Omni Force: ORIGINS

by NegaiFreak

Where did it all start, you might wonder? Well, some stories aren't about just beginnings. They're also about how bonds between our heroes were forged. Join in as we partake in this 100-chapter story of how the Omni Force came to be, with each member getting a tale for themselves! PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!

12. Alain Regulus

Hey folks! We're finally back with another chapter of "Omni Force: ORIGINS" after a long while. I know I've been saying how much I dislike working on this story because of how time-consuming it is, but I do get excited when I get the chance to tell tales of certain characters, whether or not it ends up being an adaptation.

One example is the character in today's chapter, Alain. Back during the XYZ era of the Pokémon anime, the Mega Evolution specials that were aired showed off what I thought was a really unique character in place of Ash. Alain was pretty iconic, being a skilled battler and user of Mega Evolution. And his character arc throughout the series was solid. You really understood his emotions and ideals.

It feels kinda weird to write about him, now that Pokémon Legends: Z-A is coming out. In fact, it's likely out by the time this chapter's published, and I'll be playing it. But I'm excited all the same.

This is going be interesting, so let's have Xiaomei take it away! Enjoy!

OMNI FORCE: ORIGINS

Earning your worth is one thing, receiving it is another. In the case of one Alain Regulus, that is a journey he's been on before. Starting his journey from humble beginnings in Lumiose City, he had sought to obtain the power of Mega Evolution in order to help further research for Professor Sycamore.

Though he did end up obtaining that power, it was not something he found, but was given. Lysandre granted him both the Key Stone and Mega Stone required for him to use Mega Evolution. And though it was a gift that proved its worth, it was also a double-edged sword. It basically made Alain Lysandre's puppet, becoming part of his plan to destroy and remake the world with Team Flare.

But thanks to some help from the likes of Ash Ketchum and many others who fought to save the world, Lysandre and Team Flare were stopped. In the wake of the battle, Alain had to give up his Mega Ring and his Charizard's Mega Stone, since they were both apart of Lysandre's plans. So… Alain's plan is to start anew. Or rather, start from zero.

UNIVERSE-8736

LUMIOSE CITY

Zipping up his bag, Alain Regulus threw it over his shoulder before standing up from the bench he had been sitting upon. He looked out the window, letting off a little smile as the sun shined brightly outside. Just then, he heard a knocking at the door.

"Alain, come on!" a muffled voice called out insistently before it opened, revealing Mairin there with her Chespin holding onto her left shoulder, "We're not gonna get to Frost Cavern if you keep holding us up!" she noted seriously.

"Yeah, sorry," her raven-haired friend apologized, turning and walking over to her, "How's Chespie doing?" he asked before petting the head of the Spiny Nut Pokémon.

"Ches!" he squeaked happily.

"Doing just fine!" his trainer assured, "With everything that happened, I'm sure he's ready to go on another adventure with you and me!" she affirmed.

"Cheh, pin!" her partner agreed. Alain chuckled.

"It's hard to believe that you're leaving already…" another voice chimed in, getting his attention as he looked to see Augustine Sycamore approach alongside his Garchomp.

"Professor…" the raven-haired young man uttered out, while Chespie hopped over to say hello to the Land Shark Pokémon.

"You here to see us off?" Mairin guessed with a smile.

"Of course!" Augustine responded, "I can't imagine not making sure you're both well enough for the journey," he pointed out, "Frost Cavern can be pretty dangerous, especially around the winter," he mentioned to the pair.

"It'll be fine!" the hatted girl assured, "Alain's Charizard'll keep us nice and warm the whole time!" she proclaimed.

"That's not really what we should be worrying about…" the raven-haired young man noted in exasperation. The professor gave off a concerned expression.

"Mairin, would you mind giving us a few minutes?" he requested of the red-haired girl.

"Uh, sure," she responded with a confused blink. She ventured downstairs with Chespie and Garchomp, leaving the two men behind.

"Professor?" Alain said, wondering what he wanted to speak with him privately about. A sigh escaped his lips as he leaned back against the wall.

"I remember Gingka talking about how he met you a while back," he recalled, causing his colleague to blink in surprise, "I didn't realize what wanting to learn more about Mega Evolution meant to you…" he pointed out, "And I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help," he added apologetically.

"Professor… that's not your—"

"Lysandre and I were friends once," Augustine confessed, interrupting Alain as he widened his eyes, "He was passionate, wanting things to remain beautiful and wipe out anything impure," he recalled, "That ambition… drove him well over the edge, of course…" he noted, "So I'm happy that we stopped him in the end," he admitted further.

"Are you worried about me, professor?" the raven-haired young man guessed.

"I'm only worried about how you're going to move forward," his colleague replied, "After hearing your conversation with Ash, I shouldn't be," he admitted, "But still… seeing you go off again is…" he continued, exhaling another sigh.

"Professor… I'll be coming back," Alain affirmed, "And I'll earn that Key Stone and Mega Stone this time," he added in declaration. Augustine smiled.

"I'm confident you will," he assured. Moments later, he and his other assistants waved goodbye as both Alain and Mairin were heading down the street after departing the lab.

"We'll see you again soon, I hope!" the latter of the two called out in farewell as she waved herself.

"Chesss, pinnn!" Chespie yelled from her shoulder.

"So how long is it gonna be to Frost Cavern?" she inquired of Alain, who was checking the holographic map that appeared over his Holo Caster.

"About a day or so," he replied, "We'll stop in Dendemille Town before we start searching the cavern," he mentioned.

"Alright!" Mairin exclaimed as she pumped her fists, "It'll be just like old times!" she affirmed. Her friend smiled.

"I sure hope so," he replied before pocketing his device.

OPENING

Insert "The Peak" by SEKAI NO OWARI

Opens with Alain venturing out on his journey to seek out a way to use Mega Evolution, with his little Charmander tagging along behind him. Over time, the Lizard Pokémon evolves into Charmeleon, furthering his strength as his trainer grins. However, they soon encounter Lysandre, who offers to give them the things they're looking for in order to achieve Mega Evolution. Wanting to become stronger, Alain accepts the items, promising in return to support Lysandre's efforts, though he does not yet know his true intentions.

After his Charmeleon evolves into Charizard, the pair becomes capable of accessing Mega Evolution. They battle against many other trainers with Mega Evolutions, including the likes of Astrid and her Absol, Remo and his Garchomp, and Siebold and his Blastoise. We even see Alain face off against Steven Stone and his Mega Metagross. During his journey however, he comes across Mairin, who tags along with him out of curiosity. He seems annoyed by her company at first, but slowly grows to appreciate her more as time goes on.

However, he starts to worry that her presence is hindering him after the encounter against Mega Rayquaza from the use of the Megalith, followed by her getting involved in the battle between Primal Groudon and Primal Kyogre. He believes that she could get seriously hurt if she keeps tagging along with him, but evidently feels guilty for pushing her away. When he finds out her Chespin's gone ill, he puts it on himself to do whatever it takes to make things right.

We go through various scenes of him battling against multiple trainers with Mega Evolutions, including the likes of Gingka and his Scizor, Sunset and her Lopunny, Rainbow and her Pidgeot, and of course, Ash and his Greninja. Through each battle, Alain grows all the more desperate to make things right. However, he perks up as a hand comes out in front of him. He looks to see that it belongs to a smiling Fluttershy, much to his surprise.

He starts to wonder about his path forward. It's only until Lysandre reveals the truth that he breaks down, now feeling as if he's been used the whole time. Ash and Fluttershy are both there to encourage him, helping face down Team Flare's leader to put an end to his schemes. As they battle alongside each other, we see Alain looking extremely grateful for earning his friends' trust.

In the aftermath of him and his friends stopping Lysandre and the Megalith, he turns in his Mega Ring and Charizardite X. He knows that if he wants to start over and continue to earn his friends' trust, he'll have to get his strength by his own volition. We see him venturing onward, but no longer alone as he knows so many people are by his side.

END OPENING

ALAIN REGULUS

As you may have expected, Alain's journey comes down to him being able to once again achieve the power of Mega Evolution. Starting from zero's never easy. But I'm sure the journey won't be too hard on him going forward.

At least, that's what he hopes…

DENDEMILLE TOWN

"Woohoo!" Mairin exclaimed as she and Chespie leapt onto their bed at the Pokémon Center they were staying in. They both sighed contently while lying on the plush surface. Alain sat down onto his own beside them. "We ended up getting here pretty quick!" the red-haired girl pointed out.

"Cheh!" the Spiny Nut Pokémon agreed.

"Yeah, but we'll need plenty of rest before tomorrow," her friend advised, checking his Holo Caster before setting it aside onto the nightstand beside his bed, "We might be running into bad weather out there," he noted on.

"Ah, we'll be fine," Mairin assured dismissively, "I hear that they have Mamoswine guide travelers out to Frost Cavern," she said, "Did you know about the story of the Mamoswine and the Abomasnow?" she inquired of Alain, who let off a little smile.

"You mean the Abomasnow that rescued the Mamoswine?" he presumed, earning a nod from his companion. It wasn't long before the pair were both fast asleep in bed. Except… the raven-haired young man did wake up. He turned over and looked to see Mairin and Chespie snoozing contently, cuddling with each other. A grimace came across his face as he remembered pushing them away. And they weren't the only ones victimized by his choices.

FLASHBACK

Having his fists clenched so tightly, the blood vessels in Gingka's hands began to show. There were only so many times he ever remembered being this angry in his life, but after seeing the person before him, he may have been more so. Alain had a stoic, unchanging expression upon his face, pulling out a Poké Ball from the belt at his waist.

"Technically," Lysandre began through the speakers, catching the beyblader's attention as his attention was brought onto him, "Alain works for me," he stated, causing him to blink in surprise, "When necessary, I have him assist Team Flare in order to accomplish our goals," he explained, letting a grin come across his lips, "That includes helping us capture Z-Two and gather Mega Evolution energy," he mentioned, much to the shock of everyone else aside from the dark-haired young man on the field.

"Z-Two?" Mirajane uttered in confusion, arching an eyebrow in confusion, "What do you think that means?" she asked Ash, who placed his right hand upon his chin.

"Not sure…" he answered honestly, narrowing his eyes onto the battlefield, "but..." he continued, closing his left extremity into an enraged fist, "does that mean all this time… Alain was…?" he tried to guess, but couldn't as his teeth were gnashed together.

"So that's why you entered the Kalos League?!" the shaggy haired teen inquired to his foe on the field, still angered by his unexpected reveal to him, "Just wanted to make a quick buck for your Flare buddies…?" he added, keeping his fists tightly clenched, "Do you have any idea what they've been doing?!" he asked, almost at a breaking point of wanting to attack the man himself.

"Like Lysandre said," he started to say, causing to perk up and settle down for a moment, "he had me assist Team Flare in capturing Z-Two," he told him, "but I never intended on gathering Mega Evolution energy at the Kalos League," he admitted, much to his surprise, along with the tall man in the booth as his eyes narrowed. His subordinate looked up at the other viewing area, noticing Ash standing just before the window with the two girls and other Pokémon. "I entered because I wanted to face him again," he stated, making the aspiring Pokémon Master widen his eyes in shock.

"Hm…" the bearded man in the opposite booth hummed, folding his arms over his chest.

'Though competing in the Kalos League strayed away from his mission…' he began to himself, 'he managed to gather the energy we needed from the Mega Evolutions he faced,' he noted inwardly, 'Still…' he kept going through his thoughts,uncrossing his arms.

"Alain, you understand your new task?" he asked through the microphone, receiving a nod in reply from his subordinate as he looked up at him.

"My job is to take down the three Mega Evolution users that are here," he declared, turning back to his opponent and enlarging the Poké Ball in his hand by pressing its button, "That would be Sunset, Rainbow, and you," he listed off, making Gingka clench his teeth in frustration once again. The raven haired boy in the opposite booth also had a look of anger in his eyes, seeing that the rival he had looked up to throughout the Kalos League was now an enemy before their eyes. His beloved could sense his oncoming rage, developing her own serious expression. However, Fluttershy was completely stunned and frightened, trembling as the thought of someone dear to her was actually working for the other side. Her whimpering voice became apparent to the others in the room, seeing her slowly fall down to her knees on the floor just before the window.

"Fer, fur nape?" Infernape asked, concerned for her trainer as tears were streaking down her cheeks.

"P-Please…" she stuttered in plea, catching the attentions of the two on the field as they both looked up at the booth.

"Fluttershy?" the beyblader uttered with an arched eyebrow, recognizing her breaking voice.

"Alain…" she began, trying to fight back tears while they kept dropping onto the floor, "d-don't do this…" she begged, crying as softly as she could in order to keep her composure intact, "D-Do you really think doing this will help... your friend…?" she questioned, stammering while biting her bottom lip. The revelation brought about by her caught Gingka by surprise as he looked back at his foe, seeing his own expression of shock. Meanwhile, Lysandre narrowed his eyes onto him, closing his left hand into a fist.

'So… he told her about his mission…' he realized, taking a moment to blink before looking back at the opposite booth. His subordinate began turning his head away from the ones up in the closed area, not batting a single eye.

"That's none of your business," he stated coldly. The pink-haired girl's eyes widened at his words, clasping her hands together over her chest, while tears were practically pouring out onto the floor. She let a scream of dismay, sobbing wildly as Mirajane knelt down next to her, placing her hands upon her shoulders in a reassuring manner. The others in the room were quite stunned at her reaction, feeling quite sorry for her. Gingka's eyes trembled as he heard her crying and strained voice. In almost an instant, he used his left hand to pull his beylauncher out from his belt while getting Samurai Pegasus out of its pouch, placing it upon the launcher with a click. His enemy caught the sound as he looked out too late to see him quickly pull back the ripcord, sending the beyblade hurdling towards him. However, it flew past, and in a matter of milliseconds, an explosion of smoke and dust occurred right behind him, making him flinch in surprise as he endured the force of it. Everyone in the booths watched on in astonishment, including Fluttershy as her tears stopped falling for the moment, seeing the veil of grayish smoke begin to clear. Alain coughed as it faded, taking notice of the spinning top speeding back to its user, jumping right into his hand, stopping as steam emerged from it.

"Wh-What was that?" he stuttered, still stunned as his own eyes were trembling.

"There's a few things you don't know about me, too," the beyblader replied, putting both items back into their places upon his belt, "Here's one thing though…" he continued as his foe took a moment to look back, gasping in complete shock to see that he had completely destroyed the gateway he had come through, making it impossible for him to turn away, "Don't make my friends cry," he stated, glaring at him menacingly. The once stoic look upon the Mega Evolution user's face had faded into fright as he was about to be met with the rage of his opponent.

END FLASHBACK

'Fluttershy…' Alain uttered inwardly. He had caused her so much trouble in the past. He caused everyone trouble. Even if his actions were justified by wanting to save Mairin's Chespin, they hurt others in the process. He could hardly believe that the pink-haired girl in his thoughts would be willing to forgive him. That just proved how kind of a person she was.

"Huh…" he exhaled, getting out of bed. Moments later, a Poké Ball was tossed out into the open air. It popped open, with a bright luminosity shooting out from it and spilling onto the dirt field behind the Pokémon Center. Shaping into form, the luminosity dissipated to reveal a Charizard.

"Rah," he huffed, shaking his head. He looked back to see his trainer approach. "Roah?" he uttered in concern.

"I couldn't sleep," Alain admitted, "I still keep thinking about everyone else I wronged…" he noted, sitting down beside his partner.

"Ragh, roah…" the Flame Pokémon said.

"You don't think it's my fault?" his trainer assumed, seeing Charizard shake his head, "Well… I still did all those things…" he pointed out, "Said… all those things…" he added aloud, lowering his head and sighing, "I can't take that back…" he noted sadly.

"Roahhh…" his partner groaned out, placing his tail in between himself and Alain, keeping them both warm.

"Thanks," he said gratefully, "You know, I'm excited to see everyone again someday," he admitted, looking up at the partly cloudy night sky, "Ash… Gingka… Sunset… Rainbow… Fluttershy…" he listed off, "They all wanted the chance to battle us again," he recalled, "Of course, we'll need to make sure we're ready before then," he affirmed to Charizard.

"Rah," he huffed with a nod of agreement. Back inside the Pokémon Center, Mairin yawned as she awoke, rubbing her eyes. She looked to her right, blinking in surprise to find that her traveling companion wasn't in his bed. She went over to the window, rubbing her tired eyes. Looking outside, she smiled to see her friend just gazing up at the stars with his partner. Normally, she would've expected him to be training. But this was probably his way of relaxing in preparation for their trek tomorrow.

The next morning, the pair arrived at the base of the snowy mountain leading to the Frost Cavern. Mairin shuddered, rubbing her arms as her teeth were chattered. In the meantime, Alain was fastening the saddle to the Mamoswine they'd be riding.

"You didn't pack anything warmer?" he inquired of his traveling companion.

"I-I didn't think it'd be this cold…!" she stuttered out, "And why aren't you freezing?" she asked. The raven-haired young man huffed with a grin.

"I guess I tolerate the cold more," he presumed.

"Oh, sure…" Mairin grumbled out.

"Che pin!" Chespie exclaimed excitedly, hopping aboard the Twin Tusk Pokémon.

"Mohh!" he huffed out with a content expression.

"Okay, we should be all set," Alain affirmed, "I think it'll take us about an hour to reach the cave itself," he noted, grabbing a pair of Poké Balls off of his belt, enlarging them with a press of their respective buttons. He tossed them up, having them burst open as their lights spilled onto the snow, dissipating to reveal both his Charizard and Unfezant.

"Rah!" the Flame Pokémon huffed with a puff of fire from his mouth, while the Proud Pokémon spread his wings.

"Would you two mind scouting ahead in case there's any trouble along the way?" their trainer requested. Both nodded, flapping their wings and taking to the sky.

"Alright…" Mairin said, climbing aboard the Mamoswine, "Let's get moving, too!" she insisted, earning a nod of agreement from her traveling companion before he got aboard the Twin Tusk Pokémon himself. They journey up the mountain was thankfully uneventful, though the red-haired girl did marvel the view of the mountainside itself. Several Pokémon roamed about, prancing through the rocks and trees strewn about.

"We're almost there," Alain confirmed while holding onto Mamoswine's reins.

"Hey, Alain," Mairin said, getting his attention, "You think me and Chespie could do Mega Evolution, too?" she inquired of him to his surprise. However, he chuckled.

"Well, you'd probably need Chespie to be a Chesnaught before then," he pointed out to her surprise, "And aside from that, you'd need both a Key Stone and a Mega Stone suited for him," he mentioned on.

"Ugh…" the red-haired girl groaned, "That sounds like a lot of work…" she complained.

"Che…" her Chespin sighed.

"That's how it should be, unfortunately," Alain concurred, thinking back to when he first encountered Lysandre. Getting what he sought after so easily didn't bother him so much back then. It was what he wanted. But… did he really earn it? That's what bothered him now.

"Che, ches pin!" Chespie suddenly cried out, getting his attention.

"What's the matter, Chespie?" Mairin asked of her partner.

"Che!" the Spiny Nut Pokémon squeaked, gesturing ahead with his right arm. Looking out, the pair of trainers saw that they were approaching the entrance to the cavern. But aside from that, they also saw Charizard and Unfezant there, though the latter was downed upon the snowy ground.

"Unfezant!" Alain exclaimed, quickly disembarking from Mamoswine as he ran over, while Mairin yelped, taking hold of the reins. The dark-haired young man approached, hearing the Proud Pokémon moan with agony as his body trembled. "What happened?" he asked of Charizard.

"Rah," he responded, turning his head to the right. Looking over, his trainer blinked in surprise to see a pair of downed Cryogonal upon the snowy ground as well.

"Cryogonal, huh?" he noted, taking out a Poké Ball and aiming it toward Unfezant, "Return," he said, recalling the Proud Pokémon to the spherical container in a beam of red light.

"Is he gonna be okay?" Mairin asked as she approached aboard the Mamoswine.

"Yeah," Alain responded, "If we don't get back soon, I have items that can fix him up fine," he assured to the red-haired girl.

"Rrrr…" Charizard growled out nervously.

"What's the matter?" his trainer asked, peeking into the cavern. He felt something… resonating from it, though he couldn't place what. Mairin and Chespie disembarked from the Mamoswine.

"Thanks for the ride up here!" she exclaimed gratefully to the Twin Tusk Pokémon.

"Mah mohhh!" he responded happily, making her giggle.

"So… this is it," she noted as she went over to her traveling companion's side, "You'll finally get that Key Stone and get to Mega Evolve your Charizard again," she pointed out.

"Yeah…" Alain replied, though he sounded somewhat nervous. It wasn't just about his Unfezant being attacked. There was a chill in the air that felt… eerily familiar.

X

"Hawww…!" a Haunter's voice echoed through the cavern as Alain and Mairin ventured ahead with Chespie and Charizard behind them. The red-haired girl shuddered a little. She watched as a group of Bergmite waddled by, followed by some Swinub and a Piloswine.

"Sure are a lot of Ice-types here…" Mairin noted.

"Yeah," her dark-haired companion agreed, "Which is good for us, since Charizard's a Fire-type," he pointed out.

"Type advantages aren't everything, you know…" Mairin argued, "You remember how Mister Steven's Metagross took on Charizard?" she inquired to his surprise, "Or your battle with that Remo guy in the quarterfinals?" she questioned on.

"Okay, okay…" Alain repeated in understanding as they trekked onward. At that moment, he felt a chill in the air, causing him to come to a stop as his eyes widened.

"Brrrr…" the red-haired girl shivered out, rubbing her arms, "Whoa… what was that?" she wondered aloud.

"Chehh…" Chespie uttered, nervously hiding himself behind Charizard's tail. Alain stared ahead for a moment. He was trying to place that familiar, unnerving feeling he had earlier. At that moment, he gasped with realization, hurrying deeper into the cavern.

"Hey, Alain!" Mairin yelped, hurrying after him alongside their Pokémon. Huffing with cold breaths, the raven-haired young man made his way to the very end of the tunnel. Upon exiting, his eyes slightly widened. Laid before him was an array of crystals through the icy cavern, each of varying colors. Arriving soon after him were Mairin, Charizard, and Chespie. "Geez…" the former of the three groaned out, "If you're gonna just run off, at least tell me why before—!" She stopped herself upon seeing what her traveling companion had found.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" he presumed of her.

"Yeah…" she agreed, letting off a smile, "Are these crystals all Mega Stones?" she wondered curiously.

"Maybe," Alain replied, "But we'll have to make sure, first…" he pointed out.

"In that case, why not have Charizard find the one he wants?" Mairin suggested, "If it's his type of Mega Stone, he should be able to find it, right?" she assumed on.

"Well… I doubt it's that easy…" her companion replied. She blinked in confusion before giving off a look of realization.

"Oh, yeah…" she uttered, "You didn't actually find the Mega Stone or Key Stone in the first place…" she recalled. Alain grimaced as he clenched his fists. "But hey, that's all in the past!" she assured with a smile, "Once you get that Mega Stone and Key Stone, I'm sure you and Charizard'll be back to form!" she affirmed confidently.

"Roagh!" the Flame Pokémon huffed in agreement, sounding excited. His trainer smiled. At that moment, he felt another chill in the air. He too found himself shivering from it, like Mairin and Chespie.

"Okay… can we find the stone quick and get back outside…?" the red-haired girl requested, her teeth starting to chatter.

"Right…" Alain responded, "Let's go, Charizard," he beckoned of his partner. The two of them stepped forward… and saw a figure fly up in front of them. They looked up and gasped to see that it was a Glalie, though much different than they originally remembered.

The Face Pokémon's mouth was extended the length of his face. The lower jaw was all black except for two light-blue, conical, icy spikes. The pupils in his eyes were red instead of black. And the horns on top of his head had been partially turned into ice, with the addition of a third horn on his forehead.

"GLAAAAAAYYYYYYY!" it bellowed, expelling a raging wind with snow from his mouth onto those in the area, causing them to flinch as they braced themselves.

"Chehhh…!" Chespie groaned out before getting himself caught up in the snowy gust. Luckily, Mairin hopped up and caught him.

"You okay?!" she quickly asked, holding him close to her chest.

"Che!" he squeaked in reassurance, making her smile. She then flinched from the blizzard before looking back toward her traveling companion.

"That's not an ordinary Glalie, is it?!" she assumed.

"It's a Mega Glalie…" Alain confirmed in response, narrowing his eyes as he had his arms crossed over his face to protect himself.

'Where's his trainer?' he wondered, 'You can't Mega Evolve without a Key Stone and a strong bond…' he noted inwardly.

"Ragh!" Charizard called out, getting his attention.

"Right, we can't just let him keep attacking us," he affirmed, "Flamethrower!" he commanded. Fire billowed within the Flame Pokémon's mouth before he sprayed a stream of it out at the Mega Evolved Face Pokémon. It struck him squarely in the mouth, causing the gust of snow to cease as he coughed.

"Glayyy…" he growled out.

"We're not here looking for a fight!" Alain shouted, "I'm sorry if we came in here by surprise, but—!" The Glalie's horns each had light blue orbs appear at their ends before he began spinning around quickly, causing two rings to form around his body. He sped toward Charizard, who stood his ground, catching the Mega Evolved Face Pokémon and trying to hold him back. His trainer blinked with confusion.

'He's attacking on his own…?' he questioned through his thoughts. The Flame Pokémon found himself knocked back, gritting his teeth. The Glalie came to a stop. In front of his open mouth, he began forming a purple-and-black ball of energy with sparks crackling over it.

"Charizard, Dragon Claw!" Alain commanded with a swipe of his right arm. Making a green, claw-shaped aura appear over his hands, the Flame Pokémon lunged forward, gliding toward his foe. He released the ball of energy, which his opponent rolled around to evade as it slammed into the ground in a flurry of dust.

"RRROOOOAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Charizard roared, slashing mightily at the Mega Evolved Face Pokémon.

"Glayyy…!" he grunted out. However, he glared back at his enemy before expelling another snowy gust from his mouth onto him, blowing him back before he crashed up against the wall.

"Charizard!" his trainer cried out, seeing him fall down onto his hands and knees. He breathed laboriously. Even though the battle hadn't gone on long, it was clear that the difference in power was much greater with their foe Mega Evolved. Mairin looked on from afar worriedly.

"There's gotta be a way we can help them out…" she noted aloud. At that moment, Chespie blinked in realization.

"Che!" he squeaked to his trainer, hopping out of her arms, "Che, ches pin!" he told her, gesturing toward the Glalie. She then gave off her own look of realization.

"Yeah, that could work!" she exclaimed. The Mega Evolved Pokémon prepared a trio of purple-and-black energy balls, firing them one after another.

"Dodge!" Alain yelled to his partner. He was quick to evade the first two, but the third struck him squarely in the stomach, causing him to crash down onto the cavern floor. "Charizard!" his trainer cried out, seeing him struggle to push himself up. The Glalie had orbs of blue light appear upon the tips of his horns again, spinning around rapidly before heading for his target. The raven-haired young man grimaced.

"Chespie, Toxic!" Mairin's voice suddenly called out to his surprise. At that moment, his friend's Chespin leapt out in front of Charizard. His spines sharpened before shining purple, unleashing two jets of liquid out at the incoming Mega Evolved Face Pokémon. As they reached him, they broke apart and dispersed into a cloud of air enveloping his body. From inside, he coughed. His form glowed purple with sparks and bubbles.

"Mairin…!" Alain gasped out, seeing the red-haired girl coming up to his side.

"This is our journey, isn't it?" she inquired rhetorically of him, "Then we'll get through whatever together!" she declared with a thumbs-up. Blinking in surprise, the raven-haired young man smiled.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. The poisoned Glalie groaned before turning to glare at his foes. Chespie stood firm, though definitely looked nervous. However, Charizard took to his feet behind him.

"RRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared mightily, spraying out fire.

"Let's make this count!" his trainer insisted, "Dragon Claw!" he commanded. Lunging forward, the Flame Pokémon again made a green, claw-shaped aura appear around his hands. The Mega Evolved Face Pokémon released another rush of snowy wind from his mouth onto him. He grimaced, but pushed through it, swiping down at his foe, making the rush of snow cease. "Now Flamethrower!" Alain ordered. Flames billowed within his partner's mouth before he unleashed a blast at point-blank range, blowing him back across the area before he crashed into the wall at the other end in a rush of smoke.

"Alright!" Mairin exclaimed excitedly.

"Che!" Chespie cheered. As the smoke settled, a flash of multicolored light went off. Alain looked in surprise to find that the Glalie had transformed back to normal. Upon his left horn was a patch of ice with a spherical jewel upon it. The jewel was a snowy white with a blue-and-black curved shape inside.

"Glayyy…" the Face Pokémon groaned as it floated up.

"Sorry if we disturbed you," Alain apologized as he approached, reaching into his bag before pulling out a Sitrus Berry, "Here," he offered, holding it out to Glalie.

"Glay?" he uttered in surprise, going over to take the berry with his teeth, followed by eating it, "Glayyy!" he exclaimed with delight. The raven-haired man smiled.

"You too, Charizard," he said, tossing another Sitrus Berry to his partner. He caught it with his mouth, heartily eating it.

"Boy, your Mega Evolution sure is strong!" Mairin complimented of the Face Pokémon as she approached with Chespie held in her arms, "Bet your trainer's real proud!" she added with a smile.

"Glay lee?" Glalie responded in confusion.

"What's wrong?" the red-haired girl asked as she blinked, "Does your trainer not wanna come say hi or…?" she started to inquire, looking around curiously.

"I don't think he has a trainer," Alain said as he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Huh?" Mairin uttered with a surprised expression, "But… that doesn't make sense, does it?" she inquired aloud, "I mean, the only time there's been a Pokémon that didn't need a trainer to Mega Evolve was that Rayquaza…" she recalled.

"Yeah…" the raven-haired young man agreed, putting his right hand onto his chin. He looked over to Glalie, who seemed rather relieved, happily floating about.

'Did he not want to Mega Evolve…?' he wondered. At that moment, he saw the Face Pokémon float up and hit the ceiling, breaking the patch of ice off of his horn, along with the Mega Stone.

"Whoa!" Mairin yelped, quickly catching it as she fell over, "That was close…" she sighed out. Meanwhile, Alain saw the Glalie hurry off.

'What's going on here…?' he inquired inwardly.

"Hey… you think we should head back?" Mairin suggested of him as she got onto her feet, getting his attention, "I mean… it looked like that Glalie was running away from something…" she pointed out. The raven-haired young man was in agreement. But having come this far, it wouldn't be worth it to just give up at the very end.

"We'll leave soon if we can't find the Charizardite," he decided, venturing about in search of the particular Mega Stone. Mairin blinked in surprise, sharing a worried look with her Chespin. They wandered about themselves in search of the jewel.

"Che, che pin?" Chespie squeaked, getting his trainer's attention as he was gesturing to a gem he found frozen in ice. She peered into it as she bent over, squinting to get a better look.

"No… I think that's the other one…" she said, "Charizard's was blue and black, right?" she inquired over to Alain, who was looking at other crystals alongside the Flame Pokémon.

"Yeah… it can be hard to find," he confirmed in reply, "But there're a lot here," he pointed out, "I'm sure we'll see it eventually," he mentioned with confidence. Mairin smiled. At that moment, she felt another chill in the air. So did her traveling companion as he flinched. He looked over, noticing another tunnel at the end of the room.

"That felt even worse than earlier…" the red-haired girl admitted. Alain was inclined to agree. But he also knew that something was amiss. Without hesitating again, he headed toward the tunnel. "Ah, hey!" Mairin yelped, hurrying after him with Chespie and Charizard. The raven-haired young man let out cold, labored breaths as he hurried onward. Between what had happened at the entrance to the Mega Glalie he and his companions had to face, he knew that whatever else dwelled in the cavern was potentially even more dangerous. He reached the end of the tunnel, almost tripping as he came to a stop. His eyes widened as he gasped.

"No…" he uttered out. Mairin arrived at the end of the tunnel, tripping over onto her stomach as she screamed, while her Chespin hopped out of her arms just in time.

"Ow…" she groaned, pushing herself up, "Alain, you gotta stop running off outta nowhere…" she grumbled, bringing herself onto her feet as she adjusted her hat. She looked out and gasped herself. Floating in front of her and her companions was a large, multicolored crystal.

"Roaahhh…!" Charizard gasped out.

"Is that… the Megalith?" Mairin inquired as she pointed at it.

"I don't think so… but…" Alain started to reply, "this energy feels… different…" he pointed out.

"Different?" the red-haired girl repeated in confusion, "How?" she wondered aloud.

"Well, it's smaller for one thing," her companion answered as he walked around the floating stone, inspecting it closely, "But for another, the energy it's emitting is a lot similar to the feeling I get when I Mega Evolve Charizard," he explained on.

"Wait, you recognize that just from the feeling?" Mairin questioned, earning a nod in response from Alain, "So this thing is like one giant Key Stone…" she concluded.

"Yeah…" the raven-haired young man agreed, narrowing his eyes.

'That Glalie was carrying a Glalitite earlier…' he noted, 'And based on the energy I'm feeling from the Megalith, it's likely that it made Glalie Mega Evolve, even without a trainer to form a strong bond with…' he further told himself. Another rush of chilling air washed over him and his companions. Charizard went ahead and shielded Mairin and Chespie, spreading his wings in front of them with his back turned.

"Thanks, Charizard!" the red-haired girl exclaimed gratefully.

"Che!" her Chespin squeaked with a smile. As the sudden blizzard subsided, Alain then heard a rumble. He looked out to see an imposing figure crawling forward. It was an Abomasnow, whose sprouts on his back had grown into great shafts of ice. His fur had become longer and shaggier over his entire body, particularly around his head. Green sprout remnants surrounded the base of the large icicles on his back, while white fur covered the middle.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he bellowed out mightily.

"I'm guessing that's a Mega Abomasnow?!" Mairin presumed in panic.

"Yeah…" Alain responded with a grimace. With the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon's roar, hail started to rain about in the cavern. It nicked Charizard and Chespie, making them wince.

"Ah, Chespie!" Mairin yelped, shielding her partner as best she could.

'Hail from Snow Warning, huh?' the raven-haired young man concluded inwardly, 'That's going to be a big problem if we don't stop it somehow…' he pointed out to himself.

"Roah?" Charizard huffed, getting his trainer's attention.

"Yeah, this'll be easier now," he affirmed confidently, "Flamethrower!" he commanded. Rearing his head back, the Flame Pokémon unleashed a powerful stream of fire forward. The Abomasnow opened his mouth, releasing a powerful rush of snowy wind. It completely washed over the flames, crashing into the shocked Charizard as he was slammed back into the wall. "Charizard!" Alain cried out, running over to check on him.

"No way…" Mairin uttered in disbelief.

"AAABBBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon bellowed, making her wince.

"Che, che pin!" Chespie squeaked insistently, getting her attention.

"Right!" she responded with a nod, "We stopped Glalie, so we can definitely stop you, too!" she affirmed confidently, letting her Chespin hop out of her arms onto the ground, "Use Toxic!" she called out. With his spines sharpening, the Spiny Nut Pokémon made them shine purple before unleashing two jets of purple poisonous liquid towards his target. However, he lifted his right arm, encasing it in a green, stump-shaped energy. He swung it out onto the incoming jets of liquid, making them dissipate instantaneously into a cloud of smoke.

"CHES?!" Chespie squeaked in shock with widened eyes.

"No way!" Mairin yelped. The smoke then cleared to reveal the Mega Evolved Frost Pokémon about to bring his arm down onto the Chespin. He shrieked with fright, unsure if he could dodge.

"Thunder Punch!" Alain's voice yelled, making him perk up in surprise. Charizard dashed in, having cloaked his right hand in an orb of yellow electricity before punching the Abomasnow in the face with it, causing him to slide back.

"Charizard!" Mairin exclaimed with a relieved look, while her raven-haired companion hurried over.

"Mairin, you should let me handle this for now," he insisted of her. She seemed reluctant at first, but understood why he would suggest that. She nodded, going over to pick up Chespie and move away from the battle.

"Bahhmmaaaa…" the Abomasnow growled, stomping into a ready position.

"Let's see if you can handle this!" Alain challenged, "Dragon Claw!" he ordered fiercely. Charizard made a green, claw-shaped aura surround both of his hands before lunging forward, gliding toward the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon. He narrowed his eyes before releasing another rush of snowy air from his mouth. His foe evaded it, flying by and slashing at him fiercely.

"Baaahhhh…!" he groaned out. Alain grinned.

'If we time our attacks right, we'll win for sure!' he affirmed inwardly with confidence.

"Now Flamethrower!" he commanded, swinging his right hand forward. The Flame Pokémon had fire billow within his mouth. In that same moment, the Abomasnow turned to face him. His body had a light-blue aura glowing around it before orange sparks of electricity sparked off of it. Alain widened his eyes. "Watch out!" he yelled in panic.

"Rah?" Charizard huffed out of confusion. He failed to notice the white ring of light appearing above him, forming into multiple white ovals of aura that shaped into gray stones with a light-blue outline. Before he could unleash his flames, the stones slammed into him one after another, sending him crashing to the ground in a flurry of dust.

"CHARIZARD!" Alain screamed. From afar, Mairin's eyes were shaking.

"That was Rock Slide…" she realized. As the dust settled, it revealed a pile of rocks over the Flame Pokémon. He broke free from them, shaking his head before glaring out at his foe. He unleashed yet another rush of snowy wind toward his target.

"Dodge!" the raven-haired young man yelled. Reacting quickly, Charizard managed to fly his way over the blizzard, gliding about the area. Abomasnow watched him circle around, awaiting his next attack. He was wincing from the bits of hail continuing to hit him.

'We have to settle this soon!' Alain realized, clenching his fists, 'If we're going to earn the right to use Mega Evolution again, we have to win!' he proclaimed inwardly.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" he commanded, sticking his right hand out. The Flame Pokémon reared his head back, releasing a powerful blast of fire down toward Abomasnow. He stood his ground, however.

"SSSNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he bellowed. His body became surrounded by in a veil of rainbow-colored light, much to Alain's surprise as he blinked. As the flames collided with the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon, it looked as if he wasn't even fazed. In fact, he reared his left arm back, prepping a green, stumped-shaped aura over it. Charizard didn't even have the chance to react before winding up struck down to the ground by his foe's arm.

"Ragh…" he groaned as the dust settled, letting out a few coughs before standing up.

"Charizard…" Mairin uttered worriedly, "Alain, we should go!" she insisted of her raven-haired friend, "You can't push Charizard to take on two Mega Evolutions!" she pointed out.

"But we can't give up here!" Alain argued in response, clenching his fists tightly, "I don't…" he started to say, "I don't want to lose!" he yelled out.

"Alain…" Mairin said with shaking eyes. At that moment, a reddish-orange, flaming aura started building up around Charizard, who roared mightily.

"Blaze… good," his trainer said, "We'll settle this with one last move!" he declared, "Blast Burn!" he ordered. Orange flames spewed to life around the Flame Pokémon, who clenched both of his fists before slamming them against the ground. It started cracking, with orange lights spewing out and trailing towards Abomasnow. He didn't move, standing his ground as the luminosity converged onto him, enveloping him in a powerful explosion. Alain braced himself from the blast's force, shielding his eyes with his arms.

'That worked… didn't it?' he assumed inwardly. The smoke was slow to settle. But as it did, his eyes widened. Still standing with a fair few nicks to his body was the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon.

"SNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" he bellowed out.

"No way…!" Alain gasped in disbelief. Labored breaths were all that were coming out from his Charizard, who was on the verge of collapse. Abomasnow unleashed another rush of snowy wind from his mouth, washing over the Flame Pokémon as he tumbled back, crashing into the wall.

"Charizard!" Mairin cried out, quickly going over to check on the Flame Pokémon. The dust settled, revealing that he was lying upon the ground, groaning with agony. The red-haired girl was completely stunned. "Alain, we gotta go!" she insisted of her companion, trying to get his attention, "Hey!" she yelled, not hearing a response. He was tuning her out, too shell-shocked by the idea that his partner had just lost with such an advantage. He didn't even realize the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon was targeting him next.

"Che!" Chespie squeaked, quickly making a pair of vines shoot out from his shoulders. They wrapped around the raven-haired young man, pulling him away before he could end up struck by another blizzard from the Abomasnow.

"Nice one, Chespie!" Mairin complimented of her partner, who nodded as he retracted his vines, "Alain, are you okay?" she asked.

"I…" he tried to say, shaking his head, "Let's get out of here," he decided, returning his fainted Charizard to his Poké Ball in a beam of red light. He, Mairin and Chespie then hurried off, with the former glancing back at the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon, who bellowed angrily. A look of frustration crossed his face. If not for the fact that he didn't have a Mega Evolution… maybe he could've won.

X

"It was totally crazy, Professor!" Mairin exclaimed back in the Pokémon Center later that evening, "We were able to take down the Mega Glalie, but then there was this Mega Abomasnow deeper in the cave!" she explained further to the video phone with Augustine having been contacted.

"And you're certain they both didn't have trainers?" he inquired. Mairin shook her head.

"In fact, we found a rock that looked a lot like the Megalith!" she pointed out.

"What?!" the professor exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah, it surprised me, too!" the red-haired girl admitted, "Alain thinks it might be what caused them to Mega Evolve in the first place," she told the professor, "The Glalie we battled had his Mega Stone on him…" she remembered.

"Hmmm…" Augustine hummed, "Where is Alain, by chance?" he asked curiously, "I'm sure he'd be happy to discuss the details more," he pointed out. Mairin blinked in surprise before glancing away sadly.

"Well…" she uttered out. Elsewhere in one of the many rooms of the Pokémon Center, Alain sat beside the table his Charizard lied upon. After being treated, the Flame Pokémon needed to rest up for the night. His trainer looked down ashamedly, staring at his barren left wrist.

'I haven't felt like this since…' he started to recall, only to exhale a sigh. So much of his journey had revolved around him becoming a master of Mega Evolution. And yet now… he didn't feel worthy of it. He had been given the gifts of a Key Stone and a Mega Stone in the past, used to further another's ambitions, and wound up pushing away the people that cared about him.

He had to wonder if that person would be stronger than the one he was trying to be. If he didn't give up the Mega Ring and the Charizardite X… would he be strong enough? He didn't know. He didn't want to know. Right now, the only feeling in his heart was regret for putting his friends in danger.

"Hey, Alain?" Mairin's voice chimed in, getting his attention as he saw her enter the room with Chespie, "I just got off the phone with the professor," she told him.

"Oh," he uttered out.

"So… how's Charizard?" the red-haired girl asked as she approached.

"He'll be fine after some rest," her traveling companion assured in response.

"Well, that's good," Mairin said with a smile.

"Mairin… I'm sorry," Alain suddenly apologized, causing her to blink out of surprise, "I put you and Chespie in danger because I wanted so badly to win that battle…" he confessed ashamedly, lowering his head, "I just…" he tried to say, letting out a sigh. The red-haired girl gave off a worried look. She looked down to her partner, who nodded to her. She nodded back.

"You know… I understood deep down why you were pushing me away," she admitted, causing him to perk up in shock, "You didn't want me or anyone else you cared about to get hurt," she pointed out, "And that included everyone you wanted to protect," she mentioned in remembrance, "But the thing is, we're all here to support you," she affirmed, "And whether we can do things as good or not," she continued, "it's all worth it in the end if we do it together, right?" she assumed, letting off a little smile. The raven-haired young man blinked before managing to smile himself.

"You're right," he agreed, "I'm glad that… Gingka and Ash helped me see that back then," he noted in remembrance, "And Fluttershy, too," he added.

"Fluttershy?" Mairin repeated, "You mean your girlfriend?" she guessed.

"Sh-She's not my girlfriend…" Alain claimed with a stutter, blushing a little.

"Oh, really~?" the red-haired girl teased in a singsong voice, making him turn a bit redder, "Well, either way," she continued, "I'm glad they helped you out, too," she affirmed, putting her hands onto her hips, "And like you said, you're starting from zero without that Mega Ring and Mega Stone," she mentioned as a point, "The fact that you managed to stand up to not just one, but two Mega Evolutions proves that you're really amazing," she told him, "The professor thinks so, too," she added.

"Hm," Alain chuckled out, "Well, I'm glad to hear it," he admitted, exhaling a deep breath before standing up, "But I still need to figure out how we can take on that Mega Abomasnow," he pointed out, "If he was able to take both a Flamethrower and a Blast Burn like they were barely nothing," he kept going, folding his arms over his chest, "how could we beat him?" he wondered aloud.

"Yeah, I was asking the professor about that," Mairin noted, getting his attention, "Apparently, there's a move that was discovered in another region used by Ice-types," she explained, "They call it Aurora Veil," she mentioned.

"Aurora Veil?" Alain repeated, arching an eyebrow.

"It's like Reflect and Light Screen combined into one for a Pokémon," the red-haired girl said, "And it only works whenever it's hailing," she added.

"Only when it's hailing?" her traveling companion repeated again. At that moment, he heard Charizard let out a long yawn, opening his eyes.

"Rah…?" he uttered out.

"Hey bud," his trainer greeted, reaching out to pet his head, "Sorry I put you through all that," he apologized. The Flame Pokémon huffed contently, while Mairin giggled. Later that evening, she was enjoying some dinner while outside on the dirt field, Alain stared at a pair of Poké Balls in his hands.

'After I was able to use Mega Evolution, I didn't really have a need for other Pokémon, except for the Lumiose Conference…' he noted to himself, 'That's probably part of why I lost…' he admitted inwardly with a little smile.

FLASHBACK

"Pikah...!" Pikachu grunted out as he endured the raging sandstorm produced by Tyranitar's Sand Stream. Even with most of his attacks landing to start the battle, the Armor Pokémon was proving to be a difficult challenge, especially with the sandstorm.

"Ergh..." Ash growled in frustration. This was definitely not how he wanted to start the finals with Alain.

"Ash isn't a stranger to weather effects, so it's not like he's at a complete disadvantage out there," Gingka pointed out with his arms crossed.

"Yeah, all he has to do get rid of the sandstorm is take out Tyranitar..." Sunset realized, remembering how the Armor Pokémon had given her trouble in the semifinal match.

"But maybe Ash is trying to think of another way to take care of it..." Mirajane suggested as she put her hand up to her chin. Everyone in the stands watched on curiously. What was Ash and Pikachu's next move?

"Pikachu, come back!" the trainer called out suddenly.

"Pi?!" Pikachu squeaked in surprise, but quickly obeyed as he headed back to the pedestal his trainer was upon.

"Ash has suddenly decided to switch out Pikachu!" the announcer's voice echoed over the loudspeaker, "What could he be planning?!" he wondered loudly. Alain narrowed his eyes. Surely Ash wouldn't call back Pikachu if he didn't have a plan in mind... His opponent enlarged a Poké Ball in his hand.

"Noivern, I choose you!" he exclaimed, tossing the ball into the air. It popped open, and the light that came out of it formed in midair before dissipating to reveal the Sound Wave Pokémon.

"Nuuoooooiiii!" he screeched as he glided about.

"Noivern?" Erza uttered in surprise.

"He's not a better match against Tyranitar..." Serena noted worriedly. But even with their concerns in the stands, Ash grinned. He had a plan, staring at the river on the field.

"Noivern, use Boomburst on the water!" he commanded. Alain blinked in surprise. Noivern then flew up, making his ears glow a bright blue before firing off a powerful sound wave from them. It struck the water, causing it to splash up and rain down all over the sandstorm, making it dissipate instantly.

"WOW!" the announcer exclaimed, "Ash's Noivern just took care of that sandstorm thanks to well-aimed Boomburst!" he noted loudly.

"Not bad..." Alain commented... right before his expression turned serious, "Tyranitar, Dark Pulse!" he commanded. Tyranitar's mouth glowed brightly before he fired off a beam of dark purple circles towards the Sound Wave Pokémon.

"Dodge and use Dragon Claw!" Ash yelled. Noivern quickly flew away from the beam, letting a green claw-like aura shroud his claws before he dove down and slashed at Tyranitar, sending him sliding back.

"Brrrhhh..." he growled in pain, keeling onto his left knee.

"Alain!" Ash called out, catching his opponent's attention, "Noivern's not the same from when you beat him last time!" he stated firmly.

"VERRRR!" the Sound Wave Pokémon screeched in agreement, grateful for his trainer's support.

"Is that so?" Alain wondered, "Use Shadow Claw!" he ordered with a swing of his right arm. The shadowy purple aura in the shape of a claw shrouded Tyranitar's right hand as he charged out at Noivern.

"Acrobatics!" Ash commanded. A bright blue light appeared upon Noivern before he dashed towards Tyranitar, evading his swipes before slamming head on into his back, causing him to stumble over into the water of the river.

"Tyranitar!" Alain cried out. Fortunately, the Armor Pokémon was getting up onto his feet, but he didn't notice Noivern looming overhead.

"Don't let up!" Ash shouted, "Use Supersonic!" he commanded.

"NUUUOOOOIIIIIII!" Noivern screeched, unleashing a sonic wave down onto Tyranitar before he could even react. He then started to flail around crazily in the river, much to Alain's shock.

"And Noivern lands the Supersonic to confuse Tyranitar!" the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeaker, "I don't know about you, but that Ash Ketchum certainly came up with quite the plan!" he complimented loudly.

"What a strategist Ash is..." Erza noted, sounding amazed, "The Omni Force is certainly in good hands with someone like him around," she mentioned as she looked over at Gingka, who blinked in surprise before grinning.

"Yeah," he agreed.

"Noivern, Boomburst!" Ash ordered with a pump of his fist.

"VERRRRRRRRRNNNNN!" the Sound Wave Pokémon screeched as his ears glowed a bright blue before he fired off a powerful blast of sound down that struck Tyranitar, enveloping him within a fierce explosion. As the smoke from the blast subsided, it revealed the Armor Pokémon lying on the ground with swirls in his eyes.

"Tyranitar is unable to battle! Noivern wins!" the referee announced with a wave of his arm towards the Sound Wave Pokémon, who landed down in front of his trainer.

"Nice job, Noivern!" Ash complimented.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu squeaked happily. The image of the Armor Pokémon on the jumbotron went gray.

"And Ash's Noivern secures the first win of the match!" the announcer exclaimed excitedly, "Now let's see how things'll go from here!" he shouted loudly as the crowd went into a frenzy of cheers.

END FLASHBACK

Among many other things that had happened in their battle at the finals of the Lumiose Conference, Alain realized that he had ultimately lost to Ash because he was more connected with each of his Pokémon compared to him. Every single one of them had a strong bond with him, while he only had one with Charizard. He looked up to the night sky.

'We'll win this fight together,' he affirmed inwardly, willing to not be deterred.

X

The next day, Alain and Mairin journeyed back to Frost Cavern aboard a Mamoswine like before. As they approached the entrance, they noticed a fair amount of wild Pokémon gathered there. In fact, they were ones they remembered seeing inside yesterday. One of them happened to be Glalie.

"Glay?" he uttered in surprise, spotting the incoming pair of trainers, "Glay!" he exclaimed, floating over to them.

"Oh, hey there!" the red-haired girl greeted, "Good to see you out and about after all that Mega Evolution stuff!" she pointed out happily, "What's going on, though?" she asked, taking notice of all the other Pokémon. Many of them were whimpering with fright.

"It's Abomasnow," Alain realized with narrowed eyes, "He must still be out of control down there…" he concluded.

"And he scared off all the Pokémon that live inside the cave," Mairin added, looking over sadly to the others, "There must not be anyone strong enough to try and stop him…" she pointed out.

"Glayyy…" Glalie confirmed with a sad shake.

"Don't worry!" the red-haired girl assured with a pump of her right fist, "Alain and I are gonna make sure Abomasnow doesn't cause you anymore trouble!" she promised.

"Che, ches pin!" Chespie affirmed upon her lap, making her giggle. Alain smiled at their encouragement. Though deep down, he was nervous. Moments later, he and Mairin were venturing through the cavern tunnels.

"Hey…" the latter began while carrying her Chespin in her arms, "how long do you think Abomasnow's been Mega Evolved?" she inquired of her traveling companion.

"Probably since he found his Mega Stone," he answered, "With that Megalith acting as a Key Stone conduit, a Mega Evolution must happen instantly when a Pokémon with a Mega Stone's near it," he inferred thoroughly.

"Then we'll have to be careful if we find Charizard's Mega Stone…" the red-haired girl pointed out.

"If we do, that is…" Alain corrected with a grim expression.

"We will this time," Mairin affirmed as she held out her right fist, smiling confidently. Surprised by that, her raven-haired companion let off a little grin. They could feel the chill in the air as they went deeper into the cavern, noticing that the walls and floor were frozen with ice. The pair was careful to navigate down through the tunnel that led to the Megalith, arriving to find that it was surrounded by ice. "Whoa…" the red-haired girl uttered out.

"Abomasnow's power is causing all of this…" Alain noted, clenching his fists, "We'll take it down here!" he decided firmly, readying a Poké Ball in his right hand after enlarging it with a press of its button, "Charizard!" he called out, throwing the spherical container up into the air. It burst open, with its light spilling forth onto the ground, shaping into form and then dissipating to reveal the Flame Pokémon.

"RRRROOOOOOOAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" he roared, spraying out orange flames from his mouth. At that moment, he and the others felt a nearby rumble. Stomping his way over was the Mega Evolved Abomasnow. Cold breaths left his mouth as he glared out at his opponent.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he bellowed, whipping up a hailstorm that blew about the area.

'Just like before…' Alain recalled.

"Charizard, Flamethrower!" he commanded of his partner. Fire billowed in the Flame Pokémon's mouth before he sprayed a stream of it out toward his foe. Reacting quickly, the Abomasnow released a rush of snowy wind from his mouth. It struck the incoming flames in an explosion of steam, which spread about the area.

"Rah!" Charizard yelled to his trainer.

"Yeah!" he responded, "Thunder Punch!" he ordered, pumping his right fist out. An orb of yellow electricity shrouded the right hand of the Flame Pokémon as he closed it into a fist. He glided through the cloud of steam, approaching his foe and striking him fiercely upside his head.

"Bahhh…!" he grunted out, glaring back at his opponent. A green, stump-shaped aura shrouded his right arm before he swung it out at Charizard. He flew back to evade it, landing upon the ground as the steam cleared.

"Nice job, Charizard!" Alain complimented.

"Rah!" the Flame Pokémon huffed back, followed by wincing slightly as the bits of hail nicked him.

'We're going to have to deal with this hail at some point…' his trainer noted inwardly with narrowed, remembering how the effects of the weather had not only hindered Charizard's ability to fight, but also allowed for Abomasnow to set up his Aurora Veil. He knew that the Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon would use that very move the moment he was backed into a corner.

"Abaaaahhhhh!" he yelled, releasing another raging rush of snowy wind from his mouth.

"Blast Burn!" Alain ordered quickly. An orange, flaming aura erupted around Charizard as he roared, slamming his fists against the ground. Orange lights started spewing from the cracks that formed, trailing up and exploding to counteract the incoming blizzard in another blast of steam.

"Ah!" Mairin yelped, bracing herself and Chespie as they turned away. As the steam rushed by, the raven-haired young man narrowed his eyes.

'What's he going to do now?' he wondered through his thoughts. At that moment, he noticed orange sparks coming from the steam.

"Charizard, look out!" he warned immediately. The Flame Pokémon noticed the ring of light appearing above him, shaping into several stones that rained down. He braced himself, folding his wings over his head as he endured the rocks striking him. His trainer grimaced, clenching his shaking fists. Mairin and Chespie watched on worriedly. When the stones finally stopped coming down, Charizard unfolded his wings in a pained grunt.

"RRRRROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" he roared, spewing fire out from his mouth.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Abomasnow bellowed in response.

"Man, that Abomasnow sure is tough…" Mairin noted as sweat trickled down the side of her head.

"Yeah…" Alain agreed, though he grinned, "This battle isn't over yet, though!" he affirmed confidently, "Charizard, Flamethrower!" he commanded. The Flame Pokémon reared his head back, unleashing another powerful stream of fire out toward his foe. He took a ready stance.

'Now our's chance!' the raven-haired young man decided upon noticing, preparing another Poké Ball in his right hand as he enlarged it with a press of its button.

"Tyranitar, go!" he yelled, tossing it out. It burst open with a flash of blue light, spilling onto the ground and shaping into form before dissipating to reveal the Armor Pokémon.

"BRRRAAAAAHHHH!" he roared out, with a rush of sand shooting from beneath his feet. The hail was instantly swept away by the sudden sandstorm. And as such, Abomasnow blinked in surprise as the multicolored field he expected to form failed to appear.

"Whoa!" Mairin yelped upon noticing, "What just happened?!" she asked, blinking rapidly.

"Sand Stream," Alain answered, getting her attention, "When Tyranitar's brought into battle, he immediately sets a Sandstorm," he explained, "I figured that Aurora Veil wouldn't work if the Hail wasn't up," he noted with a grin.

"And that means he won't be able to defend himself!" the red-haired girl realized with a smile.

"Cheh!" Chespie squeaked happily.

"Charizard!" Alain called out as the Flame Pokémon landed down, still wincing, "Sorry, but you're going to have to bear with the Sandstorm for now…" he told him.

"Rah," he huffed with a nod of reassurance.

"Bahmaaahhhh…" Abomasnow growled out. A green, stump-shaped aura shrouded his right arm as he barreled forward.

"Tyranitar, Stone Edge!" Alain commanded. The Armor Pokémon went ahead and slammed his right arm against the cavern floor. Light-blue pillars of rock erected from the ground, trailing up and striking the incoming Mega Evolved Frost Tree Pokémon, sending him stumbling back as he bellowed with pain. "Charizard, Dragon Claw!" the raven-haired young man yelled out. Cloaking his hands in a green, claw-shaped aura, the Flame Pokémon lunged toward his opponent. He got back up, shaking his head before making orange sparks shoot off underneath his body, which started glowing in a light-blue aura. A ring of white luminosity shone overheard, expanding before shaping into multiple small boulders.

"AABBBAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he bellowed, having the small boulders rain down towards the incoming Flame Pokémon. He weaved around them though, closing in and slashing mightily. His foe slid back along the ground, slamming against the wall. "Bah… bah…" he breathed out.

'We're getting close!' Alain concluded inwardly, keeping his fists clenched.

"Flamethrower! And Dark Pulse!" he commanded on. Charizard made fire billow up within his mouth, while Tyranitar opened his own as an orb of dark energy swelled to life in front of it. Their opponent made a green, stump-shaped aura shroud both of his arms. His foes unleashed a stream of flames and a beam of purple-and-black energy rings, which he countered with his arms as smoke rushed about the cavern.

The Flame Pokémon braced himself from the smoke, crossing his arms over his head while closing his eyes. In doing so, he failed to notice that Abomasnow had prepared another log-shaped aura of green luminosity over his left arm, swinging it toward him. However, Tyranitar charged in and blocked it off with his body.

"Braahh!" he yelled out, gritting his teeth.

"Thanks, Tyranitar!" Alain exclaimed gratefully, "Charizard, Flamethrower!" he commanded with a pump of his right fist. With the fire at his tail burning brightly, the Flame Pokémon reared his head back before unleashing a powerful stream of orange fire onto Abomasnow, whose eyes widened before he was struck.

"BAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" he bellowed in agony, crashing up against the wall again with a flurry of dirt and dust to follow. Mairin braced herself before looking out worriedly, wondering if her friends had won. The dust settled with a flash of multicolored light as the sandstorm subsided as well. Alain stepped forward, blinking in surprise to see that the Frost Tree Pokémon had transformed back to normal, rubbing the back of his head. Lying next to him was a patch of ice that had a Mega Stone in it, being a grayish-silver with a white-and-green curved shape within.

"It's the same thing with Glalie, right?" Mairin assumed as she sauntered over.

"Yeah," her raven-haired friend confirmed in reply, nodding his head. He walked up to the Abomasnow, reaching into one of his pockets for a Sitrus Berry. "Here," he offered, getting the Frost Tree Pokémon's attention as he looked up in surprise, "You're probably worn out from all that time you spent Mega Evolved, right?" he assumed. Abomasnow accepted the berry, eating it heartily.

"Bah!" he exclaimed with delight, chowing away at the rest of it. The raven-haired trainer smiled. As he granted both Charizard and Tyranitar berries of their own to eat, he went over to gaze upon the Megalith. Mairin approached.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Seeing this makes me wonder…" Alain began, looking back to each of the Pokémon present, "Maybe we won't just be bringing back Mega Stones…" he realized, giving off a little smile.

"Huh?" Mairin uttered in confusion as she blinked. She couldn't help but notice the hopeful look in her friend's eyes. He felt as if he has proved himself in the end for his Pokémon. And with that, he felt worthy to be the trainer he wanted to be again.

X

To make a long story just a little shorter, Alain was not only able to get the Charizardite X he'd been searching for, but also many other Mega Stones and the Megalith. Returning to Lumiose City, there was a great sense of pride dwelling within him. He had overcome a great challenge, defeating a Mega Evolution without one of his own.

In a way, you could say he reached his own Mega Evolution. Regardless, now the question becomes… what's next?

LUMIOSE CITY

Standing just outside the Pokémon Lab, Alain exhaled a deep breath and smiled. He looked down at the new Mega Ring at his left wrist, designed with blue flames. He turned to his left, seeing Charizard beside him a silver collar that had the Charizardite X upon it.

"Rah!" he huffed happily as he spread his wings.

"Feels like nothing really changed from the look of it…" his trainer admitted, "But I know we're both a lot stronger now," he affirmed to his partner, who nodded, "It's just… I'm not sure where we should start," he confessed aloud with a chuckle.

"Why not take a break before figuring that out?" a voice suggested, catching his attention as he and the Flame Pokémon turned to see none other than Gingka walking over along the sidewalk.

"Gingka…" Alain uttered in surprise, "What are you doing here?" he asked curiously.

"You remember those Pokémon we had brought over from those hunters?" the beyblader questioned back, "Professor Sycamore was planning on having us give them to other members of the Omni Force," he told him, "That way, they can do Mega Evolution like you, me, and Ash," he pointed out.

"Wait, Ash?" Alain repeated in confusion, "He can use Mega Evolution, too?" he inquired as he blinked. Gingka nodded. "Well… I guess I shouldn't be too surprised…" he admitted aloud, "He really is amazing…" he pointed out, looking up towards the sky in remembrance.

FLASHBACK

Everyone in the Lumiose Stadium had widened eyes and gaping mouths at the sight of the huge explosion on the battlefield. Before the humungous cloud of smoke had appeared, both Ash's Greninja and Alain's Charizard had unleashed their most powerful attacks: a giant orange Water Shuriken and a Blast Burn respectively. As the moves had ended up passing each other and striking their targets, a huge cloud of white and black smoke veiled the stage from anyone's view. Mirajane Strauss stood up from her seat with Erza Scarlet, Gingka Hagane, Sunset Shimmer, and Rainbow Dash, as they were all worried about the result that they would eventually see. The smoke finally cleared to reveal both the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon and the transformed Ninja Pokémon still standing on their respective sides of the field. The former of the two suddenly staggered onto his left knee, grimacing in agony. However, his opponent, who had remained stoic for so long, felt himself start to fall over without warning to his left. His trainer was doing the same as well, having his eyelids droop down slowly.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu screamed to him upon noticing, hoping he would hear his voice in time.

'It's… over…' he uttered to himself, feeling faint as he could see his teammate about pass out as well, 'Can we really… not win?' he asked inwardly, glancing down at the floor he was going to hit.

"Ash!" his crush shouted from the stands.

"Don't give up!" Serena exclaimed as her eyes became filled with tears. Everyone there, including Bonnie, Clemont, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Sawyer, Tierno, Trevor, and Shauna all voiced their pleading cries out to the raven haired boy, who was about to succumb to unconsciousness. However, in the last moment before his body could take a free fall, he took notice of the guild mark upon the right pectoral of his jacket, suddenly widening his eyes back open as he lifted his left foot, planting it down in a position to keep him from falling. He instantly looked back out at the field with clenched teeth and eyes that glared daggers, much to the shock of Alain.

"GRENINJA!" he bellowed, immediately causing the Water/Dark type's eyes to jerk open as he put his left foot down, keeping himself from going down in the same manner as his master was about to, causing his foe to widen his eyes in disbelief.

"RRRRAAAAHHH!" they roared together up into the air, synchronizing the sounds in their voices.

"Go Ash!" the little blonde haired girl cheered loudly from the stands, "Go Greninja!" she added excitedly.

"Day, dennay!" Dedenne squeaked in agreement.

"There's that willpower again," Erza noted, folding her arms over her chest, "The ability to never give up, even if you're on your last leg…" she mentioned as the ones beside her smiled in agreement.

"Oh my!" the announcer exclaimed through the loudspeaker as the crowd broke into a frenzy of cheers, "Greninja was about to fall, but suddenly stood back up from hearing his trainer!" he pointed out as the Mega Evolution user's eyes trembled at the sight.

"There's… no way…" he uttered, completely stunned by the development. His opponent then slammed his right fist against his pectoral, right over the guild mark.

"Greninja, the marks on our chests prove that we're not fighting alone!" he stated to his teammate as he performed the same action, "The Omni Force… Fairy Tail…" he continued with a determined expression in his eyes, "They're all with us! All cheering us on!" he declared proudly as his friends in the stands, his former companions watching the battle from the television from across the world, and those listening to the battle on the radio all grinned.

'This is it,' Gingka said through thought, clenching his fists, 'This is where it all comes together…' he inwardly realized.

"Use Cut!" the raven haired boy ordered, slamming his fist against the palm of his left hand like a certain ice wizard, much to the requip mage's surprise as she widened her eyes.

"Gray..." she uttered, recognizing the movements as the morphed Ninja Pokémon did the same, pulling out a single kunai-shaped blade of blue from them, which gleamed in the sunlight before he rushed towards his enemy.

"Dragon Claw!" Alain commanded. His partner immediately responded by forming a green, claw-like aura around both of his hands, about to lunge out and attack his opponent with them. Suddenly though, the frog-like creature appeared in front him, making the blade of his makeshift weapon lengthen before swinging it out, striking him before he could even counter, much to the shock of his trainer. The Water/Dark type continued slicing with the armament, pushing him back so that he couldn't even block his attacks.

"My goodness!" the announcer yelped into the microphone, "It seems as if Greninja still has plenty of energy left in the tank!" he noted excitedly as the one he was speaking of swung his blade down onto his foe, slicing through the aura over his hands and making it shatter like glass while also pushing him back across the dirt, making him grimace in agony.

"Charizard..." the Mega Evolution user said with a shocked expression on his face. He then looked towards his opponent, seeing the determined glare in his eyes, piercing into his own.

'Is he... really THIS strong?!' he asked himself, starting to panic a little as he was sweating.

"Use Thunder Punch!" he cried out quickly. Re-readying himself, the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon lunged out, immersing both of his fists in orbs of yellow electricity.

"Aerial Ace!" Ash commanded loudly, getting into a stance with clenched fists, as his teammate did the same, having his glow a light blue. He instantly jumped out, reeling his right arm back before punching his adversary in the face, sending him careening back across the dirt as he groaned in agony.

"Natsu..." the Satan Soul user uttered from the stands, having recalled seeing the same movements from a certain dragon slayer. The two creatures stared each other down with scrapes all across their bodies, looking as if they were ready to settle their duel.

"GRENINJA, WATER SHURIKEN!" the raven haired boy commanded, reaching behind his back after turning his cap around. The transformed Ninja Pokémon took hold of the watery weapon on his back with his right hand, pulling it off before dashing forward at Charizard.

"Quick, Thunder Punch!" Alain ordered, throwing out his right fist. Suddenly though, he noticed that the Mega Evolved Flame Pokémon wasn't moving as he was still in great pain, grimacing in realization as his eyes widened. The frog-like creature then leapt up, reeling his arm back, about to throw the armament made of liquid. His trainer took the same stance, gritting his teeth.

'Everyone's been watching us from the very beginning…' he noted to himself, seeing the look of disbelief in his foe's eyes, 'That's why we can't let them down!' he declared through thought.

"GO!" he exclaimed as loudly as he could.

"Neeeen… JAAAAAHHHH!" Greninja screeched, throwing the shuriken rapidly down at his enemy. All he could do to try and save himself was to cross his arms over his head, but it struck him in a steam-filled explosion, making him let out a pained roar.

"Charizard!" his trainer screamed in fright, flinching from the wind that followed. The Water/Dark type landed back on the ground seconds later, as both he and his trainer keeled over onto their left knees, cringing out of agony as they were barely managing to hold on. Once the veil cleared, it revealed the Fire/Dragon-type still standing, shaking his head. Everyone in the stands could only watch on with gaping mouths of shock, unable to comprehend the situation. Without warning though, a loud thud was heard, catching their attentions as their eyes widened. The dragon-like creature had dropped down to his knees and then proceeded to fall face first onto the ground, much to the astonishment of his owner. In a flash of light, he transformed back to normal, letting out one more agonized groan before succumbing to unconsciousness. The referee immediately ran over to observe what had conspired, immediately raising his right hand after making a judgement.

"Charizard is unable to battle!" he stated, gesturing towards the fatigued Ninja Pokémon, who was breathing heavily, "Greninja wins!" he said loudly so the audience could hear, "Therefore, the victor and champion of the Kalos League is Ash!" he declared, while the trainer himself was too focused his heavy breathing as he was exhausted from the bout.

"It's decided!" the announcer's voice boomed through the microphone as the Flame Pokémon's picture on the screen was greyed out, "After many hard fought battles, the winner of the Kalos League's Lumiose Conference is none other than Ash Ketchum!" he told the excited crowd, who broke out into cheers upon seeing everything clear away to reveal the 'WINNER' sign underneath the Omni Force member's picture.

"He won! He won!" Bonnie repeated in glee, jumping up and down from her seat.

"Yeehaw!" Applejack exclaimed with a pump of her right fist, while Rarity clapped rapidly in excitement.

"Yipee!" Pinkie squealed, suddenly embracing Clemont tightly, much to his surprise as his face became a bright red, "I'm so happy I could just kiss someone!" she proclaimed, proceeding to peck the Lumiose gym on the head several times with her lips, much to his embarrassment. Rainbow and Sunset high fived one another with wide smiles, and Gingka and Erza embraced in a quick hug out of joy.

"He did it…" Serena uttered as tears streaked down her pink tinted cheeks amidst the cheers, "He really won it all…" she noted, rubbing her eyes.

"He's certainly something else," Fluttershy noted, smiling brightly. Mirajane also had the same expression on her face, but was more or less relieved as she placed her hand over her heart and breathed in and out slowly.

'I wish everyone could've seen this…' she told herself, blushing a little, 'He was absolutely amazing…' she added, wiping her right eye free of a tear of joy. Back on the field, her beloved hadn't realized what conspired as he was completely worn out.

"What… happened?" he asked, looking around to see the crowd in a frenzy of cheers and applause. He then glanced up at the big screen, noticing his image above the 'WINNER' sign as his eyes widened. "Did we… win?" he questioned, somewhat surprised while twisting his cap back around.

"Pika, pika!" a familiar voice squeaked, catching his attention as he suddenly saw Pikachu jump onto his left shoulder, nuzzling him excitedly.

"Pikachu…" he said, still a bit dazed as he noticed a watery flash of light, being Greninja as he had transformed back to normal, turning around to face his master, who blinked in surprise.

"Ja," he croaked, placing his left fist over his black guild mark, smiling underneath his scarf-like tongue. A moment of silence passed before Ash had a wide smile come across his lips, laughing as he ran over to the Water/Dark-type.

"Greninja!" he exclaimed, embracing him tightly in a caring hug, disregarding the fatigue and pain they both had suffered earlier, "Thank you so much, Greninja…" he said to him in gratitude, "You… and everyone else worked so hard with me," he added as they let each other go.

"Gre," the frog-like creature agreed, folding his arms over his chest while nodding.

"Rooaaggh…" Charizard groaned weakly as he awoke from his unconscious state, managing to stand back up and shake his head, while his trainer walked over to his side, "Rah…" he uttered apologetically, appearing downcast as he caught his attention.

"It's fine, Charizard," he reassured, much to his surprise as he could feel his partner rubbing his head in a comforting manner, "Aren't you glad that we got to have such an intense battle with them?" he questioned with a smile, making him blink out of shock.

"Rrooaah!" he agreed with a nod, causing him to chuckle.

END FLASHBACK

Alain looked toward the sky still, reaching his right hand up to it and closing it into a fist.

"I'm going to become stronger, but not just for my own sake," he decided, causing Gingka to perk up in surprise, "I'll get stronger for all of my friends, too," he affirmed.

"Rahh!" Charizard huffed in agreement. The beyblader chuckled.

"I'm sure they'll be happy to hear that," he noted, pulling out his MPG from his pocket, "Shall we?" he offered.

"Yeah," Alain replied with a nod, following him as they headed off down the street, with Charizard to follow.

And thus ends Alain's little journey to regaining Mega Evolution. Not just for himself, but for many on the Omni Force in the years to come. In fact… one of those Mega Evolutions happened to go to a certain someone we'll be looking into next time…

But until then, I think it's best we wrap things up for now. I hope you enjoyed this little tale… Heehee!

ENDING

Insert "Raise" by Chilli Beans

Opens with Alain traveling across the Kalos Region alongside Charizard, encountering many different trainers as the sky changes to signify the alternating weather from each place they go to. We see Alain battling in the Lumiose Conference, as his Charizard dominantly overpowers the likes of Trevor's team. He defeats many others throughout the event, leading all the way up to the semifinals.

There, Alain faces up against Sunset. Though she proves to be a challenge, he ultimately wins, with his Mega Charizard X defeating her Mega Lopunny in the very end. In the finals, he goes up against Ash. This time however, he's the one who's overwhelmed. Not because Ash is the stronger trainer, but because he has friends who're all supporting him, unlike the ones he ended up pushing away. He laments over this, especially after he betrays Ash and gets him captured by Team Flare.

When it's revealed that he's been helping Lysandre accomplish his goals all along, he breaks down, thinking he's been doing everything for nothing. However, he finds a hand reaching out to him, being Fluttershy's. Everyone is willing to support him as they fight together, putting a stop to Team Flare's plans and destroying the Megalith just in time.

We then cut through various scenes of him getting to meet people like Kyoya Tategami, Monkey D. Luffy, Sasuke Uchiha, and so many others across the multiverse. But along with that, he gets to battle each of their Pokémon, training with them. There's various scenes of him with his colleagues amongst the Omni Force, learning more about their respective Pokémon and becoming stronger together.

We conclude with Alain looking out toward the horizon alongside Charizard and Fluttershy, as his wife leans against him lovingly while cradling their baby in her arms. The sunset descends into the horizon as the beautiful night sky shines overhead…

END ENDING

Well, it's certainly nice to tell a Pokémon-related story again! I think that helped with getting the draft for this chapter done sooner. I hope you guys all enjoyed it!

Up next is going to be Kyoya Tategami! Wish me luck on that front!