Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon but I do own my OCs.

Despite the current ordeal, I wasn't too stressed because of my experience in Shoal Cave. The water had become still, and we were high enough to where another surge would not reach us. I could check the opposite wall to see the water level. My team was in great condition to deal with wild Pokémon. There was enough battery life left in the flashlight. Low tide would come eventually making it safe to leave.

The one major issue was my PokéNav showing no service. Sending messages or looking things up was out of the question. I held out hope for getting service even if it was only for a few seconds. I crossed my fingers hoping nobody was trying to get in touch with me.

A second issue I started to notice over time was how cold I was getting. I was dry aside from lingering sweat that had cooled down. After checking the water level two hours into my situation, I had a sudden bout of shivering. Altaria was flying to stay loose but came back to rummage through my things and waddled over to embrace me from behind.

"Thank you Altaria." She placed two Pokémon Balls next to me. "Huh?"

She rolled her eyes before releasing Ninetales and Linoone. A quick, innocent sounding sentence got them focused. Ninetales gently pushed me down on my back then laid across my chest perpendicularly. Linoone curled up on my thighs. Altaria stayed by my head. Ninetales maneuvered her tails so they covered Linoone and as much of my legs as possible. A burst of heat radiated like the night where she intended to burn me to a crisp, but it was more controlled. I closed my eyes immediately.

"Hmm… so warm."

The three talked amongst themselves in a low voice as I turned off the flashlight. I faded in and out of consciousness until I fell asleep. Waking up with them still awake was a surprise; Ninetales reluctantly let me up. The clock on my PokéNav read 2:50 in the morning. I checked the water level again.

It was down significantly although the path back to the ladder was still flooded. However, I felt it was my best chance to leave. There was no telling when the water would clear out enough for me to literally walk out or how much time I left before high tide came around. I had little water and no food. Linoone and Ninetales gave me a concerned look.

"Okay, we're getting out of here. You two are going back. I need Altaria's help." I gathered my things before putting my plan into motion.

My flying type guided me to the water then I jumped in. After getting over how cold it was, I knew it was deeper than six feet. I dove as deep as I could then came up for air; still couldn't touch the bottom. The water was too murky for the flashlight to work even if I could keep my eyes open. I motioned for Altaria to let me on her back.

"Sealeo can take over from here." He came out clapping, unaware of my predicament. "Listen, I need you to swim as fast as you can back the way we came. Scout the route back to the ladder then come back."

He dove and I used my PokéNav as a timer. I nervously waited for his return. When he resurfaced, I checked the result; just a hair over three minutes long. Not knowing how long it took him to get to the ladder made me anxious. Even the simplest result of dividing by two meant I was looking at 90 seconds of being underwater. That was not going to happen.

"Know where to go?" A nod. "Can you see clearly?" Another nod. "Do it again."

There was a confused look on his face as he followed my order. Round two yielded a time of 2:05 which gave me more confidence. I asked for him to do it two more times with the best result being 1:20. Assuming it was 40 seconds each way, I was still pushing my luck.

"Tired?" He shook his head. "Alright. This time, I need you to carry me there. I will hold on for dear life, hold my breath, trust you to swim as fast as possible, and get me on dry land as fast as possible. Do you understand?" He accepted with the utmost confidence.

Getting situated on my swimmer was not easy. His body had a slimy film all over and I needed to really dig in my hands to stay on. I leaned forward as far as I could go. My backpack was worn in front to reduce resistance at the cost of being flush with Sealeo's back.

"Go!" I said after recalling Altaria.

My concept of time became distorted almost immediately. Seconds felt like minutes. I could feel Sealeo booking it through the flooded walkway, yet it felt like I was going nowhere.

A jerking motion made my heart skip a beat. My lungs started to feel like they were on fire. I soon felt an upward motion and breaking the water's surface tension. The breath I took echoed throughout the area along with coughing as I desperately wiped my eyes. Once I regained my sight, I was greeted with a familiar setting.

"Why are we back here? What happened?" I snapped.

My answer came when something came out of the water near me and hit the cave wall. The same attack pierced the water's surface with the same result a few seconds later. I rushed to call out Altaria and get Sealeo back in his ball.

"Come on! Show yourself!" I yelled, scanning with my flashlight from the air. "Well look at that."

It was an angry Tentacool ready to attack. Altaria easily dodged and the sound indicated it was Poison Sting. We weren't escaping safely unless it was knocked out.

"Sealeo, come out!" His demeanor was serious. "I can't see too well. Take down that Tentacool so we can leave."

The two wasted no time going after one another. Another weak Poison Sting was no match for Sealeo's Frost Breath. He followed up with an unconventional Body Slam by driving the Jellyfish Pokémon into the wall. I struggled to keep the light on them. A flash of purple came from its tentacle before hitting my partner.

"Keep your distance! That was Poison Jab!" He didn't appear to be poisoned. "Get it disoriented with Surf!"

Using the water available, Sealeo created a wave to slam the nuisance into the rocks again. That resulted in a speedy bum rush which Sealeo cried out in pain. It finally clicked that it was the same Tentacool the lifeguards had an issue with.

"That's enough! Return!"

I retreated to the ledge Altaria made; Tentacool fired a Bubble Beam attack in response. I healed Sealeo then dug through my bag to see if I had anything to deal with our pest. Not only did I still have my things even though they were soaking wet, I did have something.

"Repel! Yes!"

My enthusiasm died down when I wondered if it would even work underwater. They were never on my shopping list and my team was strong enough to deal with any wild Pokémon. The stench was supposed to keep it distracted enough to where it would not even attack. We moved fast after spraying it.

Tentacool could only growl at me when I came down on Altaria. Every inch I moved closer resulted in it moving away. Sealeo came out snarling but I told him to let it go. I prepared for another wild ride before initiating a countdown.

My partner didn't lose any speed from his battle. The feeling of fire in my lungs was short-lived as I was launched onto the level above near the ladder. I gasped for air for a few seconds then went to gagging and coughing as Sealeo finished climbing.

"Ah shit… we made it… good job Sealeo," I managed between breaths.

No items were lost even though they were soaked. The flashlight and PokéNav still worked although I expected some form of long-term damage. Service was still spotty. Not that it mattered considering it was quarter to four in the morning. A wild Mawile who I accidently woke up with the bright light was not thrilled.

"Can't win, can I? Sealeo, use Brine!" The steel fairy looked at the ladder before the attack then started to shiver. "You have got to be kidding."

Tentacool had followed us. Judging by its willingness to engage in battle, our Repel's effect had worn off. It sized us up but noticed Mawile taking a step back. Bubble Beam was fired in its direction.

"Use Frost Breath!" The freezing attack caused enough of a distraction for the attack to stop and the steel fairy to get out of the way. "Body Slam!"

Having the full weight of the Ball Roll Pokémon on top of Tentacool was more effective than pinning it against a wall. Its tentacles were under its body and took longer to get out; dodging the inevitable Poison Jab was easier to accomplish. The rush attack was stopped midway through thanks to paralysis.

"Unfortunately, I don't have Poké Balls. Even if I did, I couldn't catch you. Sorry it had to come to this." I called out Aggron since Magneton's electricity had a good chance to zap me too. "It's a Shadow Pokémon. You know what to do."

Despite being heavily injured, Tentacool was still seeing red. It used Poison Sting instead of Bubble Beam as Aggron approached. Iron Tail delivered the killing blow. He picked up the lifeless body then tossed it down to the lower level where nature would take care of the rest. Mawile was terrified yet had a pleading look in its eye.

It called out to my teammates in a pleading manner. They turned to me while pointing in the direction I intended to go. We navigated our way to the ladder leading to the first floor without a problem. Mawile calmed down wild Pokémon when we ran into them. They had a hint of fear in their eyes as we got closer to our destination.

A group of four Mawile was struggling to hold their own against a single Mawile. Instead of a rush attack, it had a purple wave attack that divided into four beams of energy to hit everyone. They cried out in pain with two fainting.

"You're kidding," I said with a mix of horror and frustration. I turned to Aggron. "Ready?"

He asserted his presence by stomping into the battle. The Deceiver Pokémon quickly fired the wave attack and Aggron went down on a knee. It followed with a rush attack that, while super effective, didn't seem to bother him as much. Aggron retaliated with Iron Head.

Mawile being sent into a pile of rocks gave me time to think. Aggron's physical defense is phenomenal so the wave attack must have been a special attack. Dammit! They can hit from both sides.

"Sealeo, you know what you have to do?" He confidently hopped in front of Aggron. "Brine!"

With the steel fairy being worn down from its earlier battling, the thin yet powerful beam of water found its mark to deliver the knockout. Sealeo repeatedly aimed Brine at Mawile's head to ensure it would drown or suffer internal injuries. Either way, it died. The wild Pokémon looked at me in awe and fear.

"So… anything else I need to know about?" The conscious ones quickly shook their head. "Good."

Finding the exit just after 5 o'clock was not as refreshing as I had hoped. The ocean breeze without any sun had me staying inside to keep warm. I dumped every item to help it air out faster. At least I still had everything. Aggron stared intently at one of the marble-like objects.

"Back in the ball you go. You too Sealeo."

The shuddering by the water and ice type returned with a glow. In a matter of seconds, the evolution process was complete. His tusks started to freeze over until he violently shook his head. He checked over his new form once they returned to normal then looked to me.

"Walrein… I'm so proud of you," I said with a big smile. We shared an embrace. "Good job. Get some rest."

Ninetales took their place after I asked her to warm me up again. I slept to the point where people came in to search for treasure; her barking woke me up. The walk back to town in the sun made me tired again. Nurse Joy healed my team while I checked my messages.

Jack and Winona had texted late last night about the same topic: the final version of the tournament rules. I responded to the gym leader by saying I appreciated her invitation but got too drunk on a boat and the hosts made room for me to sleep it off. I told Jack I had an adventure and to arrange a visit with professor Cozmo about the marbles.

The flight home on Altaria was thankfully boring. We were back by lunch. I burst through the front door, ran upstairs, backed up my PokéNav data on the laptop, disassembled it to properly dry, took a much-needed shower, changed into real clothes, then went downstairs with my loot.

"How was spelunking?" Jack asked.

"Where do I even start?" Rebecca was starting to pour Pokémon food. "Oh, Sealeo evolved so there's that. Not sure how Delcatty's going to handle that."

"Me neither," he sighed. "What about the 'marbles' you found?"

"Look."

He inspected the one with the turquoise substance inside. Judging by his expression, he was clueless. Rebecca saw it while setting six bowls on the ground.

"That's a Mega Stone. Not sure which one," she casually said.

"You sure?"

"Positive. I looked at pictures of them all the time growing up in case I stumbled across one for Absol. Professor Cozmo will be excited to see it later today."

I rubbed my eyes. "Preferably after dinner? I need to rest."

"After dinner it is."

I scarfed down a small lunch while my team needed seconds or thirds. A proper nap had me feeling refreshed. Dinner was quick because I held off on telling them about the rest of my time in Dewford.

Professor Cozmo was monitoring feedback on his conference when we knocked. I showed him the turquoise Mega Stone first. He thoroughly inspected it with a magnifying glass first then put in under a microscope.

"Excellent find young man! This is a Steelixite."

I had a blank look on my face. "That's nice and all… but I don't have a Steelix. Can you tell me what the second one is?"

Cozmo repeated the process albeit taking more time. Rebecca had a twinkle in her eye; probably hoping it was the one for Absol. She ended up asking him to relieve her tension. He shook his head.

"What we have here is an Aggronite." My heart skipped a beat.

"You're saying my Aggron can mega evolve now!?" I asked not hiding my excitement.

A nervous look cave over the professor's face. "Do you have a Key Stone?"

"Huh?"

"It is the cornerstone for mega evolution. Professor Sycamore of the Kalos region published a study on it a few years ago. In simple terms: your Aggronite is currently useless. However, I can give you contact information to obtain a Key Stone. Take initiative tomorrow when everything is open. I will also send a few emails to streamline things."

"Please do. I would appreciate it very much," I sighed.

Devon Corporation's main phone number plus the proper extension was handed to me on one slip of paper. Professor Sycamore's lab was the alternative option if Devon couldn't help me. It would have to wait until tomorrow. Going deeper into the cave paid off in the end.

"How do you think Aggron will handle its new form?" Jack asked me when we returned home.

I let my team out for the rest of the night. Delcatty visibly recoiled at her love interest for a second before realizing it was him. The despair on Walrein's face made the normal type more affectionate while she apologized profusely.

"Better than that, I hope. We have a bigger problem," I said while leading them to the dining room table.

"What happened?"

"Shadow Pokémon happened. One was a Tentacool that took on six Wailmer owned by lifeguards. It originally was going after a passing school then started gunning for the beach."

Rebecca leaned in. "And the result?"

"Took a supervisor's Crawdaunt to scare it off. Little bastard came back when the cave I was spelunking in flooded, we battled, it chased after me when I tried to run away, went after a wild Mawile in a heartbeat, then refocused on us."

"Could it be captured?" she asked.

"Don't know since I didn't have any Poké Balls on me."

Jack softly tapped his fingers. "I take it you killed it?"

"Yup. Aggron did it without hesitation."

"What about the body?" he asked.

"Tossed it into the ocean current running through the cave at the time."

Rebecca slammed the table. "What were you thinking!? We could have sent it off to Rustboro like that Absol a few weeks ago!"

"And then what!? We still haven't gotten results from that autopsy! Besides, I wasn't going to carry that thing all night long." There was a period of silence. "The Mawile it attacked led me to a shadow Mawile."

Jack kept a stone face. "Same result?"

"Kind of. Walrein did the honors. Apparently Shadow Pokémon have special attacks in addition to physical attacks. It wouldn't surprise me if they had status moves too."

"Very troubling to say the least," Jack noted.

"No body I take it?" Rebecca added rhetorically.

I obliged her. "Yeah, real good look for a trainer walking out of a cave at the crack of dawn holding a dead Pokémon. That's not suspicious at all and certainly won't lead to questioning."

She instantly changed her tone to defeat. Their lack of experience as trainers was starting to annoy me. I still wanted to make to the tournament with as little bullshit hanging over my head as possible.

"What about Ardos? He stepped down from his position but are the police going to do anything more?"

"We saw that too. No information has been released since his announcement. Our colleagues who still work there say the environment hasn't changed too much yet," Jack said.

"Having Jen as a replacement means Ardos' influence will linger." There was a period of silence. "Before I forget, you texted me the tournament rules."

Jack quickly butted in. "I'll get the laptop. You'd be better off reading it there."

The league's page was more festive than usual. Links containing resources for fans and competitors were clearly marked. I was a little apprehensive seeing the walls of text.

A total of 128 trainers had qualified with 16 coming from overseas. The preliminary rounds were divided into 32 pools with four trainers in each pool. It would be a round robin style. Name slots were empty despite the seeds already in place. Four on four double battles were the format, but trainers could still have six Pokémon on them.

Wining a battle was worth three points, a tie was worth one point, and a loss was worth zero points. Tiebreakers were tiered with the most important being Pokémon differential. The top two trainers in each pool would advance to the 64-person elimination bracket.

Every battle was a six on six singles battle. For simplification, participants would be reseeded from 1 to 64 and matched up accordingly. A draw in the elimination round would result in a one on one battle after a five-minute intermission until a winner was decided.

Prizes were what I expected them to be, yet still valuable. The winner was given: a trophy, exclusive merchandise, a free painting commemorating their victory, a spot in the Hall of Fame, a guaranteed battle against the Elite Four, and 1,000,000P in cash. The remaining semifinalists got 250,000P each. Smaller payouts were guaranteed for those who made it to the elimination round but increased with each win.

The preliminary bracket would be posted on the morning of the opening ceremony. Everyone who qualified was listed at the bottom of the page for transparency. Victory Road gave trainers one last chance to improve their seeding with no indication of how much weight it had. Considering I had three unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on my record, an attempt was worth it.

Logistics not related to the Ever Grande fields were mostly left to the participants. There were special coupons for restaurants, transportation, lodging, and other recreational activities available to mitigate costs. There was also a section on generic rules like no cheating, get to the battle area on time, listen to the referee, be respectful to other trainers, and things like that nature.

"Pretty reasonable if you ask me." I clicked around the site. "So, where do you two want to stay?"

"Huh?" they replied.

"You guys should come too. Seriously, when was your last week-long vacation?"

That hit Rebecca hard. "I honestly can't remember."

"Just so we're clear, you're not obligated to be near me at all. Explore the city. Go shopping. Maybe watch me battle if you want. Have a good time. The city is very Pokémon friendly so long as they behave."

It took them a few minutes to get comfortable picking out their preferred lodging choices as opposed to cheap ones. Their final decision was a borderline four-star hotel on the south side of the city by the waterfall with all the modern amenities. There were more than enough attractions to keep them busy if they didn't want to watch me battle.

For the sake of convenience, I went with a slightly higher rated one called Champion's Palace on the north side of the city near the battle area. My choice was a suite that also had space for Pokémon to lounge around. It was optimized for business as well with a computer in the room. The upcharge was worth it to make my team feel at home while we would most likely be under some stress.

Getting tickets was the easiest part. Preliminary round tickets were touted as day passes; Jack and Rebecca could stop by any field to watch without an issue. By the time I closed the laptop, I had spent 300,000P for the week. A nice chunk that brought my bank account down to 1,000,000P but the splurging was justified.

"There is something that I want you guys to be aware of," I said sheepishly. "My parents. If they see us hanging out, mention that we saw each other in passing on the way to the tournament and that you came to support me. Make up a story. They're not that nosey. Do not tell them anything about my life since we first met."

"Okay. We can do that," Jack noted.

"Yeah, I'm not sure we're ready to deal with all the questions they'd likely have either," Rebecca added.

"Cool. Speaking of which, I need to give them a call."

It came as a surprise my PokéNav was working. What was not a surprise was my call being answered immediately. There was anticipation in dad's voice from the start.

"Ryan! How's it going?"

"Pretty good. You guys see the tournament information?"

"We did! In fact, we already booked a hotel and tickets!"

I was surprised. "R-really? Man, you guys are fast."

"Been checking every day. Oh? It is. Hey, I'm going to let mom talk since she knows all the details."

"Hi honey!"

They managed to snag a respectable place near the middle of the city. Sadie was in the same hotel with a friend. Lucas was staying in another hotel with teammates up the road. Mom was so happy explaining what she wanted to do during the week. No surprise that watching every one of my battles was penciled into the schedule. Then she spoke softly.

"Guess what happened at work the other day?"

She did not do a good job of hiding her anxiety. "What?"

"I got a promotion! Assistant manager!"

Rydel initially hired two assistant managers. One was fit for the job while the other one struggled with the nitty-gritty aspects of the bicycle industry. Ordering sub-par parts and signing less than ideal contracts with suppliers weren't good signs. The nail in the coffin was not getting along with the rest of the staff under pressure.

"Congratulations! Mom, that's great!"

"Thank you! My workload won't increase until after our vacation which is nice. That's all I got. I'll put dad back on."

He took the phone back while chuckling. "Your mother isn't the only one that got a promotion."

"Alright!"

Dad's interview for shift supervisor was easier in comparison. He got the position a few weeks ago and was in a groove. The 8:00 am to 4:30 pm shift was more up his alley. Having more authority over others hadn't gone to his head; less grunt work was his favorite perk.

"I'll let you go now. Can't wait to see you in action!" dad said.

"Bye! Have a safe trip! Love you!" mom yelled in the background.

"Love you guys too. Take care."

I tilted my head over the back of the chair. The support would have been great under ordinary circumstances. One of my biggest fears was them being targeted by Ardos. Security around the fields was tight. Maybe there would be an increased police presence around the city because of all the people. Calling or texting them every morning to make sure they were fine was reasonable. They'd probably tell me about their day regardless.

My message to everyone in the house was: expect to leave mid-morning. Walrein and Delcatty went to the sunroom immediately after I was done. I watched from the dining room to make sure he was fine. They looked up at the starry sky with him leaning on her. Linoone and Ninetales looked at them worried for a bit before heading into a guest room. I killed an hour by watching television. When I got ready for bed, Latios floated into my room.

"Did you come home when we were out?"

"Yes. I slept for a bit then woke up because I was hungry. Rebecca told me you are leaving tomorrow."

"Need to give myself enough time to get there." I quietly sighed. "Fingers crossed I can see or hear something about Latias on the way. I know you've been busy. Any luck on your end?"

"Only meeting more 'Shadow Pokémon' as you call them. Pokémon all over Hoenn have reported seeing people in matching white clothing working with some kind of handled machine too."

I perked up. "What were they doing?"

"According to the locals, nothing malicious. I believe they will cause problems later."

Having a scout team to monitor areas would be on-par for Ardos. No buzz among trainers or media meant he would keep sending out lackies to gather information on potential targets. Those involved could easily play dumb if anyone suspected something was off.

"Then I'll watch out for them."

"I have kept my promise to you about not doing anything stupid. For everyone's sake, follow your own advice."

"Progress has been made and I don't intend to blow what little lead we currently have. If I play my cards right, there might be someone who might have information at the tournament."

"Excellent. I wish you luck and a safe trip." He stopped in the doorway on the way out. "I talked to your Pokémon. I truly admire them."

Sleeping through the night was easy. Waking up at a decent hour was surprisingly easy. My routine stayed the same. There was a slightly nervous aura at breakfast. Latios joined late which helped lighten the mood. I slipped away to make a call to Devon Corporation.

"Specialty item department. How may I help you?" the receptionist said.

"Is there a chance you guys know anything about getting a Key Stone? I recently found an Aggronite."

There was furious typing on the other end. "Am I speaking to Ryan?"

"You are," I replied trying not to sound confused.

"Professor Cozmo informed us you might call. We have the proper equipment to utilize the Aggronite. Unfortunately, the Key Stone itself has to be imported from Kalos."

I took a deep breath away from the PokéNav. "How long will that take?"

"Two weeks."

"Oh… I see. Can I swing by Rustboro to pick up the other stuff today?"

"Absolutely. Our main desk will help you upon arrival. Can I help you with anything else?"

"Probably not a specialty item, but my PokéNav recently spent some time underwater. It appears to be working now after I aired it out, but how long does it have before it stops working?"

There was an audible hum on the other end. "What model do you have?"

"One that was discounted," I said nervously. It didn't come with a warranty.

More typing on their end. "Those have a reputation of being more durable compared to our current model. Our customer service center on the ground floor will be able to offer a proper assessment."

"Thanks. I'm all set. Bye."

I nearly chucked my PokéNav across the room after hanging up. The string of cursing that followed startled everyone at first except Linoone who rolled his eyes. Aggron in his mega form could be the difference between an early exit and winning it all. My anger dissipated as I made sure I had everything for my journey.

Flying to Rustboro on Salamence with the housekeepers was something both housekeepers proposed as I left. They wanted to walk around the city for a few hours and Altaria got some rest out of the deal. Latios waved us off with a smile on his face.

We landed on the south side of the city. Salamence giving me a fist bump before parting ways made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I didn't think I would earn that level of respect from him all things considered. One regret I had was not politely asking to have him as a battle partner. It probably was for the best since the only time I asked was the night I fought Latios.

On my way to Devon's headquarters, I thought about asking Rebecca for Absol and Salamence as substitutes. Trainers were not required to register their team. Both Pokémon were strong enough to hold their own. For better or worse, I nixed the idea. Potential drama and wanting to win on my own merit were the driving factors.

I chose to visit the customer service center first. The employee was genuinely surprised that I wanted to save an inferior piece of technology. I was put through the sales pitch for the latest model but was adamant about staying with the old model. A replacement was offered for a measly 500P which I immediately took. I had to squish the box into my backpack.

"Remember to transfer your SIM card to the new one for easy use once you're ready. Have a nice day!"

Getting the equipment for my Aggronite was more streamlined. I was brought to a small conference room with a researcher. They were carrying one large and one small metal box. Aggron needed to be called out.

"Mega evolution requires a few things. You already have the appropriate stone. The Key Stone will arrive in two weeks. What I will give you is an item to hold that Key Stone."

The small box's contents resembled an organized treasure chest. Jewelry was divided up by body part. Each piece has circular groove in it. Most trainers favored the bracelet or necklace; I found modified dog tags the most comfortable to wear. The Key Stone would go in the middle of the first rectangular plate with the other one covering it.

"One optional item is something to hold the Aggronite. Have Aggron try on an anklet or bracelet to see if those appeal to it. If it is holding an item, please remove it."

My partner picked at his Metal Coat until it came off. He did not like the feeling of the anklet on either leg. The constant shaking of his left wrist before settling in wasn't exactly a vote of confidence. He refused to put it on his right wrist.

"Looks like this is going to be tough. You got anything else?"

"We do. However, Aggron has the power to absorb its evolution stone. Give it a try."

The Aggronite disappeared into his hand when he focused. I asked for it back and he calmly forced it out back into his palm.

"Not gonna lie, that's awesome. We'll go with that."

"Understandable. Fill out this contact form so you will be notified about your Key Stone. All of this is free as per our president's policy."

As I was filling out the form, we heard a knock on the door. The researcher looked irritated at first, then lightened up when an older man in a purple suit with black pinstripes walked in. I internally cringed at the matching purple pants.

"Sir! Is everything alright?" the researcher asked.

The man let out a hearty laugh. "Of course! My conference call ran a little late. Did you go over everything?"

"Only that one thing left. Would you like to do the honors?"

"Certainly! It's the main reason why I try to attend these consultations. Thank you for handling this for me. I know you are busy as well. You may go back to your station if you wish."

A small bow preceded the researcher briskly walking out. The man studied me for a second then spent more time on Aggron. He eventually offered a handshake.

"Joseph Stone. President of Devon Corporation. Pleasure to meet you," he said.

"Ryan. Sorry I dragged you away from your desk," I replied trying not to stutter.

He put his other hand up. "No problem at all. Mega evolution is something I have great interest in and am willing to share my knowledge of it."

Mister Stone walked over to Aggron and put his hand out to gauge my Pokémon's reaction. Aggron was confused but allowed his chest to be rubbed. Devon's president circled around and did the same thing.

"This one has experienced many brutal battles beyond what a normal Pokémon goes through. Considering what Cozmo told me about you during your visit, I highly doubt it was your doing. How could it be when you took the time to polish all this steel plating?" He let out a small laugh. "Probably due for another round at some point."

"Fallarbor's hot springs do wonders," I said while I felt my face go cold.

"My son will have to try that with his Aggron. Although… I'm not sure if it will take a liking to it like Metagross."

I tensed up. "Is your son…?"

"Steven? Indeed."

That would explain how he got a snapshot of Aggron's past just by inspecting it. He walked back to me looking more intrigued than before. I gave him the same spiel he has probably heard thousands of times about beating the Elite Four to challenge his son. To his credit, he heard me out without losing interest. He even apologized for my Key Stone not arriving in time for the tournament citing Slateport's guidelines on handling foreign items.

"Apologies for the tangent. The reason I stopped by is to tell you that mega evolution requires a strong bond between trainer and Pokémon. If you do not have that, then the items associated with it are worthless. Professor Sycamore has drawn that conclusion in every research paper he has published."

"I understand."

"Perfect! The last person who came in had an Alakazam and I knew those two were inseparable." I froze for a second. There was no way. It couldn't be.

Devon's president leaned in. "Regarding incident with that Absol, I do not know what went wrong. Our other ball products did not work on a different Pokémon exhibiting the same behavior. The league is investigating. Stay safe out there."

He offered me a pat on the back before we parted ways.

Finally done with physical therapy for my ACL seeing as it's just about healed. I don't have to spend time worrying about scheduling appointments or feeling worn out two days every week. Better mental state equals more motivation to write which I have struggled with. The beat goes on. Have a good day and I will see you next chapter :)

-W4f