There are so many inconsistencies in the Pokémon anime (Professor Oak traveled through Johto as a kid, as shown in the 4th movie, but he still only knows of the original 150 Pokémon during the first season). And there are even more inconsistencies when you add the games and manga. I've always taken bits and pieces of all of them. Though I've severely neglected the anime recently. There are too many things to watch TT^TT
So now I have to think how to work the mechanics of a new battle technique into my fanfic.
Also, Fire Spin is so pathetic in the games. But in the anime it always looked so powerful! So, that's what I'd rather go with XD
Polaris-Ponyta, Shanjin- Greninja, Yarak-Talonflame, Nelly–Amaura, Anakri-Skrelp
Patch has a mention also. He's the clone Charizard from the first Pokémon movie.
Chapter 9: Mega
I don't drink. Yeah, we're not old enough, but I've never even been able to stand the taste of alcohol. Still, this morning is what I imagine a hangover would feel like. My body felt heavy and thick and my skull seemed to be stuffed with puffy, angry bugs. Was this better or worse than when I'd passed out in the fields of stones?
I opened my eyes and shuddered. Polaris raised her head and stepped over to me, lowering her muzzle to nudge my jaw. "Are you okay?"
"I dunno," I murmured.
Ben and Hari heard my voice and stood, coming toward me as well. It was late morning. They'd let me sleep in.
"Did it work?" Hari asked.
"Mmmuh-" I cleared my throat and tried again. "Mewtwo said it worked. He managed to convince the bad guys to send the Pokémon here to Kalos. So I can find him then." I sounded kind of drunk and slurred, but at least I was mostly coherent.
"Was it that hard on you?" Ben asked. I hadn't even tried to sit up yet, and he looked concerned.
"I don't think I fit in my body anymore." At this point I think I deserve to be a bit melodramatic. I managed to wriggle an arm out of my partially unzipped sleeping bag and reached out to Ben. He took my arm and helped ease me up to sitting. Nelly came up behind me and settled down as a backrest. The buzzing in my head intensified with the movement, then faded a bit.
"Thank you," I murmured to both of them. "I've been through some pretty crazy stuff, but I think last night was the most unpleasant thing I've ever felt. Never offer to act as a psychic bridge."
"I don't think I ever would," Ben said, smiling.
"Can I get some water?" Hari dashed off to get a cup. He handed it to me and I took tiny sips. The water seemed to cool my insides and calm me down. "I think we can still make it through the cave today. Though I might be kind of slow to get ready."
"Take your time," Ben said. After a few minutes he helped me stand and I wobbled around, trying to regain my balance. Within seconds, Hari had pounced on my sleeping bag and mat, and was rolling them up for me.
"Thanks," I said. "I think I'll hold off on breakfast until, uh, my stomach doesn't feel like a flopping Magikarp."
We got camp packed up mostly because of Ben and Hari. By then I could ride Polaris without falling off. Usually I don't ride her through caves, which have uneven floors and low ceilings. But today was an exception. So late that morning we found ourselves setting off into Reflection cave. It's a beautiful cave, don't get me wrong. But it's pretty trippy going through there when you're zonked out from some weird psychic experiment. Many of the walls are so smooth that they reflect like ice. But everything is just a little bit distorted, so things look bigger or farther away than they actually are. The flickering from Polaris's fiery mane made it even weirder than it otherwise would have been.
I took deep breaths and tried to keep my eyes glued to Polaris's shoulders. Her hoof caught on a knob of rock and she tripped, nearly hurling me over her head and into a wall. Somehow I managed to catch myself, and I just rolled over her neck and onto my back on the ground. I got the wind knocked out of me, but it could have been a lot worse. Polaris pranced around, distraught at the near accident. Well, it was a good time for a break. I ate a little, then went over to the side to meditate. After a few minutes, I felt a little clearer.
"Hey, you have a Pokémon from Kanto!"
I opened my eyes. A girl had come around the corner and was standing there. She had a red and white dress on, and sported a long blonde ponytail.
I blinked. "Yeah, I'm from Kanto. I'm doing the Kalos Pokémon League."
"Perfect! Then I challenge you to a match."
I wasn't in the best shape for battle strategy, but what the heck. I was steadily improving, and some part of me figured that a random trainer I met in a cave shouldn't be too hard to beat. I keep telling myself not to get cocky, but sometimes it happens when I lower my guard.
Ben and Hari backed away and I faced the girl. She sent out Hawlucha. I matched her bird Pokémon with Yarak. Yarak had been in his Pokéball, since it was difficult for him to fly in a cave. But with a few quick glanced, he sized up his surroundings.
Hawlucha was already on the move, bounding back and forth between boulders and stalagmites. Yarak had restricted movement, and Hawlucha's acrobatics made it difficult to get a lock on him. From Hawlucha's speed and agility, I could tell that this trainer knew her stuff. Hawlucha had the advantage in this restricted space. I tightened my focus and telepathically sent my plan to Yarak. He nodded and spun out of the way as Hawlucha slashed with Aerial Ace. A moment later Yarak had to swerve to avoid a column of stone. Hawlucha seemed familiar with the terrain, because he bounded from one stone to another without missing a beat. He leapt into the air and struck with Wing Attack, but Yarak shook it off and darted behind a stalactite. Hawlucha leapt once more, aiming Aerial Ace at the spot where Yarak should have come out from behind the rock. But Yarak, hidden from view, wheeled around and doubled back to find Hawlucha's exposed back. Yarak's feathers burst into flame, and he struck Hawlucha with Flame Charge. Hawlucha collapsed.
The trainer smiled as she returned her Hawlucha. "Pretty strong," she said. "But I have something new to show you." She threw out her next Pokéball, revealing Lucario.
"I have a Lucario. They're not new to me."
The girl smirked. "Oh, that's not what I meant by showing you something new." She raised her hand, clenching it into a fist. She had fingerless gloves on, and there was some kind of gem set in the back of her left glove. It started to glow. "You're about to see one of the ancient treasures of Kalos, known by few and understood by no one."
The glowing of the stone intensified, and I noticed that Lucario had a band on his wrist with another stone set in it. A moment later, Lucario began to glow too. And then he began to change.
My mouth fell open as I watched. Lucario was evolving. There was no other word for it. But I'd never heard of Lucario evolving. True, there were always new Pokémon and new evolutions being discovered, like Sylveon. But I always tried to keep up to date with all the new research.
When the light faded, the evolved Lucario was standing in front of me. He was larger, and his aura pulsed with overflowing power. He threw back his head, howling out his excitement for the battle.
Yarak landed on a rock, hesitating at this new and unexpected turn.
"Okay, Yarak. We'ver got something new. Let's go all out," I whispered. "Flame Charge again! But only when you have an opening." We needed to buy some time and see what we were up against.
Yarak looked nervous, but he nodded and took to the air. He immediately started weaving through the stone columns again, keeping a wary eye on his opponent and keeping the rocks between them. Lucario watched for a few seconds, then spread his hands, creating a long bone. He leapt forward, wielding the bone like a sword to smash a stalactite from the cave ceiling. It crashed to the ground, revealing a startled Yarak hiding behind it. Yarak had no time to react as Lucario swung the bone and swatted Yarak out of the air. He crashed to the ground and lay still.
I inhaled sharply. That was Bone Rush, right? A ground type move. But it had knocked Yarak out.
I returned him and nodded to Polaris. She stepped forward, her expression tense and focused. The evolved Lucario launched forward immediately, swinging the bone in a powerful ark. Polaris jumped back and spat out a mouthful of flames. Lucario flinched and backed away. He'd moved too close too fast and gotten embers in his eyes. Polaris didn't give him a moment to recover, but bore down on him, flailing with her hooves. Lucario stumbled backward and dropped the bone, which dissolved. Lucario recovered, finding a strong foothold and launching forward with Power-Up-Punch. He struck Polaris in the jaw and she staggered to the side. Lucario drew another bone. He swept Polaris's legs out from under her and she crashed to the ground. Lucario leapt into the air, ready to strike the finishing blow with Bone Rush. But even on the ground, Polaris wasn't beaten. She opened her mouth and unleashed her fearsome Fire Spin.
When the flames dispersed, Lucario collapsed. Then to my astonishment, he began to glow and the strange evolution faded, leaving a normal Lucario behind. Polaris got her feet under her and stood, wincing.
The girl whistled, returning Lucario. "Wow, that was something. No wonder you're one of the champions."
I glanced up at her, startled. "You know who I am?"
She laughed. "Yeah, sorry. I'm Korrina, the gym leader of Shalour City. Which reminds me." She approached me and held out her hand. For a moment I thought she wanted to shake hands, but instead she dropped something into my palm. A gym badge. "I guess it's a bit unorthodox for the gym leader to challenge someone else to a gym match, but I knew you'd come by eventually, so this saves time. Grant and Viola, the gym leaders you already beat, told me you were a champion in other regions. They said you had a Ponyta, so I knew it had to be you. Ponyta aren't common in Kalos. And wow, that was a great battle. Your Ponyta didn't have too much trouble against my Mega Lucario."
"Mega Lucario," I repeated.
"Yep! Come on. I'll go to Shalour City with you and tell you about Mega Evolution on the way."
The battle had really gotten my adrenaline going, and I felt good enough to walk the rest of the way. Which was good because the battle, brief as it had been, had been pretty intense for Polaris. Even so, I walked next to her, one hand on her shoulder to steady myself.
Ben and Hari fell into step with us and we made all the proper introductions. Then Korrina started her class about mega evolution.
"We've been trying not to spread the word about it too much lately," she said, "because there have been some strange people around."
"Team Flare," I said.
"We've met them," Ben muttered darkly.
"Oh yeah?" Korrina asked. "Well, you're right. They've been looking for fossils and stones and such, and some of us from the Tower of Mastery are concerned they might be looking for mega stones."
"I don't' know what the Tower of Mastery is, or what mega stones are," Hari said.
Ben and I nodded in agreement.
"Right. Well, the Tower of Mastery is where we study mega evolution. For mega evolution, you need three things. A strong bond with your Pokémon, a keystone that the trainer holds, and a stone for the Pokémon you want to evolve. So I just used Lucarionite. The key stone and the Lucarionite sync up with each other and give the Pokémon a big power boost for the duration of the battle. And the keystone only has enough power to mega evolve one Pokémon per battle. Make sense?"
"Kind of. But how does it work?"
"That's what no one really understands. It's believed the Yveltal and Xerneas put some of their power into special stones, and their power is what triggers the Mega Evolution. It was discovered in Kalos a few generations ago, but it's only recently that it's started to become more known around the region. We've only just started distributing mega rings to some of the league members. And here's one for you too." She pressed something else into my hand. It looked like a marble with a swirling design in the center. It was warm and I could feel power glimmering inside of it.
"If you come to the Tower of Mastery, I can give you a Mega Stone. We only have a couple left. Actually… I don't suppose you have a Charizard?"
"I do," I said, a bit bewildered by all of this.
"Perfect! I have a Charizardite Y. So you can mega evolve your Charizard."
I think it took me far too long to respond. I couldn't wrap my head around it. Plus I was probably still a little blurry from last night. Charren could evolve? Could Patch evolve too? That would be a sight. He was so strong already. "Thank you," I stammered." Unbidden, I got an image of Mewtwo mega evolving. I quickly shook my head. That was too much.
