Mega Evolution is back everyone! Did you miss this fic? I'm glad to be back in the saddle, even if it's only for three more chapters. With "Omni Force: WAR" close to being completed along with the first act of "The Challenge of a Lifetime", I figured it was about time to get back to this fic. And lo and behold, there are only three chapters left!
So we last left off with Naruto and Hinata's quest for Mega Evolution ending with Mega Gallade against Ash-Greninja! Now we're moving into the final phases, and we'll be starting the remaining stories with none other than Rex Salazar!
So let's make way for the next chapter of "The Mega Protocol"!
THE MEGA PROTOCOL
"Whoa…" Leslie uttered as she, Raya, and Rachael stood outside Providence Headquarters. The tall white building looming at the edge of a cliff over them seemed… daunting.
"I can't believe RJ works here…" Rachael noted as she stared up at the tower before glancing back at the desert-like setting surrounding it, "I mean, it's in the middle of nowhere!" she pointed out.
"Well it's not like we'd find him in the middle of an oasis," Raya retorted, folding her arms over her chest, "Still," she continued, smiling a little, "it'll be nice to see him again after so long," she admitted.
"Well, no time like the present!" Leslie said as she smiled, taking a step forward, "Let's go and hear that-!"
"HALT!" a voice boomed.
"EEEKKK!" Leslie shrieked, immediately putting her hands up, "I SURRENDER!" she screamed frantically. Rachael summoned forth a pair of swords in her hands, while Raya activated her Equestrian magic as her light cerulean skin, long ponytail, pony ears, and wings appeared upon her form. In a matter of moments, they were all surrounded by Providence agents, who all aimed their guns at them.
"Please, stand down!" another voice yelled pleadingly in command, catching Raya and Rachael's attentions as they looked over and smiled. Pushing her way past the squadron of Providence agents was none other than Kuvira Salazar, who had her hair styled into the form of a braided ponytail as she smiled at the girls.
"Hi, Missus Salazar," Raya greeted with a simple wave, while Rachael had her swords disappear in a flash of light. Leslie still had her hands raised, keeping her eyes shut.
"Huh…" Kuvira sighed, "Girls, didn't your parents teach you not to sneak around military grounds without permission?" she inquired sarcastically, placing her hands at her hips.
"Hey, we were basically coming through the front door!" Rachael retorted, only to receive a stern glare from the metalbender, making her flinch.
"We're sorry about that…" Raya apologized in defense of her friend, having deactivated her Equestrian magic in the meantime, "We should've called ahead and let you know…" she admitted sheepishly. After a moment, Kuvira put down her hands and smiled.
"I'll let it slide this time…" she reassured, causing the two girls to beam excitedly. Leslie still had her hands raised. "Everyone, you can return to your stations!" the metalbender told the men there.
"Yes ma'am!" one solider answered with a nod before he and the others all went off.
"So…" Kuvira began, putting her attention back onto the trio of girls, "to what do I owe this sudden visit?" she asked curiously, arching an eyebrow.
"Oh, a story!" Rachael instantly answered with a snap of her fingers.
"Specifically one about Mega Evolution, actually," Raya added. Kuvira blinked and widened her eyes. The two girls did the same, glancing at each other nervously.
"Mega Evolution… huh?" the metalbender uttered, letting off a small grin, "Come on," she beckoned, turning around and heading towards the building at the cliff. Raya and Rachael blinked in surprise and glanced at each other in confusion, wondering what had just happened. They then saw that Leslie still hadn't put her hands down, shaking in place.
"Uh… Les?" the requip user uttered to try and get her attention, "We're fine. You're not gonna get shot…" she pointed out.
"I'm not taking any chances!" Leslie screamed in a frightened manner, whimpering all the while. Her friends sighed deeply. After a while, the three girls were gathered together on a couch in what appeared to be a lounge; all drinking tea given to them.
"So RJ isn't around right now?" Raya inquired to Kuvira after taking a sip of her beverage, as she made her way back over and sat down in a chair across the coffee table on the opposite side.
"He's been busy lately," she answered, "Caesar recently found out that he's been able to interact with nanites and heal EVOs," she explained, causing the trio to all widen their eyes.
"Wow, that's amazing!" Rachael exclaimed excitedly, while Leslie almost choked on her tea, managing to gulp it down.
"So he's out training I guess?" Raya inquired again, receiving a nod from the metalbender.
"Rafael's always had this… serious nature to him," she pointed out, staring at the horizon outside the window, "He's always wanted to become stronger like myself and his father," she noted as she smiled, "but at the same time, he wants to help anyone he can in their struggles," she mentioned.
"We ran into his girlfriend a while back when we visited Fairy Tail!" Leslie noted aloud, causing her to perk up and sigh.
"Alice, huh?" she guessed rhetorically, glancing off to the side, "I keep telling him that girl's habits are too troublesome for him, but he insists that he's fine with it…" she grumbled, causing the girls to all sweat nervously. Maybe the subject of the ice and water wizard was a touchy one?
"So… did Rex have his own Mega Evolution?" Raya asked, trying to change the subject.
"He did," Kuvira answered, "And I did as well…" she mentioned, taking a sip of her drink.
"Whoa, really?!" Leslie yelped excitedly.
"Did you two ever battle?" Rachael wondered as she arched an eyebrow. Kuvira smiled again. The story she was about to tell was a memorable one indeed.
REX'S JOURNEY
"So… yeah," Rex uttered out, gesturing towards his girlfriend, "She's gonna be staying around here for a few weeks," he said. Bobo Haha, Six, and Rebecca Holiday all shared concerned glances with one another. This was quite the surprising development. After receiving amnesty from the United Republic in return for her community service and assistance in defeating the remains of the Neo Earth Empire, Kuvira was invited by her boyfriend to come stay with him at Providence Headquarters. At first, she was unsure of the prospect, especially since Rex was practically inviting her to live with him. However, she gave in and accepted the offer because she had nowhere else to stay for the moment. Besides, she wanted to be with him.
"It's, um, nice to meet you all," she awkwardly greeted with a wave of her right hand. From the skeptical looks on everyone's faces, it didn't seem like she made a great first impression. How could she though? They probably knew that she'd already broken up with Rex once.
"Rex… can we… talk to you for a minute?" Rebecca requested, going over and grabbing him by his arm. Before he could say anything, he was dragged away in a yelp.
"Um… I'll be here…" Kuvira said with a stutter, looking on as the group huddled together.
"Really dropped the ball on us this time, kid…" Bobo muttered, crossing his arms.
"Hey, cut her some slack," he advised, holding out his hands in a placating manner, "She's gone through a lot recently, especially with that war back in Natsu's universe…" he pointed out.
"That's not our concern, Rex," Six chimed in, catching his attention, "What is… is the fact that you don't have the best history with her," he explained. The EVO sighed deeply.
"I get why you guys are worried, really," he told his comrades, "but muchacha's really important to me," he stated firmly, gesturing to himself, "If you'll just give her a chance, she'll make it worth it," he promised, enticing everyone to glance back over at her. She waved awkwardly again.
"Well," Bobo began with a smirk, "she's cute at least," he commented.
"We'll trust your judgment, Rex," Rebecca assured as she placed her left hand onto his shoulder, "You're old enough to look out for yourself at least," she mentioned, making him sheepishly blush. He then looked over at Six, whose expression slowly shifted into a grin.
"Just don't get too comfortable," he advised. Rex beamed, running back over and embracing his girlfriend as she yelped in surprise, giggling as he pecked her with kisses. After a while, the couple toured the rest of the headquarters together, making introductions to other agents and meeting with more prominent figures. By sunset, they returned to Rex's quarters, cuddling with each other on his bed as they watched his favorite television show.
"This seems so unlike something I think you'd watch…" Kuvira noted curiously, snuggling into the crook of her boyfriend's neck. He blushed in embarrassment. The EVO hero enjoying a Spanish soap opera? That did sound ridiculous when he thought about it…
"At least you know I know how to romance you…" he flirted, waggling his eyebrows. She blushed and laughed.
"Rex, you're too much sometimes…" she grumbled, playfully shoving him.
"Hey, easy muchacha," he advised semi-seriously, "Don't you still have that injury from the war?" he asked out of concern.
"Oh, my hip?" she guessed in reply, putting her left hand upon it, "It's much better thanks to those healing chambers," she noted with a grin.
"Thought Erza was the only one who needed it…" he admitted as he blinked in surprise.
"For more than just a few hours…" Kuvira added sarcastically. She snuggled closer into her boyfriend. Talking about Erza made her think of something that happened recently. She blushed again. "Rex… you remember Ash and Mirajane's wedding, right?" she guessed to him.
"Uh… of course I do," he answered with a chuckle, "They're gonna have a great honeymoon, meet their friends, etcetera…" he listed off.
"Do you remember when the bouquet was tossed?" Kuvira asked, making him perk up. It took him a second to put the pieces together.
"Oh. OH," he repeated, blinking and widening his eyes, "Th-That's just dumb old superstition, muchacha…" he stuttered, glancing away as he blushed a bright red.
"I know… but…" she started to reply, evidently sounding just as embarrassed, "…have you thought about it?" she inquired curiously. Rex needed a moment to think of his answer.
"Muchacha, we just got back together…" he pointed out, pecking her forehead with his lips, "I don't wanna rush into anything just yet…" he stated firmly.
"Oh…" Kuvira uttered, sounding disappointed.
"Doesn't mean it won't happen though," he added, causing her to smile a little. The two then spent the rest of the evening together before going to bed, both wondering how their relationship would be different than it had been in the past.
X
"Ugh…" Rex groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. He inwardly berated himself for forgetting to shut the windows as the sun's rays blinded him the second he awoke. Rolling over onto his side to check the electronic clock, he realized that Kuvira wasn't in bed. "Uh… muchacha?" he uttered, wondering she could have gone. It was 7:30 in the morning. A bit early for his standards these days, especially with little to no EVOs running amok around the world. Then again, he wanted to know where his girlfriend had gone off to. He got out of his bed and got dressed, walking up to the door before it slid open. His eyes widened in surprise to see who was there.
"Hey Rex," Gingka Hagane greeted with a simple wave.
"Gingka, jeez…" Rex muttered, adjusting his goggles, "You're getting better at the whole ninja thing…" he grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Funny," Gingka replied, reaching into the pocket of his pants, "Here, I've got something for you," he offered, causing the EVO to blink in surprise. After a quick few seconds of rummaging, the beyblader pulled out what appeared to be a shrunken Poké Ball in his hand.
"What's this?" Rex asked, taking it from him. Gingka just gestured his head off to the side.
"Come on," he beckoned, walking off, "I can show you down at the Petting Zoo," he told him. Rex blinked in surprise, but then shrugged. Gingka had certainly turned from exuberant to ambiguous over the years. But Rex knew that he still had his sense of humor. Moments later, they were in the former holding room for EVOs that once could not be cured. With everything that had happened thanks to the worldwide cure event, now it was a space given back to the Providence agents for leisure.
"So… are you giving me a new Pokémon or something?" Rex asked as he and Gingka came to a stop at the center of the area.
"Go ahead and open it," the beyblader said in response. Rex was starting to get sick of the vagueness of his Omni Force teammate. He pressed the Poké Ball's center button to enlarge it, and then threw it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled forth came into form, looming over the two men.
"Uh, Gingka…?" Rex uttered, widening his eyes in fright. The beyblader chuckled. The luminosity dissipated, revealing the Pokémon that had been released: a Steelix.
"Groooh…?" he uttered in confusion, glancing around the area.
"AAAAAAAHHHH!" one Providence agent screamed upon spotting the Iron Snake Pokémon, running out of the area as fast as he could. Upon hearing that, Rex was worried his fellow Providence agents would all be taking up arms, thinking an EVO was on the loose.
"Gingka… explanation please…" he growled between clenched teeth. The beyblader chuckled again.
"I helped rescue Steelix here a few years ago from a bunch of Pokémon hunters," he told him, stuffing his hands into his pockets as he approached the Iron Snake Pokémon, "For the past three and a half years, he's been stuck living in such a small space," he recalled, reaching his right hand out to pet Steelix's head.
"Groo!" he cooed in delight.
"And… you want me to take care of him?" Rex guessed, grimacing a little. He hoped the answer wouldn't be…
"Yeah," Gingka said, enticing Steelix to look over at his new caretaker, "I'm sure you're not too busy these days, right?" he inquired sarcastically. Rex let out a deep exhale.
"Actually… I kinda am…" he confessed, slowly trotting over to him "There's this thing called… 'rekindling' I'm doing, and I can't-"
"Rex, just take Steelix with you," Gingka interjected, "It's not like he's gonna actually drive a wedge in your relationship…" he pointed out with a smirk.
"If I have to split time between him and Kuvira, then it will!" Rex argued back. Steelix just blinked at the interaction.
"Here, take these," Gingka said, tossing a pair of items towards the EVO, who caught them in his hands. One was a large metal brace embedded with a silver stone that had a curved shape of blue and white within it. The other object was a bracelet that had a similar yet smaller stone that was multicolored and had a double helix quality to the curved shape within it. Rex slightly widened his eyes in realization. He knew what these objects were.
"You… want me to use Mega Evolution?" he inquired, arching an eyebrow toward his teammate.
"Everyone else is," he responded with a simple shrug, "Rex, look," he began, trotting over and placing his hand onto the EVO's shoulder, "It might not be a bad idea to have something else to do with Providence basically out of business…" he pointed out. Rex growled.
"We're not out of business!" he shouted, "We're now a special task force for the government in case of emergencies and EVO-related activity," he explained, practically gloating about the new assignment as he huffed proudly.
"And how often does that happen?" Gingka asked back, causing Rex to grimace.
"Uh… not often…" he confessed sheepishly. The beyblader chuckled once again.
"Trust me, it'll be a good way to pass the time," he said, tossing Steelix's Poké Ball for Rex to catch, "Just remember, you gotta really bond with Steelix if you wanna use Mega Evolution," he pointed out seriously.
"Yeah, I don't know what that means, but sure…" Rex answered, rolling his eyes.
"Heh," Gingka laughed, turning around and pulling out his MPG. After a few moments, a green portal appeared in front of him. "Good luck," he remarked in farewell before departing through the vortex, which disappeared just a minute later.
"Perfect…" Rex grumbled, slumping forward. He then felt something nudge him from behind. He turned to see Steelix tilting his head to the side.
"Grooonix…" he moaned, upset that his new trainer didn't seem to want anything to do with him.
"No, no, no!" Rex repeated pleadingly, "I just… I got a lot on my plate right now…" he claimed, holding out his hands in a placating manner.
"Nnnnniixxx…" Steelix bellowed, unconvinced as he narrowed his eyes. Rex sighed. He knew there was nothing else he could do. Plus, people were staring from the windows.
"All right… I'll… set aside some time for you…" he said, finally caving in to his new comrade.
"Groo!" Steelix exclaimed delightedly, nuzzling against the EVO. He was evidently embarrassed by all the affection.
"Okay, okay…" he repeated, pointing the Poké Ball at the Iron Snake Pokémon, "Let's… talk later…" he advised. The Poké Ball shot out a red beam of light, enveloping Steelix and returning back to it. After Rex shrunk the Poké Ball, he turned to the crowd of people just by the windows, most of whom had incredulous looks on their faces. He sighed again. This was going to take a lot of explanation. By the windows though, his girlfriend was also looking on, standing beside an Aggron. She knew exactly what he was going through.
X
"You okay dude?" Noah asked as another basketball bounced off of the rim. With Providence acting as a task force for the government these days, Rex had plenty of free to see his best friend. Whether it was either to talk, hang out, or play some basketball to cool his head. Though his head certainly couldn't cool down with all that was going on.
"I get back with my old girlfriend, and now I'm suddenly thrust into this possibly impossible task!" he replied angrily, getting the ball to try and make a basket for once. It bounced off the rim again.
"Wait… you got back with Circe?" Noah guessed, arching an eyebrow as Rex caught the ball and dribbled.
"No, with Kuvira," he corrected, making another shot that missed.
"Oh," his friend uttered before catching the rebound off of the backboard. He was about to make his own shot until he widened his eyes in realization. "Wait, Kuvira as in your dictator ex-girlfriend?!" he yelped out of shock. Rex glared at him. "Right, sorry…" he apologized, "I know you and she patched things up after that whole mess in her world…" he realized as his friend sat down on the pavement of the court. "So what's this 'task' you got?" he asked, changing the subject, "Something for Providence?" he guessed, sitting himself down next to him.
"Uh… kind of…" Rex vaguely answered, pulling out the Poké Ball he received earlier from Gingka.
"Wait, what is that?" Noah asked, seeing Rex enlarge the container by pressing its center button before tossing it up into the air. It popped open, and the light that spilled out from it formed onto the pavement, enlarging to Noah's shock. "Uh… Rex?!" he yelled out in fright. The light dissipated, revealing Steelix as he glanced around the area curiously, noticing that it wasn't the Petting Zoo.
"Grooh…?" he uttered in confusion, looking down at the shocked expression of Noah and the annoyed expression of Rex.
"AAAAAHHH!" Noah screamed as he crawled over to be next to his friend, "Rex, what the hell is that thing?!" he asked, cowering behind the EVO.
"Huh…" Rex sighed, "That… is Steelix," he introduced, gesturing towards the Iron Snake Pokémon, "And he's my assignment…" he added.
"YOUR ASSIGNMENT IS PET-SITTING?!" Noah exclaimed in shock, causing Rex to flinch as he was yelling right near his ear, "Why didn't Providence give you a cat?! Or a dog even?!" he questioned on, "Heck, isn't Bobo technically your pet?!" he inquired loudly.
"Ha, ha…" Rex laughed sarcastically, letting out another deep sigh, "And this isn't an assignment from Providence," he corrected, causing Noah to perk up in surprise, "A friend of mine wanted me to raise him," he said.
"Oh," Noah uttered in realization, calming himself as he sat back down cross-legged. Steelix started to wander about the court aimlessly, grazing through the pavement with his iron, slithering body. "So how long are you supposed to raise him?" Noah asked curiously.
"I don't know, and that's the problem…" Rex muttered, lying down upon the pavement on his back, "I'm supposed to bond with him until we can… 'Mega Evolve' or whatever it was Gingka told me about…" he explained, staring up at the orange sky overhead, "Thing is, I don't know what to do…" he mentioned, letting out yet another sigh. Noah blinked and thought for a moment.
"Sounds like you should try spending more time with him than me," he realized, causing his friend to perk up in surprise, "I mean… if you have to bond with him, then-"
"And there's the Kuvira thing, too!" Rex interjected, much to Noah's annoyance as he glanced at him with a suspicious look in his eyes, "I mean, I can't restart my relationship with my girlfriend for five seconds without being bombarded by the guys from the Omni Force about some crazy new mission!" he complained, "Ugh…" he groaned, rubbing his hair with his gloved right hand, "It's either that or a wedding these days…" he grumbled. He glanced over to see the look on Noah's face.
"…Anything else?" he wondered, arching an eyebrow. Rex blushed in embarrassment.
"Sorry," he apologized, looking off to the side, "I just… wanted to spend time with Kuvira more than worry about this…" he confessed, sitting up.
"I bet you still can," Noah responded, causing him to perk up, "Maybe she could help you out with this?" he offered as a solution.
"Yeah, right!" Rex yelled back, "I doubt she knows the first thing about how to raise a giant, iron snake!" he pointed out, gesturing towards Steelix, who was still wandering about aimlessly.
"I meant she could help you with all that stress you've got," Noah reiterated to emphasize his point, "I mean, you'll get to spend time with her and she can maybe give you an idea of what you wanna do with Steelix…" he explained. Rex sighed once more. His friend was right. He couldn't figure this out on his own, and that frustrated him. But it felt embarrassing nonetheless to have to go to anyone for help. A loud crunch snapped him away from his thoughts. He turned around with Noah, widening his eyes to see that Steelix was eating the basketball hoop, having torn it out from the ground.
"Grooohhh?" he uttered in confusion, noticing their shocked expressions.
"…Yeah, you should really get help with this one…" Noah admitted, causing Rex to sigh yet again in realization. He didn't like this. He wasn't initially on board with the idea of having a Pokémon in the first place, and his new task was definitely meant to be an uphill climb. Steelix finished chewing the metal and burped, satisfied with his unordinary meal.
"Great…" Rex groaned, falling back onto the pavement. As stars began to shine up in the sky, his doubt as to completing his task still remained intact.
X
Two days went by. Rex still had no idea what to do. He'd let Steelix roam around the Petting Zoo at Providence for an hour or so, and that'd be it. Training a Pokémon was something he thought would have stayed with him. He traveled through the Sinnoh region after all!
Nonetheless, he was stuck. He had no idea what to do. And whenever he wanted to talk with Kuvira about it, she was either too tired from a long day of working or was busy with something else. That something else was apparently too secret for her to talk about because she never explained it to her boyfriend. And it annoyed him to no end.
"Readings are normal as usual, Rex," Rebecca concluded after her daily checkup on the EVO, looking over the results on the monitor she was near.
"Thanks, doc," he replied, coming down from the bench he was sitting on and grabbing his jacket.
"So how are things going with Steelix?" Rebecca asked just as Rex was sliding his right sleeve on.
"Oh, uh… great…" he stuttered out. Rebecca gave him an incredulous look.
"Rex, I know you've only been taking him on walks…" she pointed out bluntly.
"Because I don't know what else to do, Holiday!" Rex retorted angrily, "The one time I actually took him out from the compound, he ate a basketball hoop! ATE IT!" he emphasized with outstretched arms.
"…This coming from the guy who was a quarterfinalist not too long ago?" Rebecca implied rhetorically, much to Rex's chagrin as he sighed deeply.
"I'd say about five years ago is a pretty long time…" he muttered aloud, only to get smacked in the back of the head by Rebecca's tablet as she whapped him with it, "OW!" he yelped in agony, grabbing at his hurt head.
"For goodness' sake, Rex…" Rebecca complained, placing her hands at her hips, "Maybe Gingka should've given you pointers like he did with Kuvira…" she muttered in realization.
"Yeah, well I-! Wait, what?" Rex uttered, interjecting himself as he blinked in confusion, "Why would muchacha need pointers?" he asked, very perplexed. Rebecca smirked as she gestured towards the window. Rex blinked before trotting over to the window, widening his eyes upon what he spotted. Down in the Petting Zoo was his girlfriend… with an Aggron. "Wh-What?" he stuttered in shock, noticing the Rock/Steel type smashing through rocks in the area with his silver-glowing tail, "When did she get that?!" Rex asked, pressing his gloved hands against the glass.
"The same day Gingka gave you Steelix," Rebecca replied, causing him to widen his eyes. His face practically screamed how shocked he was. "You know, he did leave me with notes about both Steelix and Aggron," she mentioned, trotting over to him with her tablet in hand. She handed it off to Rex, allowing him to read the notes.
"So Crunch, Iron Head, Dig, and Gyro Ball are his moves, huh…" he listed off upon looking over what was on the tablet. He took notice of something else, widening his eyes a little. "He's… a stray?" he uttered in surprise, looking back at Rebecca, who walked over to him.
"More like was enslaved by Pokémon hunters," she corrected, taking the tablet back, "Gingka recovered him, Aggron, and a bunch of others from this group who was using them for their own purposes," she explained to Rex. He was definitely taken aback by the news. Steelix was practically a slave? And the fact that he had been negligent to the Iron Snake Pokémon…
He had to make things right.
"I'll… be back," he promised, hurrying off. Rebecca grinned. She assumed all of what he knew now was the kick in the pants he needed to actually try and bond with Steelix. Moments later, Rex ventured into the Petting Zoo.
"Aggron, Autotomize!" Kuvira shouted, catching his attention. He looked to see Aggron glow in silvery light before jumping around the area easily, as if he was somehow lighter than before. Rex was amazed. While he had been moping around for the past few days over how to handle things with Steelix, Kuvira was managing to effectively train and work with Aggron. "Now Ice Beam!" she commanded. Forming a ball of light blue energy in front of his face, Aggron unleashed several zigzag-shaped beams that struck the pond and froze it up instantaneously.
"AAAAGGGRRRRAAAAAHHH!" he roared proudly. His trainer smiled.
"Hey," Rex said, catching their attentions as they saw him approach, "So this is what you've been doing in your off time, huh?" he inquired to her.
"Well technically, it's what I was assigned to do," she retorted, letting off a chuckle, "Things not going so well with Steelix?" she guessed, arching an eyebrow. Rex scoffed with a grin.
"Should've figured you'd know…" he muttered aloud, "I was just… focused on making sure we…" he continued, taking her hands into his own, "…we could make this work again…" he admitted, blushing a little, "So this whole… 'Mega Evolution' thing kinda became…"
"A distraction?" his girlfriend interjected as a guess. He chuckled again, rubbing the back of his head with his right hand.
"So… uh…" he stuttered out, "Why don't we train together?" he offered as a suggestion, "That way, we can be together and-"
"Learn exactly what our Pokémon are capable of," Kuvira finished for him.
"Read my mind, muchacha," he retorted in reply, leaning in to give her a kiss on the lips for a few seconds. They smiled at each other happily afterwards. "Okay, let's get this started!" he declared, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the Poké Ball he had, "Steelix!" he called out, tossing the ball up into the air after enlarging it. As the Poké Ball popped open and its light spilled onto the ground, it formed and then dissipated to reveal the Iron Snake Pokémon.
"Grroooooh!" he bellowed happily. He was ready for his daily walk as usual, but was surprised to find Aggron right below him. In fact, his presence seemed to cause a shift in his demeanor as his eyes narrowed…
"Okay Steelix, we're gonna-" Rex stopped himself the moment he noticed that the Steel/Ground type wasn't paying attention. "Uh… Steelix?" he uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow.
"RRRRRAAAAAAHHHHNNNNIIIXXXXX!" Steelix roared, lunging out at Aggron. Taking notice, the Iron Armor Pokémon quickly jumped back, letting the Steel/Ground type collide with the ground in a fierce explosion of dust.
"Hey, Steelix!" Rex yelled as he and Kuvira quickly jogged over. What was that all about?! Before either of them could say anything though, Steelix slinked out from the cloud with his tail glowing in a silvery light. He swung it towards Aggron, who took on a ready stance before jumping out and ramming into the large tail of his foe head on, all while being covered in a gold aura. The impact caused a huge burst of wind to rush by Rex and Kuvira, who braced themselves as they shut their eyes and shielded their faces with their arms. "Okay, the novelty of this has officially worn off!" the EVO declared, letting light blue lines of energy appear along his arms as he was about to transform.
"Wait," Kuvira said, placing her hand onto his shoulder to make him stop, "Let's let them have their fun for a bit…" she advised to his surprise as he blinked.
"Grrrrrrooohhh…" Steelix growled as he and Aggron moved back from their collision. His teeth began glowing in a bright white light as he dove down at the Iron Armor Pokémon again. Coating himself in a silvery light like before, Aggron leapt away quickly, landing upon a rocky ledge. He formed another sphere of light blue energy in front of his mouth, unleashing several zigzagging beams that struck Steelix's body, encasing most of it in ice below his head. However, the Iron Snake Pokémon narrowed his eyes, making some of the spikes on his upper body glow a light blue before they began to spin around, shattering the ice around as pieces fell all over the ground.
"Jeez!" Rex yelped as the ice had come close to hitting him and his girlfriend, "Are you sure you don't wanna stop them now?!" he asked frantically.
"They're just sparring, Rex," Kuvira responded in a reassuring tone, "It's not like they're going to destroy the whole building…" she pointed out. Aggron and Steelix locked eyes with each other. They were both determined to emerge victorious in this sparring match. Steelix then surrounded his head in a white aura, making it seem black and white. He lunged at Aggron, about to slam into him head first. However, the Iron Armor Pokémon evaded the attempted strike by jumping upwards. The explosion of dust that occurred from the impact shrouded his view of Steelix, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to match his speed. Making his tail glow a silvery white, he spun down and slammed it right onto his opponent's head, leading to yet another explosion of dirt, one even larger than before. Rex's jaw practically dropped at the sight. Kuvira slightly widened her eyes.
"Nixxx…" Steelix groaned as the dust settled, revealing that he was in a daze with his eyes in swirls.
"AAAAAAAAAAGGGRRRAAAAHHH!" Aggron proudly roared, boasting as he raised his arms into the air.
"I win," Kuvira remarked, catching Rex's attention as he blinked in surprise, turning his head to look over at her.
"Wait, what?!" he yelped, "B-But we didn't even… issue commands and stuff like that!" he noted, sounding rather offended by her remark.
"Then let's make a deal for our first real battle," she recommended, crossing her arms, "If I win, I get to do whatever I want with you," she said, looking over at him slyly. He started to blush.
"And… if I win?" he asked nervously with a grin. She smiled and turned, placing her hand onto his shoulder as she leaned her head in.
"You get to do whatever you want with me…" she whispered into ear, causing his entire face to go red as she kissed his cheek gently, "Come on, Aggron!" she beckoned. The Iron Armor Pokémon hopped down from the cliff, landing beside Rex and jogging off after his trainer. The EVO couldn't believe how easily his girlfriend pushed his buttons. He should've been better than that!
"Grrooohhh…" Steelix muttered, shaking his head as he started to regain himself. He looked over at Rex, who balled his hands into fists. All this time moping about and venting frustrations over what to do with Steelix was now dissipating. He knew what to do now. He looked back at the Iron Snake Pokémon.
"You ready to do this, bud?" he asked of him, holding out his right fist, morphing it into a single Smackhand. Steelix blinked in surprise, but then appeared to give off a content look.
"Grrroooh!" he bellowed in agreement, moving his head down to gently tap the build of his trainer. He smiled. They were ready to bond and grow stronger.
X
One week went by. Rex and Kuvira trained separately with their Pokémon, only meeting for nights and mornings for sleep. The former of the two was learning a lot more about Steelix than he thought possible. In fact, he had a few plans for what to do in his upcoming battle…
The only problem that arose was where it would take place. The Petting Zoo was out of the question, considering that it was already damaged from Aggron and Steelix' unofficial bout and was attached to Providence Headquarters. Any damage to the building could lead to its collapse. And of course a city was not an appropriate destination, so…
"Remind me why we're out in the middle of a forest again?" Bobo asked as he folded his arms underneath his chest, sitting under the shade of the tree. He, Six, and Rebecca were watching on from afar, looking out at Kuvira and Rex setting their Mega Bracelets on their wrists respectively.
"This was the most ideal location for the battle," Six replied, "Though personally, I'd rather Rex focused on his own training," he admitted, narrowing his eyes underneath his shades.
"Oh lighten up," Rebecca retorted with a grin, "I'm happy that Rex and Kuvira get to do something that doesn't involve going to war," she mentioned.
"This seems like a step down from war…" Bobo muttered, putting his right hand onto his cheek.
"Maybe that's just what they need…" Rebecca noted in reply. Rex stretched his arms and flexed his fingers, ready to get things going.
"You good over there, muchacha?" he asked of his girlfriend, who pulled out her Poké Ball and enlarged it by pressing its center button, letting it rest in her hand.
"All ready," she answered, reeling her arm back. Rex took out his own Poké Ball and readied his right, prepared to throw it.
"Steelix, go!" he called out, tossing the Poké Ball up into the sky.
"Aggron, come out!" Kuvira shouted, throwing her own Poké Ball. The two spherical containers collided with each other in midair before popping open, having their lights spill out onto the ground below, forming and then dissipating.
"Aaaagggrron!" Aggron roared into the air.
"Grraanix!" Steelix bellowed in response.
"Uh… what's with the weird fashion sense?" Bobo asked, having noticed the leather straps holding onto the stones at Aggron's head and one of Steelix's spikes respectively.
"Those are their Mega Stones," Rebecca answered, folding her arms over her chest, "You'll see what they're for later on," she promised, causing both him and Six to raise their eyebrows skeptically in confusion.
"First move's all yours, muchacha!" Rex offered. Kuvira chuckled. Her boyfriend might've been too much of a gentleman… Nevertheless, she accepted the offer.
"Aggron, Autotomize!" she called out. A silvery metal light became apparent on the Iron Armor Pokémon's body as he got into a ready stance.
"So starting off with Autotomize to raise Aggron's speed and make him nimble…" Rebecca noted, putting her hand onto her chin.
"Please tell me you aren't going to be like this for the whole time…" Six muttered pleadingly.
"Doubt it," Bobo chimed in. Rex's expression shifted into a serious one. Now Aggron was likely faster than Steelix, so he'd have to use another advantage that his partner had.
"Steelix, use Iron Tail!" he ordered. Making his tail glow in a silvery light, Steelix lunged out and swung it towards Aggron.
"Counter it with your own Iron Tail!" Kuvira commanded. With his tail glowing in the exact same manner, Aggron swung it to intercept Steelix's in a fierce collision, resulting in a huge burst of wind that blew past everyone in the area. Bobo had to hold onto his fez to keep it from flying off.
"Hey, tone it down a little!" he remarked loudly.
"Now Ice Beam!" Kuvira shouted, throwing out her right arm. Forming a sphere of light blue energy in front of his mouth, Aggron was prepared to fire onto Steelix.
"Dodge with Dig!" Rex quickly yelled in response, enticing the Iron Snake Pokémon to dive head first into the earth just before the zigzag beams that emitted from the energy sphere could strike. As the dust settled, it revealed that the hole Steelix had made was covered in ice, but he was not trapped to the chagrin of Aggron, who narrowed his eyes in frustration.
"So you have a move that'll deal with Aggron?" Kuvira inquired with a grin towards her boyfriend, "I think you might be underestimating us!" she pointed out, much to his surprise as he blinked, "Aggron, Iron Tail on the ground!" she ordered.
"Aaaggg!" the Iron Armor Pokémon replied before taking a great leap upwards. His tail shined in a silvery light as he spun around towards the ground, slamming his glowing appendage against it to make it shatter apart instantaneously around him.
"Steelix, get outta there!" Rex cried out instantly in concern. Fortunately, Steelix did pop out from the breaking earth, about to dive down onto Aggron as he was still slamming his tail against the ground.
"Aggron, Double-Edge!" Kuvira commanded. Taking notice of Steelix coming in from behind, the Iron Armor Pokémon coated himself in a golden aura and turned around, leaping up to collide with him head on.
"Well, this is… something," Six admitted, still having his eyebrow raised.
"Didn't you say this would get exciting or somethin'?" Bobo asked of Rebecca, who merely grinned.
"Just be patient," she advised, making him scoff in annoyance.
"Use Crunch!" Rex ordered as he pumped his fist. Steelix's teeth glowed a bright white the moment he and Aggron broke away from each other. He dove down in an attempt to bite him, but…
"Ice Beam!" Kuvira shouted. Another sphere of energy formed in front of Aggron's open mouth before he unleashed several zigzagging beams from it that struck and froze Steelix's mouth in ice. Rex grimaced.
"GGRRRROOOOHHH!" Steelix growled angrily. Aggron appeared to smirk.
"Now Autotomize!" Kuvira called out. Just as Aggron landed on the ground, a silvery light coated his body again.
"So you said that what he's doing is increasing his speed, right?" Six asked of Rebecca, who nodded.
"Autotomize is a move that also makes a Pokémon become nimble," she mentioned, placing her hand onto her chin curiously.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Bobo asked out of confusion.
"It means Aggron's a lot lighter and can move faster," Six answered, folding his arms over his chest, "And to think he can still generate that much power…" he added, sounding impressed.
"Seems like there's only one of us who's not interested now…" Rebecca noted, glancing over at Bobo as he rolled his eyes out of exasperation.
"Aggron, Iron Tail!" Kuvira commanded. Leaping up at Steelix, the Iron Armor Pokémon had his tail glow in a silvery white light being swinging it out and striking him in the face. He followed with several more hits from all around, while the Iron Snake Pokémon could only endure. The ice filling his mouth began to crack, allowing him to make a big chomp in order to break it apart completely. A chill went down his entire body from the cold sensation.
"Steelix, you okay?" Rex asked immediately. Shaking his head, Steelix blew out a puff of steam from his nostrils.
"Grrrnix!" he replied with a reassuring nod, making Rex sigh in relief. Now he had to contend with the fact that Aggron was four times than earlier. How could he hope to have Steelix match up to that?
"Double-Edge!" Kuvira ordered. Cloaked in a golden light, Aggron lunged out at Steelix again.
"Steelix, Dig!" Rex yelled, enticing his partner to dive down towards the earth below. However, he was still struck by the incredibly fast Aggron, knocking him off balance for a moment as he was about to fall over. However, he took advantage of that motion to go down into the ground, resulting in a huge burst of dust that shrouded the area.
"Aaggg…" Aggron growled as he landed down, looking around to see where his opponent would come up from.
"Iron Tail the ground again!" Kuvira called out to him. He nodded as he made his tail glow in a silvery white light. The strategy had worked before…
"Use Crunch, Steelix!" Rex suddenly shouted, surprising Aggron as he blinked. All of a sudden, he saw the ground crack beneath his feet, followed by Steelix bursting up from it and ensnaring him in his glowing teeth as they went high up into the air. Kuvira's eyes widened. Rex smirked. So did Bobo.
"Okay, two hundred on the giant rock snake," he betted to his colleagues. Six merely raised an eyebrow in response, while Rebecca shook her head. "Three hundred?" Bobo offered as a correction.
"Not bad, Rex," Kuvira complimented from afar, readying her fingers over the Key Stone upon her bracelet, "But I think you're forgetting that I have a wild card here…" she pointed out, tapping her Key Stone, "Aggron, Mega Evolve!" she bellowed. Golden streaks of light emitted from the Key Stone as she raised her arm up. At that same moment as Aggron found his lower body trapped in Steelix's jaws, the Aggronite atop the leather strap on his head began releasing silver streaks of light as well. The two sets of rays interlocked, turning a bright white.
"Okay, whoa," Bobo uttered in surprise. A multicolored aura shrouded Aggron as his body began to change drastically. He appeared to become more heavily plated, while the horns atop his head shortened. A third horn protruded out from his nose, wider than the other two. When the light faded, it revealed how bulky he had become. A spike projected downward from both his upper and lower jaw. The protrusions on his shoulders were longer and curved toward his head, and new spikes thrusted out from holes in his armbands. On top of that, his tail was thicker with two bands around it.
"AAAAAAGGGGGGRRRRAAAAAAHHHH!" he roared proudly, placing his hands onto the ends of Steelix's mouth and prying himself free easily from his grasp by pushing it open.
"Wow," Rebecca uttered in shock. Bobo's eyes were widened. Aggron then jumped down to the ground, landing with a flurry of dust to follow.
"Grrrrnix…" Steelix growled, shaking his head.
"So that's Mega Aggron…" Rex muttered in realization, wiping the sweat rolling down his cheek. Now this became a challenge.
"Aggron, Double-Edge!" Kuvira commanded. A golden aura shrouded the Mega Evolved Iron Armor Pokémon as he lunged out in an instant at Steelix. Before he could react, Steelix was struck hard by Aggron, widening his eyes.
"GGGRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHH!" he bellowed in agony before toppling over onto the earth in a huge burst of dust.
"Ah, Steelix!" Rex yelped, bracing himself from the rush of dirt flying about, crossing his arms over his face to avoid getting any in his eyes. Everyone else watched on in amazement.
"Now I'm betting four hundred on the dinosaur!" Bobo declared proudly. Both Six and Rebecca sighed deeply. As the dust finally settled, Steelix was slow to rise from the ground, covered with scratch marks and bruises from the battle. Unfortunately, he wouldn't have the chance to recover for even a moment.
"Ice Beam!" Kuvira ordered. Forming another sphere of blue energy in front of his mouth, Aggron unleashed several streaks of light from it that struck Steelix. The beams ended up freezing him in ice connected to the ground.
"Grrrrooohhh…!" he bellowed, trying to pry himself free. Rex grimaced. If he didn't do something soon, Steelix would lose. Luckily, he had his own wild card.
"Let's do this, Steelix!" he called out, catching his attention as he saw the EVO reaching for the Key Stone on his bracelet.
"Grrrnix!" he responded with a nod, prepared to undergo the transformation. Rex tapped the Key Stone.
"Mega Evolve!" he shouted, raising his trinket up into the air as streams of golden light streaked out from the Key Stone. The Iron Snake Pokémon's Steelixite started to resonate as well, releasing blue lights that connected with those from his trainer. They turned a bright white, followed by Steelix becoming shrouded in a multicolored aura.
"GRRRRRRAAAAAAAAHHHHH!" he roared as his body began to morph drastically. He was becoming longer, gaining more mass and distinguishable features. Everyone watched on with widened eyes as the ice shattered around him. When the light dissipated, it revealed that Steelix's eyes had turned blue and his lower jaw had become more heavily armored with a round, curved shape. Additionally, a third pair of ridges appeared on his bottom jaw, as well as two sharp, flat structures consisting of three conjoined projections on each side. The gray, rock-like spikes and his tail point had transformed into prism-like crystalline spikes; the segments from which the spikes protruded were much larger as well. In between the head and individual spiked segments were smaller units, now adorned by a black spot with a blue hexagon on each side. Several metallic-looking scraps were constantly rotating around his neck.
"Okay, I'm back to betting on the snake!" Bobo declared excitedly. Now he was getting into this. In the meantime, Kuvira actually started sweating a little.
"I never expected Steelix's Mega Evolution to look so… imposing…" she admitted quietly to herself with a gulp. Still, she knew that Aggron had the upper hand in speed, so she'd use that to her advantage. "Use Double-Edge!" she ordered as she swung her arm out. Cloaking himself within a golden aura once again, Aggron lunged out instantly and slammed head on into Steelix. Kuvira smirked, but her expression shifted into one of shock. Steelix had barely budged. She shook her head. "All right, Iron Tail!" she shouted. Aggron landed back on the ground again before making his tail glow in a silvery white light, jumping out and spinning to slam it into Steelix's head. Once more though, he barely moved an inch from the impact. In fact, he didn't seem fazed.
"So that's what Rex was focusing on this week…" Rebecca realized as she smiled and widened her eyes slightly. Six raised an eyebrow.
"Focused on what, exactly?" he inquired curiously.
"Since he saw how Kuvira was focusing on speed and power with Aggron, he decided to take the opposite approach with Steelix and focus on defense," she explained in reply, "I gotta say, I didn't peg Rex to revolve his strategy like this…" she admitted, sounding impressed.
"So since that big snake can't move all that fast, that's why the boy wonder's got 'im takin' all those hits?" Bobo guessed, letting off a huff afterwards, "He's got guts, I'll give 'im that…" he muttered, folding his arms over his chest. Kuvira was grimacing. At this rate, Aggron would likely tire himself out before any of his attacks would act as the finishing blow to Steelix. She had limited options.
"Aggron, Autotomize!" she ordered. With a silvery aura shrouding his form, the Mega Evolved Iron Armor Pokémon began moving even faster than before, dashing around Steelix rather quickly. However, the Steel/Ground type appeared to be unfazed as did his trainer. Kuvira couldn't help but feel nervous. What was Rex planning? "Use Ice Beam!" she yelled out. Sliding to a stop in front of his opponent, Aggron opened his mouth and formed another sphere of blue energy in front of it. He unleashed several zigzagging beams from it that struck froze up about half of Steelix's body in ice, including the scraps orbiting around him. But surprisingly, the Mega Evolved Iron Snake Pokémon didn't seem to flinch at all.
"Agg…" Aggron growled in frustration. Even with all that bravado he was showing off, Steelix had to be tired out by now, right?
"Aggron, Iron Tail!" Kuvira commanded. Aggron disregarded his thoughts and made his tail shine in a silvery white light. He was still dealing damage to Steelix regardless of how things seemed. Sooner or later, he'd have to fall. The Mega Evolved Iron Armor Pokémon jumped out. Rex let off a smirk.
"Steelix, counter with your Iron Tail!" he shouted suddenly to his girlfriend's surprise. Part of Steelix's body that wasn't frozen was his long tail. And not only was he able to make it glow a silvery white and move it, but also made the ice break off around him. He swung his tail to intercept Aggron's, creating a burst of wind from the impact. The deadlock only lasted for a few seconds. Aggron found himself being blown away by Steelix's tail, crashing through trees in the distance.
"Aggron!" Kuvira cried out, evidently shocked. So was everyone else.
"And with added weight to Steelix's Mega Evolution, he knew exactly how to counter Aggron's Autotomize!" Rebecca realized, grinning excitedly.
"How's that?" Bobo asked.
"Nimble is synonymous with being lighter," Six answered for Rebecca.
"So by getting hit from that Iron Tail…" the doctor continued.
"It felt a lot worse than it should've, huh?" Bobo guessed, looking over at the wake of destruction caused by Aggron's impact.
"Grraaahhh…" he groaned as he slowly got back onto his feet, bruised and nearly beaten. As he trudged back out onto the field, Kuvira could tell that he was on his last legs of strength. They needed to end this. Rex knew Steelix was in the same boat. Despite his amazing show of strength earlier, he had his limits, too.
"Steelix, Dig!" the EVO ordered quickly.
"Stop him with Ice Beam!" Kuvira commanded. As Steelix dove towards the ground again, Aggron created another blue sphere of energy in front of his mouth, releasing several zigzagging beams from it that were aimed towards his foe. A cloud of dirt and dust spewed from the impact the Mega Evolved Iron Snake Pokémon made with the ground, right as the beams struck as well. A few seconds passed before the wind blew the dust away, revealing a giant hole in the ground with ice coating the earth. Aggron had missed. Everyone aside from Rex gasped in surprise. Now Kuvira had only one plan. "Iron Tail the ground!" she yelled. Aggron immediately jumped up and made his tail glow in a silvery white light, aiming to strike the ground below. Hopefully, it would have the same results as last time. But now, his opponent was ready.
"Steelix, Iron Head!" Rex commanded. Bursting out of the ground with a bright white light shrouding his head, making him appear black and white, Steelix fiercely intercepted Aggron's tail.
"Whoa!" Bobo yelped with widened eyes. The wind blew by rapidly from the point of contact between the two fighting Pokémon.
"GGGGRRRRRRAAAAAANNIX!" Steelix roared, slowly but surely pushing Aggron back to the point where he knocked him down straight to the ground in an instant.
"Aggron!" Kuvira cried out before bracing herself from the dust and dirt that blew by her. When it dissipated, it revealed that Aggron was lying on the ground, groaning in pain. In a flash of light, he transformed back into his original form.
"And that's a wrap," Rebecca concluded, clapping in applause.
"So do I still get my money?" Bobo inquired, only earning a skeptical eyebrow raise from Six again. In the meantime, Rex breathed heavily out of exhaustion. That was exhilarating. He thought Steelix would lose on a couple of instances, but always knew that his Mega Evolution would likely be the key to coming close to victory. He never thought he'd actually win. A flash of light enveloped Steelix, transforming him back to normal.
"Grrroooohhh!" he bellowed in delight, moving his head over to tap it against his trainer, who laughed.
"Okay pal, great work," he complimented, patting his head, "You really pulled through there," he added, looking at him in the eyes, "Thanks," he said in gratitude.
"Grrnix!" Steelix replied happily with a nod. No matter how intimidating he may have seemed before, the Iron Snake Pokémon was basically one of his best friends now.
"Well, you won," Kuvira noted, catching their attentions as they saw her walk over with Aggron.
"Yeah… we did," Rex responded, chuckling nervously. He remembered what his girlfriend promised him. "Listen… it shouldn't matter what I want or what you would've wanted out of this whole thing," he explained, going up to her and taking her hands, "All I want is for us to try and make the best of our lives right now," he told her. She smiled and laughed.
"I guess this was included…" she inferred cleverly, making him chuckle.
"Sure was, muchacha," he agreed, kissing her passionately on the lips. Everyone watched on with smiles at the couple. Truly nothing could come between them this time…
X
"After that, Rex proposed to me," Kuvira told the three girls, "And a few weeks after that, I found out I was pregnant with Rafael," she mentioned sheepishly, glancing off to the side in embarrassment.
"Wow, that's like how my parents had me!" Leslie chimed in.
"Except your mom and dad were married by then…" Rachael noted, causing her to giggle.
"I'm really glad you told us this story, Missus Salazar," Raya said to Kuvira, taking a final sip of her tea, "We never got to know much about Rex growing up, so…" she continued, only to stop as she saw the surprise in Kuvira's eyes.
"Well… that's par for the course," she pointed out to her shock as her own eyes widened.
"I-I'm sorry…" she stuttered in apology, "I shouldn't have-"
"Mom?" a voice chimed in, catching their attentions as they looked to see a light brown skinned teenager in a Providence uniform walk into the room, wearing a pair of shades that he moved away from his eyes up to his slick black hair.
"RJ!" Leslie exclaimed excitedly, jumping up from her seat and jogging over to hug him, "It's so good to see you!" she noted happily.
"Uh, great to see you…" he replied with a small grin, "Mom, what are the girls doing here?" he asked, arching an eyebrow. Kuvira laughed.
"Learning more about your father," she answered, causing him to widen his eyes in surprise.
"Really?" he uttered, walking over to the couches with Leslie, "What did you tell them?" he asked out of curiosity.
"Well…" she began, prepared to tell the story once more. Elsewhere in the Petting Zoo, Steelix was sleeping peacefully a statue of Rex, where a plaque rested beneath his figure.
IN MEMORY OF REX SALAZAR, WE DEDICATE HIM THIS STATUE. HE WAS A TREMENDOUS HERO, HUSBAND, FATHER, AND FRIEND.
1996 – 2020
END
Asta: Did… Did NegaiFreak just reveal that… Rex is gonna die?
Shiki Granbell: Looks like it… Honestly, he really does wanna go the route of making darker stories with lasting consequences.
-Asta & Shiki stare at each other in confusion before widening their eyes-
Asta & Shiki: AH! WHO THE HECK ARE YOU?!
NegaiFreak: Uh, if I may jump in?
Asta: Oh, hey.
NegaiFreak: Ahem. So I'm back… kinda. I just finished outlining stories like "Omni Force: GUARDIANS" and Volume 5 of "RWBY: Omni Force".
Shiki Granbell: Is he doing all six volumes of RWBY in that adaptation.
Asta: *shrugs*
NegaiFreak: I'm also in my final semester of college and have homework and quizzes starting up soon, so the clock's ticking. Plus, I've made an Archive of Our Own page for some of my other stories to flourish. Penname there is the same as the one here.
Asta: On top of that, he might be writing about us soon!
NegaiFreak: Oh yeah, I should bring this up. I've been getting into a few more fandoms lately with the changes in stories and whatnot. Two of the series that really catch my attention are Black Clover and Eden's Zero. Not exactly the most groundbreaking things in the world, but definitely fun enough to use their characters.
Asta: That's right! *pulls out Anti-Magic Sword from his Grimoire* My name's Asta of the Black Bulls' Magic Knight Squad! And someday, I'm gonna be the Wizard King!
Shiki Granbell: And my name's Shiki! *activates Gravity Ether Gear* I'm a space adventurer looking to go beyond the cosmos and find Mother.
NegaiFreak: Characters like Asta and Shiki will pop up every now and again at the beginnings and ends of my story chapters just to lighten the mood before things go south. Oh, I still need to give you a summary for next chapter!
SUMMARY
In the aftermath of the war against the Marines, Avatar Korra is thrust back into her training with Swampert to master Mega Evolution! But when fighting between humans and spirits breaks out in Republic City, things go from bad to worse! Can Korra help quell the situation while also trying to master Mega Evolution?!
END SUMMARY
NegaiFreak: By the way, you might've noticed the recent change in writing style I've adapted. A little jarring perhaps, but hopefully a better take on things. Plus, you'll know who characters are rather than just a noun to describe them every other paragraph.
Julian Chase: So what else have you got for these guys? New previews?
NegaiFreak: Hmm… Maybe a few…