"Welcome to the Shalour City Gym!" Meditite jumped as the loud, female voice rang out through the speaker that sat right next to her. "Ooh, team's out of the Pokeballs. I like that. That's a sign of a confident Trainer."
Looking around, Meditite could instantly see that this Gym was shinier and sleeker than Grant's. Grant's had been rugged, with the rocky walls and the artificial plateau, but Korrina's Gym oozed style. The entire Gym was stylized like a roller skating track, like the ones around Lumiose but far flashier, upon which several people (definitely the Gym Trainers) were skating at a rapid pace.
A tall, blonde woman with a ponytail and wearing a skater's uniform stood on a dais in the center of the arena, with only a thin walkway connecting the arena to the surrounding skating track; she was holding a microphone up to her mouth and had clearly been the one to speak. This must be the Gym Leader, Korrina. "Sadly, you're going to need to withdraw your team for this one. Because, challenger, it's time to put on some roller skates!"
"Um, okay?" Marcus was clearly thrown for a loop.
"You are going to skate around my track!" Korrina chuckled. "Don't worry, you don't have to be good at it. Just aim for one of my Gym Trainers. After you beat that Trainer in a Pokemon battle, you'll be able to challenge me!"
From the look on Marcus's face, he had never put on roller skates in his entire life, let alone skated around a track. But, with Korrina looking at him rather insistently, he shrugged, recalled the team, and headed over to a nearby rack upon which several pairs of roller skates hung.
Judging by how long Meditite remained in her Luxury Ball, it took about fifteen minutes for Marcus to finally manage to stop someone long enough to ask them for a battle. Once the battle actually began, it went with surprising speed. It was a two-on-two with a Sawk and a powerful Hariyama, and Marcus sent out Kriesh first, hoping to prepare her better for the actual Gym Battle. The Sawk had been fast, but Kriesh's flight and ranged attacks swiftly put an end to it, and Marcus decided to swap her out for Shellder for the second fight. Despite Shellder's defense, the Hariyama's barrage of strong attacks proved too much for him, but he did plenty of damage to the Hariyama before going down. As such, Kriesh was easily able to finish off the weakened Hariyama with a Hyper Beam.
All this Meditite watched from within her Luxury Ball. Every so often, she would glance over to see Korrina watching the battle, clearly enjoying herself. She noticed that the Gym Leader was also standing on roller skates, and was clearly quite good at using them judging by how she was barely twitching. As the Gym Trainer recalled his Hariyama, Korrina raised her hands and began to clap.
"Nice flier you've got there," she congratulated.
"I can't claim all the credit, but she's good," Marcus responded. "I hope you don't mind me using her."
"Oh, not at all. I like a good challenge," said Korrina. "And besides, what use is a Gym Leader who doesn't know how to play around type weaknesses?"
Meditite thought back to Rider, whose moveset was based almost entirely around dealing with the Fire-types that were so strong against Bug-types. She thought back to Iceberg, who had defeated her twice despite the massive type disadvantage. Marcus seemed to follow a similar line of thinking, for he nodded. "Good point."
"So, let's get to it!" Korrina cried. "Three on three, any amount of moves available. Get ready, because I'm no pushover."
"Neither am I." Marcus released Kriesh, and Meditite settled down in the Luxury Ball's gel to watch as the battle commenced.
Kriesh breathed in, then out, staring down her beak as the Gym Leader released her first Pokemon.
The Pokemon that appeared before her was one she knew, although not well. It was a flier, like herself, colored mostly red. It was smaller, but if what Kriesh knew about Hawlucha was any indication, there was plenty of power packed behind that unassuming size.
The Hawlucha narrowed its eyes as it saw its opponent. Then it dropped, one hand curled into a fist as it slammed to the ground, perched on that fist and both legs in a crouch. The other fist was curled under its body as it raised its head, its eyes glowing in a challenge.
Kriesh was not one for ceremony; she answered the Hawlucha's challenge with a single beat of her wings, more than double the size of the Hawlucha's. A tiny amount of Flying energy, not enough to truly hurt, carried the wind from her wings over the Hawlucha. It actually slid back half an inch.
Kriesh planted her claws down on the ground and glared at the Hawlucha.
The Hawlucha suddenly took on a smirk. "This will be a good battle," he said.
"Kriesh, Hyper Beam!" Marcus was wasting no time in calling for her most powerful attack.
"Hawlucha, Bounce and Karate Chop!" came the Gym Leader's response, and Hawlucha leaped upwards with surprising speed.
"Beam Impact!" Kriesh cried, releasing the blast of energy, but it only struck the ground as Hawlucha hurled himself into the air. Doing an acrobatic and somewhat unnecessary flip, Hawlucha lunged downward, both fists glowing with Fighting energy. "Divebomb Wing Punch!"
"Kriesh, dodge with Aerial Ace!" Marcus countered.
"Sky Impact!" Kriesh felt the familiar Flying-type energy gather around her as she hurled herself sideways. Hawlucha abandoned the attack and instead slammed into the ground with both feet, landing in another crouch before pushing off and launching himself after Kriesh.
That bird was fast, Kriesh had to admit. Possibly even faster than Kriesh was.
"Counter with Fury Attack!" Marcus retorted.
Kriesh twisted in midair to face the charging Hawlucha. "Multi-Beak Impact!"
Hawlucha's wings glowed with Flying energy in response. "Hundred Feather Blows!"
Hawlucha lunged, and Kriesh was at once forced onto the defensive against the flurry of punches Hawlucha doled out. Hawlucha's wings and Kriesh's beak struck and reared back and struck again, none of their attacks finding purchase.
Hawlucha grunted again, this time in exertion. Kriesh registered even through the sting of pain on her beak that her Fury Attacks were having a similar effect on Hawlucha's arms. Then the Gym Leader cried, "Karate Chop!"
"Board-Breaker Chop!" Hawlucha's fist opened and came down upon Kriesh's beak with a surge of Fighting energy. Kriesh's beak burst with pain and she fluttered backwards angrily, seeking purchase with her flailing wings. "Aerial Ace!" Marcus cried. Instantly, Kriesh hurled herself forward. "Sky Impact!"
Hawlucha gasped as Kriesh rammed into its chest, air spilling from its mouth.
"Power-Up Punch!" the Gym Leader cried.
"Strength Concentration Double Punch!" Hawlucha hauled back and punched Kriesh in the face with one brutal fist. An uppercut struck the bottom of her chin, another Power-Up Punch. And Kriesh also observed that both of that Hawlucha's fists were glowing brighter.
It seemed Power-Up Punch deserved its name.
"Aerial Ace to the ground!" she dimly heard Marcus call through her own ringing ears.
Kriesh dove, but the enemy Gym Leader was quick on the uptake. "Follow her with your own Aerial Ace!"
Hawlucha banked and swooped down after Kriesh. He was silent again, focused in his pursuit. Hmm...Pursuit would work on this fast opponent. Much better than Hyper Beam, anyway.
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh twisted and fired three pitch-black beams at Hawlucha. Hawlucha dove to the side, abandoning his pursuit of Kriesh in favor of attempting to evade this newest attack. The beams followed. Kriesh watched them carefully, not wanting to get tricked into letting them hit her like Meditite had done.
"Hawlucha, get back in there!" Korrina cried, a twinge of worry on the edge of her voice as she watched Hawlucha struggle to evade the Pursuit. "Flying Press!"
"Two-Type Slam!" Hawlucha leaped forwards, summoning Fighting and Fighting energy to his body and hurling himself at Kriesh chest-first from the air.
"Kriesh, Hyper Beam!" Marcus cried.
Korrina and Hawlucha's eyes both widened. "Break off!" Korrina cried.
But Hawlucha's speed worked against him this time, and momentum continued carrying him forwards even as he tried desperately to backwing.
"Beam Impact," Kriesh said with an air of finality.
This time there was no dodging. Hawlucha was struck right in the chest, and to add insult to injury, the Hyper Beam carried Hawlucha right into the Pursuit. Hawlucha cried out in pain as he was thrown straight into the Gym's ceiling.
Disappointingly, even as he plummeted from the ceiling with feathers smoking, Hawlucha was still conscious. But he was certainly winded, and Marcus clearly sought to take advantage of that with his next order.
"Pursuit! Hammer it until it goes down!"
"Flurry Impact!" Kriesh fired another trio of Dark-type beams at the falling Hawlucha.
"Hawlucha, watch out!" Korrina cried. "Detect and counter with Bounce!"
Oh, not this again, Kriesh thought, remembering all the times Meditite had done this exact thing. She really needed to figure out a counter for Detect, what with how much it was popping up.
As if in slow motion, Hawlucha's wings flapped. An aura of Fighting energy blazed around him as he twisted out of the way of the Pursuit and leaped up in the air. This time, he only surrounded himself with Flying energy, ensuring that Kriesh couldn't nail him with an easy Hyper Beam this time.
"Counter with Peck!" Marcus ordered.
Kriesh leaped upwards, summoning as much energy as she could into her beak and pointing it straight at the descending Hawlucha.
"Single-Type Slam!" Hawlucha cried.
"Beak Impact!" Kriesh retorted.
The two of them slammed into one another, Hawlucha's chest against Kriesh's beak. Pain at once shot through Kriesh's face and she fell, landing on her back in an undignified manner.
But Hawlucha had not come off well either. Though the gathered Flying energy had protected him to an extent, his chest still exhibited a nasty wound that looked like it would bruise.
"Ow," the Hawlucha growled, just before the three Pursuit beams slammed into his back and sent him plummeting to the ground again.
This time, Korrina returned him before he hit the ground. "Yeah, definitely a strong one," Korrina said. "I'm curious: where'd it learn Hyper Beam? That's risky for so early in your journey."
"Previous Trainer," Marcus explained.
"Ah," Korrina said, saying no more. "Machoke, you're up! We've got a strong flier to beat!"
Kriesh struggled to her feet, shaking her head to clear it of pain. Her beak was emphatically protesting being used so roughly. She forced that pain to the back of her mind as she saw Korrina's Machoke emerge onto the battlefield.
A grin stretched across the Machoke's face as it beheld Kriesh. "Time to get your wings clipped, birdie," it growled.
"Do it!" Korrina cried.
The Machoke's eyes narrowed as it raised a hand skyward. A sphere of energy appeared in its hand, rapidly increasing in size until it was about as large as the Machoke itself. "I'm gonna bury you!" the Machoke yelled. The energy shattered into several smaller spherical pieces, pieces that were flung at Kriesh, taking form into large stones as they crossed the arena.
"That's Rock Tomb!" Marcus cried. "Kriesh, get out of there! Aerial Ace!"
"Sky Impact!" Kriesh hurled herself to the side, realizing as she did so that the Rock Tomb was spread out too wide.
She felt a single sphere of Rock energy impact her right in the small of her back. A screech of pain came from her throat as she plunged to the ground, followed quickly by another one as she bounced off the hard floor and skidded to a halt.
"Gotcha!" the Machoke crowed, already pounding towards her. "Crushing Stomp!"
"Hyper Beam!" Marcus ordered.
The Machoke's gleeful expression faded. "Down!" Korrina ordered. The Machoke, moving surprisingly fast for something so burly, leaped to the side quick enough for the Hyper Beam to barely miss his descending shoulder.
He rolled to his feet, extended both hands, and fired another Rock Tomb, this one with none of the buildup and far more directly aimed. "Sky Impact!" Kriesh cried, lunging into the air just above the Rock Tomb. "Flurry Impact!"
"Again! Spread it!" At Korrina's words, yet another spread-out Rock Tomb flew up from the Machoke's hands even as three beams of Dark energy struck it.
"Up! Then dive through the cracks!" Marcus yelled. Kriesh recognized her Trainer's intent; in an instant she was up and flying higher. She looked over her shoulder and saw the Rock Tomb catching up.
But it was also spreading out farther and farther, and Kriesh backwinged and dove straight through the now widened gap between two of the spheres. In an instant she was away and streaking towards the Machoke. "Flying Earth Impact!" she screamed, gathering Ground and Flying energy around herself as she arced towards the Machoke.
"Focus Punch!" Korrina commanded.
As Kriesh flew down towards the Machoke, she beheld him close his eyes. Fighting energy seemed to pour from the rest of his body into a single clenched fist.
The wind whistled in Kriesh' ears as she poured on more speed, plunging for the Machoke with as much energy as she could muster.
The Machoke's eyes opened. "Full-Power Punch."
Then he swung the fist up and threw a punch directly into the point of Kriesh's beak.
Energy exploded between them, sending a wave of blinding pain through Kriesh's body even as she flew backwards. She landed badly; her wing cracked under her as she slammed down to the ground. Groaning in pain, she raised her head to see the Machoke standing with visible effort. His hand was somehow undamaged from the strike, at least outwardly.
"Crushing Stomp." Then he was next to her, one Fighting energy-covered foot raised. Kriesh didn't even have time to move before the foot slammed down on her face, plunging her into unconsciousness.
Meditite was unsurprised when Marcus released her. Skorupi would fall easily to Machoke's mastery of Rock Tomb.
Korrina's eyes sparkled as she saw Meditite appear. "You were holding back on me!" she said. "Nice, healthy specimen, looks like. Definitely close to evolving."
"Really?" Marcus asked.
"Yes, you can tell by the darkening of the body," said Korrina. "Oh, this'll be fun."
Meditite recalled Serena's Absol mentioning something similar. A thrill shot through her body at the thought of evolution. The attaining of a new form would boost her strength considerably. Kriesh was at this point the only evolved Pokemon on their team, but that would change with Meditite's evolution.
"Evolution, huh?" Machoke asked. "Arceus, I remember when I evolved. Such a long time ago."
His voice had taken on a very different tone than its words to Kriesh. Kriesh he had viewed with scorn, sadly understandable given that he seemed specifically trained to beat Flying-types. Meditite, though, seemed to interest him.
"Meditite, let's focus up. Meditate," said Marcus.
Meditite instantly closed her eyes, expanding her mental horizons. All thoughts of evolution left her head, replaced by calm. Ready for battle.
She opened them again to see that Machoke was pouring Fighting energy from his fist back into his body. He sighed in relief, clearly energized.
"Well, let's get to it," rumbled Machoke, sinking into a fighting stance.
"Agreed." Meditite did likewise, remembering Machoke's scorn towards Kriesh. That would not go unavenged.
They stood opposite one another for a heartbeat more before both their trainers shouted.
"Power-Up Punch!"
"Force Palm!"
Meditite rushed forward, aware of Machoke descending upon her with hand outstretched. "Half-Power Punch!" Quickly, she ducked, and her smaller size meant Machoke's fist swept over her head. Meditite reached out - "Fighting Strike!" - and slammed her Fighting energy-infused palm into Machoke's gut. Machoke doubled over with a huff, and Meditite quickly lashed out with her foot at Machoke's ankle. "Fighting Trip!"
Machoke was swift to react, though. "Crushing Stomp!" His own foot swept forward to intercept Meditite's, sending her stumbling back with the failed attack. Machoke followed up by extending his hands and firing another Rock Tomb. "Detect!" Marcus cried even as Meditite leaped forward, enhanced by Psychic Dodge, hurling herself through the storm of rocks without touching a single one.
"Psychic Blast!" Her hand flew out and shot a burst of Psychic energy into Machoke's face. Meditite leaped forwards again before it could recover. "Fighting Strike!" she cried, aiming for his knee.
"Seismic Toss!" Korrina cried. As she leaped, hand outstretched and all her focus on Machoke's knee, Meditite didn't see his hand reaching for her. Suddenly, Machoke's gray meaty fist clamped around her midsection. She gasped as it squeezed her chest, struggling to breathe as the Machoke lifted her, kicking and squirming, off the ground.
"Crushing Spike!" The Machoke lifted his hand up and thrust it down, letting go at the bottom of his swing. Meditite felt a brief moment of weightlessness before she hit the ground and what little breath remained in her lungs was expelled.
She vaguely heard the Gym Leader ordering a Low Kick, barely registered Marcus's cry for a Detect, and then Machoke's foot slammed into her side and sent her flying. This time, she didn't stop until she hit the wall and rebounded, slamming don on the floor again, this time on her front instead of her back.
"Finish it off with Rock Tomb." The Gym Leader's order was clearer now but still rang in Meditite's ears.
Machoke summoned yet another Rock Tomb to his hands. Coughing and gasping as air filtered back into her lungs, Meditite managed to heave herself up onto hands and knees to stare him down.
She wasn't finished yet.
"Psychic Avoidance!"
Meditite forced herself back into her mind, clearing away the remaining fog that enshrouded her brain. At the same time, she felt Psychic Avoidance yank her body sideways, hurling her through the Rock Tomb as it passed by harmlessly.
Machoke's eyes widened. "Oh, come on!"
"Fighting Strike!" Meditite slammed her palm right into Machoke's chin. Machoke howled in pain as he flew onto his back, his jaw rattling with the impact. He was unconscious before his back hit the floor.
Korrina recalled him. "Not bad at all," she said approvingly. "But you did lose your Flying-type. I hope that you can take down my last without it!"
In the next moment, the tall, blue-black form of a Lucario appeared on the battlefield.
Meditite had seen pictures, but in the presence of one she could not help but feel awe at the energy radiating off of it. She looked up at it, and it looked back, interest glittering in its eyes.
"Your Aura is strong, young one." Lucario's voice came out as a low but intelligent rumble. "I look forward to this fight."
Meditite breathed in and out, holding one hand to her side where Machoke had kicked her. Her back ached from being thrown around as well; while she was still standing, that Machoke had left a lasting impact on her, at least until she got to a Pokemon Center.
But her mind was practically fresh; she had not had to use many of her Psychic abilities to take down Machoke. So, hopefully, it wouldn't be too difficult to weaken Lucario enough that Skorupi could finish him off.
"Meditite, Confusion!" Marcus called.
"Psychic Blast!" Meditite hurled the Psychic-type attack like a spear straight at Lucario's head.
"Aura Avoidance," Lucario countered, twisting on one foot as Fighting energy surrounded his body, glowing bright blue, tugging him away from the Psychic Blast. So that's how it looks, Meditite thought.
"Aura Sphere." Lucario's retaliation was a swiftly-hurled ball of Fighting energy glowing the same blue.
"Psychic Dodge!" Meditite cried, slipping out of the way of the Aura Sphere.
Lucario nodded approvingly. That exchange had been nothing but a test. Then Lucario lunged with insane speed, and Meditite knew the true battle had begun.
"Aura Claw!" Lucario swept one open clawed hand out in an arc. Meditite ducked, feeling the wind from the attack ruffle her head-crest, and leaped for Lucario with a Fighting Trip. But Lucario leaped up in response, flipped over Meditite, and touched down lightly. "Aura Staff!" he cried as what looked to be a bone made of pure energy appeared in his hands. Then he dashed at Meditite, sweeping the bone at her. "Fighting Strike!" Meditite cried, striking the oncoming bone. It shattered under the attack, but then Lucario's other fist came around and slammed into her cheek. "Aura Strike!"
Meditite skidded five feet backwards. "Aura Sphere!" Lucario called as he hurled another blast of blue Fighting energy at Meditite. "Psychic Dodge!" Meditite cried, twisting out of the way of the attack. "Aura Strike!" Lucario cried; Meditite twisted and met the attack with a Fighting Strike. Her palm met Lucario's fist with an audible thwoom.
Then Lucario twisted. "Aura Avoidance! Aura Staff!" Another glowing bone of blue energy came at Meditite's cheek, but this time she was ready with Psychic Dodge. The energy tugged her head backwards so that her body was bent at almost a ninety-degree angle. The bone passed over her, inches from her face as she looked straight up at the ceiling, its bright lights dazzling her vision. Her injured back howled in protest at the strenous movement.
Then she popped back up. "Fighting Strike!" Lucario could not twist in time; a gasp came from Lucario's mouth as Meditite's palm landed in his stomach. He skidded back halfway across the arena before he finally halted.
"Very good," Lucario intoned. "Aura Scream."
He crossed his arms, and Meditite didn't have time to cover her ears before a horrific screech not unlike Shellder's Sonic Blast suddenly filled Meditite's mind. She clamped her hands on her ears in reflex, and Lucario instantly took advantage of that.
"Aura Strike Barrage!" he cried. His fist flew forward, striking Meditite across the face, and then his other fist came forward and suddenly there were a dozen, ripping into her body with impact after impact. Pain exploded across her body as time seemed to slow; she could see Lucario's fist coming at her and knew at once it would finish her.
"Psychic Endurance." She had no choice but to use the old technique. He was moving too fast for even Psychic Dodge.
Boom.
Then she was flying, skipping across the arena like a stone, until she finally slowed to a stop. She coughed and rolled over. Planting both her palms, she forced herself to rise, and found herself looking into Lucario's eyes as he stood on the opposite side of the arena.
"Psychic Retribution!" she cried, releasing the familiar surge of energy from her outstretched palms. With a quick murmur of "Aura Avoidance", though, Lucario twisted out of the way. Psychic Retribution slammed into the opposite wall as Lucario turned back towards Meditite.
"You fight well," said Lucario. "And I do not say this to make you feel better. It is true. Your technique is well-rounded and your instincts are finely honed. The only thing that limits you is endurance. It is clear that you have fought recently against another member of my team. Had that not been the case, the outcome of this fight may have been very different."
Meditite hauled herself to her feet, gasping as she felt pain hammer at her mind. Even now, Psychic Retribution was immensely draining. "Thank you," she said, not entirely sure what else to say.
"I hope we will fight again one day." Lucario's words prefaced his charge. "Aura Strike!"
"Force Palm!" Marcus's cry was desperate. He knew Detect would only waste time and reduce Meditite's mental energy further. Meditite took a deep breath, summoned Fighting energy to her hand once more, and lashed out.
Fist connected with palm once more. Meditite's arm screamed from the strain and she nearly gave out, but she gritted her teeth and continued to press even as she slid slowly backwards. She was trying to fight, pouring so much energy into her palm that backlash was beginning to snake its way up her arm, but Lucario was stronger. There was no changing that.
Then why wasn't she moving backwards anymore?
Indeed, they were at a standstill. Meditite saw Lucario's eyes widen in disbelief, an emotion she had never expected Lucario to show. A blinding white light suddenly filled Meditite's vision and she began, impossibly, to grow.
No. To evolve.
The whole thing seemed to happen in slow motion. She shot upwards; whereas before she was only up to Lucario's chest, now she grew and grew until she was standing eye to eye with him. She felt her arms and body thinning, and she looked down to see them turning from blue to white. Her legs, on the contrary, swelled in size, turning a dark red and filling out with pure muscle. The pain in her head eased.
Meditite - no, Medicham - clenched her fists and glared right into Lucario's eyes, relishing the expression of shock on his face.
"Amazing." Lucario's voice was breathless.
"Fighting Strike!" Medicham's voice was deeper as she reached out with her other hand, summoning Fighting energy to it with almost no effort, and plunged it into Lucario's stomach before he could react.
Lucario staggered backwards, gasping from the brutal hit. He grinned, looking almost maniacal, and raised both his fists. "Aura Strike…"
"Fighting Strike…" Medicham drew both her fists back, infusing them both with Fighting energy, feeling the indescribably beautiful feeling of power rushing through her body.
"...PUMMEL!"
Medicham and Lucario threw themselves forward, pouring punch after punch after punch into each other, striking and blocking and striking again at a speed Medicham could only have dreamed of before. But even with her evolution, she could tell that Lucario was beginning to win this clash; she was forced to block more and more, and some of Lucario's punches nearly reached her.
Even after her evolution, she was still weakened from the fight before.
"Fighting Trip!" she cried, lashing out with her newly muscular left leg. To her distinct surprise, Lucario howled as his leg crunched under the impact. He toppled over, his left leg shattered and broken.
"Psychic Blast!" Medicham roared, throwing every ounce of Psychic power she could muster at the downed Lucario. Lucario let out a roar of his own as the Psychic Blast ripped at his mind, desperately yearning to stay awake under the strain.
It didn't work. Lucario's eyes rolled up in his head and he slumped, unconscious, unable to battle.
Medicham felt adrenaline fly from her body and she fell herself; only a swift extension of her hands prevented her face from hitting the ground. She coughed, her chest heaving with effort.
Korrina recalled Lucario. Her stunned expression perfectly mirrored Marcus's. Silence reigned across the gym.
The Gym Leader was the one to break it.
"That was...AWESOME!" She was over to Medicham's side so fast that Medicham didn't see her move. "I knew you were close to evolving, but I didn't expect it then! Oh, that was beautiful to watch!"
"I can't believe it myself," said Marcus, his voice unsteady.
"Neither can I!" Korrina positively squealed. "Here you go! One very well-earned Rumble Badge, just for you!"
Marcus took the badge in silence, watching as Korrina began stroking Medicham. Medicham stiffened, looking back at Marcus, and thankfully saw him step forward.
"Um…Leader Korrina, she does kind of need a Pokemon Center," said Marcus.
"Oh, right, right!" Korrina cried. "Before you go, though, I think this should be a good way to celebrate your Meditite's evolution!" Korrina pulled out a TM and handed it to Marcus. "It contains Power-Up Punch, a move that concentrates Fighting energy in order to strengthen later attacks. It's served me well."
"Thank you," Marcus said.
"Now, I would love to do nothing but celebrate this, but I've got to head to the Pokemon Center before my next battle!" Korrina cried. "But do me a favor and head to the Tower of Mastery at 6:00 tonight. Got it?"
"Okay." At this point, Marcus was replying on autopilot; all his attention was on Medicham.
Korrina skated off with a laugh. She was out the door with amazing speed, leaving Medicham and Marcus alone with her Gym Trainers, many of whom were applauding and all of whom were skating.
Finally, Marcus seemed to remember what he was actually supposed to do. Fumbling his Pokeball, he held it up. But he didn't activate it yet; instead, he stepped up next to the exhausted Medicham.
"Thank you," he whispered, and then at last he recalled Medicham.
Practically the instant she was released, the excited words of her team filled Medicham's ears.
"Congratulations," said Kriesh. Her voice sounded almost wistful; Medicham could not help but think back to Kriesh's own story of her evolution.
She'd been forced to evolve, whereas Medicham's evolution had come naturally, and Medicham knew that Kriesh was remembering that very thing.
"Yeah, congratulations!" Shellder echoed. "I wasn't conscious for that, but that must have been really cool!"
"Ah saw it," Skorupi growled; even he was smiling, though Medicham could have sworn she caught a tinge of jealousy. "It was…it was somethin'."
"Indeed." Medicham turned as the Lucario she had been battling earlier today made itself known. Only now did she realize she was standing in what had to be the Tower of Mastery; Korrina and Marcus were standing side by side, talking to one another about something Medicham couldn't quite make out.
"You have good friends by your side," said Lucario. "Keep them. Regretfully, friends of Medicham, I must speak to her alone for now."
With a few more whispered congratulatory remarks, Skorupi, Shellder and Kriesh moved away, leaving Medicham facing Lucario alone.
"What do you know of Aura?" Lucario asked.
"I've heard the Lucario line is proficient with it," said Medicham.
"Correct," said Lucario, "in that my kind is regarded as masters of Aura. But not as many know that we are not the only ones. In fact, every Fighting-type utilizes Aura, even if they do not realize it. Your Fighting Strike attack; what energy does it utilize?"
"Fighting…energy?" Medicham half answered, half asked.
"That is what many call it," said Lucario, "but in fact, that is Aura, in a sense. Those who do not understand Aura manifest it as so-called 'Fighting energy'; it only becomes Aura once the user recognizes it as Aura and hones it to be Aura."
"So…I have Aura?" Medicham asked.
"Yes," said Lucario, "and, in fact, your kind is quite proficient in its use. Those who are strong in Fighting and Psychic alike have a natural affinity for Aura. The Ralts line, for example, though the males have more of an affinity, whereas the females are stronger in the area of the Lifebringer. Your kind is regarded, at least by those who understand Aura, as arguably second only in Aura proficiency to my kind. While it will take time and effort, as all things do, you have the potential to become quite knowledgeable in the use of Aura."
Slowly, Medicham raised up her right hand and summoned Fighting energy - no, Aura - to her hand, watching as the white energy rippled and crackled around her arm.
"You are currently wielding Fighting energy," said Lucario. "Even the manifestation of Aura will take practice. I will show you some exercises that you can do in order to move towards unlocking Aura. Now, watch me as I demonstrate, and then you follow along…"
Medicham exited the Tower of Mastery somewhat breathless. Not from the exercises that Lucario had set for her, which were mainly focused around breathing and slow movements, but from the sheer excitement that was shooting through her body.
Evolution. Aura. Those two words spun around and around in her mind, moving so quickly that she almost felt dizzy.
"What were you all and Marcus doing with Korrina?" she asked Shellder, trying to partially take her mind off the dizzying thoughts. One of Lucario's exercises had been for Medicham to try and empty her mind of distracting emotions, such as fear and excitement, and embrace the 'inner self'.
Shellder's own voice was also filled with excitement. "Marcus and Korrina were talking about Abilities," he answered. "Did you know that we'll all get Abilities soon? I can't wait!"
That hadn't worked; now there were three words spinning around Medicham's mind instead of two.
"And what did you and Lucario talk about?" Shellder asked.
How to explain it? Medicham began to reply. "Well, there's this thing called Aura-"
"Marcus!"
Medicham twisted to see Serena standing on the path in front of them. "So, how did it go?"
Marcus indicated Medicham. "See for yourself."
"Oh, that's awesome!" Serena cried. "Wow. I…you know what? Let's not mince words."
She pointed at Marcus. "I challenge you to a battle! What do you say?"
Marcus looked back at Medicham. Medicham looked to the rest of the team, who all looked excited at the prospect of this newest opponent.
Marcus turned back to Serena. "I can't say no."
"Perfect!" Serena grinned. "I've got the perfect battleground for us. Follow me."
Another chapter down. At this point, the 'update every other day' schedule is working for me, so expect this update rate to continue for a while.
Do drop a review if you've got the time. Remember, this is my first fic, and I really would love to know how I'm doing.
If you post a question, I will endeavor to respond so long as a) the question isn't answered in the next chapter and b) the answer would contain major spoilers.
Thank you, and see you in two days!