Michael:

Jolteon (Nick)

Gardevoir (Alicia)

Houndoom (Erebus)

Walrein (Boreas)

Breloom (Ceres)

Flygon (Sarah)

Liz:

Sylveon (Titania)

Ursaring (Artemis)

Ampharos (Voltaire)

Vulpix (Vixen)

Roselia (Lilith)

Togepi (Faye)

Mastering Evolutions – Part One

1 Week Left:

"Faye, use Dazzling Gleam!" Liz called, the little Togepi glowing brightly, using the attack she had learned from Tatiana during training for the past two weeks. Area 8's leader, Naday was down to her last two Pokémon, a Salamence and a Machamp. Both were level 70, and they were lower on health. What Liz didn't notice in the glow of the attack was Togepi glowing brighter than usual. Her body grew larger, growing wings and a longer neck. When the glow faded, Liz saw the newly evolved Togetic fluttering in the air, and the Machamp and Salamence were both knocked out. Naday sighed, recalling her Pokémon. "That was fantastic, and congrats on your Togepi's evolution," she said. Liz smiled as she shook Naday's hand. "You and Michael are both progressing so quickly. I'm amazed. Michael even made it to Area 10 already. Quite honestly, I don't think I've ever even heard of trainers progressing as quickly as you two."

"Well…desperate times and all," Liz said softly, knowing that they were pushing the limits of training their Pokémon. "Plus, our preparations are about done for the battle."

Naday smiled and stepped to the side. "Well, it's time for you to move on to area 9. I wish you luck in your training there," she said.

"Thanks. See you around, Naday," Liz said, going into the rest area.

Liz smiled and let out Faye, hugging the newly evolved Togetic. "Congratulations Faye! I knew you could do it!" Faye chirped happily as she hugged Liz back, the joy radiating from the Pokémon in stark contrast to how violent she was as a Shadow Pokémon. "I'm so happy for you!" The little wings fluttered eagerly as she nuzzled Liz. "Are you ready for the next area?" Faye just chittered and nodded eagerly.

Michael was walking up the final staircase to zone 100. The battles had been getting significantly harder as they climbed, but their opponents had been using level 90 to 95 Pokémon exclusively on this level, which was contributing to a sense of frustration. He was wondering why exactly such strong trainers could exist in Orre and still letting Cipher run rampant.

Alicia couldn't help but agree. Surely Cipher wasn't so intimidating to trainers who trained Pokémon to the highest level of power. They weren't at the same power level as her mother yet, but Alicia could still see that Cipher would've struggled significantly more if these trainers had helped at all.

These thoughts, however, were all pushed from their heads as they approached the peak of the volcano. The massive platform of Zone 100 was suspended over the cooled lava covering the volcano's vent and crater. In the center stood a massive beast of a man with flowing blonde hair. He seemed to ooze confidence as he watched Michael and Alicia approaching him.

"Welcome Mr. Orison. I was wondering when you would arrive. "My name is Battlus, and I am the Battle Master of Mt. Battle," he said.

Michael smiled. "You know why we're here. Why don't we just get to the good part?" he said as he walked closer.

Battlus smiled as Michael came closer to the center. "Oh? You're approaching me? Instead of running away, you're coming right to me?" the man said with a smirk.

We can't beat the shit out of you without getting closer, Alicia said, deciding to steal Michael's chance to respond.

"Oh ho! Then come as close as you like," the man said. "Let's see whose team is stronger!" He pulled out two Pokéballs. "Come out, Revenant and Brynhilda!"

Michael's eyes widened as he saw a Dusknoir and a Gyarados appear on the field.

"Seems this'll be easy," Michael asked softly, sending out Sarah and Erebus, both of whom were already leveled up to 90. Battlus, however, had both of his Pokémon at level 100.

"I will explain the secret to you later, if you beat me," Battlus said in a cocky voice.

Michael just nodded to his Pokémon, smiling as the Flygon began to gather dragon flames around her claws, flying forward and aiming for the Gyarados. It was only a second later that Brynhilda twisted her body enough to dodge, then shot a torrent of water across the battlefield, dousing the ground dragon, and knocking her to the ground briefly. The Flygon got back in the air and fired a Dragon Pulse at the Gyarados. At the same time, Erebus fired a powerful Dark Pulse, hitting the Dusknoir squarely in the chest. Unfortunately, Revenant was an incredibly powerful tank of a Pokémon, and took almost no damage. Revenant gathered a golden energy around his fist, lunging forward and striking at Houndoom. The energy seemed to swirl up through the ghost-type, increasing his attack power.

Erebus growled, a devious look on his face as his energy increased drastically. Good timing with that Nasty Plot, Michael thought with a smirk as Erebus fired a significantly stronger Dark Pulse. This time, Revenant couldn't take the full force of the hit, and he was knocked out.

"Nicely done," Battlus said. "But if you think such paltry skills are enough to stop me, you're gravely mistaken. I will take pleasure in taming your arrogance. Come out, Sangha." The Pokémon that came out looked like a scorpion mixed with a bat. His claws and tail were both massive.

"A Gliscor? It's been a while since my last simulation battle with one of them," Michael said. "Sarah, Dragon Claw on Gyrados. Erebus, use Flamethrower on Sangha."

Erebus gathered fire into his mouth quickly, then fired a jet of flames at the Gliscor. Sangha, however, was too quick. She slapped the ground with her tail, making a pillar of rock shoot up from the platform to block the incoming flames. At the same time, Sarah flew at Brynhilda with her claws wrapped in flames. Before she even got close, Gyarados gathered an icy energy around her teeth, and she lunged at Sarah. It would come down to who was faster on the draw. Just barely, Sarah slashed Brynhilda across the face moments before the Ice Fang connected. The Gyarados was thrown across the platform, hitting the ground hard. "Now, Stone Edge!" Michael said. Sarah acted quickly again, making rocks erupt from the ground, striking the sea serpent from underneath. The attack was extremely effective, knocking Brynhilda out of the battle. Simultaneously, though, Sangha launched a Stone Edge of her own, hitting Erebus from below. The Houndoom fell to the ground, knocked out.

Battlus nodded appreciatively. "Very smart of you. But, you're only halfway through." His smirk was telling Michael that there was something big coming. "Come out, Fafnir." The Pokémon that came out of the Ultra Ball was a Salamence, a dragon Pokémon known for its power and ferocity, and it was known as the ace Pokémon of Admiral Drake of the Hoenn region.

Michael picked out his next Pokémon as well. "Boreas, come out!" he said enthusiastically. The Walrein bellowed his challenge to the others, immediately firing an Ice Beam at the Gliscor. The flying Pokémon was agile, though, and he was able to dodge the freezing energy in time. She spiraled around the beam before swinging her tail at Boreas, hoping to land an Iron Tail and lower the Water-type's defenses. However, when she got close, she was hit with a Dragon Pulse from Sarah. The defensive attack dealt some damage, but it distracted the Flygon from the now looming Salamence. Fafnir slashed Sarah with a Dragon Claw, sending her careening to the edge of the ring. Sarah had been defeated, and Michael knew it. He recalled her, and weighed his options before picking out his next Pokémon. "Come on out, Nick!" Michael said. Jolteon leapt onto the field, his fur sparking with electricity.

Boreas fired a Water Pulse at Sangha, hitting the Gliscor directly, knocking her out of the sky before following up with an Ice Beam. The attack was precise and powerful, knocking out Sangha. Battlus just sighed, pulling out his final Pokéball. "Come out, Toph!" Michael was surprised to see a massive Metagross appear on the field. "So, it seems that the last few are going to be some of the strongest Pokémon from the Hoenn region," Michael said, some sense of admiration in his voice. "Nick, use Thunder Bolt on Fafnir! Boreas, use Hydro Pump on Toph!"

Nick moved first, his unmatched speed becoming clear as he sped around the field, launching a huge bolt of electricity at the Salamence. Michael smirked as it connected, only to see that the Dragon seemed to shrug it off, rushing forward with energy swirling around his body. He collided with Boreas and sent the Walrein sliding back. Toph jumped into the air, aiming to crush the Walrein with a Meteor Mash, all of her arms aiming for Boreas. The impact was quick, but Boreas was able to fire a massive stream of water at the Metagross. Unfortunately, despite the torrent slowing the metal behemoth, the Meteor Mash knocked out the Walrein completely. Michael recalled Walrein, and picked his next Pokémon. "Come out, Ceres!" The Breloom came out, light on her feet, making quick jabs to accentuate her eagerness to fight.

With blinding speed, Ceres closed the distance between herself and Toph, hitting the Metagross with two swift Mach Punches. The impacts were strong enough to send the Metagross sliding, but it shocked Michael when Battlus recalled the Steel-Type early. "Sorry, but time for a strategic switch. Go, Garou!" What came out was honestly a surprise, since not many trainers outside the Maple family had ever raised a Slaking to such a high level of power. "Use Giga Impact, take out that Breloom!"

The Slaking slowly got up, sprinting on all four limbs to charge forward, a swirl of energy forming around him as he barreled at Ceres. Ceres was quick to scatter a cloud of Spore around her, then throw a strong Brick Break. Slaking flew through the cloud and crashed into her, taking the full brunt of the Brick Break. The Giga Impact was strong enough to knock Ceres out of the battle with just one hit. Michael was surprised at the power Slaking had, but he had been a fan of Brendan Maple for the past five years. He should've seen it coming from one of the strongest physical attackers known to the Pokémon world. Luckily, Ceres did some serious damage to Garou with her Brick Break, and had put the big ape to sleep.

Michael moved quickly, recalling Ceres. "Thank you for your hard work," he said. "Alicia, are you ready?"

Alicia smirked, walked onto the field and brushed her hair to the side in an almost smug way. Am I ready? Do Ursaring poop in the woods?

Michael blinked a bit in confusion at the timing of that analogy, but he let it go as Nick sprinted over and timed his Thunder Bolt with Alicia's Dazzling Gleam. While their main target was fafnir, the Dazzling Gleam would also hit Slaking. Alicia had been steadily becoming more skilled with her battles during their training, and it seemed her battle sense was getting sharper as well.

Unfortunately, the Salamence had already put up a Protect shield, blocking both attacks. However, Garou had since succumbed to the effects of Spore, and was sleeping on the floor when he was overwhelmed by the glittering energy. Nick just slid along the platform, getting to Alicia's side, nodding to her in a mutual respect as he got ready to attack again. Garou had been knocked out of the fight, meaning it was time to take out two titans of Hoenn.

Shortly, Toph was back on the field, with Fafnir standing strong beside her. "You're fighting well. Now, show me your end game!" Battlus said eagerly. Toph leapt again, aiming for Alicia this time with her Meteor Mash. At the same time, Fafnir rushed forward with his claws blazing with draconic energy. Nick was much faster, though, and he dodged the attack with near ease. Alicia also responded with similar speed, teleporting out of the way of the incoming steel-type. Nick gathered more energy before unleashing a Thunder. The arc flash struck the clouds above, sending a bolt of lightning crashing down onto Salamence just as he swiped a claw at the spot Nick and Alicia had just stood a moment prior. The sheer amount of electricity sent paralyzing static through the dragon's body.

Alicia, however, was using her secret weapon for Steel Types. A spiral of crimson and golden flames flew at the Metagross. Mystical Fire wasn't the strongest option she had available, but it had much greater accuracy than the Focus Blast that her mother used often. The flames scorched Toph's back, however, she still slowed herself and levitated to a full stop, rotating to face Alicia before properly landing.

Michael noticed a brighter gleam on Toph's front legs as she landed. "Alicia, Protect now!"

Alicia reacted without question, the shield going up just in time to stop the heavy impact of a Bullet Punch. She winced as she slid back from the sheer power behind the attacks. As she slid, she also gathered fairy energy, aiming it at Fafnir, who was having trouble moving quickly. When she fired, however, her Protect wavered. Toph took that opening and swung another Bullet Punch at Alicia, breaking through the weakened shield. Alicia's eyes went wide as she took the hit, barely managing to stay conscious. This may have been simple training, but it treating it as if winning didn't matter was not an option. They'd already spent over 15 hours battling from Area 1 today, so Alicia was not about to let herself pass out. Luckily, her Moon Blast had hit Fafnir hard enough to knock him back to the ground. In conjunction with Nick's earlier Thunder, Fafnir couldn't stay in the battle any further before passing out.

"Earthquake!" Battlus said almost angrily as he recalled the Salamence. Toph leapt into the air slightly, then crashed onto the platform with an enormous amount of force, sending a shockwave across the platform. The ground built under the platforms shook and broke apart. Nick barely managed to put up a Protect in time, being further away from the epicenter. Alicia, however, wasn't able to stop the impact, getting knocked back toward Michael's feet.

Ow, ow, ow, sorry Michael, c-can I rest in my Pokéball for now? Alicia asked, looking a bit saddened that she wasn't able to win for them.

"Of course, you've earned a rest," Michael said kindly, before recalling Alicia, looking at Nick. "Alright buddy, it's just you and me now. Let's finish strong here! Shadow Ball!" Nick quickly gathered ectoplasmic energy in front of him, having learned how to do so from Alicia. He fired the orb at Toph with little hesitation.

"Zen Headbutt," Battlus said. Toph leapt forward, her head glowing with psychic energy. The mechanical Pokémon collided with the incoming Shadow Ball, likely hoping to break through it. And, for a moment, Michael was almost certain she would succeed. However, Nick responded by firing another Thunder Bolt into the mix. The electricity struck the colliding attacks, causing an explosion of energy that sent the two-thousand-pound behemoth flying backwards. Michael's battle monitor showed that the Metagross was knocked out.

Battlus, however, just looked dumbstruck as Michael cheered in relief and hugged Nick happily. "Never would've guessed that was how the battle would go," he said before smiling again. "Oh well, that's how things are with a training facility," he said, lifting his arm and activating a command wristband. "Congratulations, Michael. By clearing every area without a break, you've earned the right to pick one of three secret rewards," he said as a pedestal with three Pokéballs rose from the ground.

Michael approached with a look of interest. "Which Pokémon are in the balls?" he asked, genuinely interested.

"They are the Johto starters, but they all know special attacks," Battlus said. "Cyndaquil knows Blast Burn and Reversal, Totodile knows Crunch and Hydro Cannon, and Chikorita knows Ancient Power and Frenzy Plant."

Michael nodded appreciatively. "I assume they're all level 5?" he asked.

"They are. I understand you are here to train so your team can be as strong as possible to defeat Cipher, but perhaps they can become a part of your team after that battle ends," Battlus said. "Also, you can come back and get the other two you didn't pick by clearing all of Mt. Battle again."

Michael nodded once more, having made his decision. "I choose the Cyndaquil," he said, picking the Pokéball with a flame sticker on it.

"Well then, it's time to send you back to the lobby. The receptionist there will award you the Battle Coupons, and you can rest while you wait for Liz to finish for the day."

"Thank you for the great battle," Michael said, but just as his vision went white from the teleportation back down, thanks to an Abra he never even saw, he remembered the burning question he'd had before their battle. "Damn it!" Michael said. "Guess I'll never know."

"Never know what?" the receptionist asked, looking confused at his statement.

Michael sighed. "I'm wondering why the trainers of Mt. Battle's higher levels haven't helped against Cipher. We could've used their help."

She nodded. "I see, I had a feeling that would be on your mind at some point. The reason is because the government of Orre has specifically banned us from acting in any way that could resemble a military or a police force. If we had intervened, the government would have shut us down and confiscated our Pokémon. Also, we don't have access to any Snag Machines. We may have done more harm than good in such a situation by driving away the Shadow Pokémon."

"I see," Michael sighed. He hated that the answer made sense, but he couldn't deny that the Orre Police had also been incompetent throughout the entire ordeal with Cipher. That, along with the fact that Snattle was a powerful politician despite the video evidence of him using Shadow Pokémon, and finally what he'd just heard about the government stopping the strongest trainers in Orre from helping led Michael to realize something. Cipher has people in Orre's government. His mind whirled with questions, but, if he was right, he would need a lot of help. But how high up the chain does the corruption go? Michael went to the Pokémon Center in the lobby, getting his Pokémon healed before heading to the food court, letting Alicia out of her Pokéball. "Alright, guess we'll get something to eat while we wait for Liz to finish her training for the day," Michael said, ordering a burger, fries, and a chocolate shake for himself, as well as a lot of Pokémon food for his team. Once his order came out, he sat with Alicia at a table separated from the main section. He let out his team, getting them their food as well. That, however, didn't stop Alicia from snatching a fry from Michael's tray. Hey, that's Liz's job, Michael said.

Well, somebody needs to fill in for her if she's not here, Alicia said, stealing a fry for every one of Michael's Pokémon. Michael could do nothing more than laugh to himself, despite the now growing fear of the government being owned by their enemies as well.

"Well, might as well introduce Cyndaquil to the others," Michael said, letting out the newest member of his team. The adorable little fire mouse looked around at the others, looking a bit confused. "Hi Cyndaquil, my name is Michael. I'm your new trainer!" he said happily, petting the little Pokémon and giving it a bowl of food. The Cyndaquil squeaked with happiness. The other Pokémon, though much stronger, were all very gentle with their new teammate.

Liz had just finished clearing the ninth area, but she was feeling a bit winded for the day. Her team members were now all at level 85. She was confident in her skills, but she wasn't feeling up to battling any further today, plus they'd been training since early morning. She needed to go home and rest, since there were still a few more days to come back later to clear the mountain before they went to Citadark Isle. So, she decided to go to the Abra at the rest area, and returned to the lobby.

Once the light cleared, she saw Michael with his Pokémon all eating together. He'd even gotten some food for her and her team. She smiled, going to the table with him. "Seems somebody had some time on their hands." Liz said, letting out her team as well. Titania immediately ran to Nick, nuzzling and rubbing against him affectionately before going to her own meal.

Michael perked up when he saw her. "Hey, how high did you get?" he asked.

"I cleared Area 9. I'm going to come back later to clear Area 10," Liz said.

"Well, a little heads-up for you," Michael said. "Clear the entire thing at once. You'll get a Johto starter Pokémon with very rare attacks."

"Wait…did you clear Area 100?" Liz asked, sounding impressed.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Michael said, gesturing toward Erebus. Liz looked over and noticed the Cyndaquil passed out beside the Houndoom. "Her name is Pele."

Liz almost squealed at how cute the Pokémon was just by sleeping. "Can I have her?"

Michael laughed. "No, she's my Cyndaquil. But I will need to wait until after Citadark to train her," he said.

Liz figured that would be the case, but she still had to reach out and pet the little fire-type. Her fur was so soft that Liz thought she was touching a plushie until Pele lifted her head and looked at her cutely before going back to sleep.

The moment felt wonderful, but it was interrupted when Michael's phone rang. It was Eagun calling, meaning it would be something important, so Michael answered the call. "Hello, Eagun," he said.

"Michael, how is your training? Feeling ready to take on Cipher?" Eagun asked, sounding rather chipper.

"Yeah, I just cleared Mt. Battle, and Liz cleared Area 9. We should be ready for the battles soon," he said.

Eagun made a pleased grunt. "Good, then you and your Pokémon should be ready for a secret weapon I've just finished preparing for you and Liz. Can you come by Agate Village tomorrow morning?"

Michael was intrigued by what Eagun said. "Yeah, that would work. We can be there around 8:00, if that works."

"Definitely, my boy," he said. "I will see you and Liz tomorrow. Enjoy your night…now, how do I hang up again? Ah, there it is." With that, the call ended.

"What was that all about?" Liz asked.

"Eagun said he has a secret weapon for us. We're going to meet with him tomorrow morning," Michael said, his intrigue still in his voice.

"Well, we could certainly use all the help we can get," Liz said, sitting down to eat the burger Michael had gotten her. "But, did you have to propose meeting at 8 in the morning?"

"Eagun's in his 80s. That's late morning for him," Michael said.

Liz giggled. "Fair enough. But you'll owe me a date at that café in Agate," she said, sipping her vanilla shake with a cute smile, happy that Michael remembered it was her favorite flavor of ice cream. Michael only nodded, smiling at Liz's expression. He didn't want to tell her about his realization about the government until they got home. After all, talking about a potentially corrupt government in public would not be smart idea.

It feels really good to be back to writing after that hiatus. Didn't realize how much I missed writing Michael's and Liz's adventure. I'll try to keep writing regularly so I can properly finish the story. Especially since this story is getting close to the final chapters already.

Let me know what you think of this chapter in the reviews. I hope you all enjoyed. Until next time ~ jmoul18