X
"Okay, explain it to me one more time."
"So, it was like this—"
The grassy pathways of the Pomace Mountains were usually quiet this time of year. The early spring air was just too chilly for most tourists, the main source of noise the scenic route would see in its day-to-day life. Today, however, it wasn't tourists that were trekking through its serene vistas.
Today, it was a set of knucklehead trainers.
"When you Mega Evolved Lucario, it was like your Auras were exploding. Just boom, boom, fwoosh, I was feeling everything!" At the front of the group as usual was Ash, recounting what he felt days prior, during Korrina's first attempt at Mega Evolution. He was doing his best to explain it in the only terms he had, miming out the rest with his hands and body. "But then, something happened. Your Auras didn't change, something about your Auras together changed."
"Hmmm." At Ash's side, same as she had been for days now, was Korrina, who listened to Ash's explanation with great fervor. Her mind plugged away in thought for a moment before she sighed. "Nope, still don't get it. How can our Auras change, but also not change!"
"I dunno, that's just what I felt!" Ash's shoulders slumped, threatening to send Pikachu careening off in one move— A move Ash quickly apologized for.
"Come on, Ash. We gotta figure this out," Korrina pleaded, stepping ahead so she could be in Ash's line of sight as they walked. "Last thing I want is to come back to my grandpa empty-handed."
"Blegh, yeah, you're right," Ash glanced back to where Serena and the others were trailing behind. It'd been a few days since they'd managed a stop at a Pokémon Center, and it was beginning to weigh on his friends. Hopefully, they'd arrive at their destination soon enough.
At that thought, Ash's mind began to drift to the standoff that set Korrina and his group on this detour to begin with.
X
"Your performance today cannot be called anything but disgraceful! All this time I believed you two to be strengthening your connection, preparing for your birthright, only to find you no different than the day you left!" Gurkinn's voice ripped through the grassy field that stood outside of Geosenge Town, startling the pair of Korrina and Lucario as they sat still at his feet.
"But, I thought we did everything we needed— What did we do wrong, Grandpa!" Feeling a pang of bravery, Korrina looked up at Gurkinn, pleading and justifying all in one response. Despite her attempts to explain herself, however, Gurkinn's anger did not cease.
"You have become stronger, but you have become no wiser. You have trained for the battle but your bond is no greater!" he boomed, knocking Korrina's gaze to the floor once more. Gurkinn wasn't done, however. Far from it. "At your current level, you will never rise to be the successor of our family!"
"Hey, leave her alone!" All at once, Ash interjected into the public scolding, bringing Gurkinn and Korrina to a moment of pause as their surroundings returned to them. Behind Ash stood the rest of his party, watching the altercation with a mix of apprehension and concern. "Korrina worked insanely hard to get to this point— She doesn't deserve this!"
"Pika— Pikachu!" Right there at his side as always, Pikachu growled, a distinct threat coming along with his words.
Gurkinn scoffed.
"Stay out of this, Ash. You may have helped my granddaughter up till this point, but it's obvious you haven't helped her achieve what she needs." Turning away from Ash, he faced Korrina once more.
Gurkinn's tacit dismissal sent a shot of anger through Ash's system.
"Yeah, because that was your job!" Ash fired back, balling his hands into fists and raising one forward. "If Korrina isn't ready yet, it's your fault for not helping her get there!"
Ash's accusation echoed across the open field, bringing Gurkinn to a moment of contemplation. A thought was passing through his eyes, one Ash couldn't parse. He hoped it was a good thought regardless.
After a few seconds of quiet, Gurkinn sighed.
"To the north of here lies the Pomace Mountains. There, you will find the master I trained under. Seek them out, and they shall teach you what you need to know."
With that, their journey was set.
X
"I dunno Ash, maybe I'm just not cut out for this Aura stuff." Korrina's confession shook Ash from his train of thought, her apparent vulnerability catching him off guard.
"Don't say that." Putting a hand on Korrina's shoulder, Ash delivered a smile alongside his assurances. "If a knucklehead like me can get it, you'll be a whizz at this stuff in no time!"
At that, Korrina's worried frown became a small smile, one that quickly grew as she stood straight once more.
"You're right, I just gotta—"
"Ash, Korrina, I'm sorry to disrupt your conversation, but I think we've arrived!" At some point between the recollecting and conversation the two were having, Clemont and the rest of the group had gotten ahead of Ash and Korrina. They stood at a curve in the path, overlooking something in the plateau ahead of them.
Turning back, Clemont shot the two a smile.
"Yep, I'm sure of it. We're here!"
X
"Hey! It's me, Gurkinn's granddaughter! He sent me here to do some training!"
Korrina's fist pounded against the front door of their destination, as if doubling her knocking would halve the time she'd have to wait. It became increasingly obvious by that point that her impatience had become legendary— If her barreling past the beautiful scenery of their destination didn't make that clear enough.
She'd completely missed the fact that the mountain-side manor she was knocking on was a tree-house of all things.
After a few more minutes of incessant knocking, the door cracked open.
"Yes, yes, hello, I'm here," a voice called out, surprising Korrina as she took a step back. When the door came open completely, an entirely unexpected figure came forward.
"Huh—?"
"Hello everyone, my name is Mabel." The person that voice belonged to was nothing more than a little old lady, barely taller than even Bonnie was. She was dressed in loose-fitting fabrics, scarves around her head and neck, with a wide-brimmed hat to top it all off. Her skin was wrinkled and sun-aged, curved around a gentle smile that was at home on her face.
At her side was a curious sight, a Mawile, who looked on at Korrina and the group with an inquisitive expression.
Forging ahead, Korrina took charge and began her request again.
"Ms. Mabel, my name is Korrina, I'm a student under my grandfather, Gurkinn. He asked me to seek you out, to help me and my partner master Mega Evolution!" Korrina's commanding, determined expression faltered for a moment, as she stepped back and motioned to the others behind her. "And, uh, these are my friends! Ash, Serena, Clemont, and Bonnie."
"Heya! It's great to meet you!" Ash continued, giving the kind old lady a wave before the others made their quick hellos. After a moment, the conversation went back to Mabel.
"Good girl, your grandfather taught you to mind your manners, making proper introductions." Mabel said that with a chuckle, looking at Korrina as she made her way out of the doorway. "If you don't mind then, would you and Lucario give me a demonstration of where you are with your Mega Evolution training?"
"Would we ever!" Jumping up with excitement, Korrina pulled out Lucario's Poké ball, just on the precipice of sending him out. Then, however, she paused. Looking towards Ash, she slowly put the ball back. "...I'm sorry, but, I can't."
"Oh?"
"Korrina, what're you saying?" Ash was practically floored by his surprise. Korrina dismissing a chance to show off and Mega Evolve? It was unthinkable! Yet still, she shook her head and looked up at him and Mabel.
"When Lucario went berserk last time, it took both Ash and my grandfather to stop him," she began, the incident from days prior replaying in her head. "I don't want to risk Mega Evolving until we get more training."
A moment of quiet took the group, before Mabel nodded.
"That's quite understandable, dearie," she replied, approaching the group again and coming to a stop. "We'll get you and Lucario right-as-rain very soon!"
"Thank you, Master Mabel!" With a bow that was almost unlike her, Korrina paid her respects to Mabel, who chuckled as she turned.
Mabel glanced back to Ash then, something about him catching her eye. After a moment, he noticed her lingering gaze and pointed to himself.
"Pray tell, I ask, why have you joined Korrina on her journey today?"
It wasn't an accusation, more so a curious question, one Ash was happy to answer.
"We're here to help Korrina master Mega Evolution!" he explained, pausing for a moment while his initial excitement dampened. He lowered his voice and his head in respect. "And, because I'd like to train with her, so I can use Mega Evolution too one day."
"Ohoho, training the successor and the inheritor, will I?" Mabel surprised Ash with her keen knowledge of his plan. It seemed it was a mistake to underestimate Gurkinn's teacher of all people. "Alright then, I'll happily take you both on as my students. Come, we have a lot of fun in our futures!"
With a surprising burst of energy, Mabel turned around and marched back to her front door, holding it open and inviting the others to come in. At her side as well was Mawile, who similarly heralded them through with a cheery look.
"Awesome!" Calling out in unison, Ash and Korrina flew through, excited to begin before anything.
A moment after, Clemont and Bonnie went, the former thanking Mabel for her hospitality as he passed.
Finally, that left Serena. She looked on at Mabel and the open doorway, a thought working its way through her mind.
"Sorry dearie, but these old bones can't hold open this door forever." Mabel's comment shook Serena from her stupor.
"Ma'am, could I ask you something?" she inquired, reaching forward to prop the door ajar and let Mabel rest. "Watching those two get so excited to come here— It's made me really curious to see what it's all about. So, I was wondering…"
Taking a deep breath, Serena steeled herself.
"Could I, take part in the training, alongside Ash and Korrina?"
A sparkle of something new grew in Mabel's eye at Serena's request, as a kind smile took her face once more. Nodding, she turned and stepped into her manor.
"That would be quite alright indeed."
XY
"Flower arranging, frigging flower arranging." Korrina huffed and puffed from her spot at the table, trying her best to keep her voice down as she grumbled about her work. Strewn all around her and Lucario were the clippings of various flowers, the necessary sacrifices for their so-called training. "I thought I was going to learn how to control Mega Evolution, not decorate for my wedding."
Glancing back, Korrina looked to Ash, and to Serena who sat across from him. They too were taking part in the same task as her, putting together a flower arrangement with their partner Pokémon: Pikachu and Fennekin respectively. Korrina's eyes lingered on Serena for a moment longer before she turned back.
Even if Korrina didn't understand why they were doing all this, she still wanted to do her best.
"A clipping here, some compositing here, aaaaand—" Serena smiled as she stepped back, Fennekin hopping over to join her. The two gave their creation one last look-over before nodding. "Yep, I'm done!"
"Same here!" Giving his and Pikachu's handy-work a final check, Ash called it, leaving just Korrina and Lucario left.
"One second— Lucario, can you— Thanks." Korrina breathed a sigh of relief, thankful she and her partner were at least on the same page with this whole thing. It made it go faster. "Yep, we're done too."
"Splendid!" Popping through the door at the end of the room, Mabel made her sudden return, surprising the trio plus their Pokémon as she began looking over their handiwork. Ash, Korrina, and Serena grouped up while they watched Mabel carefully analyze the first of the three arrangements. "Hmmm, interesting work from Korrina and Lucario."
"Cario?"
"Oh?" Korrina perked up at that, curious but also admittedly desperate for some sort of feedback during her time here. She held her breath as Mabel nodded and hummed in thought to herself.
"This arrangement tells me that you two are very close, with hearts that beat almost identically to one another." Pointing to the clean and orderly lines between Korrina's half of the arrangement and Lucario's half, Mabel continued. "But though your hearts are the same, they are still separate."
"The same, but separate?" Korrina repeated the observation aloud, hoping to grab some extra context from the old master. When Mabel moved on to look at Serena's arrangement instead, Korrina groaned.
"My, my. What an interesting use of vernal buds!" Mabel sauntered around the display, looking over the bed of still unbloomed flowers. They crowded the plant bed, bustling like a crowd of onlookers to the display's central figure: A bright purple Crane's Bill. "This tells me quite a bit, Serena."
"It does, ma'am?" Serena stepped forward at that word, holding Fennekin up in her arms as Mabel turned back to look at her.
"The bond you have with your Fennekin is healthy, but still budding. With time and effort, it will bloom!" Giving the girl a wide-toothed grin, Mabel walked off, approaching the last of the three displays and leaving Serena and Fennekin to chatter excitedly with themselves.
Ash's and Pikachu's arrangement was perhaps the 'loudest' of the three. It boasted tall spires of gold and orange freesias, coming down on the pot that contained them like a storming bolt of lightning. It was appropriate considering the pair that had made it, though there was little doubt they had done it by complete accident.
Mabel hummed in thought for a moment, before turning back to the pair.
"This one tells me you two have a strong and unfettered bond, forged by many years together," she explained.
"Pikachu— Pikapi!"
"Yep, that sounds about right! Me and Pikachu have been through everything, thick and thin!" Ash concurred, flexing the arm Pikachu was perched on and letting his partner strike a pose himself. Mabel snorted at the sight of the two, before continuing.
"That being said, for as strong as the bonds this displays for you, it also reveals something else." Her words pulled the wind from Ash and Pikachu's sails, as they quieted down and listened. "It tells me that one of you is troubled by some unresolved tension."
A moment of quiet passed, as all eyes turned to Ash, who found himself the center of attention all of a sudden. Yet still, it was like he didn't even notice. Instead, he just blinked and thought Mabel's words over for a second.
"Troubled, huh?" He looked over to Pikachu, who shared his confused, if worried expression. Finally, though, that worry broke. "Wow Pikachu, I didn't know you felt that way."
"P-Pika? Pikapi!" Pikachu was incensed at the implication that he was the troubled one, ready to pick a fight over it right there and then—
If their time there wasn't already up.
"But enough of that— You've all done wonderfully! I'm excited to see you try again, tomorrow," Mabel explained, bringing the session to an end before anyone had a chance to say anything. In a flash, the trio and their partners were shooed out of the room, with the door firmly shut just behind them.
"What the heck was that! Tomorrow— She wants us to do that again tomorrow?" Korrina huffed, stomping away from the door, but not getting too far away from Lucario and a certain someone. "What's your take on all that, Ash? Have you ever trained like that before?"
"Can't say that I have," he replied with an awkward laugh, his attention split between Korrina and a thought that was buzzing through his mind. Soon, however, his attention focused. "How about you, Serena— You enjoy your first shot at training?"
"Enjoyed it? We loved it!" she replied, raising Fennekin up, who yipped in an excited agreement. "Me and you did so well arranging those flowers, didn't we!"
Korrina rolled her eyes as she watched Serena and Fennekin chirp about their experience. She was happy they were having fun, but Korrina was looking for something more involved than clipping flowers.
An idea came to her as she looked between Lucario and Ash.
"Ash, that was cool and all, but wouldn't you wanna try some real training?" she offered, a familiar, goading energy to her voice as she gave Ash a sly grin. Despite his hesitancy a second ago, she soon infected him with her energy.
"Would I ever!"
With that, the two plus their partners were off, leaving Serena and Fennekin to their own devices. The former couldn't even get a word in before they were gone. Serena huffed for a moment, before turning back to Fennekin and smiling.
"Good job today, Fennekin."
XY
The group was back to flower arranging the very next morning. With Mabel's feedback in hand, the name of the game quickly became improving on their creations from yesterday— And no one was as motivated to do so as Serena and Fennekin were. Though they were happy to have received Mabel's praise, they still technically ranked the 'worst' of the three. They wanted to change that. They wanted to do better
Mabel said their bond was budding, and they wanted it to bloom.
Looking over the table of options before them, Serena and Fennekin hummed in thought. The variety of flowers they had today far outstripped what they had yesterday. But that made sense. After all, they had asked Mabel if they could go pick some flowers from the local area before they began. Serena was hoping it'd give them a leg up.
"What do you think about—"
"Fenn!" Before Serena could finish the question, Fennekin had an answer. She knew what Serena was going to ask— Because Fennekin was having the same thought.
Serena smiled and got to work.
After a little while longer, the arranging came to an end, and the judging began.
"Hmmm, very curious indeed." Mabel paced around the table that held all three arrangements this time, her eyes glancing from one to another to their arrangers and back again. Finally, she came to a stop and turned to the trio fully. "Korrina and Lucario, you've improved! This arrangement is still distinct, yet there is crossover between you and your partner's side of the piece."
"Heck yeah! See Lucario, I told ya we'd get better!" Korrina high-fived her partner, taking the early shot of praise and running away with it. It was a shame there was scrutiny attached to it as well.
"I'm sure that training you lot were doing behind my back was a help as well," Mabel added, causing Korrina and Ash to freeze up at the mention of it. The former of the two turned slowly and laughed awkwardly as Mabel chuckled. "Whatever way you two find your connection is valid, just remember to not neglect what you came here to do."
With Korrina's alternate training tacitly approved of, Mabel turned to the next pair of the day, Serena and Fennekin. The two stood with a nervous sort of energy, Serena especially close to practically biting her nails in the wait. Mabel almost wanted to laugh, though she knew that'd send the wrong message.
"Serena, you and Fennekin have improved remarkably as well! Your budding bond is beginning to peak through— Keep tending to it, and it will become a beautiful flower in its own right." Mabel's words left Serena and Fennekin a squealing mess, as the two celebrated with a cheer that was just short of grating to the ear. The flower picking paid off!
Chuckling, Mabel turned to the final pair to be graded: Ash and Pikachu. Her smile stayed bright as she looked upon the two, glancing back at the work they had made today. It was another strong testament to their bond, solid and true.
That, however, was all it was.
"You two are unchanged."
XY
With the day's training over and done with, everyone quickly sorted back into their lodgings, some less pleased than others.
"What's going on with us, buddy? I thought we were just having an off day— But it sounds like something's really bothering you." Ash frowned as he took a seat, locking eyes with Pikachu while his partner did a double-take.
"Pi— Pika! Pikapi, ka Pika-Pikachu!" Ash's implication still didn't go over well. Pikachu was quite certain— Something wasn't bothering him, it was bothering Ash!
"What're you talking about? There's nothing wrong with me!" Ash was similarly irate at the idea. He was Ash Ketchum! When did anything ever bother him? Honestly.
"Maybe you two should take a shot at what me and Fennekin are doing?" Speaking up from her side of the room, Serena grabbed Ash's attention, smiling at him as she continued to brush Fennekin's fur. "Picking our own flowers apparently helped me and Fennekin get closer, so maybe it'll help you guys too!"
"Hey, that's not a bad idea!" Ash nodded as he thought it over, the concept going over well with him and Pikachu alike. "Alright, next time, we're gonna—!"
Just then, the door to their room slammed open all at once, as Korrina barreled in.
"Hey, Ash! Wanna go train some more?"
"Boy do I!" And before Ash could even finish the thought, he and Pikachu flew out of the room at top speed, following Korrina as they went. Just like that, Serena and Fennekin were alone.
Serena sighed before laughing.
"Oh, those two…"
X
"Okay, let's try this again."
It was late into the evening now, with the setting sun hanging over the horizon, just looking for a reason to dip down and let the night take its place. Where there was still light, however, there was an opportunity to train, to improve, to grow stronger.
Ash, Korrina, and Lucario stood on a grassy knoll outside of Mabel's manor, hands interlocked as they prepared to take another swing at the main focus of their training: Korrina and Lucario mastering their Aura. With Ash as their guide, they could hopefully begin by seeing what he had seen.
"You guys ready?" Ash looked to the two, each holding onto him with one hand, and holding out their respective stones with the other. In sync, Korrina and Lucario nodded, closing their eyes in order to begin. After a moment, Ash closed his eyes as well. "Okay, let's give it a try, see if you can feel each other's Aura again, like last night."
The world went quiet for the three, as the ambience of the mountain lowlands became muted and distant. First, all they could hear were leaves blowing in the gentle wind. Then, that went away, and they were left with the sounds of each other's breathing. Finally, that too faded back, and each other's heartbeats were all that remained.
Korrina and Lucario's hearts were beating together.
A band of energy formed in the air, arcing like lightning from Korrina's Keystone to the Lucarionite, connecting the two.
"You guys did it!" Ash didn't even need to open his eyes to see that. He could feel it, the sheer Aura of their bond in the air before him. "Okay, while you've got it stable—"
Ash spoke too soon.
"Ahh!"
The plume of energy burst, zapping all three participants, breaking the connection in an instant. By the time they opened their eyes, the power was already gone.
"Darn it!" Korrina groaned and stomped her feet, throwing a fist behind her and storming off a few paces. "Why can't we get it! I was so close, so close to feeling it!"
"Cario! Lucario!" Lucario was similarly frustrated, making his point to Ash and Pikachu with wild gesticulations as he turned in place.
"Hey, I thought you guys did a lot better! You actually held it this time!" Ash's words of assurance seemed to fall on deaf ears, as the pair continued to grumble on their opposite sides. He sighed.
"Pika-Pi-Chu…"
"Ash, give it to me again. Tell me what you felt back then." Pushing through her frustration, Korrina came back, approaching Ash with her hands at her side. "When we Mega Evolved for the first time."
"I don't know what else to tell you. I felt your guy's Aura go wild, and then something changed." Ash scratched his head as he tried to recollect the spar from days prior. "Your Auras didn't change, but something about them together changed."
"Something about our Auras changing together— And from what Mabel said, the two of us are the same, but separate." Humming in thought, Korrina worked over the two cryptic clues she had, trying to find some way to fit the puzzle pieces together. Soon, however, all she could do was groan. "I don't get it."
"Yeah, I'm lost too." Ash tried laughing it off, to little success.
Korrina merely turned and looked down at her Keystone with a huff. For a moment, the two stood there, looking at the same sight.
Then, an idea came to Ash.
"Hey! If we keep getting shocked when we try with the stones, why don't we ditch 'em?" His suggestion was practically a joke to Korrina, who did a double-take at the mere sound of it. When her incredulity didn't cease, he pushed the idea further. "We're just trying to feel Aura right now, and your Aura was pretty easy to read even before you guys Mega Evolved. If it's Mega Evolution that's zapping us, getting rid of the stones can get us some real progress!"
"That, could actually work. Let's try it!" Korrina immediately tore off the glove housing her Keystone, while Lucario followed suit with his Mega Stone armband. In an instant, the trio were back in their positions, hands interlocked and eyes closed.
With that, the world went quiet.
Korrina's head dipped down, as she gave a silent prayer that it'd work this time. She and Lucario had worked so hard, trained for so long— She just wanted the trials to be done with. She knew her partner, knew Lucario's heart inside and out, because it was her heart as well.
Its beat, its tempo, its melody, she could recognize it in an instant, if she could just feel it. If she could just—
Was, was that it?
"L-Lucario?" Korrina sputtered over herself, a smile growing across her face. "I think— I think I can feel it, your Aura!"
"Lucario!?"
The two opened their eyes, and the feeling didn't go away. Aura— They could feel each other's Aura!
"We did it!" Korrina pounced Lucario, dragging him into a twirling hug that he happily returned. "Your Aura! It's right there! I don't know how I couldn't feel it before now— It's right there!"
"Cario! Lucar— Lucario!" Lucario was similarly ecstatic, hopping up and down as he recounted what he felt in turn. This wasn't the first time he'd felt her Aura, but it was the first time he'd sensed it in such detail!
From the sidelines, Ash and Pikachu watched the two chatter excitedly with themselves, pride in their eyes as they let them have their moment.
Yet for Ash, there was something else in his expression than just his pride.
"Pikapi?" Spotting something was amiss, Pikachu perked up. "Pikachu, pi?"
"Ah, it's nothing, buddy." Ash chuckled. Pikachu could always zero in on what he was thinking. There really was no point in hiding it. "I'm happy for them getting it down! I just wish, I could figure out what's keeping us down too."
The Korrina Arc approaches its end, as Ash and Korrina seek the wisdom of the Mega Evolution Guru, Mabel! Will they learn what they need to master the art of Mega Evolution? Or will they find their own way through the mystic practices of Aura!? Meanwhile, Serena's curiosity has gotten the best of her, as she asks to train alongside Korrina and Ash! What exactly is she looking for!?
Find it all out now next time, with The Bonds of Mega Evolution! Part 2!