non-other than here in Hoenn, the first Mega Evolution was achieved?"
"Really? But I thought it was a Lucario? At the Tower of Mastery?" said Mylo. Steven shook his head with a chuckle.
"More rumors and ragtag information than fact. It has now been documented from the ancient ruins of the Sky Pillar, that the legendary Pokemon Rayquaza was the first to ever Mega Evolve."
"You see Mylo, Hoenn is known for its rich occurrences of meteor showers, which have long filled Hoenn with hundreds if not thousands of Mega Stones. Rayquaza drew power from one such meteorite to become a Mega Pokemon, filled with such a tremendous energy that it quelled the fearsome primal forms of Kyogre and Groudon in the ancient past."
"Once the ancient people began to understand the nature of this power, they experimented with the stones contained within the meteorite," said Steven whilst gazing up toward the sky," in fact the elder you faced is descended from those very same ancients who helped Rayquaza achieve its mega form."
By this point the trio had reached the building which Mylo was quick to realize was the professors own personal laboratory. Inside was a massive 3-D model of the Hoenn region, marked with hundreds of tiny flags each of which had its own color.
"In other words, there isn't a better place in the entire world for you to undertake your Mega quest than here in Hoenn! And I know the perfect way to get you started!" smiled the professor. With that he revealed a pokeball from his pocket which was quickly tossed into the air. There was a flash, followed by a small, blue, quadruped Pokemon sporting a large fin on its head as well as peculiar orange stars on its cheeks. "Say hello to Mudkip!"
The tiny Pokemon let out a cry that Mylo thought sounded like a cross between a bark and a quack.
"Poor little guy was awfully upset the other day. See I hand out starter Pokemon to trainers just beginning their journeys around Hoenn. The trainers I met on this occasion however didn't have much interest in him.
Mylo couldn't help but smile at the infant Pokemon which stared up at him black beady eyes.
"A young one I would wager? How long ago did he hatch?" asked the trainer.
"Quite the eyes you've got on you!" laughed Birch, "Mudkip here hatched about six days ago. Since then he has been helping me out here and there with field research but. I tend not to call on him too much. Never do with any of my starters intended for new trainer arrivals."
"Huh. Six days old…what a coincidence."
"Seeing as how the season is well past its start though, I doubt I'll be seeing new recruits any time soon. A shame, as a native starter of our region, Mudkip just so happens to also be a meg-"
"I'll take him" said Mylo, confidently kneeling onto one knee with his hand extended towards the baby pokemon who slowly walked up to sniff. It gave another loud cry, then sprayed a powerful jet of water directly into Mylo's face.
"He likes you!" Shouted Birch while excitedly hopping up and down, "By joe Steven I think we've done it!" Once Mylo had been thoroughly soaked by Mudkips' water gun, it quickly jumped up into his arms, excitedly nibbling at his face.
"Rambunctious aren't you!" he laughed while wiping his cheek on a dripping shoulder, "you've definitely got spunk little one. I like that!"
"Say, I have an idea," said Steven whose attention had shifted back to the model, "if you're going to be traveling across Hoenn for the first time, why not also participate in your first official league competition? It will be a perfect way for you two to get to know each other, as well as experience a whole new realm of Pokemon battles!"
Mylo could feel his hear beat begin racing again, his fears having completely melted away. The spark of adventure was back and about it felt so natural. He Smiled at the snuggling Mudkip in his arms; he couldn't wait for everyone else to meet their newest team mate.
"You know what Mr. Stone? Mudkip, the team, and I. We accept your challenge!"