Unknown Location (Day)

"Dominic Xiao-Long, the Kalos Champion." a man says, stroking his chin. In front of him was a news broadcast detailing what happened at I-Island. "You may have gotten younger, but I will never forget that face." The man noticed that the blonde was on a stretcher, much of his body torn away by Wolfram's attacks. "And it appears that you're not as strong as you used to be. What an interesting development." The sound of the man's sinister laughter echoed through the room.

UA (Day)

"Lastly is our little blazing star." Aizawa said, pride and exhaustion both present in his tone. "Xiao-Long Dominic. Quirk: Volcano. He can expel fire from any point on his body, as well as manipulate minerals in the ground. Despite this, he hasn't used it that often since enrolling."

"I know. He didn't use his Quirk at all in the Sports Festival, except for his fight with Shinso." Vlad King said, remembering the battle. "He prefers to fight using those Pokemon of his, right?"

"Yes." Aizawa confirmed, bringing out dossiers on every Pokemon Dominic had used in the presence of UA staff. "The one he uses most often is Charizard, and I can see why. The way it fights perfectly represents the way he thinks. He's brash, but also calculating. Charizard's fighting style is to fly around its opponent and overwhelm them with its flames."

"It also has that weird transformation it used in the Sports Festival." Vlad King recalled.

"Mega Evolution." Aizawa said. "According to what Xiao-Long has told us, it's a phenomenon that happens when their auras link together." Dominic's Key Stone and Charizard's Charizardite Y were both examined by Power Loader. The invention hero revealed that they were made of a material previously unknown to mankind. "When Charizard Mega Evolves, its power is pushed to its absolute limit. Its top speed has been recorded as Mach 9.6."

"What would happen if a villain took Charizard and forced it to Mega Evolve?" Vlad King asked, worried. He knew how strong he was, but after seeing what the Pokemon did when it fought against Todoroki, he was unsure about how long he'd actually survive in an all-out battle.

"Not possible." Aizawa cut in. "While the Key Stone and Mega Stone are crucial for Mega Evolution, they aren't the most important part of it. Apparently, Mega Evolution is only possible because Xiao-Long and Charizard have total trust in each other." He'd seen that firsthand at the USJ. The Trainer and his Pokemon fought together in perfect sync against Nomu. They also felt the same pain when they lost that battle. The two of them were practically sharing a heart.

No, it was more than that. He couldn't describe it, but the connection between Dominic and Charizard was something truly profound.

UA Pool (Day)

Dominic was having a crisis. The boy was currently sitting down, clutching his head as he tried in vain to figure out how to house not just his vast entourage of Pokemon, but Hitoshi, Amara, and Eri as well.

"Xiao-Long, are you okay?" Iida asked, clad in nothing but a diver's cap and swim trunks.

"Yeah, just thinking about something." Dominic responded, standing up. Even though he owned no swimwear, for obvious reasons, he felt the need to challenge himself. He borrowed a swim uniform from the school, which consisted of simple black trunks with white lines going down the legs. "Anyways, it's time to start our aquatic training!" he said, throwing out two Poke Balls and a Strange Ball. Greninja and Blastoise landed on the ground next to him, while Basculegion landed in the pool. Greninja dove into the pool almost immediately, sinking to the bottom before closing its eyes to meditate. "Blastoise, I want to try something." Dominic said to the Shellfish Pokemon. "Launch yourself into the air and use Blizzard, then dive into the pool.

Nodding in understanding, Blastoise used its water jets to propel itself high into the air. It then went into its shell to use Blizzard, spinning rapidly as frigid air surrounded it. It landed in the pool, completely encased in ice. It landed next to Greninja, meditating along with it. Basculegion on the other hand, kept doing repeated laps up and down the pool.

The students spent the next few minutes training. Dominic specifically tried getting a head start and jumping over the entire pool. As time went on, he shortened his head start until he was practically doing a standing long jump over the pool. Spending a summer in the Steam Gardens helped in that department.

Eventually, Bakugo and Kirishima finally arrived. "Sorry we're late. It took a while to convince him to come." Kirishima apologized.

"Surprised he actually came at all." Dominic said, grinning. "I didn't think you'd want to risk your explosions getting watered down."

"You think I'd give up on the chance to beat you just because of some stupid water!?" Bakugo yelled. "I'll take you on, anywhere, at any time!"

That made Dominic stop for a moment. "Actually, that's a good idea." he said. "Iida, what do you say to a little contest? We have a little swimming race to see who can make it to the other end of the pool first."

"Hmm, it would be a good way of measuring how much we've progressed over the break." Iida said. "We'll do it! But, how will you participate?" Iida had heard about his classmate's apparent inability to come into contact with water from Midoriya and Asui.

"I'll ride on Basculegion." Dominic said. Other than Lapras and Gyarados, it was his only Water Ride Pokemon, so he kinda had no choice. He did have a Sharpedo in the past, but he traded it to his younger brother. "Greninja, Blastoise, time to get out!" Upon hearing his command, Greninja leapt out of the water and landed next to its trainer. Shortly afterwards, Blastoise, still stuck in an ice block, flew out of the pool as well. Before hitting the ground, the ice shattered, thankfully hitting nobody.

The male students all took part in the race, even if a few of them never touched the water. Nobody expected Iida to forgo the rules and use the pool dividers as Grind Rails. Midoriya, Shoji, and Kirishima all did incredibly well, but Dominic was sure he'd blow them out of the water. No pun intended.

Soon, it was time for Dominic and Basculegion to race against Bakugo. As soon as Iida said 'start', Dominic hopped on Basculegion's back and tore through the water like a torpedo. At the same time, Bakugo used his Quirk to propel himself over the pool. Surprisingly for Dominic and his Pokemon, Bakugo won by a split second.

"I knew I should've used Wave Crash." Dominic griped as he dismounted the Big Fish Pokemon. Now, back to more pressing matters. 'How the hell do I get another place big enough for several hundred magical animals and three runaways?'

AN: Did any other Kalos fans hear the news? Pokemon Legends: Z-A is on the way!