Chapter 10
Secrets of Mega Evolution
"I thank you again for your assistance in defeating the Fighting Syndicate," Officer Magnezone droned. Despite his robotic voice, he was genuinely thankful for the young team's assistance. After years of being unable to find anything incriminating on the Lucario, he was elated to have the mob boss in custody.
"We were just doing our duty," Asura assured. "There is no need to thank us."
"Even so, I will send a substantial reward to your guild," he insisted.
"That is not-"
"Well if you insist!" Blitz said, cutting of the Medicham mid-sentence.
"It will be done. Again, thank you for your assistance." With that, Magnezone left, the entire Fighting Syndicate as well as Fenrir in his custody.
"What the hell, Blitz?!" Asura said, smacking the Pikachu across the back of his head.
"OW! Hey, what was that for!" Blitz whined, holding his head.
"Why'd you say that?!" Asura demanded
"What? We went through all that, so we should get a reward!"
"Greedy mouse," Drake commented wryly.
"HEY!"
"Anyway," Grace interjected, giving the Pikachu a rather cross look. "I think we should discuss what occurred during DJ's fight with Fenrir." She turned to the newly minted Lucario with a serious expression. "What happened once you chased him to his office."
"Well, I had him on the ropes after evolving," DJ began. "I thought he was trying to get away, but he was actually running to his office. When he got there, he pulled out an orange stone and then he changed."
"Changed?" Blade asked.
"It was like he evolved again," DJ explained. "He looked like a Lucario, but he seemed like an almost mutant version of it. Then when I beat him, he changed back."
"He changed back?" Jet asked in surprise. "But evolution is a permanent change!"
"I know, that's the weird thing," DJ responded. "When he changed back, the stone reappeared as well. He called it...mega evolution."
"The stone came back? " Blitz asked.
"Normally when a stone is used, it disappears," Jackson said.
"Hmm...DJ. Do you have the stone now?" Grace asked.
"Yeah, it's right here." DJ pulled out the stone and handed it to the shiny Mawile.
"I've never seen anything like this," she said, inspecting the stone. "And this caused Fenrir's change?"
"Yeah, it also made him really strong. I could barely keep up with him. The only reason I won is because I got a strength boost midway through the fight."
"A strength boost?" Grace asked sharply, casting a furtive glance to Asura.
"Yeah it happened when he hit me with a dark pulse," DJ said, missing the relieved looks that flashed across the two senior member's faces.
"Oh, that was Justified," Asura said.
"What's justified?"
"No, not justified. Justified is a rare ability that Lucario can have," Asura explained. "When a Pokémon with the Justified ability is hit by a dark type move their attack increases."
"Huh, remind me never to get on your bad side, DJ," Jackson half-joked.
"Wow, DJ. You're just full of surprises," Jet commented dryly.
"What can I say, I'm just awesome like that." DJ said cheekily.
"I see evolving hasn't changed your modesty," Katara drawled, rolling her eyes fondly at the Lucario.
"Hey!"
"Getting back on topic!" Asura snapped. "We need to get more information on this 'mega evolution'. If other Pokémon can harness this power, than maybe we can too."
"That would be awesome," Blitz said literally drooling at the thought of being able to mega evolve.
"You'd still need to evolve again before you even think of going further," Bertha pointed out, breaking Blitz from his thoughts.
"Hey, shut up! It's not my fault thunderstones are so rare!"
"They have a shop dedicated to selling evolution stones in town," Bertha deadpanned.
"Yeah, but those are expensive," Blitz huffed.
"Perhaps your father would know something about mega evolution," Leaf suggested, ignoring his two bickering duo.
"You could be on to something. If anyone knows anything about mega evolution, then my dad would," Asura agreed. "We'll be sure to ask him when we head back."
"But first..." Asura gave Jet a curious look.
"But first what?"
"PARTY!" Jet, Blitz, and Bertha shouted in unison.
"You three are party obsessed," Blade said, rolling his eyes.
"If partying is wrong, I don't want to be right!" Jet exclaimed. "Besides, we need to celebrate our teammates evolution!"
"You guys don't need to do that," DJ said sheepishly.
"Oh, no. You were all conceited a second ago, you can't get cold feet now!" Before DJ could react, he found himself slung over the Floatzel's shoulder.
"Hey! Put me down!" DJ cried, struggling futilely against Jet's grip.
"Nope, you're partying and that's that!"
"Best do what he says," Asura sighed. "He can be rather stubborn when it comes to party."
"Fine, just put me down!" DJ relented.
"Nope!" Jet said cheerfully, not even pausing in his stride. "We're celebrating!"
"Arceus dammit, Jet!" DJ shouted, causing the rest of the team to laugh loudly.
-Legend-
"I'm surprised that you are here so late," Tobias admonished, though there was mirth in his voice. "Normally you have a habit of returning after you complete your mission."
"Sorry, sir. Jet insisted that we have a party," Asura said exasperatedly.
"Ah, I see," the Gallade said in understanding.
"Hey, it wasn't just me, you all had fun too!" Jet said defensively.
"After you dragged us, or in DJ's case, carried us off," Jackson reminded him.
"It was a party! You can't have a party without Pokémon there!"
"I may not no a lot about parties, but I am fairly certain that they do not last for two days straight," Leaf said.
"You still had fun," he said childishly.
Tobias chuckled good-naturedly at his son's team. "Relax, I'm not upset, though I think two days s a little much."
"Oh." Jet flushed in embarrassment.
"Officer Magnezone left a reward for your team," Tobias said, switching the subject. "You all must have really impressed him."
"We try," Blitz said haughtily, earning a smack from Bertha.
"Down boy," she admonished, smirking at Blitz's scowl.
"Yes, well allow me to be the first to congratulate you all on a job well done. I knew I made the right choice in promoting your team," Tobias said proudly, causing the entire team to beam at him. "And a special congratulations to you, DJ, for you evolution. I'm sure Alistair will love to see the new you."
"Thank you, sir,"DJ said with a grin.
"Speaking of evolution, we have a question for you," Asura said.
"Oh, and what is that?" Tobias asked with a raised eyebrow.
"DJ," Asura said, signaling for the Lucario to explain. With a nod, DJ launched into an explanation of the orange stone and how it caused the change in Fenrir.
"...and he called it mega evolution," DJ finished.
"I see. So he could use mega evolution," Tobias said somberly.
"You know what it is?" Asura questioned.
"Mm," he hummed in confirmation. "Mega evolution is a new type of evolution that was recently discovered. It allows certain Pokémon that have reached the peak of their evolution line to go a step further."
"I guess that's why we haven't heard of it, we've hardly been around to hear any new news," Asura reasoned.
"Might I see the stone?" Tobias asked.
DJ nodded and handed the stone over for the Gallade to inspect.
"Yes, this is indeed a lucarionite."
"A lucarionite? Is that what it's called?" Grace asked.
"Yes," Tobias confirmed. "Like the name suggests, this stone is for Lucario. With it, they gain the ability to mega evolve."
"So only DJ would be able to mega evolve," Blitz said, his ears drooping as his dreams of mega evolving were crushed.
"Yes and no," Tobias said. "Yes, only DJ can use this stone, but he's not the only Pokémon that can mega evolve."
"Huh?" Katara asked.
"There are multiple mega stones out there, each one allowing a different Pokémon to mega evolve," Tobias explained.
"So I could still be able to mega evolve?" Blitz asked excitedly.
"No," Tobias said bluntly. "To the best of my knowledge, there is not mega stone for Raichu or Pikachu."
"Awww," Blitz lamented.
"What about me?" Jackson asked.
"No, no mega stone for Umbreon or any other Eveelutions has been found either."
"Has been found," Jackson repeated. "So there could still be mega stones that haven't been discovered yet!"
"Yes...there could still be some undiscovered mega stones out there, I'll give you that," Tobias conceded. "but the chances of their being one for an Umbreon are..."
"Don't tell me the odds. As the moon as my witness, I shall discover the umbreonite!" Jackson exclaimed causing sweat-drops to form on the back of all but one of their heads.
"...But it is daylight out," Leaf said uncomprehendingly.
"Best to no question it," DJ said with a defeated sigh. Leaf gave him a curious look, but thankfully, he let the matter drop.
"So what mega stones are there?" Bertha asked.
"I'm not sure exactly there are, but the ones that I personally know exist for certain are the mega stones for Medicham, Lucario, Garchomp, and even one for Gardrvoir and Gallade," Tobias listed, handing back the orange stone to DJ. "If you want to know of all of the others, then I recommend heading over to Carbink's Stone Emporium. They will most likely know of the other stones."
"Do you know how to activate a mega stone," DJ asked curiously. If I could learn to mega evolve like Fenrir did, I would be able to take on stronger Pokémon! Pokémon like... An image of a certain nightmare causing Pokémon flashed through DJ's mind. Him...
"I'm afraid I do not," Tobias confessed.
"Oh," DJ said depressedly, gazing wistfully at the stone.
"Though perhaps Alistair can assist you in that regard," Tobias added.
"Gramps?" DJ questioned.
"Yes, 'Gramps'," he said, barely concealing his amusement over his teammate's name. "From what I understand, the stones require you to become in sync with the stone's natural energy. A Lucario would probably be the best at determining how that is done."
"That makes since," Katara said.
"Then we'll go ask Gramps!" DJ shouted.
"You go ahead and go, we want to head over to Carbink's," Grace said, receiving nods from everyone but Leaf and Katara.
"Okay, we'll meet back at the guild house, then," Katara said.
"Sounds good," Asura said in affirmation. With that the team left, leaving Tobias alone in his office. Said Gallade looked at his now empty office and shook his head fondly.
"Oh, to be young again," he sighed. He then pushed back from his desk and opened a drawer. He withdrew a smooth, round, white stone with a green and pink symbol in the center. "Something tells me that these are going to play a big role in what is to come."
-Legend-
All of Team Stardust save DJ, Katara, and Leaf stood in front Carbink's Stone Emporium. The store was rather eye-catching to say the least. The shop was relatively small, only being a single floor, but it possessed a large colorful sign that drew the attention of anyone that walked by. The large glass windows offered a view of the glass cases that held all of the stones and other precious minerals.
"After all these years of living here, I never once stepped foot in this shop," Asura confessed, gazing at the store in barely concealed awe.
"It truly is a beautiful store," Grace commented, a hint of longing in her voice.
"Hey guys! Look at this!" Blitz called, his face practically pressed up against the glass. "I think they have mega stones in here!"
Moving to Blitz's side they peered through the glass. True to the electric mouse's words, resting atop of a large velvet pillow sat thirteen large marble-like stones, all of various colors. Looking closer, they could see the strange mark that was present in the center of DJ's lucarionite.
"It looks like you're right, Blitz," Jackson said.
Jet walked over to the door and opened it. "Well? Shall we?" he asked rhetorically, holding the door open for his teammate. Rolling there eyes at their teammates antics, the team makes their way inside the lavish store.
"Hello! Hello!" an excited voice sang the moment they entered. A Pokémon floated over to them, happiness lighting its blue eyes. The Pokémon resembled a limbless gray stone with blue crystals protruding around its body and two stone rabbit ears. A white fluffy collar separated its head from its body.
"I'm Carbink!" the Pokémon said excitedly. "Do you need help finding anything today?"
"We're actually here to ask you about mega stones," Asura said.
"Oh." Carbink seemed to deflate slightly over them not being there to purchase anything, but quickly regained his prior enthusiasm. "No problem! Follow me!" Carbink lead them over to the display they had saw through the window.
"These...are mega stones," Carbink said dramatically. "At least the ones that I have in my possession. Each mega stone allows a certain Pokémon to mega evolve. To my knowledge, there are forty-four mega stones in total."
"Only forty-four?" Asura asked. "That's not even one percent of the total number of Pokémon species! Why can only those few Pokémon mega evolve."
"Because those are the ones that have been found," Carbink answered nonchalantly.
"How long ago were they discovered," Grace asked, cutting off Asura before he could snap at the jewel Pokémon.
"They were actually discovered several years ago," Carbink said excitedly. "It wasn't until recently that their true ability was discovered."
"What do you mean by that?" Bertha asked.
"Well, when the stones were first discovered, scientists didn't know what to make of them," the store owner explained. "They possessed a similar energy to other evolutionary stones, but they could not get the stones to react."
"Then how'd they discover mega evolution?" Blade asked curiously.
"It was an accident really," Carbink chuckled. "As they were studying one of the stones, a scientists that happened to be compatible with that particular stone accidentally bumped into it, triggering what we now know as mega evolution."
"Fascinating," Grace said, completely enthralled with the stones, particularly a pink stone with a yellow and black symbol in the center.
"You've got a good eye, little missy," Carbink said, looking over Grace's shoulder at the pink stone. "That right there is a mawilite, the stone that allows your species to mega evolve."
"Really?" she asked in bewilderment.
"Yep!"
"Wow," Grace said dreamily, thinking at the prospect over mega evolving. Her species didn't evolve naturally and the prospect of evolving was very appealing to her.
"You said that there are forty-four mega stones?" Blitz interrupted.
"Yes I did," Carbink answered patiently.
"Then is there a raichuite?" he asked hopefully.
"No, we have not found a mega stone for Raichu."
"Damn."
"I do have a list of all the mega stones that have been discovered. Hold on a sec..." Carbink floated behind the display case. His eyes flashed a bright blue and a small blue pamphlet floated out from behind the counter and towards Asura. "Here you go."
The team poured over the pamphlet, flipping through the pages to see all of the stones and how they changed the Pokémon.
"Oh, come on!" Blitz exclaimed. "There's a mega stone for Slowbro, but not one for Raichu?! That's not fair!"
"Oh, wah, wah, wah!" Bertha mocked. "I don't have a mega stone and you don't see me whining about it!"
"It looks like I have a mega evolution," Blade commented smugly, infuriating the Pikachu. Blitz opened his mouth, a sharp barb on his tongue, but Asura cut him off.
"Not now, Blitz," the Medicham admonished. He turned his attention back to the rock-fairy type. "Earlier, you said that 'we' hadn't found a mega stone for Raichu."
"I did."
"Does that mean that you were involved in the initial discovering of the mega stones?"
Instead of responding, Carbink smirked -or did the equivalent of a smirk as Carbink had no mouth- mischievously.
"You mean you were one of the scientists that first discovered the stones?!" Jet asked in disbelief.
"That is correct," Carbink said cheerfully.
"Then that just leaves one question," Grace said.
"And what would that be?" Carbink asked.
Grace smirked. "How much for the mawilite?"
-Legend-
While the majority of the team talked with Carbink, the remaining three made their way to the training fields, hoping to catch Alistair during his daily training regimen. As luck would have it, they managed to catch the Lucario just as he was leaving.
"Gramps!" DJ called, running up to the elder Lucario.
Alistair frowned at the approaching Lucario in confusion before his eyes widened in sudden recognition. "DJ? Is that you?"
"In the fur!" the former human said with a large grin.
"You've evolved!" he exclaimed. "Good for you, Pup!"
DJ pouted childishly at that name. "How long are you going to call me Pup?"
"How long are you going to call me Gramps?" Alistair countered with a smirk.
"Touché," DJ said with a smirk of his own.
"Leaf, Katara! It's good to see you two," Alistair said, seeing the other two approach.
"It is good to see you too, Alistair," Leaf said respectively, giving the Lucario a small bow.
"Ever the formal type I see." Alistair chuckled at the small blush that colored the Grovyle's cheeks. "So, what brings you three here, today?"
"Well, partially to show off my evolution" - DJ did an exaggerated spin, causing Alistair to chuckle- "but also for information."
"Information about what?" Alistair asked.
"About this," DJ said, pulling out the lucarionite.
Seeing the orange stone in the Lucario's paw, his eyes widened. "Is that what I think it is?"
"So you know what it is," Katara observed.
"Yes," Alistair whispered, taking the stone into his paws and examining it with a critical eye. "A lucarionite. Where did you get this?"
"I took it from Fenrir after I beat him." Alistair's eyes snapped towards DJ.
"Fenrir? As in the leader of the Fighting Syndicate?"
"Former leader," Katara said smugly. "He and his fighting types are currently behind bars."
"So that's where you all were," Alistair said in understanding.
"Yeah, he used mega evolution against me and I barely won," DJ stated with a contemplative frown marring his face. "I figured that if I learned how to mega evolve as well, I could take on stronger foes. Foes like..."
Alistair gained a look of understanding. "I see, your fight with Darkrai still plagues your mind." DJ bowed his head, not willing to look his mentor in the eye. "As I told you before. You cannot win every battle. All you can do is take those losses and learn from them as to not repeat the same mistakes."
DJ nodded his head, but still refused to look up. Suddenly a flash of red light crept into DJ's vision, forcing him to shield his eyes. When the light faded, in Alistair's place was an almost exact copy of the form Fenrir took when he fought him. The only differences being the slightly gray fur and lack of scar.
"You mega evolved," DJ said in awe.
"Whoa," Katara gasped. "That's what mega evolution looks like?"
"For Lucario anyway," Alistair stated, flexing his fingers.
"That form..." Leaf began. "it is powerful."
"Quite," Alistair said wryly.
"How?" The mega Lucario turned his attention to the younger. "How'd you mega evolve?"
"From what I have been told, you must match your aura with the energy that dwells within the mega stone. The stone's aura, if you will," Alistair lectured. "For Lucario it is easier yet harder for them to achieve this harmony."
"What do you mean?"
"You see, unlike the other mega stones, the aura within a lucarionite is more complex. It is constantly shifting as if it were alive, making it difficult to match. While other Pokémon do not have the aura sensing ability that we Lucario have, they must hold onto the stones for an extended period of time in order to gain a feel for the aura within the stone. Over time, they will be able to sense the stone's aura and be able to match it. After the initial match, it becomes child's play to switch between forms. Lucario, however, are a different case entirely.
"Because the aura within a Lucario's mega stone is so complex, a Lucario is forced to find the right frequency, so to speak, in order to be able to match its aura. To do this, a Lucario must use their aura sensing ability to be able to match the lucarionite and like the others, once you do this, you will have no problem mega evolving at will." Alistair was then engulfed in red light as he changed back to his original form. He handed the stone back to DJ and regarded him seriously.
"Now that you have evolved, you aura sense has changed as well. It will take some time for you to get a handle it and when you do, connecting to that stone will be a lot easier."
"I see..." DJ stared at the sphere pensively.
-Legend-
A couplel hours later, DJ, Katara, and Leaf entered their guild house, their talk with Alistair still reeling in their minds.
"We're back!" Katara called.
"We can see that," Asura said dryly.
"So, what'd you find out?" Jet asked excitedly.
"We learned how to activate mega stones," Katara answered.
"Oh? Do tell," Grace implored.
"Turns out that in order to activate mega evolution, you have to sync up with the stone," Katara said, sitting down.
"What do you mean by that?" Blade asked.
"You have to feel the aura of the stone," DJ answered before Katara could. "You have to match your own aura with that of the stone in order to trigger its power."
"Well that's all fine and dandy, but, unlike you, the rest of us can't see aura," Blitz huffed, still miffed about not being able to mega evolve.
"Gramps said that for you have just have to hold onto the stone for a while until you can feel the stone's aura," DJ said with a shrug, sitting next to Katara, staring at the lucarionite with a frown.
"Hmm, so I'll just have to wear this for a while," Grace said, fingering the scrunchy that she had on the stem of her jaws.
With looks of confusion, the trio looked at the scrunchy and saw a pink stone embedded in the center.
"Is that...?" Katara asked.
"A mawilite," Grace confirmed proudly. "I picked it up at the emporium."
"So you can mega evolve, too," DJ said.
"Yep," she said cheerfully. "Out of all of us, only you, Asura, Drake, Blade, Leaf, and I can mega evolve."
Leaf's eyes widened in surprise. "I am able to mega evolve?"
"Uh huh. Sceptile are able to mega evolve," she confirmed.
"That is...nice...to know," Leaf said, flabbergasted.
"Lucky," Blitz grumbled.
"Do not be disheartened, Blitz," Jackson consoled. "Like Carbink said, there could still be other mega stones out there. You can join me in my search to find the umbreonite! The moon shall guide us!"
"No, I think I'm good," Blitz said with a sweat-drop.
"Suit yourself," Jackson said with a shrug.
"So what do we do now?" DJ asked. "Look for other mega stones?"
"For now, we go about business as usual," Asura answered. "We can get mega stones should the opportunity present itself, but the mission comes first."
"Yes, sir!" the team chorused.
It was then that a knock could be heard from their door.
"Who could that be?" Grace asked.
"One way to find out," Asura said, getting to his feet. He and the rest of the team made their way to the door and cautiously opened it. Standing there were three ragged looking Pokémon, all of them being quadrupeds.
The one in the center was a primarily green antelope-like Pokémon with two curled horns on the side of its head. It had a long creamy neck and underbelly and legs. Its feet were reminiscent of knee-high boots with pink highlights and pink tipped leaves on either side of its neck. It had a long black spot that ran from its nose to the back of its head. Overall, it had a very feminine figure.
Unlike the previous Pokémon, the Pokémon on the left had a much more rugged appearance. They had a more bovine-like body with two large bull horns on the sides of its head. Its body was primarily gray with a beige underbelly, and face. Two orange protrusions poked out of its shoulders along with beige bands that wrapped around its hoofed feet. It had several short spikes that surrounded a black spot that mirrored the one on its companion. It possessed piercing orange eyes that glared sharply at the team.
The final Pokémon was significantly shorter than the other two. It was horse-like with a cream colored body. It had a large and round snout with two large nostrils. It had a small, slightly curved, cream colored horn with a dark blue eyebrow-like ridges that surrounded its head. It had long orange mane and a light blue tail with white spots. Around its neck was a fluffy blue collar, the same color as its tail. Its hooves were a dark blue.
"Please," the green Pokémon pleaded, their voice noticeably feminine tone. "Please, help us."
Author's Notes:
Okay, before you all go off on me for saying that there are only forty-four mega stones, I am aware that there are more. I have a reason for not including the other four and it will be explained in chapters to come. Thank you all for your continued support and feel free to leave a review. I do read them, even if I don't respond to them, and I take any criticisms or suggestions to heart.