Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. It belongs to Nintendo and Game Freak.
Hi all,
Here's the next chapter. Max finally evolves, and Lucas is visited by a legendary Pokemon.
Chapter 44
After getting over his shock at the potential existence of Mega Legendaries, Lucas continued to search through the files, discovering even more shocking revelations. In addition to the research, Red Ketchum had written down his thoughts, revealing his concerns about the legitimacy of the project and those in charge of it.
He noted down some important details that he thought were important.
Bill Eckely was brought onto the project because of his experience in designing pokeballs. The scientists were worried about being unable to contain the legendary Pokemon, so they asked him to create a Master Ball. It was supposed to ensure a 100% capture rate, which not even a legendary Pokemon could escape. Furthermore, the design sought to create a nearly unbreakable bond with a human.
However, a lack of results led to Bill's dismissal months before the project's closure. He had been competing with another team, which had a different idea of how to control the legendary Pokemon. They designed a collar that would have the Pokemon completely submit to its owner, and Giovanni just so happened to be a part of the team. The project's leaders concluded that their design was more feasible.
"So this is where the slave collar originated," Lucas murmured. He wouldn't be surprised if the team responsible for its creation joined Team Rocket.
The scientists' experiments were horrifying. Because they needed a Pokemon to house the legendary stone, they implanted it in the Pokemon's bodies and created a remote activation device, similar to a Mega Bracelet. All of the Pokemon died in horrific ways, forcing the scientists to devise a new method for creating the legendary Pokemon. They were experimenting with creating an embryo in a test tube using DNA extracted from the legendary stone before their project was ultimately shut down.
Red speculated that the government official in charge of overseeing the project panicked at the prospect of its discovery. The official attempted to erase all evidence that it had ever existed. The employees were all bound by non-disclosure agreements and were prohibited from discussing the project with anyone.
Red began to suspect that the project hadn't been approved by the government. The leader was having them carry out illegal experiments. He began an investigation in secret and discovered disturbing information about some of his colleagues. Red had written down the people he suspected, and Lucas perused the list. Giovanni was on the list, but there was no mention of him being a member of Team Rocket. Red must have been unaware of his superior's true identity. He spotted another familiar name. The government official in charge of the project was none other than Shichiro's political rival, Shido Masayoshi. If the truth about what he was doing became known, his political career would be over.
"I need to give Shichiro a copy of this information," Lucas murmured. "I'm sure he will use it to take down his rival."
Dante called out a warning. Fearing that someone had discovered him, Lucas froze. Then he became aware of a tapping on the window. He squinted and saw a familiar face peeking inside. He walked over to the window and opened it so Meowth could slip inside.
"Those soldiers aren't very smart," Meowth remarked.
"That was very reckless," Lucas said. "What if they had caught you and discovered you were the one shouting at them?"
"But they didn't. Why worry about something that never happened?" Meowth replied.
There was no convincing him. He turned back to the computer and continued to read Red's account of events. Red explained that on the final day, when everything in the mansion was being packed up, Mew arrived and proceeded to tear the place apart. Red believed that Mew was looking for the stone, but it had mysteriously disappeared beforehand.
Lucas skimmed through some of the files on the research itself, but most of it went over his head. He wondered if there was any particular bit of information buried in there that Giovanni was searching for. If, as he suspected, Giovanni stole the stone to continue the project, he would benefit from these documents, which is why he was looking for them.
The question that kept popping up as he read through the files was: did Red know too much and was he killed as a result? There were hints that Red was considering becoming a whistleblower and informing the authorities about the project's existence. The timelines matched up, as Red was reported to have been killed in action shortly after Ash was born, nearly a decade ago. Had someone killed him and made it look like an accident to cover it up?
"We should probably not linger in the apartment too long," Meowth said.
Lucas nodded. After searching through the computer desk, he was fortunate to find a box of floppy discs that hadn't been used yet. He copied the files onto two separate discs and then shut the computer down. He would keep one for himself and give the other to Shichiro.
After making sure nothing looked out of place, Lucas had Dante teleport him back to a secluded location just outside of town. He booked a room at an inn and settled in for the night.
He checked his watch and decided it wasn't too late to call Shichiro.
"What do you want?" Shichiro asked grumpily.
Lucas blinked. "Is there something wrong?"
"I was having a nice quiet evening at home with my wife and then some idiot interrupted it," Shichiro said. "Do you know how rare that is?"
"Sorry. I can call back tomorrow."
"It's fine. What do you want to talk about?"
Lucas went on to explain what he had discovered, and Shichiro listened in silence until he was finished. Despite the silence, he sensed the man was excited about the news he had to share.
"You said that you copied the information onto a disc?" Shichiro asked. "I'm going to need that disc immediately."
"I can return to the mainland tomorrow."
"Not soon enough. I will send someone to retrieve the disc. They will introduce themselves as Goro, letting you know that it's someone I sent."
"Alright. I have to say that you don't seem too surprised by the fact that there was a project that was trying to create a legendary Pokemon."
There was a pause on the other end. "Lance recently came across some information during his investigation that hinted at its existence, although he didn't find anything as concrete as you did."
"Did he ever find out what item Team Rocket was transporting on the S.S. Anne?"
"Yes. Since you have helped me out so much with your discovery, I will share the information with you. But if you tell anyone, your life is forfeit. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal."
"The item Team Rocket was transporting was a legendary stone," Shichiro said, before pausing for effect. "Specifically, the Zapdos legendary stone."
"Which is now in Zapdos' grasp," Lucas said, realising the terrifying implications. "How did Team Rocket get their hands on the stone?"
"I don't have a clue."
"How big is the stone?" Lucas asked. "Why did they need such a large container to carry it?"
"We don't know the properties of the legendary stone. It may require special handling."
"I suppose. Why would Team Rocket use the cruise ship to transport something so valuable?"
"There are a couple of reasons. The person we think is the leader has been under close observation for a while now by the International Police, so he was being careful not to be seen carrying such an item."
Lucas stilled. "Do you know who the leader is?"
"We have some strong suspicions," Shichiro admitted. "But until we have irrefutable evidence, I won't be able to arrest him."
"Giovanni?"
Shichiro snorted. "That's quite the leap in logic. Do you have any other reason besides his involvement in the Inception Project to suspect him?"
"Just some bad vibes I get from him."
"Uh-huh."
"What was the other reason?"
"You were there yourself. The stone attracted the attention of Zapdos once it was out in the open. Giovanni isn't stupid enough to carry it himself, so he used his goons to see if he could transport it safely."
Lucas wondered why the stone was being transported in the first place. He didn't know if Giovanni had a hidden laboratory in Viridian City, where Mewtwo was located. But since Giovanni spent most of his time there, it was a reasonable assumption to make. So, why was he taking the Zapdos stone to Vermilion City?
"I need to get going," Shichiro said. "Goro should arrive in the next few hours."
"Alright." Lucas hung up the phone.
Since he had to wait for Shichiro's man to arrive, he spent the time updating both his and his Pokemon's parameters. He and Max had earned a lot of experience from today's endeavours, and his other Pokemon weren't too bad off either.
He levelled up his Pokemon because their stats were all maxed out for the current level. Icarus and Icaria levelled up twice. Since he was only restoring the levels they had lost due to producing an egg, they didn't need to train their stats again. They were assigned automatically to where they had been before.
Lucas spent all of his experience points and levelled up twice. Although he had progressed three-quarters of the way to a third level, he was still disappointed that nearly a hundred thousand experience points didn't go a long way. Regardless, he earned four more skill points. For the time being, he didn't spend them.
He intended to stay on Cinnabar Island for several days to continue the major grinding session and earn plenty of experience and EVs to set up his Pokemon nicely. There was enough variety of aquatic Pokemon to give him a nice spread of EV points, and using the Super Rod with bait was efficient.
Besides that, he would have them train their stats and continue learning the Energy Control trait. He took out a notepad and began planning a schedule for them to follow. If he earned enough experience for his Pokemon, then he could focus on his breeding business after the New Year.
Lucas felt completely relaxed, with a blissful smile on his face, as he soaked in the warm, mineral-rich waters of the hot spring. He took deep breaths of the steam rising from the water, feeling rejuvenated from the busy schedule he had had over the last few days.
His Pokemon were sitting in the water beside him. They had also earned the chance to relax after all the hard work they had put in.
It was New Year's Day, and he was returning home tomorrow after several days spent on the island. Brock reported that one of his Eevee pairs had produced an egg, so he needed to return to attend to them.
He had spent all his time on the pier, grinding for experience like a madman. The amount of experience he managed to accumulate was mind-boggling. It demonstrated the extent of what you can accomplish when you put in the necessary effort. Sure, the increase in experience points he earned from each battle also helped.
He used all of his Pokemon, besides Meowth and Ashe, to decimate the local aquatic Pokemon population. There had to be more than one wild Pokemon beaten by his team several times, which made him feel slightly apologetic. Given the devastation he caused, he was surprised there were no consequences for his actions.
In addition to the experience his Pokemon had accumulated, they had made massive progress in other areas. All of them learned the energy control trait after several days of practice.
Icarus had gained sixty-five EVs spread across all his stats and levelled up to twenty-nine. Lucas predicted that Icarus had enough experience to level up at least ten more times. That didn't include the experience he needed in his cache for evolution. Still, after training his stats, Icarus already possessed sufficient experience to evolve. To meet the final requirement, he still needed a third affinity greater than fifty percent. Lucas was still deciding between either psychic or steel-type affinity.
Max earned sixty EVs and had levelled up to twenty-nine. He was only one level away from reaching the requirement for evolving into Electabuzz. All of the other requirements had been met, so he would evolve soon. Max had also continued to train in his fighting affinity but added some fire affinity training into the mix as well. Lucas still owned the Fire Punch technical machine, and he encouraged Max to begin fulfilling the prerequisites for it.
Saphira had gained sixty-five EVs and levelled up to twenty-eight. Although she had plenty of experience to evolve into Dragonair, there were still some requirements he needed to meet first. He managed to fulfil the requirement, which required her to defeat an opponent ten levels above her. All he had to do was fish up a Magikarp to get an easy win. Once Max had evolved, he would focus on finishing Saphira's evolutionary requirements.
Icaria had similar progress to Icarus, and her favourability had increased to Respected. All of the evolution requirements had already been met, besides the one that required her to have three affinities above fifty percent. He would have her continue to work on her flying-type affinity as well since she was close to learning the egg move: Brave Bird.
Because they didn't participate in any battles, both Meowth and Ashe didn't receive as many EVs or experience as the others. Despite not having to do anything, they still gained a lot, with a total of fifty EVs. Both levelled up three times, and they still had plenty more experience in their caches to level up further. He would start training Ashe soon, so she could learn to battle by herself.
Aside from his teammates, Dante had participated in some battles and levelled up twice. He hadn't tested it out yet, but since Dante had learned the energy control trait as well, he would be able to travel longer distances in a single jump.
The ringing of his phone interrupted his thoughts. He got out of the pool and grabbed his phone from the shelving where he stored his possessions.
"Sabrina. How's it going?"
"I'm fine. How's island life treating you?"
"I can't complain. Although I worked too hard to really enjoy it. I will be returning to Viridian City tomorrow."
"That's good timing. I will be moving into the house in a few days."
Lucas detected something off in her voice. "That's great. Is there something wrong? Did you find your target?"
"I found her," Sabrina replied heavily. "In a graveyard. She's already dead."
Lucas winced. That wasn't the outcome she desired. She had been chasing the maid for answers and personal vengeance. It might not have been the healthiest motive, but if it meant finding closure from a traumatic childhood, she had the right to pursue it as she saw fit.
"I'm sorry. That must have been a letdown."
"That's a massive understatement. A wild Pokemon killed her a few years ago, though details are scarce. Should I view that as karmic justice for what she did to my family?"
"I don't know. If it helps you feel better, then it might be good to think that way."
Sabrina sighed. "This is going to bother me for a while."
"Then I will spoil you rotten when you move in, to help you get over it," Lucas promised. "At least your uncle is going after the main instigators behind the attack. Is he ready to make a move?"
"Yes. He is going to raid the Team Rocket hideout and his rival's office at the same time. He wants to prevent his opponent from reacting before his arrest."
"What about Giovanni?"
Sabrina paused. "He's going to be questioned about his role on the project, but we need solid evidence to make an arrest. Uncle is hoping to find something in the hideout to incriminate him, but he's not holding out much hope."
"Giovanni is dangerous, so I hope your uncle is careful. Have you read the files?"
"Yes. It makes for some scary reading. Encountering a legendary Pokemon is terrifying on its own, but to think they could become even more powerful is inconceivable to me."
"Well, hopefully, Zapdos doesn't get the urge to go on a rampage."
"Don't say that out loud. You're going to jinx us."
"Do you need help moving out?" Lucas asked.
"No. I'm only going to bring my clothes and any necessities I need for the time being. If I want something else, I can always retrieve it later."
They chatted for a while and hung up. Lucas returned to the pool and opened up his menu. Now that his Pokemon were taken care of for the moment, it was time to spend the experience he had accumulated and level up some more.
He spent just enough experience to level up to thirty-five. He gained another six skill points and another function. It was called Arceus' Emporium.
"No way!"
His Pokemon turned to stare at him curiously.
"What's got your knickers in a twist?" Meowth asked.
"I was just surprised by the new function I received," Lucas replied.
He immediately opened the shop from his menu and was presented with a screen that showed a list of items and a purchase button. The user interface was intuitive, as the items were sorted into different tabs by their category. He quickly browsed through the tabs and discovered an interesting detail. The more mundane items were bought with pokedollars, but the rarer and more unique items cost him experience points.
After retrieving his guidebook and reading up on information on the new function, he learnt that upgrading the shop was a little different, although it could be considered the same. To increase the level of the shop, he needed to spend a specific amount. When he increased the shop level, it would stock a more diverse range of items and offer some discounts.
Lucas returned to the shop screen and began exploring the items in greater detail. The first tab was for recovery items. He didn't spend much time there, as he could get all the recovery items he needed from Itemfinder. The following tabs had pokeballs, battle enhancers, alchemy ingredients, technical machines, and evolution stones.
From what he could see, the items were similar in price to those at the Celadon Department Store and had a wide range of choices in every category. The evolution tab also included unrefined evolution stones, which he could add to his Pokemon Habitat.
There was one final category that was labelled unique. Lucas perused the list and discovered a single item type known as trait capsules. They added traits such as stat boosts, stat affinities, and status resistances. The only downside was that he could only give them to his team—the Pokemon that he shared a bond with. All of them cost him fifty thousand experience points, so it wasn't going to be cheap if he wanted to strengthen his Pokemon in certain areas. For the time being, he didn't purchase any of them, but he was going to save the experience he had currently in case he needed a specific trait for one of his Pokemon.
He spent nine of his skill points. He levelled up Egg Insight to the maximum and increased his Skilled Breeder to level three. The latter improved both his egg production chances and the speed at which they hatched. Since he was about to produce a lot of eggs in the near future, it was necessary to improve this skill.
"We should get going before I turn into a prune," Lucas told his Pokemon, then noticed one of them was missing. "Where did Max go?"
"He slipped out a minute ago," Icarus reported.
"Max, where are you?" Lucas asked over the bond.
"Shh. I'm busy."
Lucas frowned, sliding open the door and peering down the corridor. He spotted Max further along, peeking through a partially open door into another hot spring. Irritated by this invasion of privacy, Lucas strode towards the Pokemon, intent on reprimanding him. As he reached out to pull Max away, voices from within caught his attention. He recognised Blaine's gravelly tone, accompanied by another—Maxie, the man from the Hoenn region.
The door's slight gap allowed their conversation to drift into the corridor, clear enough for Lucas to discern:
"The tremors are becoming more frequent, Maxie," Blaine said, concern evident in his voice. "I've already seen signs in the volcano that it's growing more volatile. At this rate, we might be looking at an eruption within months, maybe even weeks."
"You need to relax," Maxie replied, his tone dismissive. "I've already assessed its stability. By my estimates, we're still at least a year away from any eruption. Give me more time to investigate, and then I'll bring in my team to handle the situation."
"I never thought Team Magma would be so benevolent."
Lucas's eyes widened at this revelation.
"Well, I have my reasons for preventing this eruption," Maxie said. "All you need to know is that I'm helping an old friend, free of charge. Don't delve any deeper than that."
A pregnant pause followed Maxie's words.
Blaine cleared his throat, breaking the silence. "The locals are already growing suspicious, and even some tourists are beginning to notice. Soon, rumours will spread, and it's going to impact tourism."
Maxie's derisive laugh echoed in the room. "I believe your decision to build a new gym inside the volcano might have something to do with that as well."
As their conversation drifted away from the volcanic topic, Lucas and Max silently retreated to their own hot spring. The overheard discussion left Lucas deeply unsettled. He blamed himself for not recognising the leader of Team Magma earlier. What was Maxie's true purpose here? Lucas harboured no illusions about Maxie's altruism—there had to be an ulterior motive he wasn't revealing to Blaine.
Despite his curiosity and concern, Lucas hesitated. Did he really want to entangle himself with yet another criminal organisation? The potential consequences gave him pause. Yet, as he soaked in the warm waters, his mind raced with the implications of what he'd overheard, torn between the desire to intervene and the wisdom of staying uninvolved.
After much deliberation, Lucas resolved to remain uninvolved. His plate was already overflowing with responsibilities; adding another potentially dangerous situation seemed unwise. The volcanic threat, while concerning, wasn't imminent. There was a possibility that the situation might resolve itself without his intervention.
The next day, Lucas was standing with his Pokemon and the Harrison family in the backyard, preparing for Max to evolve into Electbuzz. Max had just finished training his stats for level twenty-nine, so he was finally ready to evolve.
Brock held a video camera to record the event, as Lucas wanted to show it to Sabrina. He could have waited until she arrived, but he knew Max was impatient and wasn't willing to wait.
The last step he needed to do was level Max up to thirty and trigger the evolution.
"Are you ready, Max?"
"Of course. I have been waiting for this for a long time."
Lucas spent some of Max's cached experience points and the Pokemon immediately began to transform.
As the brilliant light of evolution faded, Lucas's jaw dropped in astonishment. "Max! You've become enormous!"
Max thumped his chest with his fists, a smug grin spreading across his face. "Heh. My teammates can't help but respect me now."
The newly evolved Electabuzz now stood eye-to-eye with Lucas at six feet tall. Lucas couldn't help but wonder how massive Max might become after evolving into Electivire. Max now dwarfed his teammates, who seemed less than thrilled with his sudden growth spurt. Not only had Max shot up in height, but his frame had also expanded dramatically, now nearly triple the width of his previous form.
Such explosive growth could only mean one thing. Max must have acquired the giant strain trait. While this growth might not seem too extreme compared to other Pokemon with the giant strain, Max still had ample time to grow before his next evolution.
As Lucas marvelled at Max's new form, he couldn't help but feel a mix of pride and trepidation. Max's increased size would undoubtedly boost his battle prowess, but it also meant new challenges in terms of training and accommodation. Still, seeing Max's confident stance, Lucas knew they'd tackle these obstacles together.
"Incredible," Brock breathed.
"Max is going to find it too hard to fit through some doors with that belly on him!" Yolanda exclaimed.
Max was swarmed by his younger siblings, who began climbing him like a tree. Max demonstrated incredible restraint, even picking up the toddlers and placing them on his shoulders.
Lucas took the opportunity to examine Max's parameters.
Species: Electabuzz; Electric Pokemon
Gender: Male
Status: Owned
Favourability: Loved: 420/8000 (15% stats)
Favourite Food: Lightning-Infused Bamboo; Maximus Recipe X
Condition: Perfect
Level: 30
Next: [3%]
Exp Cache: [180000]
Stats obtained from EV's [80/100]
Current Level Potential Met? No
Special Ability: Static
Attack: 77 (58)
Special Attack: 72 (63)
Defence: 120 (105)
Special Defence: 82 (72)
Speed: 59 (69)
Luck: 26 (23)
Moves
Quick Attack: 100%
Thundershock: 95%
Charge: 55%
Thunder Wave: 59%
Protect: 36%
Rock Smash 18%
Low Kick 1%
Egg Moves
Hammer Arm: Fighting Affinity: 70% required.
Description: Maximus has finally evolved into Electabuzz and is excited to have acquired the giant strain trait. Now that he is bigger than his teammates, he will not hesitate to rub it into their faces.
Hidden Stats
Intelligence: 5
Endurance: 7
Energy: 4
Aptitude: 6
Affinities
Electric: 62%
Fighting: 51%
Fire: 12%
Traits
Inherent (Can be passed onto offspring)
Electric-type Aptitude (Novice) - Increases electric-affinity training by twenty per cent.
Attack Aptitude (Novice) - Increases the Attack stats training efficiency.
Thunder Elemental (Intermediate) - Moderately increases the power and effectiveness of electric-type moves.
Defence Boost (Expert) - Sharply increases the defense stat potency.
Superior Conditioning - The Energy and Endurance stats further improve Pokemon's condition.
Static Plus - Increases the chance of inflicting the static status effect by ten percent
Learned/Acquired/Unique
Free-Form Fighting (Intermediate) - Minor increase in Attack when fighting without utilising energy.
Energy Control: It's more efficient with its energy consumption, requiring less to execute a move.
Giant Strain: The Pokemon grows well beyond the average size for its species.
Attack Plus: (Giant Strain) Increases attack by twenty percent.
Speed Minus: (Giant Strain) Reduces speed by twenty percent.
Evolution Conditions: Electivire
Electirizer obtained.
Condition: Perfect
Experience in Cache: 100000
Electric-type Affinity: 80%
Evolution Bonuses
Max Experience in Cache = 150000: 25 to all Stats
Electric-type affinity = 90%: Thunder learned upon evolving.
Special Defence = 100: Special Defence trait learned.
Free-Form Fighting mastered: Endurance 1
Defeated ten level 40 ground-type pokemon: Aptitude 1
Lucas whistled in admiration. Max's growth in strength was explosive, and not just in terms of EVs. The Electabuzz had acquired new traits, and his future evolution seemed poised for even greater enhancements. Lucas suspected the giant strain trait played a significant role in this dramatic transformation.
Max's development aligned perfectly with Lucas's intentions. The Pokemon had acquired defensive traits that would make him an invaluable tank, capable of absorbing substantial damage. Though his speed might suffer, Max was shaping up to be an ideal companion in battle.
"Let's put that defence to the test, Max," Lucas suggested. "How about a sparring session with Icarus?"
As the two Pokemon squared off, Lucas observed with keen interest. Max stood his ground, seemingly unfazed by Icarus's attacks. The Pidgeot's growing frustration was evident as he intensified his assault, yet Max remained unmoved.
Just as Lucas considered intervening, a flicker of movement caught his eye. He glanced skyward, but whatever it was had vanished. Puzzled, he wondered if his mind was playing tricks on him.
"Keep an eye on them," Lucas instructed Brock, then made his way around the house to investigate.
Feeling somewhat foolish, Lucas reminded himself that their property was well protected. Perhaps it had been a mere trick of the light. He was about to rejoin the others when an eerie sensation crept up his spine. Slowly, he turned.
There, hovering before him, was a Pokemon. Not just any Pokemon—a legendary one. Mew floated serenely, its presence both awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Mew tilted its head, radiating curiosity rather than hostility. Still, Lucas found little comfort in this.
"Hello, there," Lucas managed, his voice steadier than he felt. "Is there something you want from me?"
In the face of such an extraordinary encounter, Lucas clung to politeness. It seemed a far better option than succumbing to terror and embarrassing himself. As he stood there, facing one of the most powerful beings in existence, Lucas couldn't help but wonder what cosmic jest had led to this moment.
So, what do you think? In the next chapter, Lucas speaks with Mew and discovers some interesting information.
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Thanks for reading.