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Like No One Ever Was (Pokemon SI)

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Chapter 62
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    "So, what sort of Pokemon should we get?" O'Nare asked expectantly of me, eliciting a surprised blink from me, sitting opposite her. The wind rushed by us as the Flying Taxi rapidly took Billy, O'Nare, and me to the Porto Marinada for the upcoming auction.

    That wasn't the only place we were stopping by, however, as there was a Pokemon ranch not far off the port city, nearby the plains around Caseroya Lake. We elected to stop by there first to get my parents their first Pokemon.

    "Well, that's entirely up to you. Any Pokemon can be strong, so if you're worried about that, don't be - I can make training plans to help you with whatever Pokemon you pick. So if you're worried about defending yourself or those around you, don't- well, you can put that to the side for the moment," I corrected at the last moment. I shouldn't be telling them not to have any fears, especially not after that big heart-to-heart we had before. They are going to worry, and there's nothing I can do to stop that. But they're also willing to trust me, and that's enough.

    A tiny, niggling doubt wormed in my mind about the potential dangers of Turo and his experiment, but I squashed it with practiced ease. At this point, I don't even know if I or anyone will end up in danger. If my plan works, I'll be able to talk him down. If it doesn't… well, then I should at least have time to call my parents and let them know, as well as hopefully having the backing of the Pokemon League to stop him. He might be their golden goose, but being La Primera will give me a lot of weight to throw around.

    Rationalization complete, I continued. "Just try and focus on getting to know the Pokemon and see how compatible you are. What they like and dislike, etc."

    "But don't certain Pokemon act in certain ways? Like Meowth liking money?" O'Nare pointed out.

    "Yes," I agreed hesitantly. "There are always outliers, though. And much like people, even a Pokemon that greatly fits a stereotype will have their own quirks and reasoning for their actions. It took me ages to figure out the real reason why Dun didn't immediately tunnel away from me when we met." He wasn't quite so battle-hungry or fierce back then. No, it was because he wasn't good at drilling into the ground. Now though, both of those things have changed; he could carve a tunnel miles long in no time at all but wouldn't turn away from a fight if he had the chance.

    Pondering if I should mention how they would impact their partner Pokemon and change them, and be changed in turn, I closed my mouth upon truly looking at them. Their emotions were a flurry. The mild disappointment of quick, easy, simple answers faded fast with their optimism and excitement shining forth once again.

    Literally shining, at least under my Aura Vision, which I consciously ignored. I tried not to pry into people's feelings too much with that aspect of my Aura. It felt more intrusive than picking out tells with my merely enhanced 'regular' eyesight. Also, it's not that accurate, and I don't want to become reliant on it. The only reason I'm relatively sure it's correct right now is because of how open they are with their emotions right now.

    "How do you best understand what a Pokemon is feeling?" Billy asked. "If I'm to show them my best self, I need to know how to communicate with them."

    "Oh, how dazzlingly Glitterati of you!" O'Nare swooned while I sighed.

    "That's a tricky one. I admit, I don't have an exact guide for how signs or body language can be interpreted from other- from Pokemon. The best advice I can give is to establish basic concepts, yes or no stuff, easy-to-pick-up emotions, and just go from there in trying to learn more about them." It might be Aura that's helping me, or just what I've unconsciously picked up. In either case, it'll be tricky for them to learn quickly, not that we really have a time crunch.

    I decided to clarify that point. "You also don't have to pick a Pokemon immediately. The auction isn't for a few days, and even after that, we'll spend some time practicing for our match against Tyme. And if you aren't certain by then, you don't have to make a decision right away!" My parents shared a quick glance, clearly bemused by their daughter lecturing them on such things.

    At least they don't seem dismissive of my words. Though it's not like it isn't all true. Sometimes you connect with a Pokemon right away, but for many people, especially those not as interested in battling, it can take a while.

    "Thank you," O'Nare said. "We appreciate your expertise on the matter. And perhaps we can show you a thing or two about how a Glitterati wins an auction," she proclaimed with a high laugh. That will be interesting to see. As much as my parents can have a skewed sense of money, for once, we're talking about something within their 'regular' price range. Will they just try to dominate the Lucarioite auction with money to crush out all the competition? I considered it for a moment before mentally discarding the idea. They've probably got shrewder plans than that. An auction like this will attract other big spenders too.

    Despite how it was portrayed in the games, the auction house did announce what was going on sale ahead of time, at least for the rarer finds. It was still fairly short notice, but the wealthy and influential individuals of Paldea would have enough time to get to them, or at least contact someone nearby to bid on their behalf. I think there's even a small industry for stand-ins that live nearby and can be hired and directed to bid at the direction of their patrons for those that don't have the time to come.

    We did, however, and my parents felt it would be a good experience for me to get a better understanding of what some of what life in our family's circles was like. Not that I haven't lived it, but… I've kinda avoided those things. With my physical age and lack of inclination, I haven't attended quite so many parties or social gatherings people of my family's stature would usually go to.

    The Taxi descended near the ranch, and from above we could see how far it spread, the large penned field stretching out over the land. Not too far away from it, I could see a Pokemon Center atop the hill, overlooking Porto Marinada. It's funny; I know there wasn't anything like this in the games. Obviously, it couldn't have perfectly shown what really living here would be like, but it still feels a little surprising to see just how full of life the land is.

    Exiting the taxi, we stood in front of the large building ahead of the field. A sign hung above stating 'Big Jim's Ranch.'. What is this, a used car dealership? Though, with the Cyclizar I saw dozing in the field, I suppose in some sense, it's not that far off.

    Eagerly, my parents stepped up, Dad knocking on the door. There was a rustling sound inside before the door opened, revealing a stout man in a cowboy hat. His graying mustache almost hid the smile he flashed at us.

    "Howdy there, I'm Big Jim."

    "Nice to meet you. I'm Billy Glitterati, and this is my wonderful wife O'Nare and our adorable daughter Nemona."

    "Pleasure. It's getting a bit late, but are ya'll here to check out the ranch?"

    "Yes! We would be delighted to see all the Pokemon you have. Lead on!" O'Nare vibrantly declared.

    "Whoa, whoa. Hold yer Ponytas. I'd be happy to help ya, but let's go over some ground rules first. Come on in," he waved us inside to a place that seemed like a cross between a reception and a living room.

    "Mabel!" He called up the stairs, and a girl, the only other person I could hear in the house, came running down. She was a teenage girl with bright orange hair tied in pigtails and a smattering of freckles across her face.

    "Yea?"

    "Get our guests some refreshments, as well as the release forms." Jim turned back to us, gesturing for us to take a seat on the couch while he sat in a chair opposite us. "You mentioned wanting to take a gander at the Pokemon here. I take it that means you aren't settled on any particular Pokemon? We got a wide catalogue to peruse if ya'd like."

    Mom shook her head. "No, our daughter advised us it would be best to get to know the individual Pokemon first."

    "Well, I can't argue with that. All of our Pokemon here are top-notch, but it's always good to get to know them first if you have the chance. Though it's gettin' on in the day, we'll be closing the ranch soon to give them the chance to get some shut-eye. We got some rooms on the second floor ya'll can stay in to visit them bright and early in the morning, however."

    "Thank you, but we've already booked a hotel room down in Marinada," Dad said. "We'll be eager to see you again in the morning, though." Probably a good thing too. This place is very well equipped for a hotel room, but it's not up to the levels of extravagance my parents are used to. They're never rude about it and are always so optimistic and bright, but I have noticed they're more comfortable when surrounded by the finer comforts.

    "Sounds good. And are you looking for a Pokemon too, little missy?" Jim asked me, and I shook my head.

    "Nah, I think I'm full up at the moment," I replied, hooking up my belt to clearly show off the seven Pokeballs on it. "Maybe in the future." Though I honestly doubt it. The service is nice for people who don't want or are not able to go out in the wilderness to meet new Pokemon, but if I wanted anyone else on my team, I'd go exploring for them.

    "Whoa, you're Nemona!" Mabel exclaimed, having re-entered the room holding a stack of papers in one hand and a tray with some snacks and water with Pinap slices.

    "You know this little lady?" Jim asked.

    "She's a famous Trainer that's been doing great on the Gym Circuit! Everyone's talking about her online; she already has four badges." The cute girl gushed.

    I couldn't help but brag a little. "Five, actually. Just beat Grusha today before we flew here. Oh, that reminds me." Turning to my parents, I said, "We should post the video of the fight up soon."

    "Well, I'll be," Jim laughed. "Didn't expect to be meeting someone so famous." I raised an eyebrow slightly. Think Mom and Dad are still a fair bit more famous than I am. "What brought you out to my humble ranch?"

    For a moment, part of me felt like deflecting before I shook it off. The question is harmless, and I don't have anything to hide. Besides, it is kind of unusual to beat a Gym Leader atop Glaseado Mountain and then fly down to Porto Marinada all in one day. "We were heading to the auction house, and your ranch was highly recommended. We thought we'd stop by to check it out before we needed to get there," I said.

    "Can I see the video?" Mabel asked eagerly, practically bouncing up and down in excitement.

    "Now honey, we got to give our guests time to check out the Pokemon first," Jim said, eliciting a pout from his daughter. "And that means going through the paperwork, just to make sure everythin' is above board and safe."

    He led us through the paperwork quickly, summing up the process. Basically the forms were there to waive any right to press injury charges if we did something stupid (though I wasn't sure how binding that part could actually be), to understand that we couldn't get a refund after obtaining the Pokemon, and that we weren't allowed to catch any Pokemon on the ranch that hadn't been transferred to our care.

    "Do people actually do that?" I asked, and Jim chuckled.

    "No one has on our ranch, but I've heard all sortsa stories from other breeding ranches. Betta safe than sorry."

    My parents read the paperwork quickly but thoroughly before signing it, and I did the same. From there, the father-daughter duo led us out to the ranch.

    The long stretch of land was divided into different pastures, with different environments to suit the different Pokemon. The first was just open, grassy terrain, very flat. There were plenty of Pokemon of all sorts gathered there, though I noted that many of them were of the Field Egg group.

    Beyond that was another very grassy stretch, but this one had many trees and thickets growing about. Grass and Bug Types skittered around within, as well as many Flying Pokemon perched above. I've seen instances of Pokemon that could be natural enemies co-operating in the wild, but it is rare, and hardly as peaceful as this place is. Feels a little weird with how close this is to the wilderness.

    Much of that probably had to do with the staff guarding the place, both human and Pokemon. While the human handlers were easy to make out, there were a few Pokemon, like the Killowattrel flying overhead or some of the Granbull walking around the edges of the perimeters. They kept an eye on the Pokemon within and for any dangers that might approach from the outside, each wearing brass collars to indicate their position (and the fact that they were not up for sale adoption).

    Or in the case of some of the more aquatic Pokemon, a fin ring, like on the Gyarados in the third section. It had many ponds dug into the ground, with a canal network connecting them. There was plenty of space for some land Pokemon as well, especially those that enjoyed being nearby the water.

    There's also some that don't seem to fit, like that Camerupt, which looks like it'd be better suited to the final section, all rocky and barren where the Carkoals are playing. Then again, there are a couple of inconsistencies, but it looks like the Pokemon are free to wander between sections so long as they don't cause any problems.

    A bit of roughhousing seemed to be fine, a Raichu watching over a Growlithe and Houndour pup play-fighting each other, but would quickly step in when disputes grew more serious. I shivered slightly, feeling the brass-collared Vespiqueen's Pressure from afar as she stepped in between a Tangela and Pidgey fighting over some berries, the two quickly losing interest in the fight at her intervention.

    "Whadya think?" Mabel asked, a big grin on her face as she saw us looking out over the field. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Billy and O'Nare watching it all in awe.

    "So energetic!"

    "All these Pokemon, each shining with Glitterati potential!"

    My parents gushed over the Pokemon and the teenager laughed. "Well, go on! Feel free to get to know them." She passed them some bags of PokeTreats and the two of them nearly sprinted off to greet the Pokemon.

    I couldn't help but laugh joyously at the sight, which prompted a question from the girl beside me. "Are you gonna visit the Pokemon too?"

    Shaking my head, I responded. "No, I've got plenty of Pokemon right now, so I'll just watch for the moment." Also, I don't want to get too attached, because I know if I did, then I'd try to add them to my team, regardless of previous determinations. Pokemon are just too awesome!

    There were plenty of incredible specimens on the ranch. While many of them were common Pokemon to Paldea, Flittles, Rockruffs, Wingulls, Pawmis, and the like, they were all in excellent condition. There were also several that couldn't be found easily here, like Cherrims and a Butterfree. Remember using one in a mono Bug Run for Ultra Sun. That was fun; Compound Eyes and Sleep Powder into Quiver Dance was great cheese.

    There were many exclamations of joy and delighted surprise from my parents as they played with the Pokemon. Their 'Glitterati Generosity' led to them coming back several times to grab more bags of PokeTreats to feed the various ranch Pokemon. Sadly, the good times came to a close quickly, as Big Jim announced, "Alright, visitin' hours are over." When they came back, he asked, "Didja find any Pokemon you liked?"

    "Oh, there was this absolutely adorable Hoppip-"

    "Did you see the fur on that Tauros? Gleaming near Glitterati bright!"

    "And the Oricorio danced wonderfully in the sunset-"

    "What were those blue and red fish Pokemon?"

    "Carvanha," I helpfully mentioned, barely heard over their energetic ramblings. The elder Glitteratis continued for a while, but it was clear from how they weren't settling in on any one Pokemon yet.

    Something Jim noted as well. "Sounds like you got a big choice ahead of ya. Come back tomorrow; it'll give ya more time to get to know 'em," he said. We agreed and left, heading off to our hotel room for the night.


    Bit of a shorter chapter this time but that's just how the split worked this time. Hope that it was enjoyable regardless. If you liked it, please leave a comment here or join the the Discord to talk about it. And if you like my stuff and want to toss me a bit of money, I have a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the later get early access to the chapters. Thank you, and I hope you have a great day.
     
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    The next few days passed in similar fashion, with my parents checking out the ranch most of the time. Even on vacation, there were still some emails to answer and calls to make to ensure things ran smoothly in their absence. For my part, I made sure to give my team some basic training while waiting for the auction. I also spent a fair amount of time with Mom and Dad at the ranch and even tested myself against one of the handler Pokemon.

    It was a short affair, Nightwing easily crushing the Gyarados, hardly Intimidated by the massive Pokemon and landing a few well-placed Thunder Fangs to defeat it. They're strong, and more to the point, smarter than a lot of the wild Pokemon around here, but it's still not enough. I was reaching the limits of what my Pokemon could learn from the Pokemon nearby, though I knew there were greater challenges further north and in a few key locations, like the Hollow looming in the distance.

    Those were challenges for another day, however, as today we had an auction to get to. The city had several nice locales, a few parks and the like, but the Auction House was clearly the star attraction of it all. A massive structure hung overhead to keep out the rain and worst of the elements, while the large openings gave it an open-air market feel. There were rows upon rows of all sorts of merchants and auctioneers, the line blurring between the two as people tried to outbid each other against other merchants or would haggle over smaller stands where others seemed uninterested.

    So many items are on sale here, everything from regular Potions to rarities like Regi Trio Pokedolls. So many ships come from all around the globe every day to stock these stands. It feels overwhelming when I picture myself as such a small piece of these massive systems that make up our everyday life.

    As much as I could lose myself over the fun and unique finds of the open market, we were headed deeper inside, to the 'exclusive' section. Here, the truly incredible finds were stored and sold. It also came with higher security, a big guard standing at the door with three Pokeballs on his belt checking anyone who tried to pass through the double doors to the enclosed hallway.

    I get the feeling he was checking us out more by our clothing than the registration ticket. Looking around as we walked inside, our high-priced, fancy clothing fit in with the other potential bidders. Lavish gowns and pristine suits filled the long hallway with multiple doors leading to different auction rooms.

    The hallway itself was plush and warm, richly decorated in soft gold and reds. It created an interesting contrast with the cold stares we got from some of the people there, instantly sizing us up. Why are they so on edge at our entrance?

    A whisper I caught on the wind of 'Glitterati' clicked the pieces in my mind. Each of them is worried we might be trying to outbid whatever they're looking for. Not that everyone was reacting poorly to our presence, however; a few saw us with little more than curiosity. Including a familiar face.

    I was caught between approaching him or not, but upon seeing auction room #3 just past where Freddrick was standing, I bit the bullet and marched over to him. "Freddrick," I said awkwardly, giving him a curt nod of my head, somewhat unsure how to react here. Feels weird to just ignore him since we've clearly seen each other, but I'll leave it up to him if he wants to make anything more of it.

    He jerked slightly, as if surprised by me (despite having his eyes trained on me like a hawk as I walked closer). "Nemona. I take it you're here for the Lucarioite?" He asked after a second.

    My mind whirled, rapidly considering denying it before rejecting the idea. While I'd rather not give the crowd information on what we're going for, they'll realize soon enough. "Yeah, I'd like to grab it if I can."

    Frederick's signature sneer came out. "This is why you're taking a break from the Gym Circuit? Afraid you won't make it without Mega Evolution?"

    "Nope. If I can't get it, I can't. I've got faith in Athena no matter what." Honestly not even sure the Gym Leaders will allow me to use Mega Evolution; this is more for the Elite Four and beyond. The Great Crater loomed heavily in my mind. I might not be allowed to use Mega Evolution and Terastalization in the same League-sanctioned battle, but anything went down in Area Zero.

    Seeing my brazen confidence, the boy faltered, so I pressed on. "What are you here for?"

    "Ah- There's a Soul Dew auction coming up," he muttered before clamping his mouth down.

    My eyes widened. "Soul Dew!?" I whistled. "Wow, that's rare. But… why do you want that? You got a Latios or Latias in your pocket? Or is it just to have a nice collection piece? Though I guess maybe you could want to study its energies and effects…" I trailed off, mostly talking to myself as I pondered how that strange item worked. How did people even find out how Soul Dews worked in the first place? Did they even, or was it one of the Eon Pokemon who knew and told them with their Psychic powers?

    "Wha- no, I'm not getting it just as a collection piece. And how would you even study it without a Latios or Latias? You're weird," he shot out before regaining himself. "I'll get my Pokemon soon enough - don't forget that no matter how good you do in the Treasure Hunt now, I'll be crushing you in a few years."

    I quirked an eyebrow before saying, "Good luck with that." Then I turned and walked inside to auction room #3. As I left, I heard the rich boy whispering to himself, wondering how he was going to get a Latios, and I chuckled. That guy, still so concerned about appearances. Still, he seems a lot calmer and less rude than before (not that it's a challenge), so that's something.

    He was a minor concern, and one that I put out of my mind as I focused on the challenge ahead. Billy and O'Nare boldly strode through the doors to the relatively cozy audience hall while I trailed behind them. There were forty some seats set out, with room for more to be brought in towards the back if need be, though less than half were currently occupied.

    At the front of the hall was a small stage, with a podium and a professional man standing behind it, calling out for bids. Items would get carted onstage from the back and either be given to the bidder directly (if the item was small enough to carry) or would be sent to the other side of the backstage to have their hard-bought item arranged to be sent to them via other means.

    I wonder how they plan on getting that near-full Tyrantrum fossil moved to that woman's house or how they shipped it all in one piece in the first place? I shook my head from those thoughts as a new item caught my eye, the next bid being called up.

    "Next up, we have an artisan handcrafted Apricorn Ball. Dubbed the 'Friend Ball' by its creator, Maizie of Azalea Town. Any Pokemon within is sure to appreciate the level of detail and care that has gone into making this fine piece of art. The bidding starts at 100,000 Pokedollars."

    An honest-to-Arceus Apricorn Ball here?! I saw the listings for the auction house, and it just said Friend Ball… which is a type of Apricorn Ball, duh! And I don't recognize the name Maizie, but if she's from Azalea Town, then she probably trained under Kurt, right?

    As I was thinking it over, bids were already being placed. In a panic, I flipped up the number sign sitting on the armrest of my chair. The auctioneer pointed at me. "Yes, number 63?"

    "150,000," I stated, causing a swift murmur to ripple through the crowd as they took in my bid. Even my parents were looking curiously at me.

    "Is this something you truly want?" O'Nare whispered, barely moving her mouth. I didn't have the skill to do the same but could reply back with Aura to shape the air to deliver my response.

    "Yes." Not just want, need. If things go bad and I have to confront Turo in his lab, I need to know how to make a Pokeball that isn't connected to the League network. This will help more than even how much Mega Evolution could, to be honest.

    "160,000 Pokedollars," an elderly gentleman closer to the front said, restarting the calls for bids.

    "Then bid high for the next one," my mother instructed me.

    "160,000 going once, going twice…" The auctioneer said before I shot up my sign.

    "200,000." My voice echoed through the room, and while the man who had bid against me crumpled his hat up in his lap, but didn't make a move to counter.

    "200,000 going once, going twice, sold! Please come up to the stage to collect your bid, Miss." I did so, carefully holding it in the palm of my hands. To most, it just seemed like a (very expensive) item of prestige, like a painting or a statue that I might show off. To me, it was potential.

    The potential to crack the code on how a lot of Pokeballs work. Something that was considered an international League secret and one that I could be heavily punished for trying to figure out without proper authorization. Hopefully Geeta and others will understand if it comes down to that. If it works. Which it should! Everything I've read about Apricorn Balls implies that pieces put on after the fact that connect it to the network would be easy to differentiate from the rest of the pieces-

    "Are you going to put Dun in that ball?" Billy's hushed question snapped me out of my thoughts and reminded me of where I was, having wandered back to my seat and staring at the ball in my hands.

    "Maybe later," I replied, distractedly painting a smile on my face. Assuming it withstands the deconstruction process I put it through.

    Mom clapped her hands together. "Oh, it's so wonderful when you find an unexpected treat like that." Practice kept my grin in place even as guilt crept up in my mind. "We should visit places like this more often; it looks like there are all kinds of fun trinkets to buy."

    "Why did you give me that advice?" I asked, distracting myself from other thoughts.

    "Ah, by bidding high twice in a row, it shows you're a big spender willing to crush the competition. The bids for the Friend Ball were fairly tepid back and forth. If you had only slowly raised the price, they might have been willing to match you for longer."

    Not quite the sunk cost fallacy, but I get it. Especially since that man didn't look like the professional stand-ins they have here. Most of them were dressed professionally but far less well than any others. From what my parents had told me, each of them had to be given a set amount as the highest they could bid by whoever hired them to avoid any impossible bids being made.

    The next few bids passed without particular note until finally, the item we came for was here. Even before the fabric was dramatically pulled off the stand holding it, I could feel the energy radiating off of the Mega Stone. Athena likely could as well, as I felt her Pokeball stir, though she retained enough control not to pop out of it.

    "Our final item of the day is a Mega Stone, one Lucarioite. This rare item comes to us straight from Kalos, where it was unearthed…" The man droned on like that for a while, but I could hardly focus on it, Athena's excitement bleeding through to me. Despite that, I did my best to appear neutral and relaxed.

    "We'll begin the bidding at 1,000,000 Pokedollars." As the auctioneer was announcing that, Dad was whispering to me.

    "We'll feel them out first, don't worry." I nodded, noting as different people in the crowd pushed the price up. There were a few eager bids only raising the price by a million Pokedollars that quickly petered out by the time it reached twenty million. After thirty million, there were only three competitors left, until my father made his bid.

    "31,000,000," he announced to the auctioneer. The three other bidders turned to face him, if only briefly. An elderly lady gnashed her teeth together (literally clutching the pearls around her neck; didn't know anyone did that) before sitting down in a huff.

    While she had clearly given up, a young man dressed in a surprisingly sporty blue jacket glared at us. Upon his belt, I noted three Pokeballs and realized he wasn't just some young rich guy but likely a skilled Trainer, possibly an Ace.

    Is he looking for an edge to boost his team? Am I taking away from someone else's dream by obtaining this? It's not like I need it… On the other hand, I promised my team that I'd give everything I could to make them strong. And he still has money and could become strong through other means. Not to mention it'll provide a real benefit if I have to confront Turo in Area Zero.

    While I was thinking it over, the bidding rose up and up, with the young man giving up as Dad finally jumped the price up to forty-five million.

    "45,000,000, going once,-"

    "50,000,000." The voice came from the last of the three original bidders, one of the stand-ins who had stepped back suddenly speaking up again. It sent a series of whispers through the crowd, but I caught the flash of a smirk on Billy's face.

    "50,000,001." He bid, causing me to blink. That feels a little low- huh, the stand-in isn't moving to counter us. Oh! The stand-in must have reached the maximum they were allowed to bid from whoever hired them.

    "Going once, going twice, sold!" The auctioneer cried out. "Please come up to collect your prize." My father did so, walking up and receiving the Mega Stone before walking back to us.

    Huh, feels like this would be the moment where an evil Team bursts in to run off with the auction items, or the Ace Trainer challenges me to a fight to prove himself 'more deserving' of the Mega Stone. A quick glance around the auction hall determined I was in no such risk of hidden thieves, and the other bidders remained in their seats.

    Anticlimactically, I stood up as Dad approached, only to be beaten to the punch as Athena burst out of her ball, standing eagerly in front of me, tail whipping back and forth into the (thankfully empty) chairs on either side of her. With a chuckle, Billy passed it to her at my nod.

    The stone came with a stretchy yet durable cloth loop, letting her put it around her neck. As it snapped on, she turned to face me, and with a toothy grin, howled in triumph. I couldn't help but cheer as well. "Woo!"

    This was met by a few polite claps and a very aggravated clearing of the auctioneer's throat. "Ahem," he said pointedly, and we both looked embarrassed at making a scene.

    "Sorry," I said with a quick bow before we left the hall. My first Mega Evolvable Pokemon. I can't wait to try it out!

    ***

    Luckily, I didn't need to wait long; the three of us (Athena returned to her Pokeball) left the main auction structure and city. Billy and O'Nare veered off to the ranch while Athena and I were eager to practice her new power amidst the fields, though they stuck around long enough to watch (and record) Athena's first Mega Evolution.

    "Alright Athena, you ready?" I asked, getting an impatient nod from her before my question was even finished. "Haha, ok, let's go." Taking a deep breath, I held up my Keystone, pointing it at her. "Mega Evolve!"

    I didn't receive any instruction guide on how to use the Mega Stone with the winning bid, but the process was instinctual enough. My Auric awareness made the energies surrounding the two stones clear, and I pushed my Aura into the Keystone. The stone greedily drank up my life force, leaving me feeling drained so fast I almost reactively pulled back.

    Recognizing it as normal, I instead let the energy go, simply directing it through the bond I had with Athena. I had studied Mega Evolution enough to know that it couldn't kill me, though it would be quite draining. That part feels weird. I know I have a bond with all of my Pokemon, but I usually can't feel it, not so vividly like this, even without my Aura. Or is it just that I'm sensing my own energy rushing through the channels that make or bond, making it appear more tangible in this moment?

    Such questions were pushed out of my mind as I saw the glowing shell appear around Athena before she burst out, the energy exploding off of her. With a proud cry, she shouted out, "Lucario!"

    Her appearance wasn't that different from before. Some brown fur on her paws, her yellow fur a bit shaggier, and a slight bit taller. But her eyes had taken on an orange tint, and the energy radiating off of her was palpable. An air of danger surrounded every twitch of her muscles as newfound power flowed through her, to the point that anyone could sense the threat she represented. Off in the distance, I saw herds of Tauros stampeding away in fright, Murkrows and Staravias taking to the sky, and other Pokemon like a Donphan slinking away, even as they tried to place themselves in between this new threat and the young Phanphys they looked after.

    Anyone would be foolish to approach her like this… So I shouldn't be surprised that my parents are rushing towards her.

    "What a unique dazzle!"

    "Indeed! Terastalization has its own shine, but this puts a whole new twist on it. How innovative!"

    More the other way around with Terastalization coming after Mega Evolution. Athena growled lowly, baring her teeth a little as my parents approached her, so I stepped in.

    "Let's give her a little space, shall we?" My voice came out in quick gasps. Feels like I ran a marathon. Turning to face her straight in the eye, I managed to ask. "How are you doing?"

    'Powerful. Eager. Need- Fight. Destroy.' Her empathic communication came in sputtering spurts, her control going all over the place. It was clear that she was having trouble controlling this much power, and it was interfering with her communication. She was hardly angry with us, but that much power made things dangerous even with the best of intentions.

    "Why don't you guys go back to the ranch?" I suggested to my parents. Before they could complain, I added, "We've got a lot of training to do. We can show you some cool Moves when we're done." Or at least, get her to the point where she isn't feeling uncertain about her control and feels proud about showcasing her regular Moves in this boosted state. Though, if all goes well…

    "Splendid. There was a delightful pair of Pokemon I was looking at before and I can't wait to see them again," my mother said, her eyes literally sparkling. Is that an anime-esque thing, or did she buy some expensive contacts for that? Either is possible with my family.

    It was hard to say, but soon they were off, leaving me and Athena alone in the field. "I was going to have you train against the local Pokemon, but I don't think anyone here is eager to fight you. Though they probably wouldn't have been a challenge even without this." She nodded tersely.

    "So, let's run you through the basics. Practice a few Moves in the open here where you don't need to worry about anyone getting hurt. Then you can spar against some of the team." Tossing her a bone, I added, "I know Dun has been looking forward to a rematch.

    That lit a fire in her eyes, and she stomped the ground eagerly. "Luuu!" Even the relatively light tap on the earth sent out an Earthquake rippling through the ground all around and matched what Dun or Nightwing could do when putting their all into the Move.

    "...Ok, let's hold off on Earthquake for the moment; don't want to drop the cliff edge onto the city below." We were a decent distance away, so I wasn't too worried, but I couldn't rule out the possibility entirely. Even with that slight fear, I couldn't help but feel excited about this. Terastalization, especially defensive ones, is still a huge game changer in its own right, but the sheer power Mega Evolving brings makes me giddy nonetheless.

    She ran through her Moves. Some of them, like Trailblaze, were clearly stronger and faster than before, but the exact impact of how much more power they had was hard to discern without a living target to hit. Overall though, it was still an impressive showing off her new abilities. As well as her new Ability.

    That made the largest difference in the power on display, her Adaptability stacking with the general power boost she got to let her fire off Aura Spheres larger than her whole body, which sent cracks running through the rocky Collonade Hollow. They were small in comparison to the massive structure dominating the landscape but still significant in scope.

    Off in the distance, a loud, challenging cry rang out, so far away that even I could barely hear it. Clearly, I'm not the only one who thinks so. I forgot about them, but they might be a good challenge for Athena.

    "C'mon out, Dun," I called as I released my starter. He turned immediately to face Athena, his tail already spinning slowly, anticipating their fight. Athena grinned violently, slamming her knuckles together, making a small shockwave.

    "I can see I don't need to tell you two anything, other than a reminder to be careful. And maybe give me a minute to get out of the way." I huffed and puffed as I pulled myself up on top of a nearby cliff. God, this would be easy without the drain of Mega Evolution. I hope it gets easier with time and practice.

    When I got to the top, I saw Athena simply pointing at Dun and communicating, 'Power.' I blinked before realizing what she was getting at. Dun himself gave the shoulderless equivalent of a shrug.

    Fair enough, I guess he won't be using many Normal Type attacks given her Steel Typing. Still, it doesn't hurt. I tossed the Tera Orb over in a long arc, Terastalizing Dun. He gave a fierce cry as the bejeweled Tera 'hat' appeared over his now glittering body, the land snake staring Athena straight in the eyes.

    This was a mistake (and one I wouldn't have expected her to fall for in her regular state). Without a signal to begin, Dun opened the fight by Glaring at her, and she had no way to resist it, her muscles seizing up. Then they disappeared.

    "What?" I questioned aloud; before my eyes managed to track onto them, Dun had been knocked half a kilometer away by Athena's Extreme Speed. Even Paralyzed, and I couldn't track her movements at all!

    Dun was used to being slower than his opponent and didn't let a little thing like getting beaten around stop him from fighting back. A wide Flamethrower stream had her jumping back, but before she could go around it, she jerked to a stop.

    My starter used the opportunity to run through an Agility, zipping around and speeding up with the Psychic Type Move to better match her. He still ended up clipped by the Aura Sphere Athena launched at him, several scales breaking and shattering from the blow.

    Dun spun his drill, ducking underground to avoid the shot before tunneling rapidly towards Athena. She scoffed, shooting up high in the air with a powerful jump. An Aura Sphere in hand, she launched it at where he was going to pop up, beneath where she had been standing… only for him to pop up a dozen meters away.

    Did she lose her Aura Sight enough that she couldn't find him- No, he deked her out, I realized as I saw Dun flap his wings furiously, conjuring a massive Hurricane right in Athena's path. His twisty body let him get very close to the surface where Athena targeted, then change paths.

    Throwing her arms behind her, twin Dragon Pulses rocketed her back towards Dun and away from the storm. My land snake breathed out a stream of fire straight at her, and though she narrowly dodged it with a Quick Attack, she lost a lot of her momentum with the maneuver.

    The battle continued, with Athena throwing all sorts of attacks at Dun, forced into an uncomfortable position of having to launch darting blows, trying to keep up with a foe physically stronger than him, while usually he was the nigh-invincible juggernaut pressing forward on them. The Type match-up didn't help either, but he was experienced enough to know how to adapt to that situation, even without my direct guidance.

    Athena, for her part… She's not fighting intelligently. I could hardly say she was fighting 'foolishly,' though; she still had good form and exceptional reflexes, but as I saw her strike at Dun with her Force Whips, hitting him and the ground around him, I noted how she could have driven him towards a cliff face, backing him into a corner as opposed to the open road she let him escape to. Her tactics have gone out the window. She's fighting solely on instinct, like why she uses Quick Attack to dodge some shots instead of Extreme Speed, just because she's more used to one than the other.

    The sheer strength she had at her disposal was enough to even the difference between her tactics and his, however. A powerful Close Combat should have knocked Dun out clean only to land into an odd doll-like construct, my Starter Substituting out of the way before pelting her with Air Cutters.

    The Mega Evolved Pokemon flinched, caught off guard by how sharply the wind cut into her. Usually her innate Ability would have protected her from that, but her new one, while granting her tons of power, left her surprised by that facet of his Move.

    Dun followed up with a Body Press, proving that Miles wasn't the only member of the team he'd been copying. The heavy press crushed down hard on Athena, Dun's body twisting to pin her down and prevent any powerful strikes.

    This mattered little as spears of Aura, akin to Force Palm, lanced out from her body in every direction, throwing Dun off with a pained hiss. A quick Drain Punch followed it up, helping her recover. Impressive, the instinctual alteration of that Move.

    She wasn't the only healing throughout the fight, with Dun performing many 'micro-Roosts' in between getting knocked around. They don't do much, but it's still an impressive edge and makes him seem even bulkier than he naturally is.

    Despite that, all good things came to an end, and he was clearly running out of steam as his latest gambit with Invisible Yawn failed utterly; the transparent cloud blasted apart before ever getting near her. The Mega Pokemon knocked him aside with an Extreme Speed punch, and I thought things were over there before she kicked him up into the air. I don't recognize that Move.

    She leapt up, kicking him through the air, less up and from side to side. … That's not a Move. She's playing hackysack with him. She's toying with him.

    A decision she came to regret as he beat his wings furiously, creating an upside-down Hurricane, slamming them both into the ground. The force of his impact fueled an Earthquake that wracked Athena's body further, and when she rose, it was on unsteady limbs. Her particular Mega Evolution makes her miles faster and stronger, but she's pretty much as vulnerable to harm as she was before.

    Dun was hardly in better condition, forcing himself to glare across the ruined field at her. "Dudun. Arce." He challenged. There's something in there about being weak and worthless, though I'm missing the exact wording there.

    Whatever it was, it was enough to get her to charge up a powerful grayish ball of energy in front of her, between her hands. Steel Beam, that's the play then. Glad I caught his plan, or I would have called off the battle here.

    For his part, Dun surrounded himself with a green energy as if preparing to charge ahead with a Giga Impact. Athena released her beam, so blindingly bright I had to shield my eyes. When I opened them, I saw as I expected: Dun gasping for breath, utterly exhausted, but safe behind his Protect barrier. Across the road from him, Athena stood, slack-jawed for a second until her Move took its toll, and she passed out, falling flat on her face.

    "Dun is the winner," I said tiredly, to a small cheer from him before he too fell asleep. I stood there in silence for a moment before I looked around at the ruined landscape. "Dammit, who's gonna help me clean this up then?"

    Athena gets her first Mega Evolution! It's strong… but there's still a few kinks to work out. That's what Training is for, though (and I've got some fun things planned for her). And speaking of fun things I have planned, we're also switching to a once a week update schedule! If you liked it, please leave a comment here or join the the Discord to talk about it. And if you like my stuff and want to toss me a bit of money, I have a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the latter get early access to the next ten chapters. Thank you and have a great day.
     
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    While some members of my team were less helpful than others (Nightwing and Phantasm for lack of enthusiasm, Bahamut with too much enthusiasm), we eventually got the area in passable shape, heading off to the Pokemon Center.

    Can't believe I didn't recognize the signs before. Most Mega Evolutions come with increased aggression instead, but still. She even insisted that I power up her rival! Let's hope I can break her of that pattern with having her father have to sacrifice himself to save the planet.

    I shook my mind from thoughts about Dragonball Z as I saw the odd stare Nurse Joy was giving me. Is she part of the clan? I can't tell. "Yes?"

    "Did your Pokemon Mega Evolve?" She asked neutrally.

    "Ah, yes, she did. It was her first time today. Is there a problem?"

    She hummed. "Not necessarily. Just try not to have her Mega Evolve more than once every other day. Mega Evolution puts a lot of strain on the body."

    "Good to know." I can probably set her on meditative activities on her off days anyways to get a better handle on what that power does to her mind.

    ***

    The ranch was as lively and joyful as ever. Upon arriving, Mabel quickly waved me over and peppered me with more questions, mostly about my gym battles, but a few about regular Pokemon handling.



    "How do you deal with the torn scales on your Dudunsparce and Bahamut?"

    "What Gym Leader was the toughest?"

    "Why do you feed your Pokemon separate from the ranch Pokemon? We've got grade-A Poke chow here!"



    The last question led to a discussion about the different vitamins and supplements I had tailored to each of my team members. Mabel had a great deal of insight on the nutritional needs of different Pokemon and it led to a lengthy discussion on the topic.

    Eventually I asked her, "Why ask me all these questions?"

    "I just think it's really cool, ya know?" She clasped her hands behind her back, swaying back and forth a little.

    "It is," I easily admitted. In spite of everything, this has been incredible. I'm barely over halfway done, and I can't wait to go on my next journey. "Why not go yourself?"

    "H-huh?! You mean- you really think I'd be a good trainer?"

    "Of course. You know a fair bit about handling Pokemon yourself. You've already mentioned a bunch of different care and treatment options for the various Pokemon, and it's not like you don't have access to plenty of potential friends." I said, waving my hand out at the field around us.

    My gaze stopped momentarily on Billy, playing eagerly with the singular Drampa on the ranch, scratching behind the ears of the teal Dragon. They seem like a nice fit, though…

    Putting that to the side I focused my attention once more on Mabel, the girl still frozen. "It's fine if you have other responsibilities, but don't hold yourself back because you're worried you can't make it."

    "...How do you do that? You're like six years younger than me, but you sound like an old sage." She pouted, and I laughed. I was called an old soul in my first life; I suppose I've more than earned that by now.

    Her next words struck a bit deeper. "I just- I just don't know if I can do it. You always seem in control in those videos, like you've always got a plan. Your music sounds great too; you're way younger than me, and you're so smart, and I-" She cut herself off, and I saw some tears welling up in her eyes.

    Shit. Ok, how do I reassure her without sounding condescending? "I could say that I've received a ton of support and have several unique advantages, which is true, but I'm guessing that won't help?" She shook her head, and I suppressed an unhelpful sigh.

    "Simply focus on yourself. There are tons of people out there, and I'm sure you could find a way you don't match up to them in some area, maybe even a field you've chosen to apply yourself to." I know I've done that plenty, in this life and the last. "But you can't focus on that. The only one you're really competing against at the end of the day is yourself, and as long as you've improved, that's great."

    Mabel furrowed her brow, not looking quite convinced, so I clarified. "Even if you think you haven't done enough, or you still have too far to go, your efforts matter. And if some external validation is needed, know that there will always be someone out there who appreciates your efforts. Thank you for well…"

    I got tongue-tied at the end of my impromptu speech, only partially because of the difficulty in pinning down the right words. That brilliant smile on her face isn't helping either. I blushed and shook my head, looking away for a second as I tried to push down any burgeoning feelings.

    The motion ended up catching the attention of Big Jim, the older man striding to us. "What's this I hear about becomin' a Trainer?" Good ears; most regular people would have had a tough time catching that over the ranch Pokemon and that far away.

    Mabel spun around brightly to face her father. "Yes, I'm gonna do it! Next year, I'm taking on the Gym Challenge!" She pumped her fist up in the air cutely.

    The ranch owner didn't seem upset, letting out a happy chuckle of his. "Sounds like yer set on yer path then. You'll do great," he added in a softer tone before turning to me. "Thanks fer talkin' my sweet daughter up to that. Guess battling ain't the only skill ya got! Can't say I'm surprised though; yer folks have been praising ya almost as much as our prized Pokemon here."

    Right, this ranch isn't just well rated for good service but also for the 'quality' of the Pokemon they produce. Something on my face must have shown because Jim asked, "Ya good, Miss Nemona?"

    "Ah, I'm fine." I said before sighing, seeing him unconvinced. "I just- don't believe that's a thing. That Pokemon bred from strong Pokemon are not inherently any stronger or have any greater potential than others," I explained. My words brought a shocked gasp from Mabel.

    Jim, on the other hand, didn't seem upset, merely commenting, "Interesting outlook." In the distance, I saw two Tauros, a Blaze and Aqua breed, prancing around a corner of the field, scorching and quenching the grass as they went, playfully bashing into each other. "Most serious Trainers wouldn't agree with that, though."

    Scoffing, I said, "That's because those 'serious Trainers' are looking for quick fixes to power. Yes, some Pokemon tend to start out a bit stronger in some areas than others and will have natural biological advantages in certain fields, but with enough training, any Pokemon can reach the greatest heights."

    "Oh? Bunch of sciency folk have studies that say otherwise." Jim countered, and I rolled my eyes.

    "Those studies only show slight tendencies, and correlation doesn't equal causation. Any supposed increase in the base strength of Pokemon from 'prestigious' lineage is usually just a matter of having some training from their parents already, better nutrition, or just a measure of belief in the Pokemon themselves affecting the study." To say nothing of the fact that certain people in the breeding industry might well pay good money to fund and shift the test results in their favor.

    "You reckon that just believing in a Pokemon is enough to make 'em stronger?"

    "Of course, that's a large part of a Trainer's job. Sure, you set up training plans and regimens, make strategies, and react to changes in the middle of dynamic battles, but at the end of the day, all you'll be left able to do in a battle is believe in the Pokemon you've trained." I glanced up, looking him straight in the eyes. "And if you believe hard enough, a lot of the time, it's enough."

    He laughed again, a full-bellied thing. "Well put. Not sure I entirely agree - not the least of which cause I'd be out of a job if I did, but well put." Hard to tell if he's just being agreeable because of my parents/their money, or if he's just always this polite and reasonable while dealing with other people, but at least he's pleasant enough to be around. Not as much as his daug- gah! Stop it, brain!

    I made an excuse and drifted away, wandering around the ranch for a while and talking with my parents before heading out again. The daily grind was real, and just because Athena would need to rest didn't mean that I could slack off with training the rest of my Pokemon.

    ***

    That being said, a large chunk of the next few days was spent helping Athena control her new powers and the emotions that came with them. To varying degrees of success.

    "Patience now," I chided as a low growl started building in her throat. With a deep sigh, she relaxed again, despite the Mankey, Pansear, and Komala hanging off of her. The monkey Pokemon were scrambling all over her, while the Komala just quietly dozed, hanging off Athena's left arm. Impressive, I hadn't even noticed her slipping up and climbing up until she was already there. Quite sneaky for one so sleepy.

    That drew another flash of irritation from my Pokemon, and even if she managed to avoid vocalizing it, I could still see it in the tension she held and the way her furs bristled.

    "Athena, don't be upset just because I find other Pokemon interesting too. Everyone has their own skills and powers; that doesn't diminish your own."

    That earned a grumble from her. Not necessarily a disagreement, but more an 'I don't like it.' If she's this involved in what I'm saying and feeling, the meditation probably isn't going anywhere.

    Waving the Pokemon off of her, I circled around to face her. "Hey, this training is just as important as the rest of your practice. You know you only lost to Dun that first time because you lost yourself.

    My Lucario huffed, clearly unhappy about the loss, despite the fact that she had improved greatly since then. So far she's won two out of three rematches, even with me guiding Dun once she won the first time. And she's only going to get so much stronger.

    'I feel frustrated with myself. I should be better than this, have greater control. Dun must think me a fool, to have such little self-control.'

    "Hey, none of that now; you're doing good. This is just a bit of a learning curve. Every Mon has that when they evolve. Given our limited windows to train those powers, it makes sense that you'd be having difficulty. Especially with that technique." I wonder if I suggested it too soon. It would be really cool if she could pull it off, but using Aura that way will be tricky, even for an expert like her.

    My words didn't seem to reach her and I paused. "Wait, what was that about Dun." She stiffened up at my words, and if it weren't for her fur, I'd swear that she would have been blushing.

    'I jus- just wanna beat him, that's all!' I mentally appended a 'baka' onto the end of her sentence, smiling slightly. Ah right, she's always had a bit of an infatuation/obsession with him. Now that she's evolved too, makes sense that she wants to show off.

    "Don't worry about it. There are bumps in everyone's training; remember the time he practiced Ice Beam with his tail, aimed too low and froze his own head?" That earned a small smirk from the jackal-like Pokemon as she remembered that incident. He broke out almost immediately and acted like nothing had happened, but the whole team was howling at that.

    Dun was hardly the only one with a funny story about a mistake or gaff they had made - all of us had something like that. "We're a team, right? We've all seen each other at our highest and lowest points. If something didn't go well recently, then just do better tomorrow. You'll practice and get more control, and by the time we face on Tyme, you'll be sure to wow Dun and everyone with how much you've grown." Those words brought her a bit of comfort for a minute, but as she resumed meditating, I could feel her thoughts spiraling again.

    Athena was brought out of her brooding by a long lick from the Drampa, who had wandered over. Billy trailed behind him, huffing and puffing, out of breath. There was like twelve meters between us; you can't be exhausted from that!

    An angry bark from Athena had Drampa wilting backward, looking sad. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it," Billy quickly leapt to the Pokemon's defense.

    "True, I think Athena is just a bit upset about other matters." At a gentle nudge from me, she let out a grunt that could be interpreted as an apology, which had the Dragon Type perking back up quickly. "She can be a bit prickly when you catch her off guard," I continued, while sending a pulse of contrition to her for using her as an example for this. "You don't always know every aspect of a Pokemon when you first meet them, or even after spending a few days with them."

    Much like humans, they constantly find ways to surprise you. My father didn't seem to get it, however. "I feel like I know Drampa perfectly already. He's bursting with Glitterati enthusiasm!" The Dragon in question leaned into some cuddles from Billy, happy but not showing the usual draconic pride at praise. His species wasn't noted for that, but they were noted for surprising bouts of anger.

    No guarantee he has that; not every Pokemon exactly matches their Pokemon entry, but still. Wouldn't hurt to check that out, though. Jumping to a seemingly unrelated topic, I suggested, "Hey, do you think you want to battle with him? It'd be a good chance to get to know him better and-"

    "Yes!" He eagerly exclaimed, clearly needing no other excuses. "I challenge you to a battle!"

    There was a moment of silence, my father's proud declaration and dramatic finger pointing at me turning awkward as I, Athena, and Drampa just gave him a look. After a moment, I chuckled. "Great Glitterati eagerness there, but I think my team might be a bit much for Drampa at this point." To say nothing of the difference in skill between us as Trainers. "Why don't you battle Mom with a Pokemon she chooses from the ranch as well?"

    I had my suspicions about what Pokemon she'd use, and (after clearing the match in the ranch with Jim) I was proven correct, though not quite in the way I'd expected.

    "Oh, I'd love to, dear," she answered Billy's challenge. "But I just don't know which of these two cuties I should use!" She despaired looking between two, nigh identical plush white mouse-looking Pokemon.

    "Uhh, actually Tandemaus counts as one Pokemon for battling and catching," I mentioned, sweatdropping a little. The Tandemaus chittered in amusement.

    "Whaaaat? How does that work?" O'Nare questioned.

    "Actually, it's a really interesting phenomenon. I think it has something to do with linking their Auras up on a very tight level, closer than most regular bonds can work. While they are distinct beings with their own personalities and minds, when they're so closely linked, they can sort of sync up their thoughts and act as one, letting a Pokeball catch them together. It also means that there are deleterious effects upon both of them if they're forcibly separated - not that you need to worry about that for the relatively small space for the space you have to battle in."

    I gestured at the corner that had been cleared for them before clamping my mouth shut. Whoops, went a bit too far there. Don't want Mom to worry, but I shouldn't be giving either one of them advice here. I reached for Notch's Pokeball before catching a subtle shake of Athena's head.

    She must have caught onto my plan and the precaution I want to take here. Not really her forte, but with an Aura construct, she might be able to… I quickly nodded at her before focusing my attention on my parents.

    Jim laid down the rules quickly. "Alright, this should be a nice, fun battle. Fight till the other Pokemon is down or surrenders; let's not go too far here." With a gesture to the Kadabra standing nearby, a barrier was raised in a cube around the space. "Ready, set, begin!"

    "O-Okay, go, attack!" Billy called out first, eagerness clashing with a lack of experience. For his part, Drampa looked confused for a second but then followed the command as best he could, raising up a Twister around the Tandemaus pair and tossing them about the arena.

    O'Nare furrowed her brow, eyes darting rapidly about the field before she gave an order. "Converge on Drampa, hit him from both sides!" The mouse-like Pokemon rapidly ran at the Dragon, giving him no time to escape before slapping him, knocking his head first one way, then the other.

    "Play Nice!" Billy cried, and the Dragon reached out, grabbing each Tandemaus by one hand and dancing in a circle with them. They seemed quite happy and were hesitant to attack the Drampa at O'Nare's orders even after the Dragon released them. Despite that, their Play Rough really hit the Dragon hard. Nice, they're both getting the hang of strategy, at least a little bit.

    The battle continued like that, with Billy on a more defensive and disruptive strategy to O'Nare's aggressive one. It seemed like my father might have the edge until my mom used her special weapon.

    "Super Fang!" The Tandemaus charged in, teeth shining bright, each pair striking through Drampa's scales as if they weren't even there. A lucky hit that took out a lot of Drampa's health. Super Fang has to aim for critical spots on the enemy Pokemon, so for them to both hit different ones was lucky, but quite strong.

    Drampa had his own secret trick, the beast letting out a splitting howl that shook the barrier. Tossing the Tandemaus off of him, he began spitting out dragon fire without any orders on Billy's part.

    Mom cried, "Get out of the way!" Which was enough to let the dazed mice roll aside, avoiding the Dragon Breath. The attack then hit into the barrier, shattering it.

    "What in tarnation-?" Jim began as my father was calling for Drampa to stop, to no avail. I stepped forward, nodding to Athena, and she was in front of the rampaging Dragon in the blink of an eye. Pushing his head up and letting the Dragon Breath pass harmlessly into the air above.

    He began to struggle, but a giant hand of Aura reached out from Athena and clasped him tight. Then she raised a paw and sent a pulse of Psychic energy into the Drampa; the Dragon Type instantly drooped, and his struggles stopped.

    Hypnosis? No, he doesn't look sleepy, just calm. Did she use Calm Mind on someone else? That's incredible! My musings were cut off by the sudden bout of action as Tandemaus jumped up, the pair slapping the top of Drampa's head and knocking him out, earning a moment of stunned silence from the rest of us.

    "... I know we didn't call the match off, but if the barrier breaks and other Pokemon are jumping in, the match is over," I informed Tandemaus. The duo at least had the decency to look a bit sheepish at that.

    Billy rushed over with Potions to heal Drampa, while praising O'Nare for her battling skills. His wife did much the same, boasting about the strength Drampa showed while holding the Tandemaus close and snuggling them.

    Good to see that everyone is getting along and that my parents are one step closer to their goals. As Athena walked back, I said, "Good job there; that was an impressive trick."

    "Only that. Just a trick. So far away still from that technique you want me to master."

    "Perhaps, but each journey begins with the first steps. Trite, but true. You remember me telling you about how frustrated I got with my Aura progress at first?" Looking her in the eyes, she nodded. "It's like that. All the training you're doing here helps immensely. It might also end up being one of those 'cool but impractical' ideas, so we'll see how it goes. Just be proud of how far you've come. Or, if you're worried about those feelings overwhelming you again, then at least respect the effort you've put in, as you do for mine."

    At that, she bowed to me, one paw clasped in the other. I returned the gesture to her before clasping her forearm.

    ***

    With my parents' battle done, the other Pokemon, some staff, and others just part of the ranch stepped in to help fix the terrain. With several Grass Types around, they were able to patch over the ground quickly. It wasn't instantaneous, but after about fifteen minutes, most of the damage looked as it would if humans had spent a couple of days working it over. Not that everyone was happy about it.

    "That's why we don't have many Dragon Types," I heard the ranch owner mutter under his breath as he took in the few remaining burnt patches of field before us. It's easy to take these things for granted when you don't have a different frame of reference to compare it to.

    "I had wondered about that," I responded in a far more conversational tone, earning a slight jump from the big man as I approached. "There are a fair number of Dragon dens not too far from here. Tatsugiri, Dreepy, Gible, and Dratini are all fairly common, and yet you only have Applin, a few Goomy, and the one Drampa."

    "Applin don't go wrecking the place if they throw a fit."

    "Remind me not to introduce you to Kieran's Applin," I quipped before I thought about it and realized he'd have no context. "Ah, he's just a friend of mine. Honestly, his Applin isn't prone to wanton destruction, actually, but he's a well-trained battler and strong enough to cause at least as much damage as Drampa did. I'm looking forward to a rematch." Should I send Bahumat against him next time, Dragon vs. Dragon? Or Nightwing? Probably Nightwing; I imagine his starter will be evolved by then, so we can have a rematch with both of our now-evolved Pokemon. Oh, and I should send him some Eviolite for his birthday.

    "I love all Types of Pokemon, but Dragons can be a bit temperamental. You might be a great Trainer, but a lotta folks, they don't know how ta handle 'em. And the nearby ones have fierce parents. Don't think anyone would want to tangle with Ol' Waterspout over yonder," he said, pointing at the Collonade Hollow.

    Right, it's a Water Tera Type. I knew that Garchomp was a Tera Pokemon but forgot what Type. My answering grin caused the man to pale dramatically.

    "You- you're going to- you can't go and fight the Garchomp!" He exclaimed, his accent slipping. "I know you think you're some hotshot, but-"

    "I'll be f-" I cut myself off from the smugness radiating off of Athena. "I'll take every precaution to ensure I'm safe. Besides, I do need to give Athena a good fight, and I think this will be that."

    The man still seemed worried, but there was nothing he could do to stop me. I informed my parents as well before heading out, and they were remarkably less concerned. Then again, they know me better and don't know this wild Tera Pokemon nearly as well as someone who has lived here.

    'Experience and Wisdom.' Came Athena's mocking, empathic voice, and I glared at her as I ran across the plains towards the Hollow. Normally, I'd be making great gliding leaps as I covered the land, but I was trying to conserve my Aura before using Mega Evolution. Using it had gotten slightly easier, but still far from the point that I could casually activate it or risk it when tired.

    "I don't see you turning around either," I groused before sighing. "Ok, fine, you come by the overconfidence honestly; I should be careful around the Garchomp. And I will be."

    True to my word, before entering the Hollow, I released Notch and Nightwing, then after a moment's consideration, Miles. "Notch and Miles, I want you two to make an extra strong barrier to keep the Garchomp in and from going after the rest of us. Nightwing, you can handle outside threats."

    Once they all agreed, I called upon the Keystone, Mega Evolving Athena. The rest of my Pokemon were well used to this transformation by now, though I felt it was still an awesome sight. Nightwing pretended she wasn't interested, miming a yawn afterwards, earning a semi-playful swat from a giant Aura Hand, smacking the Gliscor down.

    "Enough fighting, we'll get plenty of that-" A loud roar from within the depths interrupted me. "-Inside," I finished, any jovial cheer taking a back seat to seriousness as we entered.

    The rocky space felt at once enclosed and massive, the ceiling yawning high overhead, yet the thick sheet of rock blocking out the sun from above. Light still streamed in from the side, and through pillars of stone, the gentle plains were visible but separate from the Hollow. Like a television screen. Clear and close, but feeling like a second world from this one.

    Plenty of Pokemon scuttled around in the gloom of the Hollow, but the few that tried to get close to me were driven off by Nightwing swooping down to terrorize them, cackling as she did so. The others aren't very strong here, at least not in comparison to my team. I can feel down to my bones, though, that the Garchomp will be different.

    Part of why I could feel it that deep was in how much the ground shook as it roared, the frequency increasing as we approached. Clearly, it can sense us approach-

    A flash above caught my eye, and I leapt back. That still wouldn't have been enough had Nightwing not interposed herself inbetween me and the sparkling Garchomp, a Protect stopping the landshark's deadly claws cold.

    "Circle throw! Barriers up!" I shouted quickly to Athena and the rest of my team. She shot forward, pulling the Garchomp by her elbow and tossing her atop one of the massive pillars nearby, following before the wild Pokemon had landed. Notch and Miles conjured an impressive barrier up from the cavernous floor up to well above the pillar where my Pokemon and the Dragon now clashed.

    Grabbing onto Nightwing, I was pulled up to a far narrower but taller pillar to get a view of the fight. From here I could see the water spout Tera jewel 'hat' above the wild Pokemon's head as she violently screamed. The Garchomp rushed violently at Athena, but the Mega Pokemon simply danced around the attacks, letting the wild Pokemon crash into the rock, creating large craters. I doubt she'll break the pillar intentionally, but there is a chance that Garchomp could do that in her rage. I do appreciate Athena taking the time to set up a bit with Dancing Sword.

    "Trailblaze!" My voice echoed out through the Hollow, and Athena rushed ahead. Green energy surrounded her as she smacked hard into Garchomp, the blow striking hard into the Pokemon's side. Not without a return shot from the Dragon Type, however, her claws cutting a narrow slice out of Athena's fur.

    For her part, there was barely a wince of pain, and she used the speed boost well, easily avoiding a Liquidation as Garchomp chased after her. With Mega Evolution she was already slightly faster; now she greatly outpaces him.

    "Extreme Speed, then Close Combat!" My eyes lost track of them for a moment again, just the blurring motion of fighting as two bounced around the top of the large pillar. Even when the motion across slowed down enough to make out their position, Athena's arms and legs were a blur that I couldn't precisely pin down.

    They sure are hurting Garchomp, though. Despite the wild Pokemon's impressive durability, I could see even her thick scales breaking and denting under the flurry of blows. Before Athena could escape, however, a counterattack was launched. Stomping the ground to shake it at the same time as her two fin blades cut down on my Mega Lucario's shoulders Bulldozed her down into the ground, up to her knees.

    Pinned like that, Garchomp began tearing into her with a wild thrash. The Move wasn't very effective, beating against Athena's iron-hard bones, but the sheer power Garchomp carried was enough to bruise my Pokemon.

    "Toss her off, then Rock Throw!" I shouted. With an Aura Whip wrapped around Garchomp's leg, she chucked the Dragon away from her before pulling up a piece of stone and tossing that at the wild Pokemon after. Garchomp quickly caught herself mid-air and began flying towards Athena, but dodging around the stone she had tossed gave her time to break free of the stone holding her (the rock being pulled from around her feet made it easier to break free as well).

    Jumping above her opponent, Athena landed down on the Garchomp's head with a powerful kick, knocking her back down onto the pillar. As she alighted down, a tidal wave of water erupted from nowhere, conjured purely by the screaming Garchomp below.

    The wave didn't hit Athena hard, but it did force her back and cause us both to lose sight of the wild Tera Pokemon as the water rushed over the sides of their battle stage. My keen sight picked out the small funnel of water going straight down the middle of the stage, however, and Athena's Aura Sight likely gave her the same knowledge; the Garchomp had burrowed through the rock.

    Athena wasn't about to wait and just let her pop back up, raising a leg up high before glancing at me. My quick nod was all the sign she needed to strike down, driving her foot, superimposed by a larger Aura leg, into the ground. The resulting Earthquake shook the cavern slightly, but most of the force was contained by the pillar, which violently splintered apart, breaking off into chunks.

    The barrier meant there were no Pokemon on the ground in range of the pillar, but many nearby still scrambled back in a fright as they heard and saw the rocks raining down in a devastating storm. Intermixed with the thunder was a sharp cry of pain from the Garchomp. From the dust, she created a massive storm of sand, a Sand Tomb larger and much taller than I had ever seen, trapping Athena within. Without waiting for a command from me, she let out a sharp cry, ensconcing herself in a sphere of Aura and pushing the grating particles away, breaking free.

    A quick Vacuum Wave directed her out of the lower, still remaining half of the Sand Tomb as she fell, but Garchomp, despite her many injuries, pushed ahead, running to the spot where Athena would land.

    She can't have too much energy left, but there's no sense in risking things here. No need to go all out when she can win by taking it slow. "Drain Punch," I commanded as they met, and my Mega Pokemon's fists slammed into Garchomp as the Tera Pokemon's claws cut into her. As they pulled away, Athena was rejuvenated while Garchomp looked worse than ever.

    "Extreme Aura Sphere, finish it!" It wasn't quite the ultimate technique I was hoping for from this power-up, but it would be a significant stepping stone to what I envisioned. One that she performed gloriously. A vast barrage of Aura Spheres of varying sizes blasted across the cavern, too quick for Garchomp to dodge. After one knocked her back, the others did too, some of which had been spread out to catch Garchomp if she had managed to move away, curving in, each one slamming into her and breaking her defenses down further until the final shot exploded.

    Blinking the spots out of my eyes, I saw Garchomp, kneeling on the ground, her Terastalization fading away as she heaved, defeated. Her yellow eyes glared up at me, but she couldn't bring herself to move towards even Athena, let alone myself.

    For her part, Athena had a few bloody scrapes on her but nothing serious, but I could tell from the slight shake to her arms that she was tired too. Still, she gave Garchomp a respectful bow before walking away.

    Calling off the barrier, I had Nightwing carry down a small satchel filled with berries down to Garchomp before turning and leaving. I didn't hear her move for a moment, but hunger and fatigue beat out pride, and I soon heard her chomping down rabidly into the berries, the energy they gave helping her lick her wounds.

    As we left the Hollow, Athena's Mega Evolution stopped, and she shifted back, dropping to one knee for a second, tired from the strain.

    'How did I do?'

    The grin that stretched across my face would have told her the answer even if she couldn't sense my emotions, but I spoke my answer anyway. "You did amazing. Keep that up, and you'll sweep Tyme."

    "Lucario!" 'You bet I will!'

    "Gar gar?" Nightwing asked from the side.

    "What?! No, we aren't literally betting that."

    "Gli li."

    "Don't call me a coward, and no, you can't bet anyways if I'm not-"

    ***

    After some 'spirited' discussion, we made it back to the ranch as the sun was setting. Today is the last day they have off; after this, I'll be back on my own. Not that I've ever really been 'on my own' for the journey.

    To no one's surprise, I found my parents beside familiar Pokemon. "So I take it you've made your choices?" They nodded, glancing down at the Tandemaus and Drampa beside each of them. The two Normal Types had clearly made friends with each other after the battle and were happily chatting away. "Even if they have some aggression or rage issues?" I pressed.

    "'Yes."" Their unified declaration was firm, and I saw steel in their eyes. They had noted potential issues from their battle but were prepared to grow together with their chosen Pokemon.

    "Alright then, congrats on your first steps as Pokemon Trainers!" I announced. As I raised my arms up, they swooped down and grabbed me in a tight hug.

    "Thank you for all your help in guiding us here."

    "You shine like a true, brilliant Glitterati already."

    "Ah, thanks."

    Mom cleared her throat and backed off. "Sorry if we got too worried about you. It's clear you can handle yourself." I had informed them before we went off to fight the Garchomp of what I was doing, which had them a little nervous, but I didn't think they realized how powerful a Garchomp (and that on in particular) could be. But I also showed them the video Miles had recorded of the fight, and demonstrated both the Dragon's strength... and how much greater our own was.

    "I hope you can for-" Before she could continue, I vehemently shook my head.

    "No, no, I'm sorry for worrying you guys. You're my parents; it's your job to worry."

    "Actually it's our job to run a large electronics company and real estate firm," Billy cheekily pointed out, rubbing his watery eyes. I rolled mine in response.

    "But seriously, thank you for caring. I- I don't know how to describe how bad life would be without you in it, so thank you for everything. And I'll promise to take more precautions in the future." Not to say I won't do anything dangerous; some paths are thorny and can't be avoided. But I'll try to tackle them smarter from now on.

    We had one last dinner together at a fancy restaurant. They bought the whole place out for us, including my Pokemon and Cash & Kin (Tandemaus) and Happy (Drampa). My parents left early in the morning to get back to work, while my journey continued. Next stop, Montevenera.


    Pokemon ranches/farms are an interesting concept that really brushes up against that muddy line of 'how sentient Pokemon are treated as.' Hopefully I do it justice here (or at least it was fun to read). And we got to see a bit more of what Athena's been feeling and what she can do now that she has a basic handle on her Mega Evolution.

    There were a lot of fun ideas for what Pokemon the elder Glitterati might get here (and no promises I won't steal some of these ideas for the future) but these were two Pokemon I really liked and felt fit well with them. Tandemaus/Maushold and Drampa were also Pokemon I originally had planned for Nemona herself, but ultimately got cut from the roster on account of other Pokemon filling their roles, as well as just leaving her with too many Normal Types (seriously, there were so many Normal Types to start, and even now I get to at least four by the endgame). But what did you think of the choices for Billy and O'Nare?

    As a heads up, we won't actually be hopping immediately to the next Gym but instead checking on Geeta in an Interlude next time. Thank you so much for reading, and if you're interested feel free to join the the Discord to talk about it. And if you like my stuff and want to toss me a bit of money, I have a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the latter get early access to the next ten chapters. Thank you and have a great day.
     
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    • I wanna give Tandemaus a Wide Lens to increase accuracy, but my inner sith wants a King's Rock instead.
     
    Not everyone needs to become a pokemon trainer, not everyone can become a pokemon trainer, i disagree with nemona.
     
    unlawfulwaffle362 said:
    I wanna give Tandemaus a Wide Lens to increase accuracy, but my inner sith wants a King's Rock instead.
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    Haha, fair. Both can be very diabolical 'fun.'

    Spearow said:
    Not everyone needs to become a pokemon trainer, not everyone can become a pokemon trainer, i disagree with nemona.
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    I mean, I don't think I had her say that everyone needs to become a trainer, though it does sorta feel like everyone can become one if they try. What being a trainer means to them will vary for each person, but it is generally possible for everyone.
     
    Interlude XI - Geeta New
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    • Thank you for my 20 Beginner Tier Patreons for their support and extra special thanks to my Ace Tier supporter, RageLord!

    Geeta POV

    Placing down my pen, I sat down behind my desk, allowing myself just a moment to relax. The piles of paper on my desk were neatly organized and not urgent. Though there is enough of it that even with my larger desk as Vice Chairwoman of the League, I have less free space now than I did when I was just a regular worker.

    A knock on my door interrupted my peace, and for a moment, I imagined the notion of simply not answering it. That dream was sadly interrupted by a woman's voice asking, "Vice Chairwoman? I'm from the Joy Clan, here about a matter I'd like the League to investigate." I'm aware of that; the only question is who- "One of your aides sent me up." She continued, neatly answering the question I had been thinking of.

    "Come in," I said calmly, composing myself so I wouldn't give any outward signs of annoyance. It was a skill I had plenty of practice with this past year as I'd acclimated to my new position… and started aiming higher.

    The door opened up, a thick oak thing leading the Nurse Joy into a rather modest office. She took in the navy blue walls, the dark antique grandfather clock in the corner, and me at my desk. There was little else adorning my space, just a seat on either side of the desk, and the one on her side was an unfortunate concession to the reality that occasionally I would have to entertain someone else in my office. Like now.

    "Please, take a seat." I gestured in front of me, and the woman did so, straightening out her Nurse tank top uniform. Her hair was a vibrant pink, indicating that she had been born into the clan, if I hadn't known it already. Her youth, and the fact that she wore the uniform even while off-duty, spoke to a lack of confidence that she felt the need to bolster with her family name.

    She placed down a small folder with some documents beside her, and I resisted the urge to sigh. They won't be enough to make the case she wants, but it is enough to force me to spend my time on dismissing them. "What's the issue you seem to be facing?"

    Seeing how she presented herself would give me a better image of her character and how I could best deal with her. The Nurse nodded and began her spiel. "I've been trying to contact the League several times about a worrisome case I came across in my work in Alfornada. A young Trainer demonstrated several unusual tendencies in how they treated their Pokemon. Signs of going too far in battles and evasiveness combined with hostility when asked questions about their Pokemon."

    As she spoke, she passed over some papers, the reports including the scans of Nemona's team and an incident report she had filled out of this 'hostility.'. I quickly scanned them over. Very professional, neutral tone, but plenty to read between the lines. Both in what this Nurse is getting at and what she's obfuscating. Nemona herself isn't mentioned by name by this, but I'm familiar with her team to tell it's her.

    "I see. And what do you intend to do with this?"

    My still neutral tone put her on the back foot. Spluttering, she said. "We-well I plan to start an inquiry into the treatment of her Pokemon and how they were acquired." Acquired? Hmm. Discreetly, I pulled up Nemona's record on my Rotom Phone under my desk, sending it to my computer.

    "Not a formal infraction on her record or a request to determine the viability of her keeping her Pokemon?" I asked, pulling out the paper with Riolu's medical information on it.

    "Ah, no. I'd rather not jump to any conclusions. Those injuries are not a good sign, but I wouldn't want anything so harsh or lasting. Especially since she might not be to blame for some of her bad tendencies."

    There was a pause where I nodded my head before I spoke up. "Denied," I spoke simply, gathering up her papers and passing them back to her. "Have a nice da-"

    "What do you mean denied?! Why?" She angrily demanded, and this time I did allow myself to sigh.

    "Because these papers, no matter how many scary implications you wish to sprinkle throughout them, would not qualify for such an investigation, not even close. If Nemona's Riolu showed up to your Pokemon Center that badly hurt a dozen times in a row, it still wouldn't be enough." Admittedly, if that was the case, then she would be balancing on the razor's edge of acceptable behavior, but still.

    "I- my clan will hear about this, mark my words!" She stood up violently, the chair making a slight scraping sound against the hardwood floor.

    "I imagine they already have, and that they rejected your claim for similar reasons as I have." Though hardly limited to only those ones.

    Rather than leave, she furrowed her brow, thinking about something I said. The look would have been cute on her had she not been so personally frustrating to me. "How did you know it was Nemona?" She finally asked, suspiciously staring at me.

    In response, I turned around my computer, showing her the (low clearance) records of all her Pokemon. "No one else in Paldea has a team like hers, and she's become a rather popular figure of late. It wasn't hard to figure out." I had considered trying to mention that I knew her personally and could vouch for her character before immediately dismissing that. She's got her mind set about this, and after so many rejections, she has probably built up a slight mistrust of institutions.

    "These are files you should be able to access too, as a Nurse Joy, Amelia," I said, casually dropping her first name. "You wanted to investigate the origins of her Pokemon, but most of these are quite clearly designated."

    "Not all of them," the petulant older teenage girl muttered. Aha, that's your goal, very interesting.

    "Her Zoroark's existence is covered under an NDA provided by one of our famed Pokemon Professors. Is that not trustworthy enough for you?" I asked rhetorically. Hypocritically as well because it certainly isn't enough for me. Friede left the country with barely any notice shortly thereafter, quitting his job and going to bum around in Kanto. And I only found that out because he hadn't bothered hiding it; he just hadn't chosen to announce it either. Sada is worse; she's practically been a Ghost Type since she and Turo split. Sightings of her occur here and there occasionally, but sporadic enough that tracking her is difficult.

    Rather than leave or get angrier, Amelia resorted to desperate pleading. "I know there's something more going on there; I'm sure of it. Probably her parents and less so Nemona-"

    "If you're going to behave so recklessly, you should at least make that fact clear. I'm certain that her parents will come down much harder on you if they thought you were after their daughter rather than them." A cold comfort, truly. A boulder falling on you is almost as likely to squish you flat as a mountain certainly would.

    "You're all just protecting her because you're scared of pissing off her parents!" The young woman hissed, her eyes getting redder as she lost more of her composure.

    "I assure you, I am not protecting her because I am worried about the consequences of the Glitterati family. I have rejected your requests - all three times they've landed on my desk prior - because they do not have a strong enough basis in reality." That being said, if they did have strong enough evidence to bear further investigation, I might then be warned off by her parents. No one wants the Paldean economy to collapse because the League pissed off the wrong nine-year-old.

    "I understand your job is one that requires deep personal connections to the Pokemon you look after and I'm sure that must evoke strong feelings. For now I just ask that you wait and watch how her progress goes; as I mentioned, her run has attracted many eyes of the world upon her. I'm sure if she were on the wrong path, someone else would notice."

    Then, to toss a Growlithe a bone, I added, "Here." I had my Rotom Phone send her a message.

    "What's this?"

    "The email address of Professor Friede, the one who found that Zorua you seem so interested in. He's under the NDA as well, from the Exceed corporation, but perhaps he can at least reassure you that things are fine."

    That mollified her enough to mulishly nod and trudge out of my office. Finally. I wonder why she was so interested in that Zoroark of Nemona's? Its coloration and Typing certainly make it a unique specimen, but hardly one so troublesome for a Nurse Joy to spend so much time trying to look into this. I'll have to do some of my own investigation into the matter.

    Giving the paperwork on my desk one last, regretful look, I shook my head and stood from my chair. With how distracted I am by Nemona, I'll get nothing done at the moment.

    The internal hallways of the League building were a bit softer than the stark white outside, but were still a very plain beige. This way and that other bureaucrats marched about checking their phones or reading over documents. The League system was designed to be slightly more 'hands-off' in governing the land, but there were still plenty of piles of work for all the officials to go through every day.

    Walking down to the lounge room, I saw a bulletin board. Several papers were stuck on it, from internal League memos to offers to take up special training to prepare officials for advancement within the League or to branch out to the Ranger Corp or become Gym Trainers. There were also sillier things, like chess groups or 'Makuhita Karaoke.'.

    What caught my eye the most, however, was the poster of Raifort we had made up. Some jokester had decided to spice it up by making this copy look old, the paper crinkled and brown. The sketch (framed elegantly by the fancy border drawn around it) made the young woman seem almost glamorous, were it not for the bolded words 'POACHER' at the bottom. In cursive, they wrote 'Wanted Alive Only' and an outrageous bounty for help in catching her.

    We do offer some Pokedollars for good Samaritans helping us, but hardly that many zeros on our rewards. The fact that it then clearly states to keep her alive clearly indicates she's far more important than implied by her crimes… I shook my head helplessly as I entered the lounge. The quiet chatter stopped for just a second as the other employees recognized me before starting up again.

    Wonder what they're saying this time? Honestly, probably nothing about me, but after the 'sweeping' changes I had made, cutting out some of the worst excesses of the League, everyone acts scared around me. That or overly congratulatory. I think I hate the latter more than the former. They were the ones who talked to me the most, however, so I used them to hear about what was going on within the League, and they'd had plenty to say to me lately, particularly about the Raifort situation.

    A few colleagues had not so discreetly indicated how doing such a thing would be a great win. 'A feather in my cap' or so they say. Ha! I'd just look like the Glitterati's Haxorus woman if that 'worked out,' sent from the League to chop any problems down for those tycoons. I already have enough suspicion of that since I worked alongside their investigator prior to dealing with the judge scandal.

    I didn't regret that (not the least of which because it made the League less corrupt and helped me climb the ranks), but it did leave me in an awkward spot here. One which was made further pressing by Margret Houndooming me at every opportunity she got (sometimes literally), trying to lead the investigation down certain paths.

    It left her greatly at odds with Oberon, but the Fairy Type Gym Leader was hardly a match for the Dark Type Elite Four even before his latest slump. Not super noticeable this season, but that's because most of the attention is on Nemona right now, and Alfornada is rather remote anyway. He too had a vested interest in this case and had the gall to try and force me to place ever greater assets on it, playing up the 'importance' of the actions of one thief.

    In the end, politics was about compromise. So I left out Raifort's last name in the wanted bulletins and made a note to law enforcement to avoid lethal measures at all costs while leaving the 'poaching' charge of dubious validity. If my sources didn't say that Oberon was looking into training a replacement, I'd be looking into ways to shuffle the old man out myself.

    The League Lounge room was slightly more colorful than the hallways that led into it. The walls were light gray with portraits of prominent past Champions hung all over them. There were some red leather couches off to the side and a few coffee tables. Beside the kitchenette was a fridge, which I made a Combeeline to, grabbing out my lunch.

    Sitting down by myself at one of the tables, I took the first bite of my sandwich and stared out at the portraits. So much power is held by each of these Trainers, the best and brightest of Paldea.

    "Do you think my face would look good there?" A voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I turned to face the slightly aggravating man. Miguel sat down across from me, his hair even messier than usual, if that was possible. "Or maybe over there?" He pointed to another spot on the wall.

    "Are you so eager to leave us? We only put those portraits up for former champions after all. Such a shame, you fought so hard to get here-"

    "Aww geez, no need to be rushing me out the door already, Vice Chair; I was just thinking about the future." He placed his elbows on the table and propped up his chin in his hands as he leaned over. He caught my gaze and smirked. "Besides, it's not like you aren't thinking the same. Want to take a shot at my spot?"

    "I'm afraid I don't have time for such an endeavor; I'm busy with my duties." My light dig at his lackadaisical approach to his own did nothing to deter his cheer. Probably because despite his eccentricities, his eye is keen and fitting for his rank. He's well aware that I would like to be the Top Champion. If I had started Training in earnest a little earlier… But then, 'could-have-beens' didn't help anyone, and I knew that if I had pursued a greater focus on being a Trainer, I'd be much further away from my other goal, to become the Chairwoman of the League.

    "I'm plenty busy; I just finished a bout of training my team. Gotta keep in tip-top shape, you know? I'm sure you do; the practice courts are practically the only place you're seen other than at work."

    "Work is usually what we do here, yes," I drawled, considering his offer as I finished my food. "A short match with you does sound invigorating, though." He fist-pumped before I continued. "After which you'll hopefully have the time to start attending to other duties, like protecting the Area Zero investigation team."

    He pouted, sticking his lip out. "I know, but we already have Hassel and Martha on it-"

    "And they deserve a break," I interjected. "Plus, you aren't the only one who needs to train their team up to face Nemona in the near future," I pointed out, cutting to the heart of the matter.

    "Ah, fair, fair. Ok, I'll do it. Oh, better actually grab a bite to eat and meet you down there. While we're on that topic, though… Have you considered passing along that request I sent on her behalf?"

    I frowned, casting my mind back to the stacks of paperwork I needed to get through. "Requesting the Kalosian and Alolan Leagues to let Nemona and a friend have access to a Diancie den? Yes, I can pass it along. The access might be limited in some ways, and the other Leagues definitely won't let it be unrestricted, but I don't see an issue with it."

    As I stood up, I asked him, "Why are you so insistent on it though? Do you really think her plan will work?"

    He gave a winning grin, showing off the charisma that had let him win over much of Paldea, despite his long sojourn from his homeland. "Why not? Crazier things have happened. Figure she'll learn something either way, and if it does… then our battle will be legendary."

    Literally, if it works. Nodding, I left, sweeping through the halls. It was easy enough to see his angle there. She's already shown a willingness to use Mega Evolution in battles with her Lucario. If she had a Mega Diancie to clash against Miguel's Mega Salamence, win or lose, that would create an impression that would capture the public zeitgeist and change their opinions on it.

    Miguel had an easy confidence and upbeat attitude, which earned him more fans than his predecessor, but his use of Mega Evolution was an issue that divided the public. People have really taken to Terastalization, especially with the Tera Sphere donated to the Masters Eight tournament and Uva getting their Tera Course up and running. The fact that the Tera Orbs can be mass-produced means that it will almost certainly always be more popular than Mega Evolution, but a big battle like that with Nemona might at least make it more acceptable in people's eyes.

    The question was if Nemona could evolve her Carbink. I had every faith she'd put on a great show regardless, but the Diancie was key to Miguel's plans. For almost anyone else, I'd be leery of letting them go to a Legendaries den, even chaperoned. The temptation to catch the Legendary would be too high for many a Trainer, but I couldn't see Nemona trying anything like that; she fought furiously against poachers after all.

    That's part of the problem, in fact. I mused as I walked to the elevator and went down, heading underground to the battle courts below. She's a good girl, but hardly perfect. Which shouldn't be the concern of any little girl, to be 'perfect,' but we need that from the next La Primera. Which, sadly, she seems well on her path to being.

    With a ding, the elevator doors opened, and I stepped out into a small hallway leading to the Battle Courts. Opening the heavy blast doors, they revealed the massive underground chamber, carved out just to let the League Officials train and practice with their Pokemon. Multiple battle courts were set up around a large field with tracks and obstacle courses in various corners. All the equipment was state-of-the-art, if not quite as high quality as what the Elite Challenge Room or Champion Field had, well above us.

    There were always some League staffers Training here, except during routine maintenance, with even some Rangers who kept odd hours practicing in-between deployments at night. Currently the place was rather lightly occupied, only a dozen or so Trainers scattered about, plenty of space for me to find my own spot. Releasing Espathra on the track, I set her to warm up, my thoughts still swirling about Paldea's youngest prodigy.

    It was apparent from the start that she was gifted; I just never pictured that she'd rise this quickly. The fact that after the scandal surrounding her first tournament she had never entered another tournament was part of what made this current development so shocking.

    My Psychic Type made good time around the track, kicking up dust as she raced around. "Quick Attack side-to-side as you go!" I called out to her, and she began incorporating the Move into her routine, shunting side to side as she ran in bursts, keeping her forward momentum as she did so.

    I continued like that for a few minutes until a burst of excited whispers announced Miguel's entrance. It's funny how even so many of the League staff get caught up in the 'Elite hype.'. We work with him and other Trainers similar to him every day, but something about that title catches everyone's mind. I wonder how Nemona will deal with that pressure when she's in his shoes?

    Those heavy thoughts were pushed aside as the El Primero swaggered up. "Looking good, Vice Chair," he commented. His gaze was fixed on Espathra as she continued her exercise. Let's put that to the test then.

    Motioning for her to stop, I said to him, "I hope you're prepared to give me a challenge. I don't intend on holding back."

    "And I would be deeply disappointed if you did." His carefree smile grew a slightly fierce edge in answer, and we moved to one of the free arenas. As we did so, I noticed a few of the other staffers not-so-subtly drifting over, looking to watch our match.

    I wonder what they're saying? Alas, my ears weren't keen enough to catch the contents of those whispered conversations.

    Facing Miguel, I announced, "Let's keep things short. One-on-one." I deliberately didn't put any stipulation on Enhancement effects but wasn't going to use them myself; if I could force him to Terastalize or Mega Evolve, I'd count that as a victory.

    "Alright, let's go, Aggron!" As his Pokeball spun through the air, my mind raced. Aggron, not great for me to face. Gogoat won't have the power to break through his defenses and Avalugg and Glimmora are weak to him. Bisharp won't be able to deal with the Body Press, so that only leaves- got it.

    "Go, Espathra," I said as Aggron burst free from the ball, the floor shaking slightly as he landed down. A hulking mass of thick plates of metal layered on top of each other with a few jagged spikes jutting out atop his head, the Steel Type cut an impressive figure. The bulky red jacket fitted over his body and covering most of his torso looked almost silly in comparison to his natural defenses, but I knew it provided a huge boon to his greatest weakness.

    My flightless Psychic Bird Pokemon stepped from my side and onto the arena as well, giving her foe an inquisitive look, her neck twisting back and forth to look at him with each vibrant blue eye. She stepped impatiently with her feet, antsy and ready for the battle to begin.

    Miguel raised an eyebrow at my choice but otherwise didn't say a word, getting the arena to start a countdown. "The match will begin in three, two, one, begin!" The tinny voice announced, and we leapt to action.

    "Feather Dance!/Double-Edge." We called at the same time, our Pokemon rushing to action. My Pokemon flapped her short wings, releasing a couple bunches of feathers into the air around her while Aggron charged in heedlessly.

    "Carry through," Miguel added, and the massive Steel Type did just that, charging into and past Espathra. She nimbly stepped to the side, however Aggron stuck an arm, not quite enough to clothesline her, but the impact still clipped my Pokemon and sent her spinning to the side.

    The feathers drifted down onto Aggron for only a moment before he was out of the way. Even that brief contact had his shoulders sagging, however, some of the strength sapped from his body.

    Let's weaken him further. "Lumina Crash!" Espathra gathered a bunch of hexagonal panes of Psychic energy in front of her before crashing them into Aggron, who gave a pained cry. The barrier blades cut into cracks in his armor plating, opening the Champion's Pokemon up for further pain.

    That attack enraged the mighty beast, who raised a claw, and at Miguel's command, unleashed a hefty Payback. The Dark Type bolts flew into my Pokemon, causing her to cry at the super-effective assault.

    "Quick Attack around, then Feather Dance," I tried. That sheer strength he has is difficult to contest head-on, but that Assault Vest gives him a glaring weakness. Once I weaken him enough, he won't be able to do anything to recover from it.

    That was the plan at least, as Espathra darted in, rather than clumsily swinging at her, Aggron raised a pyramid of rocks around him with a clever use of Stone Edge. The feather energy constructs landed on the cold, unfeeling stone to no avail, dissipating quickly.

    "Left," was Miguel's simple command, but it was enough for Aggron, his powerful tail slapping through the side of the stone barrier he had erected and into Espathra, tripping her and sending her tumbling across the field.

    "Earthquake!" He triumphantly crowed, his Pokemon doing the same and stomping his foot down on the ground. The arena shook, though there was barely anything that could be felt outside of it, the dampeners keeping the rest of the underground room safe.

    "Dodge it!" I worried my cry came too late, but rapidly righting herself from the tangle she had landed in, Espathra leapt up. The earth rose enough to clip her foot, but the damage was minimal. Speed Boost isn't quite there, but we've made good progress towards it.

    "Again, Lumina Crash!" I ordered while she was falling, my Psychic Type wasting no time in sending another barrage at Aggron. This time, the blow struck with far more effect, the natural resistance his Steel Type gave him countered by the injuries of the first one I had landed.

    "Charge in, Payback barrage, get close!" The El Primero had realized it as well; Espathra's speed let her narrowly avoid those shots of Dark energy, which quickly petered out. Still, the maneuver let Aggron get in close, cornering my flightless bird.

    "Jump over him, Feather Dance!" Her powerful legs lifted her up, well over the towering juggernaut of steel, spinning around as she went over him, and she loosed another rain of feathers down.

    "Head Smash!" At his Trainer's command, Aggron rose up, sticking up straight on his tail, locking his head in… then shooting it out, smacking into Espathra above him. The sheer power of the blow sent her flying into the top of the barrier, then crashing back down to the earth below.

    I held my breath, waiting to see how she took the attack, before letting out a relieved sigh as my Pokemon stood up on shaky legs. She's not doing the best, but with Aggron so weakened by all those Feather Dances and Lumina Crashes, it should be easy-

    "Body Press." My eyes widened at the command, watching as Aggron launched himself over Espathra. With her legs still shaky from the previous impact, I didn't want to risk it and recalled her.

    "Well done," I said softly to her inside the Pokeball before announcing louder to Miguel. "You win. That was quite well done." And very informative of where I stand. Not on that level yet, but my training hasn't been for naught either.

    Aggron gave a weary but overjoyed roar of victory for the crowd as I crossed the floor to shake my opponent's hand. "Good match," I congratulated Miguel. "Your skills are shining brighter than ever." The admittance caused him to puff up his chest as he recalled his Pokemon.

    "See? My hard work isn't going to waste here. 'Sides, I'll need it to face down her team. That Dudunsparce of hers managed to match Salamence. Without Mega Evolution, but still. I'm sure she's training her team at least as strong, so I've got to be tougher than ever to give her a good challenge."

    "I'm glad to see you believe in her so, every young Trainer is a treasure of Paldea. She shines especially bright, like staring at the sun."

    My words brought about a wistful mood from him. "You don't expect it, you know?"

    "Hmm?"

    "I always got told, 'You'll meet someone better than you someday.'. Got told that a heck of a lot more when I said I wanted to become Champion of Paldea, that people overseas might be better than me. And sure, maybe a handful might be, but… to face that here, from someone so young, I didn't expect it. Or maybe I wouldn't be ready no matter how old she was."

    His hands trembled as he spoke, and I realized something: He's scared of losing to her. His pride as a Trainer, as the Top Champion of Paldea wouldn't let him face her at anything other than her best, but he was scared of losing to a nine-year-old girl. Or maybe not losing exactly; he's too excited to fight her for it to be just that. He's worried about being surpassed. That she won't just beat him, but someday soon, will reach a level beyond where he can stand. The sad part is he's right to be worried; he's at his peak, while she's still climbing. Such power, in the hands of a young child…

    "When she wins-"

    "-Ye of such little faith," he protested jokingly, but I saw a flash of hurt on his face at my perceived lack of belief in him.

    "Whether that day be this year or the next or the one after, I don't want you to pass on your title. Not immediately. Continue being El Primero for a while. As you said, she's too young."

    That brought an uncharacteristic frown to his face. "I know, and it's shocking how talented she is at that age. But still, if she earns it, then… besides, she's not just skilled as a Trainer but incredibly intelligent too from all accounts and what I've witnessed personally. Almost scarily bright. It might take a bit of time to get her up to speed on things, but I think she could really do it."

    I shook my head. "That's what I'm worried about. I think she could too, and so if presented with that opportunity, would accept it, despite it not being in her best interests." After a moment, I spoke candidly. "She's a child; let's allow her to continue being one, at least for a while."

    That's what makes her so scary - that she is just that intelligent and skilled at such a young age. Professors like Turo and Friede have taken note of her intellect. She has a good heart and the backing of her parents, one of the richest couples in the world. But even the best of people aren't invincible. I'm worried about placing undue strain on her and would rather not set up Paldea's greatest prodigy in over a century up for a prodigious fall.

    I shuddered at the very thought before remembering that Miguel was still here. "Don't you have somewhere else to be?"

    "Yeah, yeah. I'll get down to Area Zero. But just so you know, if I'm saving the gloves for Nemona, that means you aren't going to get your shot at them," he warned me.

    "That's fine. Perhaps I'll face off against her when making my Champion challenge." That was a far-off idea; at the moment, I had paperwork to tackle. One goal at a time. Chairwoman first, then Champion rank. Waving farewell to the man, we headed back to our duties.

    A glimpse at Geeta and what's going on with her, as well as other people involved with the League. Geeta's position as both Chairwoman and 'Top Champion' is an interesting one, and I like her as a character, I just wish Gamefreak had been more willing to make your first battle against her more challenging (especially for someone who claims to be bad at holding back!). At least the DLC gives a significant buff to her team.

    If you liked the update, please leave a comment here or join the the Discord to talk about it. And if you like my stuff and want to toss me a bit of money, I have a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the later get early access to the chapters. Thank you, and I hope you have a great day.
     
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    • Tbf joy clan likely knows how you get that type of pokemon and I am pretty sure that might be the cause of why they don't exist anymore (aka they really really hate the abuse one needs to create one). Giving the professor phone number should at least give them the info they need to back off and realize that this will hopefully never happen again.
     
    trudny1 said:
    I see that they Joy is still on her crusade of hauding MC, huh. Well, thanks for the chapter.
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    Spearow said:
    The return of the evil joy, wanting to sell off the mc's pokemon to some evil team.
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    Hotcoco said:
    Tbf joy clan likely knows how you get that type of pokemon and I am pretty sure that might be the cause of why they don't exist anymore (aka they really really hate the abuse one needs to create one). Giving the professor phone number should at least give them the info they need to back off and realize that this will hopefully never happen again.
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    Yeah, it's more that she's highly suspicious (possibly paranoid) of Nemona, not that she's evil.
     
    Chapter 65 New
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    • Thank you to my twenty Beginner Tier Patreons for supporting me, and an extra special thanks to RageLord, my Ace Tier Patreon!

    Montenevera was definitely more bustling than the scant amenities surrounding Grusha's Gym, but it was still smaller than any other city I had been to. Even Zapapico felt livelier than this place. Not that I could truly blame them - we were deep into winter in one of the coldest parts of Paldea. The fact that people even built a civilization here is remarkable and speaks to how hardy humans can be.

    One element it wasn't missing was a proper arena to battle in. Rather than the stage that Ryme had set up in the games, there was a large arena in its place, occupying the empty space near the top of the town, just off to the side of the Gym Building. Though I guess Ryme's rap stage must also be a League-approved battle arena as well, since you fight her on it in the games. Man, I have no idea how much it must cost to build an effective soundstage alongside all the shielding and self-repair tech needed for a Pokemon Arena. Then again, Larry had his Gym built inside a busy restaurant, so I guess Gym Leaders are just given a blank check for that.

    It had plenty of covered stands set up nearby to the point that I thought you could fit the entire town around it. For the moment, a lot of those stands were empty, but it still had a decent number of spectators and people battling within. Most of them were students who seemed moderately skilled - beyond the level of just spamming attacks without strategy but not to the point where they had much by way of complex combinations. This is where they hold the 'Rising Stars' Tournament every year. I could technically compete in it, but…

    "Hey, you think Nemona is going to show up today?" My ears pricked up as I heard one boy on the edge with bright, spiky blonde hair mention my name. Are they fans of mine? Cyan did mention I had some.

    "I fuckin' hope so. Been waiting to teach that brat a lesson for ages," a girl with brown hair and bubblegum pink streaks tied in pigtails said.

    "Her schedule is so wack, I can't keep track." A third boy said. I couldn't make out much about him as he was bundled up tight, and I didn't wish to risk getting closer to find out, despite the significant distance between us. "She'll blitz through three Gyms, then drop off the map for a month! It makes it hard to plan an ambush for her."

    Blonde scoffed. "Whatever, she'll have to come here sooner or later, so just keep an eye out for her."

    My sister mentioned I had detractors too. Guess these are them. Though I didn't think I'd done anything outrageous enough to gain the ire of random strangers. My mind rushed through a litany of ideas, reasons why they might be out to get me, from the reasonable (maybe I beat a sibling of theirs in my travels) to the absurd (Raifort had hired a bunch of schoolkids to 'get revenge' for her), before tossing them all aside.

    It doesn't matter why they want to get me; I just have to avoid them and stick to my plans. Which was as easily said as done, as despite their words, the kids were easily distracted by the battles they watched. With the hood of my jacket pulled up, I hardly stood out, and waiting for them to cheer wildly at a lucky shot, I walked briskly across the open clearing to the Gym building.

    Entering the stark white building, I saw the Gym Leader standing nearby. Tyme looked tired and perhaps a little bored with whatever she was talking to the lady at the front desk about, but she quickly adopted a professional smile, glancing down at me as I approached.

    "Hello there, young lady, what can we help you with today?"

    "A battle," I answered back with a fierce grin of my own, passing my Trainer License to get scanned at the front desk.

    "Oh my," Tyme chuckled, and I hid any disappointment I was feeling. She's not taking me seriously. Does she not get the challenge I can give? I know some Gym Leaders talk to each other, but I guess others don't keep up to date as much. "Before you go challenging me, you'll have to take on my Trial thought."

    "Of course," I said respectfully. "What will your trial be?" I am kind of curious about this; her challenge is likely quite different from Ryme's.

    "Tell me, do you enjoy numbers and mathematics?"

    I shrugged. "I'm decent at arithmetic." More than, truly, but while I've always been decent at math, even in this life I've never really pursued it as a field of study in its own right. My studies here have mostly been about how it applies to engineering and the physics of this world.

    The thought struck me that I could probably expound on my interests and maybe get a tougher challenge from her, but just as I opened my mouth, she continued. "Wonderful! We'll have a little test for you to do, and then if you finish that up, you can battle me." The Gym Leader waved me off before walking away, leaving me to the staffer at the front desk.

    "Come right this way." She directed me to a small room inside the building with a desk and a stack of papers. "Once you're done, come back to the front desk. You need to get at least nine out of ten answers correct to pass the trial," she warned me before heading back out.

    Which might be scary to a little girl but hardly so to me. Also, the fact that they gave me almost the exact same difficulty as the one I aced for my Trainer License years ago makes this less scary too. Idly, I noted that I could probably also have Miles give me all the answers if I needed to since no one was watching over me. Not that it's necessary, and most Trainer's Pokemon probably aren't better than them at math specifically.

    "Did you have any questions?" The woman at the front desk asked as I handed the paper in.

    "No, I'm finished. When will Tyme be back?"

    "I- oh, it looks like you filled out all the questions." She took almost longer checking over my questions than I had spent writing them. "And these are all correct… Ahem. Tyme is out on some business; I'll message her, and hopefully she'll be back in half an hour."

    It ended up taking over an hour, which didn't end up helping my frustration over it all. Still, I did my best not to rush Tyme when I saw the Gym Leader return. "How was the tria-"

    "Can I use Mega Evolution for our battle?" I asked before wincing. Calm down, me. I know we have some cool stuff planned for this battle, but still.

    Tyme glanced over at the front desk staff, who nodded to let her know that I had indeed passed. "Mega Evolution isn't usually allowed for these battles," Tyme began.

    "But Tersatalization is! I won't use my Terastalization for our fight, just Mega Evolution, and of course, you'd be free to use any Enhancement effect you'd like as well." Though I don't think she has any Z-Crystals nor a Mega Stone, and there aren't any Dynamax spots here, so it's really just Terastalization she'll have.

    Tyme frowned. "Fine, I suppose the math checks out there. But I warn you, this won't be an easy fight." A broad grin broke out on my face as one of the Pokeballs at my side shook in anticipation. Good, we're looking for a tough fight.

    She started taking some steps to the door when I said, "Could we not battle in the arena nearby?" Tyme looked curiously at me, and I scrambled for a reason. "Some other kids were using it, and I don't want to disturb them." More like I don't want them disturbing me, but whatever. Tyme agreed easily enough and instead led me to the elevator inside the building.

    We went up to the roof of the Gym Building, where another arena was set up there. Guess it saves on space, but it feels like a waste not to make more of a spectacle of the fight and use the arena in town. Or maybe that's the point, to let Trainer's keep any edges hidden? At least the view up here is nice.

    It was quite grand, especially since the Gym Building itself was already partially up the mountain; you could look down and see the entire town and well beyond it. My keen eyes also spotted a few small black stones in the snow, scattered on the outskirts of town. Right, I guess Martha is keeping this place safe from Ghosts. Hmm, I wonder if Ryme does that in the future? Though, I don't know what happened to Martha in canon either; she might still help.

    Miles floated off to the side within their phone case, preparing to record the match, leaving me with the rest of my team to face off against Tyme. "This match will be a six on six with two switches allowed. Are you ready, Miss Nemona?"

    "I am." I raised Athena's Pokeball and the dark-skinned would-be teacher mirrored me.

    On the arena's automated signal, we released our Pokemon. My blue jackal-esque Pokemon was met with a red wolf-like Pokemon. Tyme's Midnight Lycanroc let out a mad howl as she saw Athena, a crazed look in her red eyes met by a dispassionate, almost bored gaze from Athena. She is taking this seriously, though; that's just an affectation to rile up her foe.

    One that worked; the Lycanroc was practically chomping at the bit to attack Athena even before the signal went. When the machine announced for the fight to, "Begin," the Rock Type was leaping towards my Pokemon before Tyme even gave a single command. Really? Lycanrocs are fast, but that's more for the Midday and Dusk forms. This Midnight is only so-so compared to other Pokemon and quite slow compared to his contemporaries.

    "Mega Evolve!" I shouted, clutching the Key Stone tight as I held it up to Athena. A sphere of light exploded out from her, knocking Lycanroc back as the Fighting Type Mega Evolved, power suffusing her form.

    The Gym Leader's eyes widened, and she gasped in shock, which was just a step too far for me not to comment on. "You know, I never got why people never used their strongest move first? Sure, you don't want to rush in without thinking," I said, gesturing a hand at her prone Pokemon. "But if you've got the power, best to use it while you're strong rather than waiting till you get whittled down."

    While I spoke, Athena had been busy gathering the power around her, forging her Aura into a mighty construct. She floated a few meters in the air, connected to the golden form behind her, looking to the uninformed a bit like a llama.

    The godly construct had the four hooved legs it stood upon, but out from its back extended an odd dual crescent thing. From there, a hundred massive glowing paws stretched around and took up almost all of the space above and around our half of the arena.

    For a split second, Athena simply hovered like that. Imposing, but immobile, her forepaws clasped together as if in prayer. Then, she dropped her right paw down, bringing it around in a circle to clap her left again. Just as fast as that quick motion from her flesh and blood limb, three Auric arms flew out, reaching across the arena towards the Lycanroc.

    He had barely finished picking himself up, with no defense to offer against the first paw, which scraped across the ground, flipping him up to the air above. The blow might have sent him all the way to the upper limit had he not been intercepted by the second, a punch that pounded him against the back barrier. As it drew back, before gravity could take a hold of the Rock Type, the third one fell in a chop on his left shoulder, sending him spiraling to the ground below.

    Tyme looked on, shocked at the devastating combo that had struck her Pokemon down in no more than a single second. She blinked, rubbing at her eyes as if she literally couldn't believe what had just happened. During that time, her Lycanroc groaned but made no motion to get back up.

    "Ho- how?" She asked rather than recall her Pokemon, a fact I tried not to grit my teeth at. Don't want to point that out, or else she'll realize that's one of the weaknesses of this technique. For all the power it granted, there were dozens of them, but I was still hopeful that this could carry us through much of the fight.

    "Well, it's just basic math at the end of the day. Mega Evolution can make your Pokemon a lot stronger, and when you've already got a Pokemon as strong as Athena…" I trailed off meaningfully. Of course, that's not the entire picture - Adaptability can boost the power of her STAB Moves as much as if she had Terastalized even before the Mega Evolution boost. But I'd rather not entirely give up the game on what Type of Move this is yet.

    The Gym Leader returned her Pokemon, frowning before giving me a serious look. "Go, Lycanroc!" This time a beige-furred wolf, one that landed on all fours, appeared on her side of the arena. This one didn't rush in but instead eyed Athena warily.

    The stalemate couldn't last forever, and Tyme soon tested the waters, calling out "Accelrock!" Her second Lycanroc blurred forward, shooting off the ground at Athena.

    "Hit her." I called out simply, trusting Athena to manage it. Her left paw changed from flat against her right paw into a fist punching into it. Once more, the golden limbs followed, sweeping across and smacking the Lycanroc out of the air.

    "Dodge! Get out of the way!" Despite Tyme's words and Lycanroc's best efforts, she couldn't avoid the onslaught. On the ground, she tried to scramble away but just couldn't maneuver fast enough. The strange Move was unlike anything I suspected they had ever seen before, and though Lycanroc managed to mitigate some of the blows, after three combinations, Tyme's second Pokemon was down.

    I couldn't see it directly with Athena's back turned to me, but I suspected the Fighting Plate currently hanging around her neck was burning bright with all the energy she was channeling. Another downside to this. Even with Notch's brilliant suggestion to use Arceus' image as a base for the construct, which drastically reduced the energy needed to maintain the technique, it's still a strain to maintain. One she can't do without both Mega Evolution and the Fighting Plate at once, and it still drains her at least as fast as if she were using a Life Orb.

    The elderly lady cast me a disturbed look before shaking her head. "I hadn't expected this kind of intensity from one so young. Looks like I need to use a hundred percent of my strength!" Despite her boisterous words, I could feel the nervousness there, tinged with despair. She knows she can't win.

    "Let's go, Stonjourner!" The tall Stonehenge-looking Pokemon appeared on the field, an angry slant to its blank white eyes and mouth.

    "Hit him with everything you got!" I shouted loudly, punching my fists up in the air. Athena took in a deep breath… and did nothing.

    "Protect!" Tyme tried to counter, but my bluff meant she simply wasted her Pokemon's one window of invulnerability. As I saw the hive comb barrier begin to fade around her Pokemon, I called out an actual attack.

    "Crushing blows." Tyme's Pokemon tried to renew the Protect, and while it did reconjure a barrier around itself, this one was much weaker. It broke before the might of the first punch, and the following two caused the Stonjourner to collapse into a pile of rocks. Glad I've seen that before online, or I'd be really worried about how badly he was hurt there.

    "My goodness, I haven't been pushed back this far in a while. But while even a chance remains, I'll pursue it! Go, Klawf," she declared, returning her defeated Pokemon to send out a fresh one. The large crab Pokemon snapped its pincers aggressively before being immediately set upon by a flurry of blows from Athena.

    "Endure it!" Tyme cried as Klawf's shell fractured all over. Ah, so that's how they're going to play it. Not bad, but…

    "Another barrage, half strength. It'll be faster this time." My words were correct; the crab Pokemon had been smushed against the side of the barrier but was scuttling along it with incredible speed, their Anger Shell Ability vastly increasing the power and speed they had.

    However, even with that, they couldn't avoid the furious golden limbs. It thought it had jumped over a strike, only to leave it vulnerable to the rest, striking where he had jumped to. Part of that is the elements of Extreme Speed we managed to work into the mix. Athena isn't an idiot, but she's not going to match the tactical skills of Isaac Netero yet. Extreme Speed increases the reaction times to a degree, as well as vastly improving the speed of her blows, allowing her to adapt to any movements from the enemy and hit them before they can adjust.

    Anger Shell also made Tyme's Pokemon more vulnerable, so I was relieved to see that Athena had enough control to take the enraged crab out of the fight without causing it permanent harm. Something I should be careful about with Athena. This technique pushes her to the brink in many ways. I'm sure if she continued, she could sweep this whole match, but pushing out that much Aura… No, best to call it here and end on a high note.

    "Return," I announced. Athena gave a slight sigh and let the 'Hundred Hands' construct drop, the energy dissipating as she flopped to the ground. "You did amazing out there," I told her as I returned my exhausted Pokemon to her Pokeball.

    "Now, let's give someone else a chance to shine, Bahamut!" The Shiny Dragon proudly roared as he took the stage. This will be his first chance to really face off against a Gym Leader's Pokemon without any setup. It'll be tough, but I think he can take on at least one of Tyme's Pokemon.

    Tyme released Coalossal without much fanfare (despite how much the massive burning pile of rocks brought to the stage naturally). The woman looked tired. Frustrated, no matter how much she tried to hide it. Guess it is tough to continue on fighting even though defeat is becoming more and more certain. But Gym Leaders are also supposed to put on a good show for Paldea and the world, so I suppose the show must go on.

    "Up above and down below," I called, and my Fraxure eagerly ran forward. The Coalossal breathed out a stream of fire, which Bahamut soared over, calling upon Aerial Ace to leap up high above the titan of coal before stomping down with Bulldoze, partially burying the Fire Type in the arena, slowing them down further.

    Nicely done, he's learned how to switch energy Types quite effectively. All that training with Dun paid off. The Ground Type attack was incredibly effective against the dual Fire/Rock Type, and unlike his Water weakness, he didn't have an ability to help compensate for that.

    He was still a Pokemon on a Gym Leader's Ace team, however, and proved it by spitting out a deluge of tar, the burning liquid swamping my Dragon. Then the Coalossal began to tip over, his body glowing red-hot as he simply fell atop Bahamut.

    The tar slowed him down enough that he didn't quite manage to jump out of the way, clipped by the Heat Crash. The powerful Move hurt a fair bit, especially with the tar catching fire as well. But Bahamut was a dragon, and he didn't go down easily, his pained cry turning to one of defiance as he rose up again.

    "There you go, you got this! Swords Dance, then show him your true power!" My Fraxure weaved around the Coalossal, waving his sharp tusk as he did so, jumping over and sliding around the Rock Type's clumsy swings in his direction.

    Powered up, he engaged the Rock Type closer. On instinct I almost went for the Tera Orb to Terastalize him before remembering that I couldn't do that here. Whoops, gotta be careful with that. Terastalizing would be nice here, but the Mega Evolution more than made up for it, I feel. Not that Bahamut truly needs the help.

    Indeed, he was ripping into the stone monster with a powerful Outrage. On Tyme's orders, a few Stone Edges smacked into my Dragon, but he powered on through, tanking the shots well. By the end of his rage, Bahamut was swaying slightly, his eyes glazed, but victorious over Tyme's Pokemon.

    We both recalled our Pokemon. I knew that even though Bahamut had clearly won, he wouldn't be able to handle the next enemy. "Go, Dun." My starter fluttered down onto the arena, narrowing his eyes at Tyme.

    "Garganacl, show them your rock-steady power." The large salt Pokemon landed heavily, the ground shaking at their entrance. "The numbers might not be on our side, but let's see if we can change that by doubling your strength, Terastalize!"

    Tyme pulled out her Tera Orb and threw it above her Pokemon, surrounding it in a mass of crystals. The smart Type would be to change it to a Ghost Type and make use of his Purifying Salt Ability, but- The crystals cleared to reveal the shimmering Rock Tera Pokemon. Right, don't think any Gym Leader changes out of their chosen Typing. Which wouldn't be too terrible, but the Rock Type is riddled with weaknesses.

    Something I was going to (continue to) make great use of. "Smart Strike!" My adorable land snake flew forward, tail first, flying unerringly into the Rock Type and grinding into it.

    "Hammer Arm!" Tyme called as soon as our attack was finished and Dun was falling down to the ground.

    "Swerve around it, Aqua Tail!" Dun's three-segmented body granted him a lot of flexibility, and with that and his three sets of wings, he was able to contort around the blow and smack into it with his tail, now covered in water.

    "Earthquake!" Dun landed tail point first, raising himself up, then body-flopping the roof. His Move raised large chunks of the arena floor into Garganacl, roughing him up hard.

    The salt Minecraft-esque monster did manage to strike back there, even amidst the beat he took, slamming down on Dun with a Hammer Arm. He gave a cry before scuttling away, the blow having cost Dun some health, but even more speed from the already slow Rock Type.

    "Recover," Tyme ordered. "Here's a tough question for you: How can you subtract all his health when I keep on adding to it?"

    My answer came in the form of a small bout of signing and a hand sign for Dun to start Roosting. "Anything you can do, I can do greater. I can do anything better than you~." Dun curled up, his own wounds healing faster than Garganacl's.

    "Earthquake." As the ground shook once more, I said/shouted, "I guess I'll subtract it by being several times faster than you are."

    Tyme didn't have a witty counter, and the Rock Slides she ordered against my Pokemon were quickly outmatched in power, speed, and accuracy by Dun's Earthquakes. In short order, her Garganacl collapsed, signaling the end of the match.

    "Congratulations, you battled well, Miss Nemona," Tyme said to me after we recalled our Pokemon and met in the middle of the arena. She handed me a badge, which I took gratefully.

    "I don't think I've ever seen anyone battle like you have before," she continued. "Have you considered entering the Rising Stars tournament? I host it near the end of the Treasure Hunt. Ah, that's at-"

    "The end of next month, right? I'm aware; my sister won it last year. Hmm, sorry, I don't think I'll be able to."

    "Might I ask why?"

    "Hopefully I'll have all my badges by then, and only Trainers with five to seven badges can compete. Plus… honestly, I don't think I'll learn much from battling people on that level." The fact that there are Trainers around willing to act scummy nearby doesn't entice me any more, either. My brash words earned only a sigh from her, as if she had expected that from me.

    "If I can ask you a question now?" Tyme jerked her head in a nod, so I continued. "Am I wrong in thinking you weren't at the top of your game for our battle?"

    The Gym Leader let out a mirthless laugh. "You could say that. I've been out of sorts for a while now because- well, you might not understand. But in any case, you're quite skilled, as you mentioned. I believe you would have won this fight and earned your badge no matter how great a challenge I could put up."

    I think I understand better than you'd think. Pushing her to become a teacher wasn't the point here, though. Just trying to gauge what she was feeling. "Well, when you get that sorted out, I'd love a rematch." The smile she gave me in return was small, but it was the first genuine one I had seen on her.


    Rhyme… just isn't that impressive, unfortunately. Rock is a rough Typing and her canon team just doesn't have good coverage to deal with that. On the bright side though, we get to see a 'new Move' I've been cooking up for a while (which wasn't actually the Move she used to finish off the Tera Garchomp before). 'The Thousand Hands of Arceus' is, as you might have guessed, very heavily inspired by Netero's special technique in Hunter X Hunter. The fact that there are legends surrounding Arceus involving a thousand hands made it fit even better in my mind.

    It was a difficult Move for Athena to learn, building off of all of the Aura training she'd done so far and utilizing Mega Evolution, but it is a very cool Move that forces most foes into finding a strategy to counter it or being swiftly outmatched. That being said, it's still hard for her to use, but the fact that Athena had managed to control it that well meant they had to use it here.

    If you liked the update, please leave a comment here or join the the Discord to talk about it. And if you like my stuff and want to toss me a bit of money, I have a Kofi and a Patreon, subscribers to the later get early access to the next ten chapters. Thank you, and I hope you have a great day.
     
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