"Can't we be civilized about this!"

She shouted more to vent her frustration than any attempt at reasoning with it. One did not need to be an expert on Pokemon to know dragon types didn't need an excuse to pick a fight.

"Wile, ma" Mawile drolled, being less than helpful.

"I know that!" She snapped back and hopped away, preventing herself from becoming kindling.

She wasn't sure where Being X had decided to drop them but they were currently in a bizarre valley fighting on lily pads. Each one was several meters wide with a stem reaching dozens of meters down. They didn't rest on any water and had a surprising amount of spring to them, allowing them a slightly easier time avoiding the incoming attacks.

Unfortunately, they were also very flammable and it was no longer raining. On the positive side of things, the bonfires lit up the night and did wonders for drying her.

She bounced to another pad, that made seven consecutive uses of the move. She was betting they had more lily pads to escape to than it had flamethrowers. As if to mock her, the pad Mawile had just been standing on was cut into two.

Air slash? Damnit.

"Maw Maw"

"I said hold your fire! Don't make me repeat myself again!"

It had maxed out on the number of times it could use stockpile and was itching to shoot down that Salamence. The problem was that Mawile was more of a physical fighter and its aim was average at best. Salamence had already dodged the fairy wind easily enough, she didn't have high hopes spit up would do any better.

As a former aerial mage, she had the distinct privilege of knowing exactly how oppressive the high ground could be. They needed to clip its wings or this may never end. At least the taunt they used prevented it from getting any stronger.

What did she have? Their ranged attacks weren't effective. It was too fast to outrun. They could maybe take cover under the lily pads but they were high enough so that it'd still be able to fly above them. It would restrict its movement some. Perhaps that was the best move? The only other thing she had at her disposal was Carbink however it was essentially a non-combatant. Having unknowns on the battlefield caused more problems than not so it was better for it to sit in its ball…

An idea sprouted.

It was a bad one but bereft of viable alternatives she told her discomfort to shove it.

"Mawile" She shouted as she made her way toward it, bouncing across the pads separating them. "Sweet scent me and give me a boost, aim me close to it"

Mercifully, it didn't question her orders and a colored wind hit her. She held her breath and leaped on its elongated maw. It felt like an armored vehicle had been dropped on the other end of a seesaw and she was launched in Salamence's direction. Before gaining too much distance she recalled Mawile.

Its aim may have not been what it should but it got her in the rough vicinity.

"Hey, you puffed-up lizard!" She hurled abuse towards her target. "What's the matter? Afraid you'll break a claw!"

She didn't know if it was her words, the sweet scent, or the fact that she dared share the sky but it gave out a roar as it charged her with a glowing claw.

"Be ready, get a wing" She whispered to the Pokeball.

She let it get closer than was comfortable and then threw the ball, Mawile was released directly above it and didn't hesitate to unleash its payload on the right wing. The attack landed and it spiraled down. The stricken dragon's fall was broken by a pad and its body skipped across several more before coming to a stop.

"This isn't over, I'll go right you go left!"

Gravity brought her down. The pad sunk under her feet and she kicked off, using the boost to close the distance quickly.

"Wile!" Mawile gave a cheer and from her peripherals, she could see it mirror her movements.

The Salamence shook its head, regaining its bearings. It was too late and they were upon it.

She gripped her knife preparing to take a chunk out of the wing's membrane and ground it for good.

"Iron Head" She commanded and they struck simultaneously.

It was a surprise when she found herself doing something incomprehensible stupid and headbutting the damn thing. What followed next dwarfed her previous reaction as not only did she not split her skull open, but the Salamence was sent rocketing downward and out of sight.

For a moment, she believed Mawile to have hit it a split-second before her. She looked at the Pokemon who was grinning like a loon while hopping up and down.

No, they'd hit it at the same time. Her sight had been blocked by the dragon but she knew they attacked simultaneously.

What the hell? Hadn't she been almost out of Ki? She'd been pretty much drained after the near drowning and yet she pulled crap like that. It was almost as if….

That bastard Being X blessed her again!!!

"Mawile, have I said anything strange?"

There didn't seem to be any gaps in her memory but she wanted confirmation she hadn't been shouting religious propaganda.

It didn't get a chance to respond and their attention was drawn to where the Salamence had disappeared. A shiver went down her spine. It was a visceral feeling. The feeling of being prey.

Her grip on the knife tightened.

What emerged from below was not a Salamence. Even discounting its appearance, the power it radiated was on a different scale from anything she'd ever felt. There were hints of the damage they'd done but most of it had already healed over.

"Wile. Wile."

It was a phenomenally bold claim.

"No, you can not take it. Stay evasive and start storing up stockpiles, same plan as before. Go!"

Maybe she'd think of something in the meantime. The only alternative plan she had now was to throw out Carbink and hope it choked on it.

Her head whipped to the side, reacting to the sound of a voice far too close.

"Hoh!" A man accompanied by a Pokemon now stood nearby. He was old, with a small patch of white hair on his otherwise bald head and comically long eyebrows that went down the length of his face. "Youngsters these days are so ambitious! Taking on a Mega Salamence of all things. Well, let's help them out. What do you say Alakazam?"

It didn't respond verbally, instead shooting out a purple beam that hit dead on.

The beast reared up and charged the Alakazam who teleported out of the way, in the process scoring another hit on the side.

She watched the battle closely while regrouping with Mawile. It reminded her of the matadors in her first life. The wild bull had no chance from the start. Each rage-fueled pass only earned it more injuries.

Whatever it had undergone had robbed it of its faculties, the Salamence they'd fought displayed intelligence by mainly striking from afar. This one had no rationality. It mindlessly tried to maul the Alakazam while ignoring its exposed trainer.

It was a disappointing showing and the dragon was sent flying away with a final blast of purple energy.

The Alakazam itself did not look like the one from her memory. Was it one of those regional variants she'd heard about?

"First time seeing a Mega Alakazam is it?" The man spoke and she evaluated the threat he posed. It was far higher than she was comfortable with. "It takes many trainers off guard. You are taking it a lot more calmly than others though. Usually, my boy here is swamped with pictures."

The Alakazam shone and then turned into the form she was familiar with. He called it a Mega, was that some ability she was not aware of? There was a strange bead on its forehead, were they connected?

"Introductions then. My name is Gurkinn" He gave a grin and pointed at himself with a thumb before moving it to the Pokemon. "And this is Alakazam. What's your name, little miss?"

She considered her words, remembering how she'd been called out by the officer.

"My name is Visha." She said the first name to appear in her head. "And this is Mawile." She said as an afterthought.

"A pleasure to meet you Visha and Mawile. What brings you two ladies to these parts?"

The whims of a megalomaniacal self-proclaimed god.

"I'm not sure. I hadn't intended on coming here."

"I see' Gurkinn said as if she'd given a reasonable response "It is getting late. I have a place here, would you like to stay with me?"

No, she'd rather rather be tucked into bed hundreds of kilometers away. She glanced at Mawile who apparently shared her gender, she hadn't suffered any damage and was still capable of combat.

As for her, she wasn't in any condition to fight more wild Pokemon.

She supposed her opinion didn't matter when that Alakazam outstripped them both.

"Very well, lead the way."

Worst case scenario she'd try to slit the man's throat before Alakazam could react.

—

She kept her breathing steady after she woke. Briefly, she could recall a strange dream but its memory drifted away.

Her fingers remained curled around her knife so that was a good sign, Mawile standing guard next to her was a better one.

"Thank you." They'd alternated watches and it was now morning. "Would you like to rest?"

"Ma Ma."

On cue, her stomach rumbled. What a poor manager she was not to provide for her underlings. She moved to her pack, it was a good thing she'd not ended up cutting through it. She'd tossed it aside when faced with the Salamence but they'd been able to locate it and Mawile's Pokeball after the fact.

"Are those hungry stomachs I hear!" A boisterous voice called from outside. "Come on out, breakfast is ready."

Gurkinn's accommodations were built out of a cave with the furniture carved into the stone. She'd slept in a subsection on a bedroll. There were no complaints, she'd rested in far worse conditions.

She searched her pack and retrieved a potato, taking a bite out of it. Mawile gave her a quick look before looking at the entrance longingly.

Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Fine, but don't go crying to me if it's spiked."

"Wile wile." Mawile rolled her eyes before walking out. There was that arrogance again. In this case, it was regarding her iron stomach.

She'd been down a soldier due to rotten food before and while it wasn't something she wanted to repeat, Mawile wasn't a soldier. Their relationship wasn't something she fully understood.

On the topic of Pokemon, she went for Carbink's ball. Grabbing it, she instantly realized it was empty.

Marching out, she found Gurkinn and Mawile sitting at the entrance. Alakazam floated nearby, eyes closed. She regarded it warily. There was a pot over an active fire and Mawile was enjoying a bowl of whatever it was.

"Mawile, where is Carbink?"

She responded with a shrug and went for another spoonful. Hmm, well she'd already been paid. If it decided to cut its losses and leave on its own then that would be to her benefit.

"I saw him sneak out a couple of hours ago. I have my Gengar following him so he'll be fine. And don't mind Alakazam, I'm having him search for something."

It had decided to explore with creatures such as that Salamence running around? Evidently, it hadn't learned its lesson with the Sableye.

"I'm sure he will as well." If the Gengar was anything like the Alakazam then it should turn out fine. It was a shame she no longer had competent underlings. Then again, perhaps she was being too hard on Mawile; it had proven more capable than she'd expected.

As if sensing her attention, Mawile looked at her and then moved the bowl closer to her chest.

Ignoring the implication that she'd steal the Pokemon's breakfast, she sat by the fire and roasted her own.

"Get it out." She looked at Gurkinn, wondering what was wrong with roasted potatoes. "The question, I can see you have one. Probably more than that. And I have some of my own if you don't mind."

An interrogation? At least he was being courteous enough to allow her some questions in return.

"What is that Mega you spoke of?"

Mawile perked up at the question, looking at the man eagerly.

"You don't know? I guess I can't be too surprised. We only figured out how it worked recently. In a nutshell, it's a transformation of Pokémon that were thought to be unable to evolve any further. Pokemon who undergo it reach a whole new level of power. The reason I called it a transformation is that it's temporary. Most call it Mega Evolution so I tend to stick with that name, even if it's wrong."

She opened her mouth and closed it upon seeing a raised palm.

"You're going to ask how one achieves it aren't you?" She nodded. It was the natural follow-up. Access to that type of power would be tempting to all. "Youngsters always want the easy path to power these days. At face value, there are two things you need. The first is this." He pulled out an amulet from under his shirt. It was colored with a rainbow and had a double helix. "This is a keystone. Any trainer that wants to Mega Evolve their Pokemon needs one. The second is what you see on Alakazam. It's called a Mega Stone and is unique to each species."

Interesting, so all she needed to do was collect both pieces and she'd get a power boost for Mawile. However, she hadn't missed his wording or what had happened with the Salamence.

"Can you elaborate on what you meant by face value? And then further explain how Salamence was able to achieve it when I saw no stone or trainer?"

They could have been hiding but then she would have expected them to not let their Pokemon fall for the same trick over and over again against Alakazam.

"A smart one eh? Good. On paper, those are the two requirements. Such power doesn't come so simply though and there's a catch. That's you two." He pointed at Mawile. "The Pokemon holding the Mega Stone must be strong enough to withstand the transformation. Mawile here, it's a close thing but she makes the cut-off" Mawile gave a smug smile. "Weaker Pokemon can force it but it will take a toll and after a certain point, will earn them an early grave. Next is you." He pointed at Tanya. "The trainer must have an ample enough aura to trigger the keystone. And finally, the most important part…" He drew it out but her mind had already started to wander elsewhere.

"The bond between trainer and Pokemon. Without a deep enough bond it doesn't matter how strong the two of you are individually, the Pokemon would never be able to safely Mega Evolve."

Was she expected to believe in the power of friendship? She may have looked a child but that was all.

"This leads me to the Salamance. The island itself functions as a type of keystone, allowing Pokemon here to Mega Evolve on their own. It also has a large amount of the stones lying around. Pokemon capable of Mega Evolving are drawn here like a Snorlax to Pokéblocks, only it's a trap. Without a trainer, they go out of control and end up dying before long. The reason you didn't see a stone on it was simple, they tend to eat it."

That was certainly a solution, she speculated whether or not mage spies would resort to such means with computational orbs. She didn't dwell on it long, there was something in that explanation that stuck out to her but she was hesitant to ask.

"Mind if I take my turn then?" He asked.

"Go ahead, I have nothing to hide." She lied through her teeth.

"The most pressing concern I have is, am I going to have a noble family busting down my door looking for their lost young lady?"

She blinked at the question, wondering what the hell he was talking about.

"Ha, thought you could get it past me? I'm old enough to have seen a thing or two and a runaway heir is a classic. I don't care which one it is, I just want to make sure they're not going to cause problems."

His current theory suited her better than the truth so she leaned into the story.

"They will not. Tell me, what gave me away? I thought my disguise well thought out."

"For starters? You're clothes look rough now but I recognize those brands and they're not cheap. Then there's the way you carry yourself. It's the mix of confidence and dismissive attitude that the kids of the older families are groomed into. Carries into your speech, I have a granddaughter some years older and she doesn't speak nearly as proper."

Confidence? Well, you didn't survive on the Rhine without gaining some of it. And what was wrong with the way she talked? Showing courtesy while using precise language was the best way to prevent any misunderstandings from occurring.

She tore into the potato while thinking about it.

"Though, your eating habits do detract from that." He mumbled before continuing. She huffed, downing calories as quickly as possible was something every soldier picked up regardless of posting. "On the appearance side of things, well I'm throwing stones from a glass house but I can name half a dozen families you bear a striking resemblance to. Your hair, in particular, its seen better days but I can tell it was well cared for. Then we get to her."

He pointed at Mawile who had been helping herself to thirds.

"Mawile there is strong enough to be on a Gym Leader's main team but you two haven't been together that long have you? I'm guessing you took her when you made a run for it?"

She kept a level gaze but slowly nodded. They were close, if he made a move she should be able to finish him. Without the Mega Evolution, they might be able to take Alakazam.

"Thought so, Mawile seems content enough and that's good enough for me. The kicker though, is your aura. I got a glimpse of it last night before we teleported in. Everyone has some but yours, it's not normal. It's not anywhere close to normal. That family of yours might have even let you take Mawile to ensure you had a strong protector, knowing they'd not be able to keep someone like you under lock and key."

Should she offer him a commission? He'd fabricated a rather elaborate backstory for her. That had also answered what she wanted to inquire about earlier, what she called Ki was aura and she was not alone in its use. That was a good thing, it meant she could use it conservatively without raising too many eyebrows. On the other hand, she'd need to be prepared to deal with other aura users.

"That's very informative, thank you."

She may be able to pose as a runaway but she should not make it readily apparent, further means to blend in had to be taken. Not everything he mentioned could be immediately addressed but there was one she could resolve. She ran a hand through her hair, finding it knotted. Military regulation dictated its length and she hadn't cut it out of habit. Visha had always been the one to care for it.

At the moment, it was a hindrance. An identifiable feature. She used one hand to pull it taut and the other went for her knife. Her blade severed the strands, leaving her with a fistful of hair that was promptly discarded.

"Is that what you wanted to do?" Gurkinn asked, witnessing everything quietly from the side.

At the same, something poked her cheek. A loaded spoon was presented to her. She pushed it away and gave Mawile a look to convey she did not appreciate her antics before responding to Gurkinn.

"It was becoming tiresome to maintain. It never meant anything to me."

He gave a tired sigh, one only those his age could produce.

"Young ones should not lie to themselves."

"And old men shouldn't poke their noses where they don't belong."

There were enough of them meddling in her last world, she didn't need a repeat. She took stock of her current situation. He'd mentioned it was an island and while a tropical island did sound like a nice retirement option, this was certainly not one. If it was the homicidal Pokemon would still knock it far down the list of places she wanted to be.

"So, how do I get off this rock?"