Chapter 25

Crossroads of Destiny

Quite a bit has happened since we reunited with Clemont back in Lumiose City. From my learning I was having a sister, to the discovery of the lost Pokémon Magearna, excitement and adventures seem to wait around every turn

We were walking through this one grassy field with a few steep slopes nearby. Serena looked at her guidebook. "If I'm reading this correctly, we should reach Laverre City within the next hour."

"I've never seen Laverre City before," Magearna squealed. "I can't wait! It won't be long now!"

"WauuhaaahAAAH!"

We all looked around. "What was that?" Cocoa asked.

"Sounds like it came from over there!" Ash pointed in one direction, and the rest of us followed him.

It was not long at all before we found the source. At the foot of a hill, we saw a girl (maybe a little older than Bonnie) wedged in an awkward position against a small tree. From the trail of grass behind her, one could assume she lost her balance. "Help!" she cried. "I'm stuck! I got wedged in, and I can't move at all!"

"Hang on over there!" I ran over to help her. I grabbed her hand and pulled her over the tree to her feet. "Are you okay?"

"I think so," she replied. Then she got a good look at me. "Hey! You're that girl from the battle of Shalour City! Uh… Brenda?"

"Close. I'm Brianna, and you are…?"

"Mairin!" another voice called out. It was a voice I had not heard in a while. We all looked up to see a boy in a black jacket come down the hill. A Chespin followed close behind him. "Mairin, are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Brianna helped me out," she told him.

I quickly recognized him. "Alain!"

"Long time no see, Brianna," he replied. His voice sounded less menacing than when I first met him. I kinda liked it. "Allow me to introduce you. This is Mairin and her Pokémon partner, who she calls Chespie."

Mairin spoke up. "I'm Alain's trustworthy and hard-working traveling buddy!"

"Well, I didn't realize you had your own sidekick, Alain," I told him, cheekily.

"Hey!" Mairin spoke up. "I'm not his sidekick! I'm traveling with him to learn from him! I wanna learn how to Mega Evolve!"

Alain shrugged a little. "For the tenth time, Mairin, humans don't Mega Evolve; only Pokémon can."

"Well, now, I wouldn't say that," I giggled. I then gestured at the necklace I wore. "Which reminds me, I believe I owe you a Mega Evolution battle."

Alain looked at Cocoa. He eyed her necklace. "So, you've learned to Mega Evolve, have you?"

"And I talk, too." This made him jump a little, but he still smiled.

Then, Brock pulled me aside. "Brianna, are you sure about this? We still have to get to Laverre City."

"Don't worry. This won't take long," I assured him. "Besides, I think I can sense a Pure Heart In him."

"'Sense'?" Misty asked.

I nodded. "I can't really explain it, but now that I have so many of the Pure Hearts, I think a little radar has turned on inside of me. I can begin to feel them nearby."

The rest of my friends looked to one another for a moment… then they smiled in unison. "Okay, then… have at you!"

Everyone else gathered around the tree that Mairin was stuck on. Alain and I each stepped about ten paces away from each other, and Cocoa jumped in front of me. Meanwhile, Alain pulled out one of his own Poke Balls. "Charizard, let's go!" and the mighty one emerged therefrom.

Brock stepped out between us. "Here are the rules," he began. "This will be a one-on-one Pokémon battle. The battle will be decided when either Pokémon is unable to continue. What's more, both Pokémon are required to Mega Evolve at their earliest convenience. Are you ready?"

"Ready!" Alain and I shouted at the same time.

"Okay then. Battle BEGIN!"

Brianna VS Alain
Cocoa VS Charizard
BATTLE BEGIN!

"You may go first, Alain," I told him.

"Thank you…" He held up his wrist and touched the sparkling stone thereon. "Keystone, respond to my heart! Charizard, MEGA EVOLVE!" The two stones started to glow brightly. Their energy surging together. Almost instantly, Charizard transformed into Mega Charizard X. I could almost feel his raw power from where I stood. "Use Flamethrower!" Charizard unleashed a burst of blue flame toward Cocoa.

Now it was our turn. "Counter with Thunderbolt!" Cocoa rubbed her paws together violently to generate an electric charge. She released that charge and nullified the oncoming attack. "Ready, Cocoa?"

She turned back to me and smiled. "Ready, Brianna!" And we grabbed our necklaces at the same time.

"Key Stone/Mega Stone, grant us the power we need!" The stones within them began to glow, and bursts of light emanated from them. "Beyond evolution… Mega Evolve!" Alain and Mairin watched as we transformed for the first time before them.

I smiled, clasping my hands as though in prayer. "The sincere love in a Trainer's heart, Mega Brianna!"

Cocoa smiled and rested a paw upon her chest. "The innocent love in a Pokémon's heart, Mega Cocoa!"

Finally, we briefly hug one another before making our final pose. "Our hearts are one! Mega Evolution!"

Alain stared in awe. "Impossible…"

"So cool!" Mairin added.

"Now, Cocoa! Use Hidden Power!" Her body became outlined in yellow and light blue circles moved around her body. She then fired them at Charizard.

"It's super effective!" Ash shouted.

Mairin looked at my friends. "Wait… Isn't Hidden Power a Normal-type move?"

"Well, not exactly," Clemont explained. "It's labeled a Normal-type move, but its actual type varies depending on the Pokémon who uses it. In Cocoa's case, Hidden Power is a Dragon-type move."

"Then we'll just have to win that much faster! Blast Burn, go!" Alain shouted A barrage of blue flames surrounded Charizard as it punched the ground. The entire earth between him and Cocoa exploded with magma and fire rushing at her.

"Jump and use Thunderbolt!" Cocoa adhered to my instruction and tried to land a hit, but Charizard was quick to evade as well.

Alain gritted his teeth. "Okay then, take this Dragon Claw!" His partner roared loudly, his claws covered in a sharp looking green light as he charged forward. He flew at a blinding speed slashing Cocoa and knocking it down to the ground. Cocoa got up and shook it off, like nothing happened. "It took that?"

"No way! That was a direct hit!" Mairin argued.

I giggled. "Sorry, I probably should've warned you… In this form, Cocoa is a Fairy-type Pokémon."

"So Dragon-type moves are completely useless…" Alain smirked with confidence. "But Fairy-types have their own weaknesses! Steel Wing, let's go!" Charizard charged forward, wings glowing a silvery shine. At a powerful and swift speed, he slammed into Cocoa's abdomen and knocked the air out of him. Charizard continued forward, straight into a nearby mountain.

"That was so fast!" Mairin muttered as they all looked to where our Pokémon had landed.

Charizard burst from the rubble roaring and returned to Alain's side. But shortly after, Cocoa re-emerged, bounding back to us. "Wow, that's very impressive!" I commented.

"Steel Wing again!" Alain shouted.

"Use Strength!" I commanded.

Cocoa and Charizard charged toward one another at high speeds. However, just before they could come in contact, a powerful Flamethrower rushed out between them, forcing them to back up and dodge.

As the fire cleared, a figure dashed through the smoke jumping between the two battlers as they landed.

"Who's that Pokémon?" Serena asked in shock. Dexter analyzed the intruder.

Pyroar
The Royal Pokémon
A Normal and Fire-type
Litleo's evolved form
The Pyroar with the largest mane of fire is considered the leader of the pride. The Females do most of the hunting for their young.

"Could it be…?" Alain asked, staring right at it. We watched as Pyroar growled at our Pokémon.

"Do you two mind if I interrupt this battle?" A voice called out. We all looked to the hill Pyroar came from.

There was a man we all immediately recognized. "Lysandre!" I squealed as he made his way down the hill.

As he eventually came to Pyroar's side, Charizard, Cocoa and I reverted back to our original forms. "I'd like to apologize for our rudeness, Your Majesty," Lysandre said politely.

"Your What-now?" Alain asked.

"This is Brianna Bellerose," Lysandre explained, "daughter of the last king of Kalos."

Then I approached him. "Never mind that. I am such a big fan of yours. It is such an honor to meet you in person, Lysandre."

"Well, not exactly…" He chuckled. "What you see before you is a hologram, created by Lysandre Labs' newest product. Observe." He stepped back and snapped his fingers. Then, Pyroar released another Flamethrower at him. The flames blasted through his body, but left him unscathed.

We were amazed. The technology produced at Lysandre Labs was getting more advanced with the passing day.

He then looked back at my opponent. "I see you have already met my field associate, Alain. It was I who directed him to investigate the phenomena of Mega Evolution."

"Oh, you're interested in Mega Evolution?"

"That's right," he began. "Lysandre Labs is interested in the energy Pokémon emit when they Mega Evolve. We're quite intent on gathering as much data on it as we can. I designed the Mega Ring Alain's wearing specifically to absorb that energy and transfer it to Lysandre Labs. The energy produced from Mega Evolution is vast. We'd like to harness that energy as a means of assisting you in your war against Team Flare.

"That in part is why I'm here… so to speak," The holographic Lysandre then produced a smaller holographic projection of what at first looked like a slab of wood. "One of my associates confiscated the missing half of this ancient tablet from Team Flare. It tells of details of the Megalith, a giant rock believed to be the source of Mega Evolution. If Team Flare gets their hands on the Megalith, they would become unstoppable. This half in particular details that the Megalith can only be found by the Light of Hope. I did not know what that meant until the battle of Shalour, when Team Flare tried to snuff out that Light… you.

"I implore you, your Highness… will you help us?"

I did not hesitate. "Absolutely! Just tell me where I need to go!"

He smiled, and what he told me, I was not expecting… "The Hoenn region."

*Alain's POV*

Shortly after, we made our way to the airport and boarded a plane to Hoenn. Lysandre was more than generous enough to issue us a private jet, so we could get there as fast as possible. Before departure, Lysandre told us a representative from Hoenn would be waiting for us at the airport, and then forwarded the data on the tablet to me.

As we waited for our arrival in Slateport City, Ash and his Kantonian friends were talking to their Kalosian companions about the Hoenn region. Apparently, they had some experience therein. Meanwhile, I sat quietly and enjoyed the view.

Midway through the flight, I noticed a shadow looming over me. It was Brianna. In her hands were a pair of beverages - one a bottle of sweet tea, the other a bottle of soda, which she handed to me. "Oh… thank you." I accepted it and took a sip. "Didn't you say you were airsick?"

"The flight attendant gave me some medication. I'm doing a lot better now…" Then she sat down next to me. "I had no idea you worked for Lysandre."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me," I told her as I looked back out the window. "Things I need to keep private so I can keep others safe…"

It was shortly after I began my field research. I went on a journey to find some Charizardite for my partner, who had recently evolved into a Charmeleon. We stopped by a Pokémon Center to contact Professor Sycamore and update him.

"Congratulations! To both of you!" He told me with a smile.

"Yeah… I wish it was all good news, but…"

"You're talking about the Keystone, aren't you?"

I nodded. "We haven't succeeded yet, but I'm still trying. Matter of fact, I got a lead on some ruins that I plan to check out."

"Good for you. Let me know what you find."

"I will, I promise." That was the last thing I ever said to him…

True to my word, Charmeleon and I went to the ruins I mentioned. It was beautiful in its own way - the engravings from ancient civilizations, the nature reclaiming what once was lost.

There was just one problem… I found the pedestal mentioned in the lead, but it was empty. "Hmm… either that lead was inaccurate, or someone else beat us here."

It turned out, it was the latter. "Looking for this?' asked a voice from behind. I turned around sharply and saw Lysandre standing a few meters away from me.

He held up the object I was looking for. "Is that…?" I began.

"Ampharosite," he told me. "I've been looking for it, too. I'll reward it to you if you can defeat me in a battle."

Well, it was not the stone I was looking for, but I knew the Professor would love it for his research. I looked down at my partner. "Let's do this, Charmeleon!"

We fought valiantly against Lysandre and his Pyroar, but unfortunately, we were ultimately defeated. As I comforted my partner, Lysandre approached me and handed me an Oran Berry, which I fed to Charmeleon. "If you wish to make your dreams a reality, you must be the strongest," he told me.

"The strongest…"

Accepting his invitation, I followed him to Lysandre Labs, located in Geosenge Town. In his office, he explained his motives. "You see, Pokémon emit a boundless energy when they Mega Evolve. I've been researching if we can harness that energy for peaceful means."

I smiled as I had an epiphany. "In that case, let me call Professor Sycamore. He's been researching Mega Evolution - he'd be more than willing to help you."

"That's not an option!" snapped Lysandre. "If word of my research goes public, it will attract those who seek it for terrible evil. Looking back at history, that's a given. Nobody can know… nobody we want to keep safe."

"Keep safe…"

"I'm going to make you a special offer…" He placed a briefcase on the table and opened it. It contained the Mega Ring I wear now and Charizardite X. "If you wish to help protect the Professor and those you love, you must be the strongest. I can help you…" So, in exchange for his help, I donned the stones he gave me and took an oath of silence. No one knew of this until now…

*Brianna's POV*

"Since then, I've been working with Lysandre, doing as he said when he said it… together with Charizard." I was so into his story, I did not realize how close to him I was. When he did, he hurriedly tried to back away and fell out of his seat.

"Oh! Sorry!" I stated as I helped him up. "I just really love backstories…"

I also failed to realize how much time had passed. An announcement came over the intercom. "Attention passengers. This is your automated captain speaking. Please return to your seats and prepare for landing…"

At last, we arrived in Hoenn. At the airport, we found someone was waiting for us near the runway… a girl with light brown hair held up in a red bandana. She waved to us as we approached her. "Welcome to the Hoenn region!"

Those of us from Kanto recognized her at once. "It's May!" Ash, Misty and Brock charged over to her and greeted her in a series of high-fives and hugs. Pikachu was ecstatic about seeing her as well.

"Long time no see, everybody!" said May as she rubbed Pikachu's head. Then she noticed Jessie James and Meowth, all of whom waved awkwardly. Before anything else could happen, May attacked them, shaving James into Jessie and holding Meowth up by the fore-paws. "I'll hold them off! You call the police!"

"Hey! HEY!" Meowth shouted as he dangled in her grasp. "Put me down, ya moron!"

Ash and Brock then hurried over and pulled them apart. "What are you doing?! They're the bad guys!"

"No, they're not! Not anymore…" Then they explained.

Once they were finished, May glared at the former members of Team Rocket. "Okay… but I've got my eye on you…" Then she noticed the last person to get off the plane.

Serena leered at our hostess menacingly. "Maybelle Powell…" she said slowly.

May returned the gesture. "Serena Paschall…"

"They know each other?" I whispered to Ash.

"A… apparently..." he replied.

Slowly and sternly, they approached one another, their facial expressions intact. The rest of us watched in suspense. They stood foot to foot… face to face…

"COUSIN!" …and they grabbed each other in a hug.

The rest of us were surprised… especially Ash and Brock. "Cousin?! You're kidding, right?"

Shortly afterward, we boarded a boat that would take us to our destination. While we sailed across the sea, Ash and May were chatting with one another, catching each other up on recent events. From the Wallace Cup from long ago, to the recent discovery of Magearna.

One story stuck to her… the tale of how Ash and Serena became a couple. "Lovers from a past life?" May cooed. "That's definitely the most romantic thing I've ever heard of!"

"I still can't believe you two are cousins," Meowth stated.

"Believe it. Her father and my mother are brother and sister" Serena replied. "By the way, how's your little brother Max?"

May smiled. "He's not so little anymore. Max is on his own journey as a Pokémon Trainer. He's already got four Gym Badges, and Dad's Gym is next!"

"Well, good for him!"

"Anyway, May," Alain interrupted. "I'm kinda curious as to how you know about the Megalith. Do you work for Lysandre as well?"

"What? Oh, no. I never even heard of him until recently. I came to pick you up as a personal favor to a mutual friend. Plus, I wanted to see you guys again!"

Eventually, our boat arrived at our intended destination: an island that apparently, Ash had never seen before. We clambered ashore and followed May to a series of ruins on the far side. As we traversed through the ruins, we found a white tent at the foot of a mountain. A man with light blue hair appeared from within.

"Thank you all for coming today." The man smiled as he recognized one person in particular. "Ash Ketchum… Why is it when something happens, it is always centered around you?"

Ash chuckled. "Believe me, I've been asking myself the same question for five years."

Then he turned to those of us from Kalos. "Permit me to introduce myself," he began with a bow. "I am Steven Stone, eventual successor to Devon Corporation, and presently, the Hoenn region's Pokemon League Champion."

Everyone looked surprised, especially Ash. Either he did not know that beforehand, or someone else had the title of Champion before Steven did… I had a feeling it was the latter.

"It was I who received the notification concerning the tablet. Since we knew the Megalith was here in Hoenn, my father asked me to assist with the excavation."

"Pardon me," I asked, "but how did you know about the Megalith?"

"Well, you see," he began, "it all stems back to an ancient legend from the first people of Hoenn, the Draconids..."

Thousands of years ago, in a time long lost, a huge meteoroid struck the Hoenn region, boring deep into the ocean and leaving behind it a crater… one that would later become known as Sootopolis Island. When it punched into the planet, the land cracked beneath it, and a great welling of primal energy poured from beneath Hoenn. Thirsting for that energy, Groudon and Kyogre, the Legendary Titans of land and sea, awoke and fought one another to control it. In the presence of that great power, the two Titans changed their shapes and unleashed a long dormant power - a phenomena which came to be known as Primal Reversion.

In the face of Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre's great power, The Draconid tribe could do nothing. But then, as though drawn to the chaos, a Pokémon that shone in a blazing emerald hue descended from the heavens... That Pokémon was none other than the Legendary Titan of the sky, Rayquaza. The Draconids fell to their knees before Rayquaza and made a wish for salvation. As they did, the Meteorite that lay in the crater gave off a boundless brilliance. A great change came over the Legendary Pokémon. It was enveloped in blinding light. As the light receded, they beheld a form of Rayquaza beyond all knowledge— a sublime figure, incandescent with overwhelming life force.

In this form, Rayquaza once again confronted Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. The golden filaments that sprang from its body covered the sky. An emerald brilliance illuminated the area. The wind and emerald light visibly sapped the power from Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. Drained of their primal powers, the two vanished into the depths of land and sea. Rayquaza watched them go, regaining its usual appearance. Then it soared back up into the heavens where it dwelled.

"...that was when the Draconids constructed a great tower, to hold the Meteorite that had granted Rayquaza its power, and to try to get a little bit closer to Rayquaza," Steven concluded.

As he spoke of the legend, the lot of us listened in amazement. Then, Alain had an epiphany. "The way you described it, that may have been Mega Evolution."

"If that's so, then Rayquaza was the first Pokémon to Mega Evolve!" Cocoa added.

"Yeah! That's right!" May nodded. "Anyway, that tower I mentioned is somewhere on this island. The key to opening the tower has been unknown for so long, but with the missing half of the tablet, we now have everything we need to reclaim the Megalith."

Steven then turned to Alain. "On that note, would you mind showing me the tablet please?"

"Sure. I have it right here." Alain pulled out his Holocaster, and he punched in a few commands until the tablet appeared.

'I wonder how it broke in the first place…?' Diancie asked.

"Who knows," replied Alain. "It could've been intentional, This tablet dates back even farther than the Ultimate Weapon in Kalos."

"So how do we use broken pieces to find the Megalith?" Magearna asked.

"Simple, Alain and I combine the information each of us has, and then we'll be even closer to the answer." Steven replied. "According to my half, a tall visitor from a faraway land built the tower that holds the Megalith on this island. I've analyzed the data, and the path that leads to the tower is to start from a gate."

"Mine," Alain added," says, 'The key to opening the gate is the Light of Hope. The path to the tower will reveal itself when the Pure Hearts come together.'" Lysandre added.

"Light of Hope?" Cocoa asked.

"Pure Hearts?" Magearna added.

"Then that means… I am the key?" I concluded.

"Yes! I'm sure this tall visitor locked away the Megalith so that you could have it! Follow me!" We made our way up the stairs, Steven sprinting ahead.

It was a good twenty-foot climb, but we got to the top of the supposed gate, where two large pillars stood. There were also many markings on the pillars and floor that reminded me of the markings we saw whenever I collected a new Pure Heart.

"Okay, your majesty," Steven instructed in a respectful tone, "we need two of the Pure Hearts to open the gate."

"Understood." For no reason in particular, I chose my two most recent Pure Hearts - the ones I received through Clemont and Magearna. I placed them atop the two pillars, which lit up brightly immediately afterward. We all watched in awe as what appeared to be a staircase appeared before our eyes. It started right at our feet and ascended toward the tower.

"That's amazing!" Bonnie cried in amazement.

"We weren't expecting that, were we?" Steven said gratefully to all of us. "If you hadn't come, we would've been searching endlessly."

Mairin creeped over to Alain with a smile on her face. "Hear that? The Champion's thanking you! Pretty cool!" she said cheekily.

Steven was the first to ascend the stairs, and the rest of us followed. Not wanting anything bad to happen, I intentionally left the two Pure Hearts behind. The staircase ascended way up into the sky, beyond the clouds.

At the top of the stairs, we found what looked like a ruined city. Eventually, Steven led us to a broken down tower and inside was a large circular room with more carvings like what we saw at the gate. Steven suddenly saw an inscription. "Hold four different hearts over the four altars. There's no doubt about it: the Megalith is here."

"Got it!" I replied. I stood at the center of the room and positioned four of my remaining Pure Hearts on the pedestals - specifically, those for Fighting, Poison, Rock and Grass.

The markings in the room lit up in a rainbow color. A mild tremor shook the room as where I stood began to split open. I jumped to one of the pieces pulling apart. Then from the hole in the floor, a large rainbow-colored crystal emerged. Largest crystal I ever saw. Some of us could feel the power flowing from it. IT was almost like we were standing in front of one giant Keystone. As we marveled at its splendor, I noticed our Keystones and Mega Stones were reacting to it, glowing brightly.

"We found the Megalith!" May squealed in delight.

"The source of Mega Evolution!" Steven said in awe. Then I saw him pull out some sort of communicator. "Father! We found it!"

"We've already locked on to your coordinates, Steven. We'll be there shortly," Stone Sr. replied.

Mairin's partner, Chespie, stared in awe and absentmindedly approached the Megalith. Mairin herself then retrieved him. "No, no, Chespie. It could be dangerous."

The wind picked up around us as a loud engine roared above us. We saw a large plane right over our heads.

"Don't worry, they're with me," Steven yelled over the engines.

Eventually the plane landed outside the tower and small cars and large portable computers were set up around the Megalith.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"We're just gonna run a quick analysis. This is an important discovery after all." Steven replied.

The scientists rapidly tapped in commands as electricity zapped the side of the stone. It reacted a little violently, sending out a wave that knocked Bonnie and Mairin off their feet. It kept doing this yet at smaller rates.

"What's going on now?" May asked.

"The stone's responding to the scan energy," Steven muttered.

Alain rushed up to the computer and looked over the scientist's shoulder. "It's the same wavelength as Mega Evolution energy…" Alain muttered. "This is more wild and much more powerful."

"The energy compressed into Keystones, Steven explained, "is more focused and releases in small bursts onto a single target - the Pokémon bearing a Mega Stone. It could be we're looking at a massive raw mass of Keystone."

"Amazing!" Bonnie muttered standing up.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed around us. The surrounding area then grew dark. We looked up to see what appeared to be a storm over our heads. Lightning surged around us.

We heard a roar echo around the area. "What's happening?!" Alain asked in slight fear.

It was a roar that some of us knew too well. Steven looked to the eye of the storm. "The Titan of the Sky…"

From above, a large serpentine shape appeared. It was colored in green and yellow markings with hissing yellow eyes in deep black sockets.

"Rayquaza!" Ash shouted in fear and surprise.

The good news: we found the Megalith, just like we promised Lysandre. The bad news: Rayquaza, the Sky High Pokemon, found us. I could tell it was angry, but why? Were we not meant to find the Megalith after all? Or could there be something more afoot? The answers to come, as the journey continues…