The Power of the Heart

That night, none of them slept. The fear of what Team Magma and Team Aqua were trying to do was just too much to sleep on. When morning came, all three were exhausted, but they knew they had to get moving for the day. May just groaned as she got out of bed and out from under Brendan's arm that had been around her waist. "I am going to need a full pot of coffee to just function today," she said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah, me too," Brendan said. "I still can't wrap my head around what Team Magma and Team Aqua are plotting."

Well, we definitely need to get much stronger, Gwen said. If we don't, then the entire Hoenn region could be wiped off the face of the earth.

"I know," May said. "Luckily, the only two left on the team to fully evolve are Nikki and Erza, and neither of them are too far off from that."

"Right, but still, no matter how strong we are, I doubt we will be able to do that much to Kyogre or Groudon," Brendan said.

"What do you mean? They may be legendary, but they're still Pokémon," May said, but Brendan's look of concern told her that he knew she didn't really believe that.

"Those two Pokémon literally formed the world. They're too powerful to be considered normal Pokémon," he said.

Well, we won't get anywhere just talking about it like this. Gwen said. We might as well continue our traveling as usual. Besides, those two organizations are so full of idiots, I wouldn't be surprised if they screw it up.

Brendan smiled. "Good point," he said as he got out of bed. "I'm going to go get a quick shower to start getting ready to travel."

It was only an hour later that Brendan, May, and Gwen were all outside the Weather Institute, thanking Arceus that the storm was done for now. They had just finished crossing the bridge to the right of the building when Brendan suddenly stopped, getting an idea.

"Hey, May!" he called. May turned back to him, a curious look in her eye. "We haven't battled each other in a while. What do you say to having a battle now?"

May thought for a moment. "How about a best of three rounds?"

Brendan liked the idea. "Sounds good," he said. "Let's save Avery and Drake for the last round."

"Agreed," May said as she pulled out her first Pokéball. "Let's start with the Pokémon we first battled with. Come on out, Miranda!" She threw her Pokéball, sending out the Blaziken.

"Clint, you're up!" Brendan said as he threw his Pokéball and released his Sceptile. "You can have the first attack!"

As much as I enjoy battling, I would rather just watch this one, Gwen said. Brendan nodded with a slight smile. He understood that Gwen didn't want to battle against May. They were too close after all.

May smiled. "Miranda, use Blaze Kick!"

"Dodge and use Dual Chop!" Brendan said. As Miranda spun with her foot flaming, Clint ducked under the attack, his leaves glowing purple as he swiped with both arms to hit the fire hawk. Miranda however, was too strong to be defeated so easily.

"One more Blaze Kick!" May said. Miranda whipped around once more, striking with a flaming right reverse roundhouse. Clint brought his arms up to block the kick, although he was pushed to the side by the immense force of the attack.

"Use Leaf Blade!" Brendan said. Clint's arms lit up with green energy as he threw Miranda backward before leaping forward, slashing across her chest. The attack didn't do much damage, but it got Clint some more distance. "Now it's time for something we haven't used in a while, Dragonbreath!" Clint inhaled before letting out a stream of purple, electrically charged energy. The attack hit its mark, pushing Miranda even farther.

"Miranda, use Flame Charge!" May said. Miranda sprinted forward, her body becoming coated in fire as she ran at Clint. She gradually got faster as she ran.

"Clint, use Dual Chop once more!" Brendan said. Clint followed Brendan's order and swung the now purple leaves at Miranda. The two Pokémon collided and fought for dominance. It seemed, however, that the fire-type would win this round. Clint was thrown back and he fell to the ground hard, passing out.

"Nice job Miranda!" May said. "Now, return and get some rest."

Brendan smirked. "You fought well Clint, you return as well and rest up," he said as he had the Forest Pokémon return.

May is up, 1-0, Gwen said.

"It's time for the second round!" Brendan said. "Come on out, Nikki!" He threw the sloth Pokémon's Pokéball into the air and let her out.

"Then I'll choose Lily!" May said as she sent out her Beautifly.

"Nikki, use Retaliate!" Brendan said, using the attack that his father had given to him. Nikki leapt into the air and swung her right arm at Lily

"Lily, dodge and use Giga Drain!" May said. Lily fluttered to the side as the sloth flew by, and ensnared her in multiple tendrils of green energy. Nikki just flipped her body around backhanded Lily, sending the butterfly backwards. "Alright, use Stun Spore!"

"You sure you want to do that May?" Brendan asked.

May smirked. "Definitely," she said as Lily began to dust Nikki with yellow powder that seemed to be conducting electricity. Nikki, having figured out Brendan's plan, let the powder cover her, ignoring the suddenly tensing muscles through her body. Instead, she focused her mind, fully trusting her trainer.

"Now, Façade!" Brendan said. Nikki leapt into the air, her arms raised once again. When she got to the peak of her jump, however, she began to glow white. Brendan shook his head with a chuckle. He should've guessed that Nikki would evolve, like all the rest of his team now. The Pokémon nearly doubled in size, gaining two feet in height, and nearly two hundred pounds almost purely of muscle. Her form then changed to be almost exactly the same as Norman's Slaking. "Alright, great job Nikki!" Brendan said. "Now, finish it!" Nikki put her hands, which were now more like a human's but much larger, together, and took on a yellow aura, before hitting Lily over her head and sending the butterfly into the ground faster than a bullet. The impact left little doubt that Lily had lost.

"Lily, return and get some rest!" May said as she held out her Pokéball. "Well, that's 1-1."

Brendan recalled Nikki with a smile. "Yeah, now it's time to see who has the stronger Eon Pokémon. Go Avery!" Brendan said as he let out his Latias. Instead of coming out ready to battle, Avery flew back to her trainer and began to nuzzle him affectionately. "Hey Avery, I'm glad to see you too," Brendan said with a laugh. "But we're about to have a friendly battle with your brother. Are you up to it?" Avery gave a cheerful chirping coo.

"Drake, come on out!" May said. The Latios appeared with determined expression. It was clear that, of the two Eon Pokémon, Drake was the more serious and more focused.

"Avery, use Dragonbreath," Brendan said. Avery reared back and let loose a stream of purple energy, much like Clint's Dragonbreath, but it was fired with greater force.

"Drake, dodge and respond with Luster Purge!" May said. Drake simply rolled to the side as the energy passed by. His entire body then began to glow with a silver light as he unleashed energy, hitting Avery hard. The red Eon Pokémon was surrounded by a purple aura for a few seconds, indicating a drop in her special defensive abilities.

"Avery, respond with Mist Ball!" Brendan said. The Latias closed her eyes as a large orb of fog gathered in front of her before it became a semi-solid mass. She fired it at Drake, hitting him in the chest. His body was surrounded by a purple aura as well, indicating a loss of special attacking capabilities.

"Fine, Dragonbreath!" May said. Drake let loose a stream of the same electrical purple energy. Avery tried to dodge, but it seemed her brother had more speed and offensive power than she did. She was hit by the attack and electricity coursed through her body.

"It's okay Avery, use Psycho Shift!" Brendan said. Avery concentrated as the electricity running through her was pulled out and gathered into one spot in front of her. She then sent it toward Drake. Her brother, however, simply drifted to the side and dodged it effortlessly.

"One more Dragonbreath!" May said. Drake fired another stream of purple energy at Avery. His sister took the impact and fell to the ground.

That's it. Avery is unable to battle, Gwen said. May is the victor!

Brendan's eyes went wide. He had just been handed his first loss by none other than May. His girlfriend had beaten him. "Well, it was bound to happen sooner or later. I guess it's better that it was her," he said. He then walked up to Avery, who was giving him an apologetic look, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears. "Hey, you did really well. Don't get sad about it, because you and I will keep getting stronger together." Avery perked up and began to nuzzle Brendan once more, cooing and trilling slightly, although she still had a slightly sad tone to her voice. Brendan just smiled as he pet the dragon's neck gently, earning a happy cooing from the Pokémon.

Well, seems you're not the one wearing the pants in your relationship, Gwen said in a teasing tone. Brendan just shook his head and recalled a now smiling Avery.

May on the other hand was laughing and cheering, hugging Drake in celebration. "WE DID IT! WE WON!" she said. "I can't believe we beat Brendan!"

Brendan just shook his head in slight disbelief. "Yeah, well don't get used to it," he said in a slightly annoyed tone. "Next time we battle, I promise things will be different." His voice had gained a competitive edge.

"Don't count on it!" May said in a much more confident voice. Brendan just shook his head as he walked over to May.

"Fine, you've earned this," he said as he pulled her close a kissed her passionately. May didn't resist, although a bit surprised at first, she simply relaxed and practically melted from the sensation.

I really do love you Brendan, she thought. Gwen, who was still watching and listening to their conversation, simply smiled.

You two are adorable together, Gwen said to herself. May broke the kiss to recall Drake, and then she led the way to Fortree City. They were heading toward Brendan's sixth gym battle, and to the next stop in their adventure.

They walked for another hour, winning a tag battle along the way, before finally arriving at the Fortree Pokémon Center and getting their Pokémon revitalized. It seemed, however, that they would get an unexpected surprise that day when Brendan's PokeNav received a message.

"Huh," he said as he read the message. "Hey May, Gwen, Steven just sent me a message asking us to meet him on the bridge near Fortree on Route 120. He said he wants to give us something."

Well, I'd say it's definitely worth it to see what he's talking about, Gwen said.

"You know, I completely agree," May said. "Let's go!" she ran out of the Pokémon Center with Brendan in tow, and they ran to the first ladder into the tree houses that filled the town. They ran over the bridges, which seemed to serve as roads for the town, and went east. In a few minutes, they had not only reached Route 120, but they could see Steven standing on the bridge to the south, and he had a pretty large box at his feet.

Once they all made their way through the very tall grass, Brendan led the way onto the bridge toward the steel-haired trainer. "Steven!" he called out, waving to get the man's attention. Steven smiled and waved back.

"It's good to see you three again!" he said when they got to him. "I assume you got my message, so I will just get right into this." He reached into the box and pulled out two, thick bracelets, each with a keystone in it. "After seeing how you two fought on the Southern Isle, I felt like you're both ready to test your bonds with your Pokémon, and possibly take them even further." He handed both Brendan and May a bracelet. "Put those on your wrists before we go any further."

Brendan found a clasp on the side that opened the bracelet. He clipped it on and found that it fit perfectly. May's bracelet fit just as well. "Alright, what's next?" Brendan said.

"Send out Avery, Drake, Clint and Miranda. And Gwen, please step forward," Steven said. Brendan and May both did as told, and Gwen stepped in front of Brendan to stand between the Blaziken and Sceptile. Steven didn't seem surprised to see the newly evolved fire and grass Pokémon. Avery once again began to nuzzle Brendan even more happily than earlier today.

"Okay Avery, take it easy," Brendan said with a laugh as he pet the Eon Pokémon's neck. Steven chuckled.

"Now, Brendan and May, do you two still have the Latiasite and Latiosite stones?" Steven said, chuckling slightly at Avery's behavior. Both trainers nodded as they pulled the stones from their bags and held them out. Steven then pulled two large, but light metal necklaces. They were made of metal plates that seemed to be made for the Eon Pokémon. At the center of the first plate was a niche for the mega stone. "Put the stones in the niche, then put the necklace on your Pokémon." Brendan took the Latiasite and placed it inside the niche. When it was in place, a multi-edged clamp closed around the sides of the stone, effectively locking it in place. May's necklace did the same thing when she placed the Latiosite inside. They both placed the necklaces on the Eon Pokémon, and the stones pulsed with light once.

"What's that mean?" Brendan asked.

"That's a sign that your hearts are in sync, thus Mega Evolution is possible," Steven said as he reached into the box. "But, I have other items to give you two." He stood up with two wrist bands that looked almost like bracers, one a bit wider in diameter than the other which had two slits beside the stone, and the other item looked like a silver choker necklace. All three had mega stones on them. One looked exactly like the one Diantha's Gardevoir had been wearing. One of the two others was green with an orange, red, and green swirling streak, while the other was a cream color with a red, orange, and black swirling streak.

"I'm guessing the green one is for Clint, the tan one is for Miranda, and the white one is for Gwen," May said.

"Very observant of you," Steven said, handing the band with the Blazikenite to May, while giving the other two to Brendan. When May placed the bracer on Miranda's right wrist, the stone pulsed, this one a bit brighter than the one on Drake's collar. "As I expected," Steven said.

"What do you mean?" May asked, a bit intrigued.

"Since you've only just met Drake a couple of days ago, even though you already have a strong bond, your connection to Miranda is stronger," Steven said as Brendan got Clint situated with the band and Sceptilite. The stone, as expected, pulsed just as brightly as Miranda's stone.

"Alright, now I think I know just how this will turn out," Brendan said as he unclasped the choker necklace. "Shall I?" he asked Gwen.

Gwen smiled sweetly. Of course, she said happily. Brendan reached around her neck, clasping the necklace behind her, and it fit perfectly. Once he had fastened the necklace, however, he was almost blinded by the impossibly bright pulse of light that came from the stone.

Steven's eyes went wide in surprise. "Wow, that's one of the brightest pulses I've ever seen from a Mega Stone," he said in bewilderment. "The only time a mega stone reacts that strongly is when the trainer and Pokémon are almost completely in-sync."

"Hmm," Brendan said. "Well, if we have as strong of a bond as you say, then I want to test it."

May looked at him with an intrigued expression as she recalled both Miranda and Drake. "What are you thinking?" she asked. Don't do anything stupid, Brendan.

Brendan had both Clint and Avery return to their Pokéballs. "Well, Steven, you're wearing that keystone on your stickpin," he said.

Steven raised an eyebrow with an intrigued expression. "Are you suggesting a battle against me?" his tone suggesting that he didn't think it was a good idea.

"Of course," Brendan said.

Brendan, you'd better know what you're doing, Gwen said, running two fingers over the Gardevoirite around her neck like a newly-wed playing with her ring.

"Fine, I will accept your challenge," Steven said. "But let's get off this bridge first. I don't want to destroy it."

Brendan nodded. "I'm okay with that," he said as he began to walk back toward the eastern side of the bridge.

When they were on the eastern edge and they were positioned properly, Steven sent out his Pokémon. "Come on out Maxwell!" The Pokémon that came out was unlike anything Brendan had ever seen. It was made of a metal with a blue tint. It had one main body that looked like a flying saucer with two red mechanical eyes and a silver X across its face. It stood on four legs that extended from its sides, one of which had a bracer, like Clint's and Miranda's, with a blue crystal with a gold and white streak through the center. On top of that, the Pokémon was massive standing taller than Gwen, weighing at least half a ton. "Now, Brendan, are you absolutely sure you want to go through with this? I will grant you your request for a battle if you are, but I would rather not put you through this."

Brendan looked serious. "Gwen and I have never lost a battle together. I don't intend to start now."

Steven closed his eyes. "Very well then. First, do you know how to activate mega evolutions?"

"Yes, I had to battle the leader of Team Magma who used a Mega Camerupt. I think I know what to do," Brendan said. He brought his bracelet close to his other hand, making contact. "Alright Gwen, let our hearts unite to bring us victory in this fight. MEGA EVOLVE!" Multiple tendrils of energy began to reach from Brendan's keystone and Gwen's Gardevoirite and they were soon connecting.

I feel tingly! Gwen said as her body began to glow with all the colors of the rainbow as her Gardevoirite merged with her body, and her form began to change. Her chest spike split into two, and her dress puffed out, looking almost like a wedding gown. Both of her forearms gained a slight protrusion that made it look like she was wearing white gloves. Hey Brendan, you know how strong my Psychic attack was when we beat Maxie?

Yeah, what about it? Brendan replied.

This form feels stronger than that, Gwen said in awe as the glowing ceased and her new form appeared. A minor change that wasn't evident while she was glowing was that her hair had grown longer and had curled under her three-pointed ears.

"Well, it seems you were successful with your first mega evolution," Steven said. "But now it's our turn. Maxwell, Mega Evolve!" The same reaction took place, the tendrils connecting and Metagross beginning to glow multiple colors. Maxwell's four legs moved until they were facing forward and they grew significantly and the claws on the bottom changed to look almost like combs made up of swords. From his back sprouted four smaller legs. Finally, he began to levitate off the ground. When the glowing ceased, Maxwell's metal X had turned golden. It now looked like it weighed over a ton. "Alright Brendan, I will give you the first move.

Alright, Gwen use Calm Mind, then use Hyper Voice! Brendan said. Gwen relaxed and was surrounded by a green aura, her special abilities rising. But when Gwen shouted loudly, the metal Pokémon moved blindingly fast to get out of the way and into the air. Brendan's eyes went wide with the realization that he should've taken the out Steven had given him.

"Maxwell, finish this with Meteor Mash," Steven said. Maxwell brought his legs together, forming what looked like the head of a hammer and his front claws began to glow. He then began to fly at Gwen, spiraling as he approached.

Teleport! Brendan said. But it was too late, Maxwell was already there. The attack struck hard, sending Gwen flying backwards and into a nearby tree. She reverted to her normal form and passed out. "No, GWEN!" he said as he ran to her side. "Are you alright?"

Gwen's eyes fluttered open. Y-yeah, but do me a favor, she said with a pained tone of voice. Don't you dare challenge anybody that much stronger than us again!

Brendan nodded. "I promise I won't make that mistake again. I also promise that we won't lose again."

Thanks Goldenrod, now please help me stand up, she said. Brendan had her put her arm around his shoulder and he helped to lift her off the ground. He then walked back to the battlefield, a look of humility on his face. When he got there, Maxwell had already been recalled. "I guess I still have a lot to learn," he said.

"We all do," Steven said. "But it's good that you're able to accept it. Just remember this: there will always be somebody better than you at something. Don't be too eager to make challenges in the future. But you should be proud. You and Gwen have already pulled off that which only a select few trainers know of, and even fewer have ever achieved."

Brendan nodded. "Thanks, I'll remember that, and I promise things will be different next time we have a battle."

Steven smiled and nodded. "Knowing you, I am definitely counting on it." He then looked at his watch. "Oh my, I've got an appointment in Mossdeep City. Anyway, I will be seeing you two later." With that, he sent out a Skarmory that looked like it had seen a lot of battles. He hopped onto its back and the steel bird took off, flying to the east.

That was when May spoke up. "Hey, are you two okay?" she asked.

"What do you mean?" Brendan asked.

"Well, like you said before the battle, you and Gwen haven't lost a battle together until today," she said.

Brendan realized what she meant. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, but we should get Gwen to a Pokémon Center as soon as possible."

Despite his words, May could easily tell he wasn't fine, but she decided that an argument wasn't worth it at the moment. "Alright, let's go." The three of them walked back to the Fortree Pokémon Center in relative silence.

Brendan's confidence had been shaken to its core. He and Gwen had just been beaten in one attack without even doing the slightest bit of damage to their opponent. Not only that, but this was his second loss ever, and it hadn't even been a day since his first. I just hope I can get myself stronger so this never happens again, he thought. Gwen, who had been silently listening to her trainer's thoughts, smiled. She already knew that Brendan wasn't going to make the same mistake twice.

It's alright Brendan. I've already forgiven you, she said to him alone. That seemed to put him more at ease. He would need it for tomorrow's gym battle, after all.

And that's a chapter. Thanks for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed it. Please leave a review letting me know where I can improve my writing, it would be greatly appreciated.

Next chapter is Brendan's battle with Winona.

Until next time – jmoul18.