Part CLXXV: Bug Feud

"Alright, Serena, you're up." May said as she handed the map of Santalune Forest that they had over to Serena as soon as they were well and truly in said forest. "You're the only one who's actually been here before so you're the guide. Alain said that it is in the north west corner."

"Right, that shouldn't be too hard to get to." Serena said as she took the map and took the lead as they walked along the path that cut through the area. "The forest isn't very large, only a day or so to traverse, and not thick off the beaten path so we should find it by the afternoon."

The others nodded as Serena took over and began to lead them through the forest that was named after the city to the north of it. The fast way to Lumiose City from Aquacorde Town was through Santalune Forest followed by Santalune itself before rejoining the road back to Lumiose. That was the plan though along the way they were going to be getting Misty's second Mega Stone here, or at least hope to as it wasn't confirmed to be for a Pinsir, as their final planned adventure before they reached Lumiose City for the last two events of the year.

It was a week after the Aquacorde Contest and the loss that Serena suffered there. She'd done well and reached the final without much of an issue but in the end Miette's improved skills had been too much for Serena and she'd lost to her friend and rival in a close, hard fought, final.

With her win, Miette had claimed her 5th ribbon and after celebrating with them she'd headed straight to Lumiose City to prepare and await them before the Grand Festival with a challenge to Serena to meet her on the battlefield one more time in the Grand Festival. Naturally, Serena had said she would, and she kept that promise as motivation to do her best as they made their way to Santalune Forest with a brief stop for Serena to have a second chat with Sabrina along the way.

Between that chat and one with her mother after the Contest had ended, Serena felt that she was in a really good place going forward. She had confirmed her decision to qualify for the Grand Festival via the Wildcard, and she was certain that whatever happened in the Grand Festival, she would know what came next for her. However, all that would come after the Grand Festival and first they had to get to Lumiose for it.

Even with this distraction, and saying hello to Alexa and Viola in Santalune as they passed through, they should reach Lumiose within a week which was good as they had to be in the city before the exhibition that was to kick off the Grand Festival festivities. May had explained that with the Wildcard and the Lumiose Conference afterwards, there was going to be a special exhibition as part of a more casual, open air, welcoming event that would also serve as the Grand Reception.

It was not going to as formal as the one in Kanto which had surprised Serena but May explained that it was more to kick off the first Grand Festival with a fun filled event rather than something more formal. In time Kalos would have such an event, Kalos did love a good formal event, so it was only natural to have one, but for the first Grand Festival things were going to be a bit more open.

As such they all had to be there for it as May and Misty were expected to be a part of it, Ash would be Misty's plus one, and as Serena was eligible for the Wildcard she was expected to attend if she was going to enter it, which she intended on doing. It may not be as formal as Serena had been expecting but she was still looking forward to it and the fun that it would bring, and it would hype her up for the upcoming Wildcard event and the Grand Festival.

Thus, Serena would be practicing as much as she could while they traveled back to Lumiose City, and again once they got to the city, this upcoming distraction notwithstanding. The one thing that no one knew, not even May, was how the Wildcard would be scored. They did know that it was a two-round appeal with the same Pokémon and one move only for a combined total score so all Serena could do was prepare as best she could and focus on advancing via it.

In addition to all of this, they were also preparing Ash for the upcoming Lumiose Conference that would start a week after the Grand Festival and be the final big event of the trainer year. The Grand Festival was being held in the same venue, and side venues, as the Lumiose Conference so it would be a quick turn around and Ash was as eager for it as always.

In addition, they'd also gotten word from Max and his group that they would reach Lumiose a little before Ash and the girls did so they were all were going to stay at the gym with Clemont. That meant plenty of time training and catching up in preparation for both competitions.

Naturally, they still had to get there first so it was all in the future. For the moment the focus was on getting through Santalune Forest and finding the Mega Stone that was hopefully for Misty's Pinsir as Serena led them through it. As they did, the forest brought back memories for the other three from their past travels, and for Serena as she met Ash in a forest, but she opted not to voice that given how that had been the incident that planted the seed of her feelings for Ash.

"Reminds me a bit of Viridian Forest back in Kanto." Ash said as he looked around and noticed several bug types, many not found in Kanto, and a few grass types at least. "I caught my first Pokémon in Viridian Forest, a Caterpie and Pidgeotto."

"Right back on your first journey." Misty said remembering the story she'd heard a few times now, but she always enjoyed hearing how Ash started out. "You told me about it when we went through Viridian last year and Pidgeot came back to you."

"Yeah, I still regret not coming back for him like I promised I would but at least he's now with me and has a Mega Stone." Ash said and the others understood, he'd told them the full story of his Pidgeot back in Shalour after his Mega Evolution battle with Korrina. "And last year we had a fun adventure there too when we went through it to get to the Pewter Gym."

"Right, that is where I caught my Pinsir and Oddish." Misty said smiling at the memory. "My first Pokémon in Kanto and rather unexpected."

"How did you end up with a Pinsir." Serena asked as they walked, she had the direction sorted so she could join in the conversation and direct them at the same time. "I never actually asked you before and was curious as it's not a Pokémon I'd associate with you though after this year I guess it's pointless to expect a specific style with you. You haven't used her yet this year, so I haven't actually had the chance to ask you how you and Pinsir met."

"Didn't you get Oddish at the same time, so it was a double capture and not two separate captures in the forest." May recalled. "They're really close, right?"

"Best friends and inseparable, something I've played into with their training as I don't want to mess with their bond." Misty said with a smile. "Pinsir had been attacked by some other Pokémon and badly hurt so Oddish came to me to help her friend out. She really liked my hair back then and decided that because of that I could help her. She just leapt out of the bushes, grabbed my hair and dragged me to help her friend."

"Really?" Serena asked. "An Oddish did that?"

"She's surprisingly strong even as an Oddish but I did stop her after a moment, I knew what one was as an old family friend of ours has a Bellossom, and got up to follow her." Misty said. "She took me to her friend, a Pokémon I had never seen at the time so I didn't know what it was, but it was clearly a bug type and badly hurt so I didn't bother checking it, I just rushed over and used the first aid that Brock taught me to heal her."

"You didn't know what a Pinsir was?" Serena asked confused now.

"They're a rare Pokémon back in Sinnoh so I'd never actually seen one before." Misty said with a shrug. "I think there was one in the Johto Grand Festival, but I was rather focused during that Grand Festival and not paying attention, so it didn't come back to me as I was administering first aid to Pinsir."

"Right, moving on." May said as she and Serena knew full well what the Johto Grand Festival was for Misty and Ash and their relationship so there was no point in addressing the moment that they lost Ash more than necessary. "So, you see this brown bug type with two horns and help it out, then what?"

"Then Oddish decides that I could be a good trainer for them, at least that's what it seemed to be, so I asked her to join me." Misty said thinking back on it. "She clearly liked to battle and wanted to get stronger and clearly felt that I could do that for them, but she wouldn't join me unless Pinsir did as well, and I wouldn't separate them. Pinsir was hesitant at first but agreed because Oddish persuaded her, so I caught both at the same time, my first double capture. It wasn't until after Ash arrived and told me to scan Pinsir's Poke Ball did I learn that she was a Pinsir."

"Somehow that doesn't surprise me after seeing the captures you've had this year." Serena said with a chuckle. "That's normal by comparison. So, in the end your Pinsir turned out to love contests, right?"

"Oh, she does, especially appeals as she loves to look good and showing off her moves." Misty said with a smile. "My usual poffins aren't to her liking because bug types have different tastes that don't align with my usual poffins, so I made some special ones for bug types and regularly polish her carapace to make sure that she gleams. She fell in love with Contests after seeing the Cerulean one I was in but doesn't like to battle too much unless it's with Vileplume."

"I remember." May said with a chuckle. "Didn't Pinsir toss Vileplume in battles."

"It's their trademark move to get Vileplume in close for some status moves." Misty said. "And Vileplume loves to battle. I wasn't surprised when she chose the Leaf Stone over the Sun Stone I had. I waited until she was ready, which came after she lost the Gardenia Contest to Mollie's Absol, and she made the choice on the boat to Cinnabar Island."

"You got both of those from that Kanto grass gym leader if I recall." Serena said. "Erika, right? She was at the Grand Festival and didn't seem too surprised when she learned your Gloom was now a Vileplume."

"Yup, her starter was a Gloom, so she loved mine the moment she saw it, it helped us bond more." Misty said while Ash deliberately looked away. "That and she told me of her past with Ash, a rather amusing tale for another time however as it's a long one that needs a proper telling. Anyway, after her full battle with Ash she gave me both stones for a Gloom to evolve as she felt that a Gloom had a right to decide which of its two final forms it wanted to take, and I agreed so I let her make the choice in the end. As everyone saw, that choice was the Leaf Stone."

"That was nice of her, and you have to tell that story later." Serena said eager to hear it as it pertained to Ash and his past though Ash for some reason seemed embarrassed by it. "Though out of curiosity, what did you do with the Sun Stone? It's the stone that evolves a Helioptile so you could have used it on him this year if he wanted to evolve into a Heliolisk."

"Oh, well I actually never expected to get a Pokémon that would need it, so I gave it away after the Grand Festival." Misty said. "I didn't need it at the time, and I knew someone who did need it. Helioptile doesn't seem to want to evolve so it's not a big loss in the end."

"That is very kind of you Misty." May said. "Who did you give it to?"

"Emily." Misty said. "She needed a Sun Stone to evolve her Cottonee, so I gave it to her. She's used it since as we've all seen her Whimsicott."

"Yeah I lost to it back in Odyssey Village." Serena said recalling it now. "That makes sense and was a good thing you did Misty."

"I'm just glad it was used." Misty said as she looked around. "You know, Kanto isn't the only region with a forest kinda like this, there's one back in Sinnoh that we went through as well."

"There is?" Serena asked. "And I take it you have some adventure from your time in it."

"We always have adventures in forests so of course we do." Misty said with a smile. "Back in Sinnoh we have the Eterna Forest which is to the east of Eterna City in the eastern half of the region. It was in that forest that we met Gardenia, the grass type gym leader of the Eterna Gym, for the first time and learned of her, um, uniqueness."

"Uniqueness?" Serena asked

"Gardenia loves grass types, like really loves them." Misty said. "And, well, it seems that she gets, er, turned on by a strong grass type trainer though that wasn't as clear to us back then but in hindsight I can totally see it."

"Come again?" May asked.

"From what I've heard, Gardenia tends to get attracted to a trainer who can raise a strong grass type, which in Sinnoh was James of Team Rocket as he had a Carnivine and Cacnea, the latter is actually being trained by Gardenia." Misty said causing the other girls to blanch at that. "Yup it was odd, and she didn't think he could be evil because of his grass types. At the time we didn't really see it as an attraction, we were dealing with Team Rocket which took priority, but from what Erika said, Gardenia tends to get attracted to grass type trainers and her preference is purely determined by the ability of a trainer to raise a grass type alone."

"Wait then…" May began as she got what that meant.

"Yeah Erika has a slightly strained relationship with Gardenia as she doesn't swing that way." Misty said. "She's flattered but it apparently gets awkward whenever they meet."

"I can imagine." Serena said deciding it was best to shift the topic a bit as the intricacies of gym leaders she'd either never met or only met briefly weren't of too much concern to her. "What about in Hoenn, May? Is there a notable forest there?"

"Oh yes, it's actually named after my hometown of Petalburg." May said with a nod. "It's called Petalburg Forest and is to the northwest of Petalburg City. You have to traverse it to reach Rustboro which is usually the first gym most trainers challenge in Hoenn as the Petalburg Gym that my dad runs has a 3 Pokémon requirement to challenge, at least that was what it was for Ash. It was also where I first met Brock."

"Right and I caught my Tailow and Treecko there." Ash said recalling the forest fondly. "It was a fun forest to travel through. Again, it was similar to Viridian which I had to go through to get to the Pewter Gym, my first gym in Kanto. Interestingly, when I challenged gyms in Kanto and Hoenn I missed a gym in the first big city I came to, passed through a forest where I caught Pokémon, and then faced a rock type gym for my first badge. What are the odds?"

"Ash, this is you." Misty said. "So high. That said, isn't Roark's gym in Oreburgh a rock type gym as well?"

"Yeah it is." Ash said thinking on it. "Huh, three of gyms I've faced first have been rock type ones. That's 50% of the first gyms in the regions I've been to, surprisingly high."

"Well, what about the first gyms in Johto and Unova?" Serena asked. "What were they? We know you faced a bug type here first though unlike the other regions you didn't have to go through a forest. That said, I can really see why Santalune is a bug type gym given its proximity to this forest so it makes sense that Viola would develop and affinity for the type growing up."

"True, though I did go through a forest in Unova as well, met the next gym leader I was to face there actually and he was a bug type specialist, and caught my Sewaddle there which was the first time I caught more a Pokémon past the 6 Pokémon limit since Kanto actually." Ash said recalling the adventure well. "As for the gyms in Johto and Unova, in Johto the first gym I faced was a flying type gym in Violet City while the Straiton Gym, the first I faced in Unova, is unique as I got to choose between the three leaders and face either fire, water, or grass type Pokémon for the gym badge."

"Oh, that's Cilan's gym." Misty said recalling it and his Pansage. "Didn't you do something that was classic you there?"

"Well, it was my first gym in Unova, and I wanted to battle, not eat as it is also a top tier restaurant because all the Unova gyms are also other things." Ash said. "So, I challenged all three of them to a battle which was new for them. They agreed to it however and told me that I'd win the badge if I bested two of them, which I did. Afterwards, Cilan, who I'd met in the city before I knew he was the gym leader because he was intrigued by Pikachu, opted to travel with me to grow as a gym leader and Pokémon Connoisseur. He's still traveling though I don't know where he is now."

"Pikachu." Pikachu confirmed.

"All par for the course with Ash." May said as the others nodded. "Actually, it is odd that we didn't do a proper forest this year until now but then again there wasn't a reason to be here until we chose to go to Aquacorde for the Contest there. We've been in a few woods and what not but only Santalune Forest is actually named, right?"

"Yeah and it's not even the largest." Serena said. "But it's the most famous for whatever reason even if it's out of the way. The only places that you can get to from it are Aquacorde and Vaniville and neither have gyms nor Showcase theaters so few head down this way. Plus, we skirted it to the southeast when we went from the Chamber of Emptiness to the Aquacorde showing how it is easy to avoid if you have the right angle to do so."

"Well, we're here now and I'm ready for this Mega Stone." Misty said. "As are Pinsir and Vileplume."

To emphasize her point, Misty pulled out her two Poke Balls and let out her Pokémon to join them through the forest and get mentally prepared for what was to come. Both were natural forest Pokémon so loved being out in a new one and were thrilled to be out a with their trainer once again, the first time for either of them this year.

Misty had called them back to her rotation after the Aquacorde Contest, sending Banette and Espeon back to Sycamore with Banette now having his Mega Stone attached as Misty got what she needed for it and a special holder for Pinsir in Aquacorde. She'd then given them a run down as to why they were back and what she wanted out of them so that they were prepared for what was to come.

Now, as they walked, Misty went over the situation with them one more time so that they knew what was going to go down. Pinsir was naturally nervous, she wasn't much of a battler and preferred to show off her moves in an appeal though she did wish she could have done a Showcase as those sounded fun, but she understood that the new Kalos Pokémon had priority. However, this was something special and only she could do so she felt pride in it and Vileplume was there with her to encourage her in the coming battle which helped a lot.

Misty had explained to them that there was a Mega Stone here, a special item that would allow a Pokémon to get even stronger when used so long as they had a strong bond with its trainer, and that it was likely for Pinsir hence why she was here. Of all of Misty's Pokémon, only Pinsir and Banette had this ability which made them special.

Pinsir had learned that Banette already got his and according to Piplup their darling Misty had gone through a lot to get it, but Banette was the only one present for it and he wouldn't give them details. Regardless, it had strengthened them and now Banette had what he needed to Mega Evolve should Misty get something else.

Pinsir knew of Mega Evolution, and Pikachu helped explain it more when they stopped for lunch midway through the forest having made good progress through it, and she knew that she wanted to try it if she could. Her bond with Misty was strong, she loved her human because of how kind she was, she'd treated Pinsir's wounds and healed her without question which showed Pinsir that she could trust Misty like Oddish so agreed to join Misty with Oddish back then.

Then she'd made Pinsir stronger along with Vileplume, who Pinsir had watched grow from and Oddish and was proud of her friend, while also showing Pinsir the beauty of Contests and that she could be beautiful too. That had really helped Pinsir come out of her shell and embrace what her team did though she was still rather shy at times.

Now, it was her turn to get something only she and Banette could get on Misty's team. Misty's mate's Charizard and Pidgeot had similar items and showed them off at the lab, as did the Garchomp that belonged to the kind professor who cared for them while Misty was out and talked of the immense power that they got when they were used. Pinsir wanted that too when she learned she could do so, and according to the Garchomp she might even gain a type but that was unclear, so she would do what she could for it.

Unfortunately, the catch seemed to be that she would have to battle a Pokémon by herself and not just any Pokémon, a Heracross according to Misty. She was nervous about that as while the Heracross that belonged to Misty's mate and Pikachu's human was a nice Pokémon albeit a little too obsessed with Bulbasaur's admittedly tasty bulb nectar, there was a historic rivalry between Heracross and Pinsir. While Pinsir herself didn't put much stock into it she knew that others of their species might, and now she'd have to fight a Heracross that might be like that.

Thankfully, Vileplume was here with her to give her a pep talk on it and Misty was certain that Pinsir could do it. She was strong, a champion who helped Misty win the Grand Festival by winning her round in spectacular fashion, she did use Seismic Toss to throw a Weavile into a Blastoise to win it, so she could do this. Vileplume believed in her and Pinsir trusted Misty, so she was ready for this. This was for her human as much as it was for herself, and she'd get that Mega Stone and show off how she used it.

Pinsir was thinking all this and psyching herself up as they continued to head north after lunch and finally they came to a clearing in the north west corner of the forest. It was marked on the map by Alain as where the stone was and before them, in the center of the clearing that had various wildflowers and a lot of grass in it, was an old, tall, gnarled tree that was taller than the average tree in the area with thick branches that hid the top of it.

However, what drew their eyes, and instantly got Pinsir's attention, was a glowing stone embedded in a knot in the center of the tree well above human reach. Even from here they could see that the stone was circular with a yellow body that gave off a slight glow with a brown swirl in it. They were too far out to see the orange and burnt sienna on the swirl, but all knew that it was a Mega Stone at once.

Pinsir wanted to run to it the moment she saw it as it was calling to her. She knew at once that it was for her species, that it was what she needed, and she knew in her heart that Misty could use it to Mega Evolve her which all meant that this stone had to be hers. Her chitter at it confirmed it and they all came to a stop.

"I think from here Pinsir and I should go alone." Misty said, they weren't in the clearing yet but soon they would be. "I had to get the Banettite alone with Banette and this feels similar so best that it be just us."

Pinsir chittered in agreement though she didn't like it as she wanted Vileplume with her as well for support. Vileplume understood this and patted her on the back, giving her some encouraging words and smiling at Pinsir. She told Pinsir that she could do this, to trust Misty and her bond because that is what this stone was about so their strong bond would retrieve it and then Pinsir could use it to really show off.

"Thanks, Vileplume." Misty said with a smile at her grass and poison type as she took Piplup off her head and placed him by Vileplume. "Wait here and support Pinsir and me, all of you."

"Of course, we will." Ash said with a smile.

"You got this Misty." Serena said.

"It will be easily compared to the last one." May added.

"Pip, Piplup." Piplup said.

"Pika pi." Pikachu said.

"Thank you, all of you." Misty said with a smile. "And anything is easier than what I dealt with to get the last one."

With that, Misty turned and walked forward with Pinsir by her side as she headed to the tree. She was ready for this and at least this would likely be a straightforward battle and not the ordeal she went through in the Chamber of Emptiness. This was a challenge she could handle.

That challenge came as she reached the midpoint of the clearing. There was an angry chittering sound from the branches of the tree followed by a buzzing sound of wings and Misty looked up to see a wild Heracross, she knew the blue bug and fighting type well seeing as both Ash and Barry had one, fly down from where it was hidden in the branches to land in front of the tree. It was positioned such that it blocked the stone from view but smiled when it saw Pinsir next to Misty as finally the right Pokémon had come to face it.

The one thing Misty didn't know was that the X like ending of its horn denoted that it was male as she wasn't aware of the gender differences between male and female Heracross. She was just ready to face it and get that Mega Stone for Pinsir.

The Heracross here didn't really know how he ended up here, he'd just been drawn to this tree for some reason, but he didn't really care. All he knew was that there was a stone in this tree, one that would attract Pinsirs to it and thus to him. He knew that there was a similar stone for him out there, though again he wasn't sure how he knew it, and he didn't know where it was, so he decided to guard this one and see who came to get it.

That was good because as a Heracross, he had a feud with Pinsirs and enjoyed testing his fighting skills against them. The stone itself was wedged into the tree in such a way that only a Pinsir's pincers could reliably get it out short of destroying the tree and few seemed to want to that. As such he was waiting for a good battle with a Pinsir.

If said Pinsir could best him then he'd leave the tree and let the Pinsir have the stone as it would have earned it but if he bested the Pinsir then the Pinsir had to leave. He said as much in his chittering voice to the Pinsir before him, a striking female of the species who seemed to lack the fighting aggression of most Pinsirs but had a strong bond with the human who was her trainer and clearly wanted to claim the stone from the tree behind him. She was certainly an odd Pinsir in the Heracross's experience, so he was eager to see how she faired against him.

Pinsir for her part understood the challenge. This was a stone for her kind, but she had to earn it by giving this Heracross a good battle, something many fighting types enjoyed, and besting him. Other Pokémon had come but understood the nature of the challenge and left, including a powerful looking Charizard, but now it was time for a true test. Pinsir had to fight and win to get that stone, but she could feel the draw of it, the intrinsic appeal a Mega Stone had on a Pokémon who could use it and had the bond needed to achieve Mega Evolution.

As such, Pinsir wanted it, she wanted it badly, so she chittered a confirmation and with a confidence she didn't feel as she stepped forward and in front of Misty. She was going to get that stone no matter what.

She may not like battle, but that stone was calling her name which meant that it was her duty to get it and prove her place in the team. So, she'd do that and win against this overly macho, battle loving, Heracross that wasn't a great representation of the species in her mind. At least now she understood the feud between their species as this was nothing like the nice Heracross she knew from the ranch back in Kanto, and she'd put it in its place.

"Alright Pinsir, I knew you'd be up for this, I'm so proud of you." Misty said the pride clear in her voice and Pinsir drew strength from it and her bond with Misty, trusting in her trainer's belief in her to achieve this victory. "We've come a long way together, let's make it count and achieve the next stage in our bond."

Pinsir chittered in agreement as she set herself in a battle posture that was unfamiliar to her. The Heracross just grinned and set his own pose before giving her a come at me gesture. It was time to start this battle.

"You saw that, let's show this Heracross that you're the better bug type." Misty said grinning. "Start us off with a defensive boost and Harden."

Pinsir chittered in agreement and her carapace flashed as she hardened it raising her defense. This was going to be a slug fest as neither Pokémon really had an advantage on the other and with Pinsir's limited battle experience, especially solo, Misty's tactics with her were to boost her defense first before attacking.

That wasn't a moment too soon as Heracross opened its mouth a spewed forth a Bullet Seed attack that slammed into Pinsir. She just shrugged it off, she was resistant to the grass type attack and her defense was boosted which meant that she had more confidence now and felt that she could do this.

"That's it, charge forward and Harden again as you run." Misty said. "Dodge whatever it throws at you and then grab Heracross with Vise Grip, that's our best move thanks to its typing."

On the way to this moment Misty had thought on how to face a Heracross with what Pinsir knew and it wasn't good. Not only was Pinsir not a great battler, but all her offensive moves also required close combat hence the need for Harden to be used as much and as early as possible to give her an edge in a prolonged battle.

However, the biggest issue was that Heracross's fighting type ensured that bug type attacks were resisted, and its bug type resisted fighting type attacks which cut Pinsir's effective attacks by 66%. Pinsir lacked that resistance to bug type attacks though at least she had it against fighting type ones, so she'd be fine on that front. That just left Vise Grip, a normal type attack, as Misty's best offensive attack but she intended to fully use it to get an edge right at the start.

Pinsir understood this and ran as fast as she could at Heracross, her carapace hardening again as she did. Heracross just grinned and launched a Pin Missile at Pinsir. Misty grinned as Pinsir showed her true training by gracefully ducking, dodging, weaving, and spinning out of the way of 4 Pin Missiles the way only a Contest Pokémon could, never once breaking stride in the process, until she reached a now shocked Heracross.

That was the real advantage Misty had in this battle. Her darling Pinsir was a Contest Pokémon, and an appeals specialist and Misty was going to use that to its fullest to win this. Add in the Showcase training Misty had had and imparted onto Pinsir since the Stag Beetle Pokémon had returned to her side and her skills in battle had greatly increased. Misty and Pinsir were going to win this, and they were going to win this their way.

All Heracross could do was look on in shock as the surprisingly graceful Pinsir avoided all his attacks and then reached him and grabbed Heracross between her pincers as hard as possible. Heracross let out a wail as the normal type attack hit him from either side and imparted an average amount of damage to him as he thrashed in the grip for a moment but wasn't able to break free of it.

Misty grinned again as this was just where she wanted to be at this stage of the battle. She and Pinsir had choreographed this, and the first piece had fallen into place, now it was time for the next part of the battle.

"Keep that grip Pinsir and use the tree to get as high as you can so that you can toss it down with Seismic Toss." Misty said. "Let's show Heracross that we know fighting type moves as well."

Heracross tried to unleash a Close Combat attack but as he was still in Pinsir's grip it wasn't as strong as usual as he couldn't land the blows effectively and as a bug type Pinsir resisted it. Add in the two Hardens from earlier and Pinsir barely felt the attack. Instead, she just ignored it and leapt up into to the air, Heracross still in her pincers. From there, Pinsir used her hands and feet to scale the tree as fast as she could and then leap up once more from a branch as Heracross continued to thrash in her grip.

Only when she reached the apex of her leap, which was just above the top of the tree, did she let go of Heracross with her pincers only to grab his arm in hers and pivot in midair with the grace she'd been taught to use by Misty. Thus, as she flipped, Pinsir threw Heracross over her shoulder and down to the ground as hard as she could with her Seismic Toss.

Heracross wailed as he was sent blasting down to the ground to land with enough force to create a small crater and a boom that could be heard throughout the forest causing Pokémon to gather and look at the battle as dust covered his body. It wasn't anything like what Ash's Charizard could do but Misty had gotten the idea from it and pressed her advantage as Pinsir began to fall back to the earth.

"X-Scissor, it's right below you so you can't miss." Misty said. "Nothing that Heracross can do can hurt you my darling."

Pinsir chittered as she tilted forward, her pincers glowing with the bug type attack, as she began to plunge to the earth. Below her Heracross was winded and still on his back as the dust cleared, impressed by the fighting type attack and looking up at the falling Pinsir. This one was clearly strong, but the grace was what really sold it and Heracross smiled from the thrill of the battle despite his situation as he opened his mouth and sent out another Pin Missile.

This time only two shot out and both just bounced off Pinsir as she fell. Sure, she felt them and took some damage from the attack but with two Hardens her defense was high enough to easily mitigate the average affective attack as she fell. That was it however as she was then on Heracross, slashing him in an X shape as he lay there with another boom from the impact.

Heracross grunted from it and used the move to unleash a flurry of punched and kicks from his back as he got off another Close Combat, this time not having an issue as the blows slammed into the Pinsir on top of him. Pinsir just chittered in annoyance before she was punched up and off Heracross by the last strike of the move.

With all the grace of her training, Pinsir twisted in the air as she flipped and landed on her feet, sliding back and leaning forward to steady herself by placing her right hand on the ground. As she came to a stop, she saw Heracross get out of the crater he'd made when she'd thrown him to the earth and grinning as he approached her despite his battered carapace. Clearly he was really enjoying this battle.

As Heracross moved, his horn started to glow with bug type power as he lowered his head and charged with a Megahorn attack. Pinsir didn't even move from her position as she put her trust and faith in Misty to know what to do.

Misty didn't let her down as this was a moment that required expert timing, something that Misty had begun to understand when she was training as a performer this year, but the rest was a mix of her time with Ash and the grace of a coordinator's instructions. This was going to look really good, if she could pull it off that is.

"Catch it with Vise Grip." Misty said as Heracross neared. "Now!"

Pinsir chittered and closed her pincers at Misty's order. All Heracross could do was blink in surprise as the Vise Grip closed and somehow caught the top of his horn between them as he thrust it at Pinsir's face to hold him in place and prevent the Megahorn from hitting her. It was a pinpoint moment of timing that Misty had learned from Serena but what came next was all from her time with Ash.

"Use that momentum to lift up Heracross." Misty said raising her hand. "And slam it into the ground as hard as you can."

Pinsir chittered as she slid back from the thrust, pincers still firmly on Heracross's horn though it took all her strength to hold it, until she set her feet and lifted up with all her strength. Heracross let out a startled yelp while Pinsir chittered her version of a roar as she raised Heracross up above her head so that he was now looking directly down at her and then brought her body down to slam Heracross into the earth as hard as she could.

As she did Misty brought her arm down and grinned at the thud that Heracross made as it hit the ground with enough force to wind it though as what she'd done wasn't a move it probably didn't do any damage. This was a bit of improv on Misty's part, but she knew that she hand it now.

"Seismic Toss." Misty said knowing just what to use. "Throw it back and into the tree."

Pinsir chittered as she let go of Heracross's horn and then before the other bug type could catch his breath, Pinsir lent forward and grabbed his horn in her hands. She spun on her heels and pivoted in a few circles as she activated her Seismic Toss and then let got with another chitter.

Heracross wailed as he was tossed back and flew through the air before he suddenly slammed back first into the sturdy trunk of the tree, his limbs splayed, and stuck there for a moment. Then he slid down to the base of the tree, battered but not unconscious yet. However, before Misty could get another order off, Heracross let off a chitter directed at Pinsir and raised a hand.

Pinsir understood and stopped, standing tall as Heracross slowly rose to his feet, still able to fight but very sore from all the hits he'd taken. He'd asked her to wait and when he stood he told her that he was done as she'd won this battle. They were both to resistant to the other's moves or had boosted defenses so all this would turn into would be a war of attrition and that would be annoying. All Heracross had wanted was a good battle from a Pinsir that could show that it could give him one and this Pinsir had done just that.

As soon as he was on his feet, Heracross bowed his horn to Pinsir, chittered a thank you for the battle and wished her well with the stone she'd earned and how he hoped to find one for himself someday and a human as good as hers to make him as strong as she was. Pinsir bowed her own head in acknowledgement, amazed she'd won but she'd actually enjoyed that battle because of what was waiting for her if she won, and thanked Heracross for the battle. She also praised Misty and told him to find a kind and compassionate human, they were the best ones.

Heracross said he would try to do that and then his wings shot out from his back, something Pinsir was jealous of as she didn't have wings like most bug types, and he flew up and away from the tree. It took a moment for Misty to process all this, blinking in surprise, before Pinsir turned to her and leapt into her arms chittering happily at her victory, at their victory.

"Well, Pinsir, we did it." Misty said amazed as she hugged her Pokémon tight, doing her best to avoid the pincers on Pinsir's head, and began to walk to the tree carrying Pinsir as she did which wasn't easy as Pinsir wasn't that small, but she managed it even if she had to walk around the small crater she'd created during the battle. "We got the Mega Stone and you more than earned it. Banette retrieved his, now it's your turn, go on and get that Pinsirite, you earned it my dear."

Pinsir chittered happily to herself as she leapt out of Misty's arms and onto the tree. She clambered up it to the knot that had the glowing stone in it and knew at once how to retrieve it. She closed her pincers around it, feeling it snug in it, and pulled back. It took a bit of effort but soon the Pinsirite was free of the tree and Pinsir slid down it, her prize glowing as it was held in her pincers.

As soon as she was on the ground, she stepped away from the tree, lowered her head and dropped the stone into her hands. It was warm to the touch and felt right to her as she held it, gazing lovingly at her Mega Stone knowing that it was hers, that she'd earned it and eager to use it one day.

Of course, she had to give it to Misty to set it up so that she could use it and turned to her human, extending her arms with the stone in it to Misty. Misty just smiled warmly at her Pokémon and held out her hand so that Pinsir could drop it into her palm, which she did as soon as she could.

Like with the Banettite it was warm to the touch and up-close Misty could see the other colors in the swirl making it look even prettier to her. It was just as beautiful as the Banettite, and she couldn't wait to set it up for Pinsir.

"We did it." Misty said happily turning to the others, waving her new Pinsirite in her hand. "Come on and celebrate. We should set up camp here for the night, it just feels right."

"It is a nice spot so why not; we have the time, and you did just win a great battle Misty." May said as they finally left the tree line and walked into the clearing. "Ash, Serena, get the food going, I'll set up the tents and sort out the Pokémon food. Let's give Misty a moment."

The others agreed as Piplup and Vileplume ran as fast as they could to Misty and Pinsir to mob them. Vileplume praised her friend's strength and how well she'd done in her first solo battle as she hugged Pinsir and Piplup was impressed by her battle skills. Naturally Pinsir praised Misty's leadership and Misty reminded them that it was a team event before she let out Machamp, Malamar, and Ninetales who were the others in the rotation for this moment so that they could all share in this moment together.

As the others set up camp, Misty sat down at the base of the tree, her Pokémon around her, and pulled out a small blanket and the items for Pinsir's Mega Stone holder from her bag while Pinsir told the three who'd been in their Poke Balls of the battle she'd just had. It was time to make it.

"Alright Pinsir, Banette got to chose where he wanted his Mega Stone and the holder type." Misty said as she laid out the options and interrupted Pinsir's story with something more important and just for Pinsir. "Now it's your turn. First up I could put it…"

With that Misty and Pinsir, with input from the others, began to craft the holder for Pinsir's Mega Stone and put it on her Pokémon so that she could use it and show it off. While they did this, the others set up camp so that when dinner came they could talk about the battle and all that had happened.

It had been a short, simple distraction, their last planned one before Lumiose, and much less painful than what happened in the Chamber of Emptiness. Regardless, Misty was happy with both Mega Stones and couldn't wait to try them out when the time came.

Soon she would with one of them as they all got ready for what was coming when they reached Lumiose City. Their year in Kalos was almost at an end, only two more things left, and it was back to where the year began one last time for those things. It was finally time for the Grand Festival and the Lumiose Conference as their Kalos journey entered it's final stage.

All of them couldn't wait to see what laid ahead of them in those competitions after all they'd done this year to reach them. One thing was certain, they were going to be memorable for all involved.