XY
Mabel's workshop was quiet today.
It had never been particularly loud up till then, as after all, they were just arranging flowers. Yet today, it was especially quiet. Korrina, Ash, and their partners stood by, waiting for the last pair of the group to finish, with their own submissions already completed.
Serena and Fennekin's piece was beautiful, a bouquet of orange amaryllis standing proud and tall for the whole room to see. It was just missing one thing though— Its creators.
"Sorry for the delay!"
Bursting through the door, the pair in question arrived. Serena sheepishly rushed across the room, Fennekin in tow and a bundle of their pickings in hand. Those two were out hunting for flowers again, looking for the perfect specimen to cap off their piece. And after nearly a half dozen sessions of Mabel's training, arriving late was just the standard fare for them at this point.
"These were in such a tough to reach spot. It took us forever to get them down!" Serena explained with a laugh, sorting through the bundle of flowers she had brought in until she found the exact one she was looking for— A pristine, white lily-of-the-valley. "Now we just feed the stem through here, and here, and pull these flowers through—"
"Fenn!"
"Right, pull across, good catch!" With that correction from her partner, Serena put the finishing touches on their submission. "Okay, I think we're good. Done!"
"Then let's get this underway!"
At Serena's word, Mabel had arrived in the workshop, seemingly just waiting for the perfect time to make her appearance. With a kind smile to the three and their Pokemon, she got to work judging.
"Hmmm, let's begin with this one."
It was Korrina and Lucario's arrangement. The two had taken another shot at a previous attempt, producing a bed of sturdy flowers with slightly off-colored petals: Light orange for Lucario and a deep yellow for Korrina. It was almost impossible to tell whose flowers were whose now.
Almost.
Mabel could tell, and in that, she could see how well blended each side had become. The boundary between the two was melting away.
Mabel smiled— It was progress.
"Korrina, your grandfather sent you here to temper the bond between you and Lucario, the same way he did. Yet to me, it seems you've found your own way, perhaps a better way." Mabel looked back to the two, surprising them with praise alongside her feedback. "Still, there remains a barrier you two will have to overcome, in order to tie your two views together."
Mabel glanced down, her eyes aiming at the lack of Mega Stone or Keystone on either of the pair. They had left them behind, again.
"You understand, I hope?"
Korrina gulped before nodding, Mabel's meaning coming through loud and clear: Don't neglect what she came here for— It was time to face Mega Evolution again.
"I do, ma'am."
"Good girl." Smiling, Mabel turned to the next of the three to be judged— Her star pupil of sorts. "Serena."
"Yes, ma'am?" The call jostled Serena from her spot, as she didn't expect the sudden address. Her nerves got away from her for a moment, before she calmed and let Mabel speak.
The old master grinned.
"Your hard work and dedication have paid off greatly. Though you and Fennekin began your time here as mere novices, you've taken to my tasks with admirable determination and an open heart." Turning back to Serena's piece, to the amaryllises wrapped in a crown of lilies-of-the-valley, Mabel nodded. "I have nothing else to teach you."
"Fenn!?"
"I— We— Oh… Wow." Serena paused, processing Mabel's words once, then twice, then a third time, just to make sure she was getting that right. Had she and Fennekin just, won? This wasn't a competition, of course, but it still sounded like they'd, won, that they had managed to complete Mabel's training before Ash and Korrina. "I'm sorry, could you say that—"
"Congratulations, Serena!" With a merry pat on her back, one that was perhaps a bit too strong for the girl, Ash congratulated Serena, pumping a fist as she processed her shock. "I know you could be great at this! How do you feel!"
"I feel— Ecstatic!" It took her a moment to realize it, but Serena's heart was racing, almost beating straight through her chest. She was struggling to even find the words to describe it, that's how excited she was. "It's like— It reminds me of—"
It was the feeling she got, watching Ash battle.
"Is this how you feel, when you beat a gym?" Serena's question was sudden and unexpected, seeming to throw Ash off for a moment, before he nodded.
"All the time! It really gets your blood pumping, right?" Ash gave her a grin as he made his point, earning a strong nod and smile from Serena in return. At that moment, the two of them truly saw eye-to-eye on something:
A love of competition, and the heart-racing rush of victory.
After a while longer, the two broke up their little exchange, and focus returned to Mabel once more. She still wasn't done after all. There was one last pair that needed their assessment.
"So, how about me and Pika—!"
"Young man." Mabel's voice was kind even as she interrupted Ash, letting him know she wasn't upset. It was just her time to speak. "I can tell you find yourself to be of the helpful sort. You've done much to aid both your friends to make it this far."
Mabel motioned to Korrina and Serena, who stood at each side of Ash.
Realizing she was leading with a shot of praise, he relaxed.
"Aww, thanks ma'am. We—"
"You'd do yourself a lot of good to begin helping yourself from here on." Mabel's voice was less kind now, not mean, but not comforting either. It let Ash know something immediately: she was serious. "Your arrangement is the same as it has always been. There has been no improvement from you and Pikachu."
X
"So it's like, I don't know where me and Lucario can even go from here. We've got the Aura sensing down pretty well, but doing it with the stones still zaps us!"
Korrina threw her head back, dodging a lightning-fast swing from Lucario and putting creating distance in an instant. His follow-up strike was no better, as she simply skated out of the way with the aid of her rollerblades.
"It's not like we can just get used to the electricity like you are, Ash. And there isn't much more training we can do now, either." Korrina turned away from Lucario then to make her point, as she expertly jumped up to avoid a sweep of her legs. Reading her partner's aura almost felt like cheating when it came to their spars. "Where do you go after this?"
"Lucario!" Lucario reared back and swung, hoping to catch Korrina by surprise— But with Aura sensing on her side, he might as well have attacked her from the front.
"Hyah!" Korrina caught Lucario's fist, bringing him to a dead stop before latching onto his arm. Then with a mighty heave, she flipped her partner over her shoulder, slamming him onto the ground in front of her. "Sorry, Lucario, but you'll have to try harder than that~"
After helping her partner up, Korrina let Lucario take a break. She had a conversation to get back to.
"You get what I mean, Ash?" Yet, when Korrina turned back, the attentive training partner she was expecting wasn't there. Instead, some knucklehead in a red hat stood there, staring off into nowhere. Korrina furrowed her brow. "Yo, Ketchum!"
Her call shook Ash from his stupor.
"Heh, sorry! Got lost in my own head again, I think." Laughing to himself, Ash approached Korrina, joining her at the top of the grassy knoll where they did their training. It was late, the sun having set a good long while ago. Even Pikachu had gone to bed by that point.
"Thinking about what Mabel was saying again?" Korrina resisted the urge to add a jab to her comment, flushing away a prepared jeer as she looked at him. "You shouldn't let her get to you. Me and Lucario found our own way, I'm sure you'll figure out your own soon enough."
"Well, I better figure it out fast." Ash smiled as he looked off into the distance. "—If I wanna kick your butt before the Pokémon league that is!"
"Hey! I was being nice!" Korrina was laughing as much as she tried to feign offense. Comments like that were old hat between the two of them now. "And kick my butt? I'd like to see you try!"
"That's the plan!"
The two shared a laugh, one that petered out into a calm, quiet comfort. They shared a moment, looking off into the mountain scenery, before Ash began moving again.
"So hey, about you and Lucario— If training with the stones keeps zapping you, why not skip the training, and get straight to the action?" Ash's suggestion piqued Korrina's interest, as she leaned in. "Why don't you try Mega Evolving again! With all your training, I bet you could do a lot better."
"Hey, that's not a bad idea." Korrina looked over to where Lucario was resting, leaning up against a tree. Despite getting his butt kicked in their spar, he seemed otherwise spotless. Perhaps it was time to turn things up a notch. Perhaps— "If it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing."
"Huh?" Before Ash could even ask what she meant, Korrina was off, grabbing her bag and digging through it. He couldn't help but snort at that. "It's cool when you get an idea and run off with it, Korrina, but even I don't know what you're talking about right now."
"I spar with Lucario all the time, we even used to do it once a night!" she explained, finally finding her prize: the Key Stone and the Lucarionite. "Just because he can Mega Evolve now, why should I stop?"
Korrina's intention hit Ash all at once. She intended to spar with her Mega Evolved Lucario.
"Lucario, round two's coming up! Catch!" With an expert throw, Korrina sent the Lucarionite flying to her partner, stunning him as he too understood what she was getting at. Korrina grinned. "Chin up, buddy. This isn't anything to worry about."
"Korrina—"
"Don't try to stop me, Ash. I've already made up my mind. Besides—" Korrina turned and shot Ash a grin that was half-way between cocky and utterly mad. "Don't tell me you're not totally into this."
For a moment, it was like Ash was looking in a mirror.
"Yeah, yeah I am." Ash couldn't help it. The smile, the energy, it was infectious. He was getting pumped up! "Let's do this!"
"You heard him, Lucario!" Whipping around, Korrina faced Lucario head-on, watching as he approached with the Lucarionite in hand. There was an apprehension in the way he walked, an apprehension Korrina felt immediately. She gave him a smile. "Don't sweat a thing, buddy. Just remember what Mabel said."
"Cario?" He paused at that, unsure of what Korrina meant.
So, she would remind him.
"Our hearts are the same, but separate. There's a barrier between us, that's keeping us from tying our views together." Korrina slid on the glove carrying her Keystone, before raising a fist to present it. "I don't know if I understand what it all means yet, but I know this— If mastering Mega Evolution means working on our connection, then nothing will help us better than this!"
Throwing her fist to the sky, Korrina called out.
"A battle, right here and right now! You and me, Lucario!"
Her words hung in the air for a moment, as Lucario stared at her with a look of thought.
"Cario… Lucario!" Then it clicked. Like a bolt of lightning coursing through him, Lucario went into overdrive, fiery energy burning in his eyes. Slamming the Mega Stone into his armband, Lucario took a battle stance. "Lucario!"
"That's the spirit, buddy! Let's go!" Korrina took position herself, mirroring her partner as she crouched down and held her arms forward. With one final sneer, she glanced back at Ash. "Hold onto your hat, Ketchum, because this is going to be a wild ride!"
Korrina slammed her hand down on her Key Stone.
"Bring our hearts together, and let our power burst to life! Mega Evolve!"
Thick bands of pure white energy filled the air, connecting Korrina and Lucario and lighting up the whole battlefield. The power, the sheer Aura it let out, it almost knocked Ash right off his feet. Yet still he stood firm. He needed to see this.
The light encased Lucario, who let out a proud battle cry as his form disappeared and a pure silhouette remained.
"Lucario!" The light dispersed and Lucario was gone. Now, Mega Lucario remained.
Korrina and Lucario stared each other down, a mixture of apprehension and exhilaration filling the air between them. Getting low, Lucario tightened his fists and tensed his muscles. Korrina did the same, her hands touching the ground, taking something akin to a runner's stance.
It was time.
"Hyah!"
"Lucario!"
In an instant, Lucario flickered from view, going straight for the first strike. Yet, despite his edge in terms of speed, Korrina had one advantage.
"Not yet!" Throwing her head back, Korrina narrowly avoided the bone-crushing hit, sliding past thanks to her rollerblades. She skidded to a stop and took off again, sneering whilst Lucario whipped around to find her. "Did ya forget I can sense your Aura! Doesn't matter how fast you go—!"
Lucario rolled and shot towards her, still just barely missing Korrina as she leapt over him.
"—I know exactly when you're gonna strike! Hyah!" Slamming her skates into Lucario's back, Korrina used her opponent like a springboard, gaining speed and distance while striking all at once.
"Cario!" Lucario wouldn't be deterred, however. He rocketed forward once more, closing the distance and going for another swing.
"Hah! I told you, that won't—"
In a flash, Lucario's fist accelerated, becoming far faster than Korrina originally guessed. She only just barely dodged the hit as it swung by.
"F-fast!"
Rolling back, Korrina went on the defensive, dodging hit after hit by just the skin of her teeth. Sensing where Lucario was going to swing could only get her so far. She had to be fast enough to dodge each hit too!
"How about a little detour to slow you down!" Breaking away from Lucario, Korrina took off, skating at full speed towards a patch of trees that bordered their sparring grounds. Lucario leapt after to try to stop her, but she just narrowly avoided his thundering strike. "Too slow!"
With that, she disappeared into the shadowy woods.
"Lucario!" Lucario roared, his eyes flickering across the treeline. He couldn't spot her— So he'd just have to remove her cover! "Cario!"
With a proud battle cry, Lucario leapt forward, shattering the first tree he could find with a deadly axe kick. The sturdy cherrywood shuddered as it crashed into the ground— the first of many. With expert precision, Lucario cut down another tree, then another, then another! A chorus of careening logs filled the night as Lucario looked for his sparring partner.
"Whoa! Take it easy, Lucario!" Sprinting from her cover, Korrina appeared once more, dodging a falling tree while she aimed straight for Lucario himself. "We can't get too crazy!"
"Cario!" Lucario roared, ready to strike hard and strike fast. He reared back and— "Lucario!?"
His fist was caught in a shattered tree!
"Gotcha!" Korrina leapt and dropkicked Lucario, slamming him into the ground before she jetted off once more. With a snide snicker, she returned to open grassland, before turning and facing the trees. "Come on, Lucario! I know you can do better than that! Don't tell me you're holding back for little ol' me!"
Korrina's taunt wasn't meant to be a question— But she received an answer regardless.
A deep, guttural howl filled the air, stunning Korrina silent in an instant. It was savage, bone-chilling, and the sheer force of Aura it let out nearly knocked her off her feet. When she looked up, her trusted sparring partner was no longer there.
A beast had taken its place.
"Right, this again." Korrina scowled, standing face-to-face with the source of all her woes. Lucario had completely transformed. His mannerisms were wrong, his disciplined fighting stance nearly unrecognizable. Most striking of all though, was his eyes now glowing a crimson red. Korrina's fist tightened. "If you think I still can't take you, then you have another thing coming!"
With that, she flew forward with a full force sprint.
"Ghraa!" Lucario thundered across the field, a shuddering plume of energy at his fist. When the two met, he reared back with an earth-shattering strike.
"Nope!" Korrina rolled out of the way, narrowly skating past the hit. Now behind him, she went to deliver a powerful kick of her own to Lucario's back.
"Ghraa-rio!" But Lucario caught it! With lightning-fast reflexes, he reached back and brought her to a dead stop.
"Huh!? How did you—?!"
"Lucario!" Wrenching Korrina off the ground, Lucario turned, whipping her around before he sent her flying across the battlefield.
"Ow— Frick— How— Sonnova—!" Korrina rolled to a stop, head whipping up to keep her opponent in her sights. Her tumble across the ground had banged her up, leaving her with a few bruises as she stared Lucario down. That didn't matter, however. "How did you—?!"
Korrina paused, looking up at her partner whilst the gears began turning in her head.
"You sensed my Aura that time," she realized, a smile growing across her face. "You haven't completely lost control!"
Hopping to her feet, Korrina began bouncing in place, fists raised as she readied herself for round two. In time with her, Lucario summoned a staff with Bone Rush.
"Good, don't hold back, not for a second!" she roared, shooting forward at top speeds. "That was just a warm-up!"
"Lucario!"
From the sidelines, Ash watched the spar-turned-brawl, a mixture of ecstasy and trepidation running through his veins. Every hit, every dodge coming from those two, it let out waves of crackling energy— energy that was whipping up the entire battlefield into a flurry. Korrina was right. Ash had to hold onto his hat, or else it'd be sent flying by their trading blows.
"Those two… They're amazing!" Ash laughed as he took a step back, another wave of their energy rolling over him. It was like nothing he'd ever seen or felt before, like the Aura itself was fighting alongside them.
It was roaring, crying— Singing. Each strike was a note in the chorus that their Auras were singing. Their fight was almost like a duet in that way. Two singers, a perfect match, only just out of tune.
Out of tune.
"Korrina!" The thought was only half-formed in Ash's mind, but he was sure of it— He'd finally put into words what he had felt! "Your Aura! It's the same as Lucario's, but it's out of sync. You gotta sync up!"
Korrina somersaulted back a few paces from Lucario, dodging swing after swing of his staff until they both came to a stop. With room to breathe, she smiled.
"Sync up, huh? I can do that!" she called back, raising the fist carrying her Keystone.
Her moment of pause, however, was Lucario's moment to strike. He stormed forth, teeth bared, closing the distance Korrina had made in an instant. This time there would be no escape, no room to dodge!
So Korrina wouldn't dodge.
"Hyah!" Standing her ground, Korrina jammed her fist into Lucario's maw, skidding back as she brought his attack to an end. When the cloud of dirt that was thrown up dissipated, the two stood firm, interlocked and fighting for dominance.
"He, he stopped." Ash slowly straightened up, shock running its course as he looked on at the impasse.
Lucario and Korrina were nearly head-to-head, strong stances holding them in place as they vied for control. Yet, despite Lucario's obvious advantage in strength, he didn't simply bowl over his partner. Instead, all of his energy was invested into one thing— His jaw, wrapped around Korrina's Keystone.
Korrina grinned.
"Lucario can't bite through the Keystone," she said, jostling her fist to show his iron grip on it. "Not cause it's too hard, but because of what it is."
Caressing Lucario's face, even as he growled and shook against her, Korrina nodded.
"It's my half of our bond." Her explanation rang through the open air, as Korrina went to do something even Ash would consider reckless; she pressed her forehead against Lucario's. "I know that cause I know you. And I know you, because I know me, Lucario."
Lucario began to thrash about, pulling against Korrina's fist, against her touch. Yet still, she kept her head firmly pressed against her partner's.
"We have one heart, Lucario, just two views," she called, the energy in her voice rising, her Aura singing. Its chorus rang out with her message, loud and clear. "Tie our views together— And we'll use it to become stronger!"
To become stronger, together.
Lucario froze, and then calmed, his body slacking against Korrina's for a moment, before tightening once more. Then, with a nod of his head, he pulled away from Korrina's fist, and stood tall and steady.
His crimson eyes were amber once again.
Korrina's heart swelled at the sight of her Pokémon, her friend, her partner, looking at her with his own eyes once more.
"You did it, Lucario!"
X
"Thank you, Master Mabel, for everything." Korrina went into a deep bow to emphasize her point, dipping her head down below her teacher's. Around her stood the other members of the group, packed and ready to hit the road back to civilization. They just had a few last goodbyes to make beforehand.
Mabel couldn't help but smile
"It was a pleasure having you, Korrina. Your resourcefulness in your time training here was quite a sight to see!" she said with a kind nod. "If I were a little more humble, I might even say you didn't need me."
"No way!" Korrina stood straight at that implication, waving off the idea in an instant. "I couldn't have done anything without your guidance to help focus my training!"
At that, Mabel chuckled.
"Good girl. Tell your grandfather I wish him well— And that he should call more often."
Taking her request to heart, Korrina nodded, before stepping back. In her place, Serena came forward.
"Ms. Mabel, I wanted to thank you as well. Me and Fennekin had no idea what we were getting into when I asked to train with you— But it's been so much fun!"
"You're quite welcome, dearie," Mabel replied, dipping her head back as she began thinking. "I'll confess, I was surprised by how well you took to my training. But now I'm more than certain your bond with Fennekin will take you far."
Serena's smile grew at Mabel's words, as she gave her master a final bow of respect. With that, the last of the thanks had been delivered, and it was time to go.
As the group began to shuffle off, Mabel's eyes glinted towards the head of the party.
"Ash, could I speak to you for a moment?" Her voice was calm and steady, a relief to Ash as he split off from the group and approached. When he arrived at her side, Mabel was smiling. "I wanted to thank you for your help with Korrina's training, and for your encouragement of Serena. However, I cannot help but wonder—"
Mabel's smile disappeared, leaving a disappointed look underneath.
"When are you going to help yourself?"
"Pika?"
"Huh?" Ash paused at that, glancing at his partner as he was unsure if he even understood her correctly. When Mabel's expression did not budge, however, it became clear he had heard her loud and clear.
She wanted an answer, one he wasn't sure he could give.
"Hey, Ketchum!" Just then, Korrina's voice broke through the awkward impasse Ash found himself in, pulling him back towards the group once more. "Get your butt moving! Unless you want me carrying you to Shalour City the whole way!"
With that, Ash shook his head, as he turned back to follow.
"Sorry Mabel, I really don't know what you're talking about."
With that, the Korrina Arc comes to a close! Thanks to Ash's familiarity with Aura, he and Korrina have managed to help her master the art of Mega Evolution! Meanwhile, Serena has excelled in her own training, refining her bond with Fennekin to the point that she has surpassed her peers!
While Korrina and Serena have seen stunning success, Ash leaves the Pomace Mountains the same as he arrived. Something hangs over his mind, something even he is unaware of. Will he heed this warning? Or will something forever elude our hero!?
Find out next time as our group heads to Avignon Town!
New Chapters Return to Tuesdays at 6PM EST
The Diancie Arc has begun!