When Jun awoke, the sterile scent of the lab enveloped him, and his gaze fell upon an ornately crafted room filled with books and advanced technology. Panic gripped his heart. Where was he? He tried to sit up but found his body heavy, fatigue weighing down his limbs.
"Oh good! You're awake!" A voice chimed from nearby. It was Marco, the lab assistant with frizzy hair and an ever-present smile. "You scared us! Gardevoir practically teleported you here after you collapsed!"
Jun's heart sank. "Gardevoir? Where…"
The elegant Pokémon stood like a sentinel at the foot of the bed, eyes glowing with disapproval. 'Jun,' she began, her voice a calm whisper in his mind that resonated with authority. Gardevoir crossed her arms, her eyes narrowing with disappointment. 'You should know better than to push your aura to the limits, Jun. We felt it, that surge of aura. It was reckless.'
Jun winced, recalling the euphoric moment when Echo had burst forth with newfound strength, only for it all to painfully unravel. He had felt connected, invincible, but in an instant, it had spiraled into an abyss. "I didn't…"
'You must learn to communicate with us, you could have warned any of us . You cannot treat yourself this recklessly. I'm not entirely sure of what you were doing but I could sense the energy draining from you, I thought you were about to perish.'
Shame flushed over him, mingled with confusion. The memory of Echo's evolution flashed involuntarily in his mind. "I didn't mean to…"
'Intentions do not matter when the consequences are grave,' Gardevoir interrupted, her tone imbued with a motherly concern. 'You overwhelmed both yourself and Echo. The bond between the two of you seems much more robust than that of other trainers I have witnessed, but that also means that it requires balance, or you risk more than mere fatigue.'
"What happened to Echo?" Jun's voice cracked, fraught with concern.
'Echo is fine, though shaken. I returned him to his Poké Ball for recovery.' Gardevoir's gaze softened slightly. 'However, you must understand that your emotions affect him deeply. Needless to say, even for normal trainers their bond isn't a game or something to play with; it's a living connection.'
Jun nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. It felt like cold water splashed across his face, a wake-up call to the reality of his actions. "I'll do better. I promise."
Gardevoir's expression shifted, a trace of approval shimmering in her eyes. 'It is important to listen, Jun. Harnessing energy in a way similar to pokemon requires practice and maturity, especially for humans who do not naturally inherit moves as pokemon do. Realize the boundaries of what you can do, or the risks will only multiply.'
He felt the weight of her words, recognizing Gardevoir's concern about his intense bond with his Pokémon and interestingly, she thought his control over his own energies mirrored that of a Pokemon.
After a brief lull in the conversation, Marco chimed in with a rare serious look on his face, "You gotta take care of yourself, man. Keep the people who care about you from worrying, yeah?"
"Yeah, I know now… Oh crap, Professor Aria is coming to Galar soon, right?" Jun hurriedly asked, unsure of how long he had been unconscious for.
"Yeah, in two days, wait no, it should be tomorrow, it's past midnight already, haha." Marco replied, rifling through his notes. "He will be proud to see you and Echo."
Jun rested against the cushions, clearing his mind as he grappled with the knowledge, he had some sort of weird aura power. "I'll train with Echo. I want to understand him and myself better, to grow together."
'Excellent,' Gardevoir said solemnly. 'You may begin tomorrow. I will guide you as much as my expertise will allow, but your progress relies on yourself and willingness to adapt.'
The night wore on, filled with his own murmuring thoughts as Jun pondered over his situation. Looking at his page in the SystemDex
Name: Jun
Age: 15
Talent: [Bug Affinity I]
Pokemon(observed): 216
Pokemon(owned): 1
Pokepoints: 253
He stared at the [Bug Affinity I] in the Talent row. He had a sneaking suspicion that his control over his internal energy came from this perk. Looking over at his points, the past two weeks gave him plenty of points, over 100 battles won and a few more observed pokemon had given him a nice cushion of points to spend, should he use it to rank up his perk? No, Jun decided to wait until after his session with Gardevoir, maybe that would give him more information to work with.
Flipping over to Echo's page, he breathed a sigh of relief.
Pokemon: Orbeetle
Name: Echo
Ability: Telepathy ()
Gender: Male
Nature: Bold (Defense/-Attack)
Level: 33 ()
Moves: Struggle Bug, Sticky Web, Light Screen, Reflect, Confusion, Recover, Hypnosis()
Stats: [expand]
Items: N/A
Status: Asleep, Recovering
His starter had finally evolved. His heart itched to add some moves to Echo's movepool, but decided that it might be better to do it once he's out from under Gardevoir's protection, it would only be a few more days after all.
As sleep began to tug him under, Jun felt an unexpected hint of clarity. With Gardevoir's teachings along with Echo beside him, he would cultivate a deeper understanding of the odd bond that the SystemDex had cemented between them.
Jun smiled as he drifted off, feeling the warmth of Echo nestled in his consciousness.
The air was brisk around Jun as he stood near the edge of the coastal town of Hulbury, Galar's vibrant horizon gleaming in the golden light of early morning. His heart raced, excitement bubbling just beneath the surface of his calm exterior. Tomorrow, he would finally reunite with Professor Aria, the mentor who approved his journey and had lent out his own pokemon to protect and guide him.
As he glanced over at Echo, his newly evolved Orbeetle, the Pokémon's bright red carapace shone softly in the sunlight, reflecting the colors of the sky. Jun had trained tirelessly to help Echo reach this point, stoked both by his aspirations and the wish to not delay Gardevoir's return to her trainer.
"Hey, you ready for this?" he mused aloud, a playful glimmer in his eyes. Echo responded with a gentle hum, a telepathic reassurance that fluttered through Jun's mind. In this moment, they were connected not only by telepathy but by the curious bond that the SystemDex had forged between them.
With a sigh that mingled excitement and nerves, Jun propped his phone on a nearby bench. He initiated a video call and waited, tapping his fingers on the wood as he recounted every moment of training that had led him here. The screen crackled to life, revealing his best friend, Alyssa, with her electrifying smile.
"Jun! It's about time you called!" she joked, her teasing tone brightening the mood. "What's been keeping you? Avoiding my calls?"
"I'm really sorry, Alyssa! Training has been non-stop," Jun explained, leaning closer to the screen so she could see Echo proudly hovering beside him. "But guess what? Echo finally evolved into an Orbeetle!"
Alyssa's eyes widened with genuine excitement. "No way! That's awesome! I wish I could have seen it."
"I wish I could have shown you! The past two weeks felt like a whirlwind. Tomorrow, I'm picking up Professor Aria at the port and then…"
Alyssa interrupted, her enthusiasm barely contained. "I've been busy too! I beat Gardenia within the first week of graduation and I managed to beat Maylene last week! But then POW stopped dead by the rookie wall, I lost to Fantina in Hearthome. Her third badge team was so tough!"
Jun raised an eyebrow, impressed. "Two badges already? You're really moving up in life! You've got to be training like crazy."
Alyssa shifted her camera over to her side where a Luxray lay on his side, a proud glint in her eyes as she continued, "And Lux has been tearing everything apart! Most trainers don't stand a chance. I've also caught a Magnemite, I named him Fridge cus he kept trying to siphon electricity from one at the Pokecenter when I first caught him haha, but he's also just evolved into a Magneton." She beamed, clearly proud of her electric duo. "I think I'll specialize in Electric types. They're relatively cheaper to train compared to some other types, and once I save up for a solar charging extension for my backpack, the real training can begin!" she cackled with barely suppressed glee.
"You seem to have gotten this all planned out." commented Jun.
"Once I get a full team of six and I'm thinking of applying to Volkner's gym." Alyssa added.
"Gym Trainer Alyssa, who would've thought." Snarked Jun, this conversation with his childhood friend seemed to unwind his tense nerves from the continuous weeks of training.
"We all need a strategy, not just for battle but also for life" she said with a serious nod, before grinning and playfully sticking out her tongue. "And I can't help but notice that you only have one Pokémon. What happened to your team?"
Jun chuckled, but then grew thoughtful. "I planned on catching more, but there's been so much to focus on, with tagging research targets, training and getting Echo evolved so that Gardevoir wouldn't have to keep babysitting me." Jun gave the serene pokemon sitting by his side a glance. Gardevoir reached over and ruffled his hair in response, smiling softly.
Alyssa leaned forward, her face alight with mischief. "Well, if you get the chance, maybe you could grab a pokemon for me, Galar's got tons of cool local pokemons! What do you think would fit my team?"
"Ha, you gave everything you learned back in International Studies back to Mr. Finch once you graduated! Here, let me think..." Jun paused, glancing out over the waves crashing against Hulbury's harbor as he mulled over the possibilities, flipping through his SystemDex in his mind. "If you're looking for strong special attackers, I'd recommend Toxtricity or Vikavolt. Toxtricity has a unique Electric/Poison typing, and Vikavolt packs a punch with its Bug/Electric typing. I did hear about some unique fossil Pokémon, but I wouldn't take that route. They seem pretty... messed up. They come out like some sort of Frankenstein, and I've heard some nightmarish rumors of how if their genes aren't matched well enough, they could just melt into a pile of goo all of a sudden." Jun shuddered at the thought.
"Ugh, I'll skip the undead disasters then," Alyssa grimaced.
Jun pondered further, "Heliolisk is good for speed but not as powerful, it's typing is also pretty awful. If you're looking for a recommendation, I'd say Pincurchin. Stats wise, they're pretty lackluster but I've heard that some rare individuals get so good at controlling Electric type energy that they can activate Electric Terrain almost instantly just with their presence."
Alyssa nodded enthusiastically, her eyes alight with possibility. "Pincurchin sounds like a fantastic choice! I love the thought of having a Pokémon that can amplify my other pokemon's electric moves."
"And since you already have Luxray, a Boltund might be redundant," Jun added. "What about Morpeko or Togedemaru? The first is Electric/Dark, but I heard some trainers found Morpeko pretty lacking in their stats."
"A Togedemaru might also overlap with Magneton in typing," she mused, "but it'd be great as another speedy attacker, especially if I'm looking to develop a dynamic team."
"You have a good plan," Jun said, feeling pride for his friend's determination. "When I find a Pincurchin, I'll make sure to let you know! I can't wait to catch up with you in person, but it probably won't be anytime soon, my research project has barely gotten started."
"Definitely!" Alyssa flashed her trademark smile, which filled Jun with warmth, as he watched the screen.
As they exchanged laughter and ideas, Jun felt a rush of motivation infusing his spirit. The ocean breeze filled the air, and he imagined the exhilarating adventures awaiting the two of them. The anticipation of Professor Aria's arrival loomed close, but what lay ahead felt even more fascinating.