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Unova University - Northern Unova Region

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Once Alex had his Aron, he'd visited his brother, who was in the middle of a summer-long experiment at the University's lab. He looked around as he entered the lab building, and he felt his team drawing his gaze towards one of the lab's habitats. Then, he saw why.

It was an Amaura, clearly a hatchling, and it was as white as the snow within its habitat. It looked to have once produced berries, like the other Amaura and Aurorus habitats nearby, but evidently the little one had frozen all of it. He was huddled up, alone, and shivering.

Each of his team told him to go to the little one, and Alex hopped into the habitat, and approached the Pokémon, reaching out to it in a manner not unlike a Ralts, with emotion. Good feels flowed into the shivering Pokémon and his tiny head rose to look at the large intruding human. That was when Alex noticed. This Amaura was pure ice type. That explained why the air around it was noticeably colder.

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"He's the most recent hatchling in this line that we've been breeding specifically for Special Attack power. Moreover, like most second and third generation 'fossil' Pokémon these days, the rock typing impurities have been lost. We have their entire genome, finally." Eric said, approaching as he noticed his brother, staring at the tiny Pokémon.

Alex smirked. "My team insisted that I pet him. He doesn't seem to mind." Indeed, the habitat had started to look slightly greener since the Trainer had started scratching the hatchling. The sounds of enjoyment the little male was making were adorable.

He'd almost thought the little one was female, but he had then noticed the tips of the frilly ridges along his neck. They were more of a deep blue, rather than pink. There was that, and the electronic sign on the door of the habitat that had listed his sex with true Pokédex accuracy. The ridges had been pure white a moment before, but the blue was actually working nicely with the pure white of the skin. He was adorable.

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He felt Terra give the mental equivalent of a nudge. "Can we keep him?"

Alex smirked. His team was becoming clever. They knew he'd be reluctant to take an ice type because of Terra's dislike for it. Having him ask, was supposed to remove that hesitation, apparently.

He spoke directly to his first Pokémon then, and stared at his oldest partner, with his third eye for a long moment. "They freeze the air around them, and you heard Eric. He'll be strong. Are you sure you want an Ice Type like that around?"

Terra seemed to chuckle. "If I did not, I would not have asked." He gave the mental equivalent of an eye roll. "Humans."

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Eric handed the Pokémon an Oran berry as Alex's focus snapped back to his surroundings, and the little long-neck stared at the lab-coated student, motionless. Alex scratched the spot under his chin again, and then gave him a Sitrus berry. It made adorable sounds of enjoyment as it devoured the fruit, and Alex smirked at his brother. "Is this the first time he hasn't frozen what you've given him to eat?"

Eric rolled his eyes. "We get it. You're psychic."

Alex smirked. "You don't need psychic power to know a hungry hatchling. Where's the mother?"

Eric's expression grew dark for a moment. "Frozen. Passed on. The others abandoned him after that. He needs a social learning environment, or he's going to end up losing control of that power. He needs to learn his limit, and not fear it…"

The Professor-in-training paused, as he saw his brother's smirk shift to a grin.

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"No."

"Oh come on!" Alex said, chuckling as the tiny Pokémon rolled on its back, and demanded a belly rub, entrapping Alex's stupidly large hand with its tiny feet as he paused in the scritches. Leo had joined him, for that. They all enjoyed their Trainer's hand scratches, but sadly, they all could not fit in the lab. "Look at him, he needs us. And, I need an Ice Type. As well as my Plate crystal."

He looked at Eric, and Eric sighed, pinching his brow. After a moment, he pushed his glasses up, and the lighting in the lab turned them white. Alex resisted laughing. "Fine. He's yours to take care of. But I expect regular reports on his health. I'll get your crystal." Since returning from Norstad, the lab had three whole months with the Icicle Plate shard while Alex was off 'preparing' to study it. Evidently, it had come from a village of Articuno riders. Eric supposed if anyone would have shards of an Icicle Plate, it would be such a village.

Alex was painting a Luxury Ball in the white and blue colors of his new partner, who seemed eager to enter the ball for some reason. Finally, he booped his nose against the button, and it dinged shut immediately. It twitched in his hand then, and made sounds of enjoyment as the little Pokémon ran around within his new home. Alex smirked. Hatchlings. At least this one wouldn't eat his ball. Four times.

Cenomons, or 'Ceno' for short, was now in a Heavy Ball, one that had stood up to his jaw strength. Evidently the Ultra Ball had been unacceptable, so the little Pokémon kept eating through them until his Trainer got the message. Alex had brought him into the mental 'web' that made up his team then, and the little one learned to use words, rather than brute force. At least with them.

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As Eric finally returned, crystal in hand, he eyed the newly painted ball. It wasn't so much 'paint' as it was using a stylus to draw, color, and pattern Pokéballs to suit their Trainer's preferences. Naturally, the woman who'd invented this tech had made a fortune when the Pokéball companies bought it from her. By this point, it was standard with most balls. Styluses were, of course, sold separately.

Alex eyed the Icicle crystal, and Eric sighed again as he handed it over. "Don't teach him anything ridiculously powerful right off. His affinity for Special Attacks is…off the charts." Alex rolled his eyes, and his brother glared at him. "Seriously. Don't teach him Ice Beam until he learns it on his own."

Alex smirked, and gave Leo a scratch. The large cat had come for the belly rub, but had stayed, waiting for a moment like this. He gave Eric a feral grin, and the Professor-in-training shifted uncomfortably as he recalled how well Leo had handled such attacks, despite being fresh from the shop.

Alex smirked. "I think he can handle it. If he can't, I'll teach him." In reality, he was planning to let the little one mature a bit. Pokémon grew faster than humans, as a rule, so a few weeks wouldn't be too long of a wait.

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Eric raised a brow. "Teach him what? Those overpowered C-Moves?"

Alex held up a finger. "No. Just no."

Eric's brow rose higher. "But the 'c' is for cryst-"

Alex's finger pushed against his brother's nose, booping it. "I said…No. We're not just replacing one letter. That's just lazy, and presumes they're related."

The younger brother waved his sibling's finger away in disgust. It reeked of Leaf. Of course he'd had a bowl before coming. Typical Alex. "Fine. Tye-jee-too Moves." He mumbled something about 'foreign moon languages', and then his gaze fell to the crystal. "Do you really need it so soon? We're learning so much. That thing literally gave us the perfected Aurorus genome. I touched it to mine, and it turned pure Ice Type. It rewrote strands of DNA! With a touch! It's incredible."

Alex shrugged. "I'm sorry, I need it back. It's high time we got to Fornia. We've given Pravus far too much time with…whatever he managed to escape Norstad with. Hopefully we can find and destroy whatever path to immortality he's trying to make."

Though he'd gone over the events a hundred times, Alex still couldn't figure out why the Arcean Prophet had retreated. He'd gained the upper hand with his Gigalith, and then just vanished. It defied logic. Most likely because Pravus knew something he was as yet unaware of. Finding out what he'd learned or retrieved was one of their main objectives. For now. And it required quite a bit of stealth.

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Eric pushed his glasses up by the center rim again, and sighed. "Alex, those crystals are shooting pure Arceus-level Infinity Energy into the Pokémon who use them. For attacks, and for evolution. It can't be healthy."

"If it isn't, we'll soon find out." Alex said, eyeing his new Pokéball, as he teased it with his mind. It glowed blue, and was rocking slowly. The hatchling within was already sleepy. After going so long without food, or family, he needed a nap. He too was now in the mental web, and his older brothers had taken in his story, short though it was, while Alex talked. He could tell they felt protective of the powerful little ice dinosaur, but before too long, he wouldn't need protecting. "I've been monitoring those using the crystals for evolution for a while now. Where I can, anyways. There's rumors of problems with Mega Evolution in general, but I can never find anything solid on it. When and if there is a case, I'll deal with it. Personally. Then I'll stop it from repeating."

Eric stared his brother down. "And what if your 'case' ends up being unfixable? What if every case results in a death? Will it be worth the risk then? What if it can't be fixed?"

Alex smirked at his brother. "Can't? There is no can't. There is no try. If something needs to be fixed, I'll find a way to fix it. It's that simple."

Eric sighed at his brother. "Tell your Sage that giving you Teleport was a bad idea." Alex smirked.

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Several Days Later – Victory Plateau, Unova

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Alex waited patiently at the top of the Victory Plateau. He'd Teleported in five minutes ago, and this Challenger was still walking up the stairs. The Unova League tournament had just ended, and this summer's newest hotshot had fast tracked his way to the Champion. Through the Four, and through Rosa.

Five minutes became ten, and though the wind howled across the barren battlefield, Alex didn't mind it. It was cold on the plateau, true, but Norstad was much colder, he could wait hours up here, despite the relatively hard wind. It was rather nice, when one had it to oneself. Finally, the Challenger came in, looking confident. They always did.

Being the Champion of the hardest League in the world, Alex had the option to give his challengers a choice.

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Battle six on six against his team, and claim victory over the entire Victory Plateau, or, battle six on one…against the Original Dragon, and become the Champion. Given that they had enough Champions already, Tao had come up with this system early on in Alex's reign, and nobody in the League had objected. Tao knew what having too many Champions could do, and even Hilbert had agreed that there were enough, for their League at least. The Victory League was not the only League in Unova, but it was home to the strongest Trainers they had. With this system, genuinely good Trainers could challenge and potentially beat two of Unova's Champions, one former, and the current one, and move on with that kind of record on their Trainer Card. Those who wanted to dethrone Redwood could still make an attempt, but would accept the likelihood that they'd leave the Victory Plateau without two Champion level victories.

All who fought the First Dragon, lost. Alex refused to battle them again immediately after that, not that the six on six match would've helped. Alex's team was, supposedly, just as strong as Tao. Stronger even, if one believed such rumors. Most Challengers went for the dragon, always staring blankly in surprise as their Master Balls failed to capture the dragon that already had an 'owner'. It was depressing how many Trainers with enough skill to beat the Four and one of the four past Champions opted to try for an easy victory to claim the title of reigning Champion. Those, did not get invited to the Dragonspiral Tower.

What few Challengers that did decide to battle Alex, or whichever Champion pair was available, also usually lost. Alex had a perfect record in such battles, and only Hilbert's record, who had a much, much longer string of wins and a single digit number of losses, came close to the newest Champion's win streak. He privately counted his most memorable loss from the Swamp, which would always keep him below a perfect streak, but he and Hilbert remained far above the other Champions, each of whom had many more losses. Evidently Hilbert had not been the 'easy pick', though Nate and the others were very much on his level. Being the Champion, Alex had naturally practiced with each of them, and the Four. It had been surreal at first, training alongside the Heroes who'd brought down Team Plasma, but the Champions themselves were quite over Team Plasma. Nate was an aspiring Dragon Tamer, and while he was genuinely ferociously strong, he was also easy to counter with ice, dragon, or fairy moves, all of which the other Champions and Elite Four members had. Had he been using the team he'd traveled with for League matches, Hilbert claimed Nate would likely be unbeaten, but it seemed the powerful Trainer was determined to learn how to wield dragon types despite their weaknesses. He and Damon often trained together. Will and Shauntal kept each other quite sharp, and nobody interrupted the romantic vibes their sparring had, which left Alex and Nick with Hilda and Rosa.

Hilda was far more outgoing than her brother, not to mention beautiful, in a rougher sort of sense. She was built thicker than most women and her chosen profession had made her rather muscled. Not that that dissuaded any one of her hordes of male fans from lusting over her. The real knockout beauty was Rosa, though. Rising into the starlight of Pokéstar Studios in her teen years, she'd grown into a proper movie star, and had the dazzling looks to match. The word was, her fanbase had eclipsed even Elesa's, though both she and Elesa had quite a lot of overlap in their respective fan bases. While Rosa was undoubtedly the most famous of Unova's Heroes, Hilda's team was superior to hers, and easily on par with Hilbert's. Alex had eventually been told to rank them, in terms of team strength, and he had done so. From the lowest overall level, which was where Rosa's team was at, followed by Nate, then Hilda, and finally Hilbert. His own team was reaching their level, and he could battle Hilbert to a draw, but it was like playing chess with a master. Their moves and counter moves always ended in a stalemate or a mutual KO, hence Hilbert's top ranking. Despite his strength though, he was also the one least likely to be around. Nobody knew where he wandered off too, many assumed it was to a women he'd fallen for, but Alex had a feeling he flew out on his Braviary and found places with absurdly strong Pokémon to battle against in the wilderness of the States.

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While some of the Victory Leagues challengers did seek, and lose in their attempts at claiming the title, others simply wanted the prestige that beating the Victory Plateau's Elite Four would bring them. A record like that, especially with a win against a pair of Unovan Champions, could open doors for a Trainer. Alex's own record had caught more than a few eyes over the past several months, as he had many wins. He'd stopped keeping track of the exact numbers ages ago, but evidently one of his devices was just automatically recording the data.

Hilda and Rosa had all but ordered him to start 'marketing himself', and once he realized just how much demand there was for random Champ-themed merchandise, for some reason, he'd allowed their 'marketing guy' to start 'selling his image' or whatever. Evidently, that meant giving him shelf space next to the other Champions on the Join Boulevard. He'd suggested selling copies of the black and white hat with Tao's symbol on the front, identical in style to both Hilbert and N's classic hats. Apparently, what was once old became new again, as the marketing guy claimed they were flying off the shelves. He'd then suggested a range of new products they could make simply with stills captured from his public appearances, branded onto said merchandise, and Alex had given him the go ahead to give the people what they wanted. He still found it hard to believe someone would want an item like a lunch box or bag with his face on it, but apparently, they did.

He didn't understand half of the obscure business-like nature of selling these random products, so he'd left it to the strange man who seemed to gleefully enjoy and revel in it. As long as the impressively large paychecks kept coming in from the sales, he didn't mind doing the occasional cameo in Pokéstar Studios, either. Whenever the strange man called, it was usually with such an offer. Or to talk about how comfortable his 'ballroom pants' were. How they had plenty of ball room. He really liked that joke.

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Finally, the Challenger crested the top of the stairs, but before Alex had a chance to speak, the Trainer on the opposite end of the field spoke first, as he stepped into the light, and pointed a finger at the Champion. "I want your team, Redwood. Not the Dragon."

Alex glanced at the Trainer harder. He seemed familiar…and then the Emboar on his undershirt, below the black leather biker jacket, reminded him. The kid from Aspertia, with the Tepig he'd passed over for Terra.

He hadn't lost any of his protagonistic charm. The flame tips of his hair were now done all the way to the roots. He'd acquired black sunglasses, and Alex didn't need psychic power to know he had a motorcycle downstairs.

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Alex shrugged, still clad in the primarily white robes from Tao's otherworldly tower. "Time to see what you've learned from your journey. Single or double? I don't do Triple Battles up here, or any of that rotating nonsense…sometimes, less is more."

The flame haired kid, who had to be fifteen going on sixteen, swiped his thumb across his nose, and smirked. "Double, then. Doesn't matter, I'll crush you in any Battle!"

Alex rolled his eyes. Then again, for all he knew, he was about to be blindsided by a plot armored protagonist. Unova had a habit of making Trainers who, sometimes literally, bulldozed through every Trainer they met on the road. He kept his guard up, suspiciously. The kid was only normal typed…still, he had managed to beat the Four, and Rosa. While Rosa was more acting focused than battle focused, she was still easily strong enough to stand with the other Champions.

Alex had recently begun to help each of them, including Nick, to embrace their inner power, and gain the ability to use Plate crystals. Then, he'd taught them how to do one Taijitu move. The others, they would need to learn on their own, if indeed they could learn them at all. Most Trainers seemed to be able to handle one or two.

Down in the Swamp, it was another story. Everyone there was a professional, and almost all of them had every kind of Plate crystal already. Alex hadn't believed there were so many crystal users in one place, until he'd lost several one on one matches to Trainers who outmatched him because of their versatility with attacks and combinations, all fueled by crystal power.

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Alex had surmised that there were only a limited number of types, and thus, a limited combination of balanced energy attacks. Some, like fire and flying, he'd discovered, had simply been incompatible. Blaze could power up his Flamethrower with the Sky crystal, but forming a balanced sphere of fire and air was quite difficult. The result was usually an explosion, as the air simply fed the fire and caused it to expand beyond Blaze's control.

Many Trainers had begun to spread word of what this supposedly super-strong Champion had on his team, and he knew there would be Trainers designed to break him, but that was what his other four were for. Honestly, they needed the experience more than his original six.

They were his best kept secret, though they were still quite young. His newly evolved Lairon had lived up to his name, and devoured everything he could in the obscure, unmineable mountains Alex discovered via Teleport. He'd needed quite a bit of metal ore to evolve, but there was always metal being formed on this planet. The humans of this era did not want for resources, and Arceus's gift of Infinity Energy continued to replenish them, no matter how fast humanity mined.

The Aron species was often where builders got their materials from. They were super strong, literally shed usable sheets of steel, and were quite good at battling. It was just common sense to have them around work sites. There were more than a few decent Trainers who also worked construction.

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Focusing on the Challenger again, Alex shrugged. He hadn't noticed that he'd been silent for a good minute. The intimidation factor was starting to wear off as the Challenger waited, impatiently.

Hilda and Rosa always gave him crap for not being 'menacing enough' to scare off most Challengers. Back when Kanto had held the title for 'hardest League in the world', Lance, their leader, had been shrouded in mystery, and dragon types. The Champions who beat him were likewise rumored to be strong. After battling against Red in the Swamp, Alex understood the hype, as that had been one of his one on one losses.

Alex decided he could always attempt the 'edgy but cool' thing Lance and even Gary Oak had done, at one time, and this poor kid would help spread his reputation. He'd send him to Tao, as well. He'd be fierce, with a bit of training.

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"Very well. A double. That'll make it shorter." The flame kid's smirk faltered, as he saw Alex's. It was way too confident.

A flash of green and black came from the belt of the Champion, and he spoke to his team, "Hold off. Let's see if this one is worth evolving for." He could hear the cameras whirring around them as they floated into the air, and began recording as his Pokémon took the field.

The League ref's voice came over the intercom, hidden both out of sight, and away from anything the Champion could break. "This League match will be a Double Battle. The Champion may not substitute. The Challenger may do so as often as he desires. Begin!"

"Verrignus! Leif! Go!" The same Emboar from last time appeared alongside a Leafeon now. They both looked strong, but Alex saw no reason to worry. Terra and Shruikan were quite tough, and made an excellent team. Shruikan respected the earth tortoise's strength, and Terra had the dragon sometimes use his claws to help maintain the living verge growing on his shell.

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"Flamethrower."

Shruikan flapped into the air, and as he bathed the plateau in flame, Terra looked unfazed. Ground types could handle fire easily, and this wasn't directed at him. The air became distorted by the heat. The Leafeon countered with a Razor Leaf, only to find that in the new heat of their battlefield, the leaves were all but useless, as they turned to ash halfway across.

That applied to Terra's leaves as well, but that didn't matter much for this battle. He wasn't using Razor Leaf, or kid gloves. "Earthquake." Alex spoke again, and his starter reared up onto his hind legs, before coming down. The force of the slam shattered the ground. Massive, steaming boulders rocked both of their opponents as the entire mountain shuddered.

"Verr, punch the boulders!" The Emboar turned, smashing them apart with Brick Break as the attack rocked him. He managed to take less damage, but his Leafeon partner was down. "Bufo, you're up!"

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A Seismitoad appeared next to the Emboar now. "Hyper Voice!" Alex tried not to smirk, and failed.

The large frog's seismic tones were rather impressive, as they shattered the rest of the boulders, flattening the field once more, and while his Voice was untrained, it was actually somewhat strong. The Emboar ignited his fists on the flaming beard around his chin, and charged as his Trainer pointed at Terra and shouted, "Fire Punch!"

"Aerial Ace." Alex kept his arms crossed as he gave the orders, and stayed completely unreadable. Both Terra and Shruikan knew many moves by now, in preparation for the World Tournament. So did his entire team, but usually he tried to limit himself to four. In League battles, at least. Perhaps if the World Tournament proved appealing enough, he'd change Unova's ruleset, it would certainly make things more interesting, but also had the potential for abuse. He made a note to find a specific rule book on the next World Tournament. Since it had been officially planned for next summer, Trainers the world over had embraced the new ten Pokémon limit with eagerness, and many claimed that the ruleset the World Tournament would be adhering to this time was rather exciting.

Thunder boomed through the clouds above the plateau as his enormous black dragon arced down through the air, causing it to whistle ominously as he approached. Shruikan mercilessly slammed the fire pig with a type advantaged move. His punch never even came close to searing his scales, such was Shruikan's speed, even with all his added size. The darkness of the night also helped. Shruikan was quite hard to see, when he didn't want to be seen.

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The Emboar smashed into what was left of the stairs Challengers ascended to reach the plateau, and Alex sighed. Aside from not being menacing, constantly breaking the plateau's marble foundations was another thing he received crap for. He could fix the earth of the field itself, but marble and stone were different. Apparently. He took Terra's word for it.

"Seed Bomb." Terra's attack bombarded the Seismitoad, who managed to catch one of the dense energy spheres, for a moment, with the vibrations from his hands. The other 'bombs' landed around the valiant toad, and the resulting explosion of grass energy knocked him out.

Alex glanced at the fainted pair of Pokémon. He knew one of them was the kid's starter, and when your first Pokémon went down, it usually meant the battle was as good as done. He'd been wrong before, though.

"You can back out now, if you like. Your record will still have four victories, and a Champion level win on it. Nothing to sneeze at, since they're from this League." The Champion still had his arms crossed, as he waited for the Trainer's response.

"I still have three left-"

Alex cut him off. "That's your first Pokémon lying by the stairs there. Do you really want to make your other three fight a Battle your strongest couldn't win?"

The spiky, flame haired kid called his three out then, and Alex eyed them. A Noivern, Weavile, and Aegislash, all fairly strong. He had to admit, the kid's team had most of the types covered for. It was balanced well.

"What do you guys think?" The kid asked, as the three eyed their opponents.

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Alex gave the next command, mentally as two beams of light shot into his partners, awakened by his Voice. "Alok."

The Plate on his Salamence's chest flared, and his form became that of a Mega Salamence. The storm clouds around the Plateau increased in size and darkness. The heavens thundered at his arrival, and his roar was just as loud and intimidating as the fury of nature. Terra was similarly changed as the light from the Meadow Plate crystal shot into his form, and helped him ascend to the next level. The tree on his back moved to the center, and three more spikes, the same size as his others, sprouted from the shell. The now clubbed tail, ideal for Woodhammer, rose into the air.

One roared, and the heavens roared with him. The sky flashed, and the massive form of the Mega Salamence glared down at the three remaining Pokémon. Terra, for his part, slammed the plateau with his clubbed tail, shaking the entire conical mountain their League was perched upon. The very earth felt ready to shatter under the power of that Torterra.

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Whatever enduring confidence the kid's team had, vanished in the face of these masters of the earth and sky. These battles were as much a head game as they were a contest of strength and skill. Too many people forgot that.

He was being kind again, though, and he knew it. Lance would've crushed his opponent's entire team with the ferocity of his dragons, and sent them back to the Pokémon Center. Laughing.

He decided then to be the Champion he'd always wanted to be. A kind one, a strong one, someone Unova could rely on, just like N. If everyone became too afraid to battle him, he'd never get challenged. Still, there were times, like now, when a Challenger's team simply had no chance, and needed more training, lest they get seriously hurt.

"Go to the Dragonspiral Tower. Train there. The Original Dragon will make you strong enough to challenge me, team to team." The two Trainers locked eyes. "After all, that's what made my team so strong." He left out the whole traveling dimensions and space-time differentials thing. Years of training had the same effect, no matter the plane you were on.

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The kid glanced at his Emboar again, then nodded. "Right…we'll be back for you. My Emboar will never stop until he proves that you should've chosen him."

Alex raised a brow. "Your Emboar will never win until he accepts the Trainer he has, not the Trainer he wanted, a very long time ago. Good luck getting that through to him, though. There's a reason I didn't choose a stubborn Tepig."

The kid chuckled, wearily. "A wise choice…but I can handle his stubbornness. I'll take your advice, Champion. Then we will return, and win." The two bowed in the Unovan style, fist to palm, grinning. They shared a hand-made sandwich with their teams, before the challenger departed, and Alex started a fresh bowl of the Leaf while he let his team run around or nap as they pleased.

Alex watched them go, and patted Terra and Shruikan, now once more in their base forms. "Well done, you two. At this rate, we'll run out of Challengers."

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"You've got to be Mukking kidding me! Again!?" Alex shared a look with his partners as the enraged tones of Rosa climbed up the stairs to the mostly-smashed entrance. He sniffed, and the familiar scent of burned Leaf was still hanging around. That too was another thing Rosa had forbidden both him and Hilbert from doing up here. He glared at the cameras, which were still on. Bloody robots never turned off.

He chuckled, "Time to go!" With that, he recalled his partners, and Teleported himself and his team back to Jess's dorm room. It had become their unofficial preparation area for the impending cross-continent journey. She'd gotten the room to herself, as after a month of listening to the 'famous couple' going at it in the privacy of the bathroom (what little there was), her roommate had requested a transfer. Being ultra-rich, Jess hadn't seemed to mind that the price of renting her room doubled for the rest of the semester.

They'd spent a lot of time in the room over the course of the semester, though it was mostly sans clothing. Being able to Teleport almost anywhere gave them a wide range of places to enjoy each other, but they both agreed her room was nicer. Cozier.

Final exams were over by now, and the only students left on campus were either flunkies, or people who really needed to take a break. Eric was in the latter category, as were his lab buddies. Alex had taken to calling them the 'Brain Trust', and the nickname had stuck. Even amongst their Professors.

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With him sleeping at the campus of his alma mater, Alex's hovel in the Swamp had turned into the island's local recreational area, and had grown to include more beds, most of which were hammocks, designed solely for relaxation. Battles were held, Leaf was smoked, naps were taken, and it wasn't long at all before it was unofficially dubbed 'The House of Perpetual Chill'.

After finding crumbs and what he sincerely hoped was jam in the hammock that passed as his own bed in the Swamp, Alex had decided to sleep in civilized quarters at night from then on. Jess hadn't seemed to mind. They'd tried looking for a real house somewhere, but the prices were truly insane, and the upkeep was even more so. And, why should they pay for a view they could get just by visiting a memorable spot they could Teleport to?

Eventually he'd offered to build her a house, something his instincts immediately regretted, as he saw the look in her eye. She'd kept her thoughts on the matter hidden as well, a hard thing to do given that they were but a thought away from each other all the time these days. She'd accepted his offer, which had led to research, some math, and the conclusion that Cenomons would need well over forty years of shedding, as an Aggron, just to get him some of the materials he'd need for such an endeavor.

Then there was everything else that went into buildings that he'd never considered, as he'd literally built a home out of mud and vines, and had been content with it. Now he had to account for plumbing, wiring, heating, power, air flow, location, and thousands of other tiny yet important things.

Needless to say, he put it on the back burner. They'd be camping for a while anyways, until they found lodging in Fornia, though he supposed they could always sleep elsewhere, and Teleport back in the morning. The only problem with that was risking not remembering where they'd stopped the day before, and losing yet more time playing catch-up.

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Thus, they'd decided to try to camp out as they crossed the Stoney Mountains, sneak into Fornia, and then find a hotel or something they could use as an anchor. The reason they didn't already have one had been yet another factor in what had kept them waiting well into June to depart. The only way to get into Fornia was by land, or sea.

The sea routes were all thoroughly patrolled by the many battle-capable yachts that the Arceans used to advertise how well-off and prosperous being one of them was. Given how their airships had been constructed, Alex didn't really consider their navy a threat. Not yet, anyways. Sacreus, Fornia's capital, was landlocked so it made little difference.

With the sea cut off, and no desire for plane travel and the level of danger it brought, as Arceans had a bad habit of bringing down unfriendly aircraft, that left traveling over the land, and after a test-incursion, they realized just how famous Blaze had become. He'd been recognized and chased for miles outside Fornian territory, and only a quick recall and Teleport had saved their bacon.

The footage of him battling Lizardon was still one of the most popular things on the Pokénet, even though a year had almost passed. Evidently, they'd seen it in Fornia too. Alex hadn't even tried Shruikan, much to the dragon's dislike. He'd claimed the night could conceal him, and Alex had countered that his 'hundred-foot wingspan' blotting out the stars would give them away. As would literally any light, for the night was dark blue, not entirely black.

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Thus, they'd decided on going full tourist, and playing the role of conversion-friendly newlyweds. Two tan, blonde, blue eyed strangers on the precipice of breeding. The Arcean who'd approved them for travel in their territories had practically drooled when he realized the potential. Evidently, recruiting couples was a big deal.

Now, everything was ready, packed, and as Alex bamfed into the dorm room again, he blinked, as he noticed his love, talking to a strange man. It took him longer than it should have to recognize the student in charge of dorm housing, but he was kind of proud that his paranoid, skeptical mind hadn't immediately leapt to worries of romantic backstabbing.

The man just stared at him, and Jess sighed. They'd tried keeping the ability to Teleport somewhat secret. Like most secrets, it had gotten out almost immediately that the Champion could get where he needed to instantaneously. Apparently, Unovans thought that was a good idea, and he supposed having a defender who could pop in literally whenever was a somewhat comforting thought. And probably a decent deterrent against crime.

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"Don't mind him. He's carrying the bags. Here's the key." Jess said, as she handed it over. The man nodded, and then promptly left.

He was glad to be rid of them, honestly. They were quite loud, and had stayed well over a month past the end of the year. Since the girl was rich, the increasingly absurd room rent hadn't driven her off, and since her lover was the Champion, and an Alumni, they couldn't really just tell him to scram. Especially since he could just poof right back five seconds later, and nobody would be the wiser. Thus, the University had quietly accepted the ever increasing rent, and had then proceeded to do what schools usually did in the summer months.

There were four bags in all, their usual two, and two solely for sleeping bags. They hadn't bothered with a tent, as that was what Shruikan's massive wings were for. Arthur popped free of his ball to grab the extra bags, and then they all Teleported once more, to the rendezvous spot.

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Somewhere Near the Sippi River - Kentu Region

image [https://imgur.com/L5iA3tq] image [https://imgur.com/L5iA3tq]image [https://i.imgur.com/L5iA3tq.jpg]image [https://www.deviantart.com/pokefan1337/art/The-States-913325298]image [https://imgur.com/L5iA3tq]

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The Sage had informed them, after some deep meditation, that their journey would go as well as it needed to if there were three entering Fornia, not two. Tao had divined much the same, and even had a suggestion as to who else should come along. He'd grown up in Fornia after all, and though he'd needed a better disguise than tanned skin, Brad had still proven himself somewhat capable.

He'd had only a Charmeleon when Alex first found him, and as the son sparred with his father, Blaze, the two humans had talked. Brad had been reluctant, at first, to go back to the region that had essentially controlled his entire life. After only a few months in Unova, he'd started to understand just how bad things were back home. Just how strong the delusion really was, and what kind of effort would be needed to remove it.

Alex had reminded him that his family, though they likely claimed to be willing to serve, were still under that regime, and his disappearance had likely made life difficult for them. That, more than anything else, was what convinced the Trainer to come along. If they'd been mistreated, there was a good chance some of them would defect as well. Alex had tasked his rival with securing aid from the north of the massive region, and while he was doing so, he could find his family as well, for that was where they'd lived. Once he had them, he'd send word to Alex and Jess, and they would help free them.

Alex hadn't really wanted a third wheel, but he supposed it would keep himself and his woman from lusting after each other all day on the golden coast's famous beaches. They'd still be doing that, of course. They were 'honeymooning' after all, and he had no doubt the Arceans watched everybody they let in.

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Brad had promised to build up his team, in preparation for the journey west. Within only three months, he'd actually managed to pull a decent one together, as he brought them out for inspection by Unova's Champion. There were several species most Fornians had, like Lycanroc, Ursaring, Gogoat, and the regional variant of Marowak that was both fire, and ghost. Alola and Fornia were culturally similar, but Alolans always said their neighbors were a bit…weird. They too could see through the devout façade. This hadn't stopped the Fornians from acquiring, and then breeding, the rare variants of known species found on the islands, though.

For her part in gaining four new members, Jess had found a Swablu, who she'd called Aria after they sang together, near the University's campus while Alex had been hunting for an Aron. The randomness of the universe had guided him to the little Amaura, who he'd nicknamed Gelauros. Eric had immediately shortened it further to 'lil G', and it had been Alex's turn to sigh as every other lab student had agreed it was better than using Imperium High Gothic for 'ice lizard'. Such was the future of the scientific world.

Brad was surprised when Alex and Jess had showed up with belts carrying over six Pokémon. Then, he saw them unstrap their bags, and begin to pack their main six balls away.

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Alex put his balls in his bag, as Jess did the same, leaving them with their newer partners. The others hadn't particularly liked being shoved in darkness, as they wanted to see what was going on themselves, but until the plan came to fruition, they could wait. For now, their function was helping their newer, younger teammates, and Alex was glad that his team was mature enough to be okay with waiting a few weeks. Of course, if he needed them, they could pop free and help, but they had all agreed that should be a last resort.

Once the balls were away, they donned their disguises. Brad's had gained pale skin, and blue hair, for some reason. He'd stick out in Fornia, but nobody would recognize him. No Arcean would associate with such a person, or so the former Champion had said. As long as nobody official took a harder look at him, he could blend in perfectly.

He entered the region at the northern port where the Kanadia, Fornia, and Dakota regions all intersected. Being one of the larger ports of entry, Brad could slip in amongst the hordes of people unnoticed, and once in Arcean territory, he could once more act like a loyal Arcean. He was more worried about the 'newlyweds' blending in.

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Alex and Jess had gone in the southern route, and had been forced to blend in to the mind-numbing obliviousness of the local population of the Sippi region, which was heavily influenced by the Arceans, and would likely join them soon. Some of the hardcore ideologies, and the mindless undiluted hatred, towards Unova in particular, had given the pair pause as they started to subtly listen for rumors of invading the east.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Evidently, the residents of the Sippi region believed that the Unovans had, somehow, caused the massive Swamp that now covered their ancestral homelands to grow out of control. Apparently, many of the people here had once lived in those southern areas near Floria, or what was left of it.

Since they couldn't actually blame nature for stealing their homes, this conspiracy theory of how and why the Swamp had grown so large had gained massive popularity once the Prophet claimed, through 'Divine Insight' apparently, to know beyond the shadow of doubt that Unova and the Swamp's rapid growth were connected. From there, the people of Sippi had run with baseless, asinine, and genuinely stupid conspiracy theories, and hadn't stopped.

As the two realized the extent of this kind of zealot-like thinking, they both agreed that, even though they had to gain allies, they were better off working towards ideological change from the inside out. The people here were angry over a 'crime' that had likely been 'committed' millennia past, and were speaking of war with Unova based on what essentially amounted to a rumor from a foreign government. If Fornia changed, it was likely that these 'support states' as they referred to them, would change as well. Eventually.

Thus, they did not actually look for trouble on their way through the lush Arciana region's plains once they crossed the border. Despite this purposeful obliviousness, cracks in the Arcean façade were literally everywhere, as were posters of their faces, untanned, and unchanged, listing them as 'threats to the Prophet'. Those, more than anything, had forced them to silently, angrily, ignore the perversions they came across, even here.

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They could've gone through Utado, which had once owned the Arciana region, but anyone who entered Nevouri from Utado was closely watched by the Arceans. Being as yet 'unconverted', the further they went into Nevouri, the more looks they received.

They would've gladly pretended to convert to blend in, the only problem was that doing so took months, and thousands of units of currency. They had an alternate plan.

After a last look through his granduncle's room, Alex discovered a note, with a name, location, and Holociever number. The words 'Do not call until in Fornia' were underlined below it. As were the words 'trusted contact'.

This, more than anything, was the riskiest part of their plan. They had no idea what this contact could do for them, and planning alternate routes of hiding in Fornia's wild, Stoney Mountains had taken time, but they had agreed having multiple places to flee to was always a good idea.

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Fading into the background of Nevouri had been simple, and as Cenomons dug them a tunnel towards the iron-rich mountains, he was all but drooling. Usually, he was hard to motivate, but the promise of these ore rich mountains had always gotten him going again, as he learned to battle. His patience was finally being rewarded.

Once the voracious Lairon had found his way into an ore-rich cave within the massive mountain chain, the two humans had made camp. Cenomons continued munching away, until he discovered something that was rock, but unlike anything he'd seen before.

He grunted for his human, as he'd learned to show things like this to him, and the human stared back at the Pokémon. "Holy…Ceno just found a fossil. A Pokémon fossil." He held up his Pokédex, and the device scanned it, then came up blank. It beeped loudly then, echoing through the cave, and the words: New Species appeared on the screen.

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Then, came a blank space, for a name. The two humans just stared, and shared a look. "Let's find out what it is before we start naming species…"

"Redwoodsaurus." Alex said, smirking. He grunted, as an Iron Tail sent him flying towards the tunnel they'd entered through. He'd just laughed, as it had been kind of fun, smashing through various rock formations and feeling almost none of it. He hadn't realized how much tougher his body had become since Norstad, but evidently, the Storm Crown was doing its work in making him more durable, and eventually immortal.

Once he returned, he found Jess scouring the Pokéweb, and then as he sat down, she showed him what she'd found. "I thought it looked familiar. See? The ancients have data on this. The horns are identical."

Alex glanced at the name, and then at the creature. Three horns, located on the western part of the very same continent, herbivore, quadrupedal, and not actually unlike an Aggron, save that it apparently couldn't stand on two legs.

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While the two humans stared at the glowing noise maker, Ceno returned to eating, as he was ravenous. His Trainer's regimen was exhausting, but the results showed, and he'd rather enjoyed winning what few road battles they'd come across.

Even Fornians challenged each other, it seemed. None offered to share a bowl, however. The Leaf was strictly outlawed, but Alexander Redwood had long ago perfected hiding his stash. It was nice to see his instinct for choosing smoking spots held up to even oppressive government-level scrutiny.

It was as Ceno returned to the fossil's spot, that he noticed something. Another one. Another horn shape, all but identical to the first. He was both curious, and ravenous, though mostly ravenous. With about a second of hesitation, he began loudly crunching the rock and bones, and as he did, he ingested the crystallized life-force of the Pokémon that had once been. Since the Pokémon had been a direct descendant of one of the first Mew, as were most fossil Pokémon, the latent gene-altering power had a peculiar reaction with the Lairon's own genetic make-up.

He didn't notice any immediate changes, except that now some ores looked more appealing than others. Pure instinct guided him to a specific blend, but his Trainer barely noticed as he and his counterpart smoked a bowl, and then fell into their usual grunting session. Ceno had also learned to not bug them during those. Humans could be gross.

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The next day was mostly spent waiting for Ceno, who hadn't slept, to stop eating, so he could tunnel them out again. Alex had asked for patience from his lover, as he'd seen the look in his young partner's eye, and his responses, and emotions, labeled the meticulous munching of specific ores as incredibly important. Something was up, but Alex didn't bug him. When a Pokémon did something seemingly odd, there was always a reason. That's what his granduncle had said, anyway.

Jess was eager to get back to society, because she'd found a Shield fossil. She'd never resurrected one before, but Alex had a feeling it wouldn't be so easy in Fornia. They had the technology, the problem, was getting someone to lend it to them. He didn't let that dampen her excitement though. A Bastiodon would fill out her team nicely. As they were forced to wait for the mountain eater, Alex and Jess decided to split the party, and explore for more potential teammates. The Pokémon of the Stoney Mountains could be quite strong.

As Jess began to wander, she found a lone female Nidoran, and while she hadn't been entirely newborn, she'd still been a bit young to be on her own. Jess had decided to copy Alex at that moment, and tried asking if she wanted to come along. While she was off winning a partner through trust, Alex had decided to ignore his methods for once, as he spotted something unique within the many cave tunnels.

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Typically, Drapion on the eastern side of the continent were more popular, as they were strong, versatile, and purple. Many good teams had Drapion, many villains also seemed to enjoy using them. Alex had spied a red Skorupi however, and realized that was simply the color they took here in Fornia, as he spotted a whole nest's worth with identical red tones. Like their eastern counterparts, they varied in shades, but he saw no purple among them.

Now the trick would be isolating one that wasn't too young, or too weak. Seeing his Trainer hesitate, Gelauros, or Gel, as he'd started being called, simply walked into the nest, all smiles. All of the Skorupi immediately began hissing at it, but backed down when they felt the young one's Frost Breath freeze the air. They backed away as the human followed. Many had learned not to attack Trainers if they wanted to continue living here unbothered. Most humans threw first and asked questions later, and the Stoney Mountains were a popular tourist spot. They had seen many resorts, but very few people using them, on their way in.

Gel went from one crimson Skorupi to another, his Trainer in tow, until eventually he pointed at one Skorupi in particular. It had been near the back of the nest, silently working on perfecting its strikes. Alex noticed it was a male, though he guessed he couldn't have been too much older than Gel.

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The two had locked eyes, and it had taken Alex a moment to realize that his little long neck wanted to battle as badly as the Skorupi. The others watched, the hissing muted as they took in the strange white Pokémon, and the human it dragged with it.

The Skorupi accepted the challenge, and the battle was fierce, but short. Thankfully, the pair had practiced turning the little dinosaur's Rock Throw into a Rock Slide, and thus, the advantage was his. The Skorupi was utterly blindsided by the rocks, buried even, and the little long neck essentially pounded him with Rock Throw, for fun, until he agreed to give up, and let the hatchling win.

Gelauros crowed, triumphant, and before he could blink, there was a maroon-colored Net Ball freeing the Skorupi from the rocks by taking it inside. Surprisingly, the ball dinged shut with only a few shakes, and Alex quietly retrieved it as he suddenly noticed the hundreds of eyes staring at him. Gel nudged him, and they left quickly, but unharmed. The battle had been fair, after all, and their brother had accepted the challenge against a Trainer. Trainers caught Pokémon. If he hadn't wanted a Trainer, he could've refused easily.

Despite all of that, Alex called him out anyways as they began the trek back to their camp, and explained exactly what he needed from the Skorupi, and if that was too much, he could easily return home. Much like Ceno, he'd asked to see his teammates, but was less impressed by the Lairon and Amaura. Gel's hatchling eyes had eventually convinced the scorpion, at which point, it returned to the ball. With only one member left, and since he really only needed a ghost type now, Alex decided to let the universe guide him to his last partner.

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Jess had been somewhat disappointed when she returned with Nidoran of both genders, only to find Alex already had a poison type in his crimson Skorupi. She'd named her Nidoran Maria, and had called her partner Tony, because it was adorable and nostalgic. She hadn't been as much as a nerd about the anime detailing Ash Ketchum's heavily embellished early years, but she had liked the story of how he and his travel companions had helped a pair of star-crossed Nidoran. Alex agreed to let the Nidoran male stay regardless. His ears were rather large, the clear poison they secreted was potent, and Tony's personality worked well with the rest of his team. Neither of the humans wanted to split them up. There was more room in Jess' bag, so Tony typically stayed there as they moved through the mountains, but Alex trained him as well. He was a good sparring partner for his team of younger Pokémon, and he knew he would never mind having a Nidoking around, in the future. Tony didn't seem to mind either, as his female partner was clearly the better battler. He was just happy to stay with her, grow stronger, and be a part of a larger family.

Once they'd packed up camp, Ceno had agreed to tunnel, and eat as they went. He was still picky about what he ate, so the going was slow, but Alex had a feeling it would be worth it. Eventually, he'd had to let the Lairon roam solo, just so progress could be made through the caves.

Being what he was, he had no trouble finding the group for an occasional nap, but for most of those long days under millions of tons of rock, Cenomons was absent, eating away at the endless supply of ore. The other Lairon he encountered were more relaxed, and less willing to battle, given the abundance of food. Ceno ignored those too weak willed to fight for good ore, and thrashed those who tried to take it from him. In this way, he beat those Lairon worth beating, and earned his experience. His Trainer had taught him useful moves, but he did notice that without him, battling was a lot harder. Despite that, Cenomons found that he relished the challenge, and the rocky steel type slowly realized he actually enjoyed battling quite a bit. Almost as much as he enjoyed eating.

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Finally, after almost a week within the mountainous tunnels, which were Pokémon habitats, and largely quite far away from any kind of dig site, the two humans emerged from the darkness, and several minutes later, Ceno joined them. He was finally content, his voracious appetite sated…for now. It was good timing.

Ceno used his mastery of the rock to make a platform for the humans to stand on, as they'd been clinging to a relatively steep cliff side, and as they took in their first look at Fornia, Alex burst out laughing. His hand, halfway to his Holociever, paused.

Before him was a valley filled with trees, and not just any trees, of course. The tallest, the oldest, the biggest. The species for which his family was named. A stand of Sequoia sempervirens trailed through the valley below them, in a very obvious line, only visible from such a high perch, or from the air. As oblivious as he was, Alex knew a sign from the universe when he saw one. He pocketed the Holoceiver number, and then the pair began to follow the very obvious line of massive but also rather young Redwood trees.

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Not far from where Alex and Jess had emerged, there was a irritated sigh.

"There's no sign of them. Report back to HQ. The Rebels have them."

The captain of the Arcean Task Force, or A.T.F. as it was sometimes called, spoke into his Holociever. He'd been perched up here for hours, alongside his Mega Lucario, keeping tabs on the strange 'married couple' that had gotten quite deep in Arcean lands, without actually joining the Church, before vanishing for almost a week.

When they'd reappeared, he'd almost missed them, but their classic Fornian looks made them stick out against the gray stone of the mountain they'd perched on. Once they disappeared into the Redwoods, he knew it was only a matter of time. The only people who went to such places were those who wished to rebel against the Church.

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Once the new face of Fornia's so called 'great enemy' had forced their Prophet out of Norstad in a clash that was reported as completely different to what had actually occurred in Norstad, naturally painting Alex and Jess as despicable psychic-controlled villains, a strange thing had occurred in the Fornia region. Those who were tired of the blatant lies and mistreatment, and were savvy enough to know what shady business Pravus was up to, gathered in groves of ancient Redwood trees, where they met other people who shared their views on the ruler of their lands.

Though it had been centuries since any of the Tribes had been recognized as a people by the Fornian government, they still remained in what areas of the massive Fornia region the Arceans had not yet plundered in the name of resources. Together, those Fornians who wished to rebel made an alliance, a Rebellion of sorts, and small bases and outposts full of these so-called Rebels had been popping up all over the region, causing havoc to the Church.

Tourists were especially dangerous, for the A.F.O was in charge of keeping them oblivious to the goings on of the government. Once the Arcean Fossil Organization had lost track of the couple, they'd called in the Task Force. They dealt with threats to security.

A response came over his Holociever, "Stay where you are. This hunt is being given to the Hand of Death." The captain stared at his communication device, mouth agape. A Hand of the Prophet? For two random tourist Trainers who probably got lost in the caves? At most, they'd meet the native Tribes and find a way to go back to civilization. While letting them speak to the Tribes was an issue, it was nothing a PokéMeter session couldn't fix. He didn't understand why such a response was warranted, but then, this was a Hand who was coming, the Hand of Death specifically, who was supposed to be a rumor. A bad nightmare.

Despite the grisly nature his missions no doubt entailed, if he was being sent in, it meant the Prophet himself wanted these tourists dead, and there was nothing the Prophet of Arceus did without reason. He nodded at his Lucario, and the loyal hound leapt down from their own perch to follow the tourist's scent. They needed to be useful to the Hand, or he would likely dispatch them as well, for incompetence. Given the strength of the couple's aura, something the Lucario found strange, but was unable to comment on, tracking them was easy. When the Hand appeared, he would have a strong trail to follow, and hopefully, his Trainer would continue to live.

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Yavano Tribe Lands - Eastern Fornia Region

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Alex and Jess had all but stumbled into the local Yavano Tribe's main camp, and after giving them a moment to cool their surprise and lower their strange metal spears, they'd used words to avoid a conflict, though, as he'd told them something of who they really were, and that they were Pokémon Trainers, several of the 'red-skinned' men had grinned. Even here, there were people up for a battle. It was a pair of battles that Alex nearly lost, as they steamrolled over Gelauros and Tony, and only Cenomons had stopped them from getting the win, in the end.

After hearing they were from Unova, the tribe's Chief, Long-Fang, had made an appearance, and invited them to enjoy some of their Leaf. It was quite a bit stronger than anything they usually smoked, but it went a long way to easing the tension of a first contact. The Chief himself had unusually large canine teeth, but given that Alex had a fair bit of strangeness himself, most notably the tips of his ears which became more pointed by the day, he didn't comment, or stare. Jess hadn't seemed to mind either, and found his ears amusing, claiming that now, he could follow his granduncle, and become a 'full Vulcan'. He considered that a noble goal, but his hair usually kept them hidden all the same.

The tribesmen, over the flames of Chari's tail, explained the current state of Fornia, and the Rebellion they'd created with other 'pale-skins', and after a night of rest and a proper wake-and-bake, the tribe gave them food, supplies, and then pointed them towards the nearest 'Rebel Base'.

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The base, as it turned out, was none other than the Majestic Canyon. Surrounded by the massive Great Mohave Desert, the canyon was a massive series of red rock walls, carved away by a river that was older than any tree, person, or Pokémon alive, and would likely outlast them all. It was at least a thousand miles long, or so the Yavano had said, and if you didn't have a guide, getting lost was easy. Many Pokémon also lived in the canyons and waters of the area, which had no qualms about killing humans. Usually, they were fine with subsisting on the enormous Wepear berries that grew in abundance amongst the rocky crags.

Within one of the many smaller canyons that made up the massive one, the local Tribes and Fornians had created a base from which to operate. In an amusing twist of fate, they'd also given them a Holoceiver number to call to get in contact with the Rebel's headquarters, and it was identical to the one they'd been given by Alex's granduncle. They'd told him to use it near the canyon, so he'd waited to do so.

Jess had found a Heracross on their way down to the Canyon, and the powerful female, who she'd called Hera, had been quite useful. Not being able to fly was rather irritating, especially for skilled Trainers. Having a partner that could carry you really was incredibly useful. Especially on stealth missions. She'd proven her strength to the skeptical Redwood by carrying both of them to the Canyon. Evidently, drinking the essence of Redwood trees had made these Heracross quite strong. Jess had remarked that she had done something similar, and had also grown stronger soon after. They'd had to land, as the ensuing laughing fit from the pair made flying hard. Thankfully, they had already arrived.

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Alex ignored the giggling females as he dialed the number. The conversation was as awkward and brief as any random phone call, but once he'd mentioned the Yavano, and his granduncle, he'd been told to stay put. Someone was coming out to meet them, apparently.

That someone turned out to be the Dragon Type Expert, Professor Dracaena. She'd rode in on a female Charizard that truly highlighted just how much of a runt Chari was, despite her strength and almost crimson coloring.

More than that, there was something familiar about her coloration. It took Alex longer than it should have to notice that it was identical to Blaze's, which had always been a bit more red-orange than most. Considering the amount of variation in scale patterns Charizard had these days, that hadn't been too noticeable. Pokémaniacs didn't exactly ooze excitement when facing a slightly-deeper-red-orange-than-normal Charizard.

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The Professor approached, leaving her own Charizard to laze in the hot sun. She was an older woman, who looked ready to raid a tomb, and had the gear to do it. The traditional white lab coat was shortened, just barely longer than her beige shorts, and a pair of what looked like a hybrid of goggles and glasses hung from the neck of her ordinary white undershirt.

As she looked the pair of them over, she focused on Alex, and smirked. "Now that's a Redwood. I'd know those eyes anywhere. I'm Professor Dracaena, an expert on Dragon Types. I knew your granduncle. I heard he passed on."

Alex nodded, his face as impassive as ever. He nodded at Jess. "This is Jessica Gladstone. She's helping me liberate this region." The two women shook hands, but otherwise didn't speak. He couldn't tell if they liked each other or not. They were as unreadable as felines, and he had long since given up trying to divine the many moods of the fairer sex.

The Professor raised an eyebrow. "Liberation, hmm?" She glanced at Jess again, who kept her own face as impassive as Alex's, and then, the Professor shrugged. "If that really is your goal…you've come to the right base."

They all flew in on their Charizard then, as the Professor had assured them that this was one place Arceans avoided. The Charizard that called the Majestic Canyon home gave no Muks about chasing off humans, and retaliating for stolen Charmander by burning Arcean crop fields. Jess left Alex to take the lead in asking questions this time, and after explaining why they'd come, the Professor agreed to help them. When asked why the Arceans avoided such a gorgeous canyon, she answered.

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"There was once a city out here, in the desert, around three centuries ago now. Vega City. Or so the ruin experts call it. It was a hub of…entertainment. Music. Lights. Food. Water shortages. People from all over the world came to enjoy themselves in Vega City. Then, in the space of one night, the Prophet himself obliterated the city, claiming that it was the 'Will of Arceus' that such a hive of scum and villainy be erased from the world. They declared the Canyon a preserve, after trying to mine it, and being burnt out by the local Charizard. What remains of Vega now is just a desert."

Alex raised a brow. "Was it actually the will of Arceus, or his Human mouthpiece?"

The Professor smirked. "The word came from Pravus...spend long enough in Fornia, and you will find he's quite fond of speeches, and hearing himself talk. Officially, the Church blamed the tragedy on the 'unknowable will of Arceus', but the Tribes remember who committed the act. They have a good idea of exactly how Vega became a ruin."

Jess chimed in then, "Could we hear the tale as well? From them?"

The Professor smirked. "If you really want to know, all you need to do is ask. Chief Sike has a powerful Noctowl. With his help, they've shared what they know of the 'Vega Event' with whoever wishes to see."

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Having learned several of the customs from the Yavano, such as how to properly greet a Chief, and interact with their fellow tribespeople, the couple had managed to surprise the local tribe here, as well, by showing genuine respect. They were led into one of the many caves the tribespeople used for smoking, and once they'd settled into a circle around Blaze's tail, as he'd offered it freely, the flames shifted to blue, and the napping fire lizard smirked. Alex rolled his eyes. At least he hadn't mega evolved in the middle of the Chief's toke on the pipe.

Chief Sike was an elderly man, though whether he was actually feeling his age, or just had wrinkled, weathered skin from the sun and desert, was hard to say. His hair was entirely black, but then, Alex had yet to see a tribal elder with grays.

A smirk appeared on the old man's weathered face as he eyed the Charizard supplying their fire. He looked harder, as he recognized something he hadn't seen for a long, long time, but then remembered he was in the presence of foreigners. He kept his composure as he spoke, "His fire is strong. Eastern Trainers are as powerful as the legends say they are."

Alex shrugged, and then looked around the circle. Jess glared at him as she read his intentions, but he ignored her, for the moment, as he took in the people they were sitting with. A brief, cautious glance at their minds told him all he needed to know about these people.

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Their mental defenses were quite strong, as strong as their own at least, and actually reading their thoughts would be a challenge. Unlike most humans, it seemed the Tribes had learned long ago to guard themselves on that level, even if they did not possess psychic ability. He'd seen Trainers use Aura, and still lack a psychic typing. Alex had discovered a new dislike for crowds after acquiring and developing his psychic senses, for many of the huddled masses of Unova kept their minds completely unguarded. It was hard to ignore, and he'd begun to understand why the Sage lived isolated in a Swamp.

That was when he finally noticed, since actually going undercover and suppressing his power, everything was so much quieter. It was strange, in a good way. "Thank you. I was wondering, Chief Sike, if you wouldn't mind sharing the tale of Vega's destruction with us. We haven't heard of it in the east, and I have a feeling we should have already."

The Chief eyed the stereotypical Fornian tan and blonde hair, but those blue eyes…those, looked genuine, and they possessed the fire of a Trainer. The Chief nodded, and as he did, there was a low hoot above them. As his grizzled Noctowl used its power on the fire, images appeared in the flames, and they shifted as the Chief spoke. "To understand Vega, you must understand the history of Fornia. Long ago, there was peace between the entirety of the western lands. We had peace with the east as well, for the Dragon God ruled us fairly, and maintained the Balance of nature, upon which all of us live. His Empire was vast, and his Tamers fair in judgement. Those were good days."

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Alex looked down then. He knew what came next, and resisted sighing as the Chief continued to speak, "Then, over time, the Dragon was passed down his Tamer's family line, and after a few generations, most ignored his wisdom entirely, until finally, the Original Dragon was torn apart by his current Tamer's two sons. Their rivalry split the dragon in three, darkness chose one brother, light championed the other, and the balance was lost to war." He packed a long, wooden pipe as he spoke, but Alex couldn't get a clear look at it.

"At first, we of the western regions did not experience any noticeable difference. Indeed, after several centuries of peace and prosperity, the Dragon became a myth, and the fertility of the planet was attributed to the planet itself, and its connection with Nature, rather than a Pokémon that may or may not have existed, long ago. Protecting the wilderness became a top priority of the newly forming governments who, since the Dragon Empire had collapsed, began to govern themselves."

"We were a naïve group of nations, young, enjoying the new freedom from heavy imperial taxes. No longer did we have to fund a war in the capital that did not concern us. Our wealthy grew great...but we had no idea what our wealth would attract. Eventually, these new, rich, former farmers gathered in a single place to enjoy their surplus of currency from selling their surplus crops. Without an empire to give them to, they had seized the power from the dead empire's infrastructure, and set themselves up as large kingdoms."

The Chief's eyes narrowed, slightly. "Basically…we were a region ripe for conquest. Nobody remembers exactly how long ago Caleb Pravus took power, but he's well past his normal span of years, even by today's standards of old age. Though, recently, it's been rumored that his 'immortality' is fading."

The old man focused on the two foreigners then, "When he first arrived here, he was weak. He destroyed Vega, and all living things around it for thousands and thousands of miles. This desert quadrupled in size because of him, and this Canyon is but a shadow of what this land used to look like. I have a feeling he's going to try something more drastic, now. To make sure he doesn't have to deal with the consequences of destroying a city again. Immortality is his sole desire, and he would gladly disrupt the Balance of the world to gain it."

Alex's eyes narrowed then. He'd had a feeling this might be the case. "He's dangerous, and he has to go down. I understand."

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He looked around the circle again, and decided to trust these people, if only a little. He knew removing his disguise would be painful, for it was fairy typed in nature, and Jess could always force him to keep it on, for she had no issues using the crystal. For him, it seared his skin, and ignored his attempts to connect with it. He'd had difficulty with the ice crystal as well, for it made him quite chilled, but in Fornia's heat, it was a perfect balance of temperature.

"Thank you, for sharing that with us. There is something you should know, too. The Original Dragon has returned, and I am the one who made him whole once more. Understand who you're allying with, because the only way a Cult like this comes down is with coordinated strikes at its foundations." Jess gave him the mental equivalent of a hard pinch, but he resisted wincing as he took his own toke on the 'peace pipe', and let those gathered absorb that information.

That, was when his obedient partner and friend for life decided to tap into the power of Arceus, and take his Mega Form. Alex barely dodged the sudden increase of the blue flames, but the other tribe members just stared in awe. He still had eyebrows, but the pipe had been a bit scorched. He glared at Blaze, who continued to nap, and smirk.

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The chief was silent for a long while, and as the silence grew, he felt the room's eyes upon him. Unova's newest Champion was, supposedly, as strong as the dragon he'd reunited. A dragon in his own right, apparently, or so the newest rumors claimed. Those rumors had also come with a title. The Dragon of the West.

A long look at the awakened form of the Charizard bonded to this Trainer finally convinced him of what was needed. "The Arceans have much hate for you, Champion… I don't know what you did to Pravus, but I have never seen him so…openly furious at a person. You are, quite literally, the face of the Unovan threat he's preparing his people to fight against. Normally, I would decline your aid, for it is costly, but you come to us with trust, titles, and a Charizard from this very region. Even your surname hails from here. I would be a fool to ignore these signs, but I would also be a fool to ally with you, for when the Arceans discover you, and it is a when, not an if, they will use everything they have to eradicate you. Their Prophet recently labeled you as the Spawn of Giratina, and commanded your death. You'll be hard pressed to find true allies among his Cult."

Alex passed the pipe on as the Chief spoke, and the Trainer beside him, a member of the tribe, took his own toke from the newer, stronger flames eagerly. The scent of their Leaf was similar to the Unovan variants, but stronger. Alex eyed the Chief, but his weathered face was as unreadable as his own usually was. "So…what will you do?"

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The Chief grinned as the Redwood spoke. "I'll test you, and your Charizard, and if you prove worthy, you will have our support, now, and should your mission succeed, forever."

One of the female tribe members around their fire coughed hard, as she'd been in the middle of a toke of her own when she'd heard the Chief's idea. "But they're ignorant foreigners! They can't face that Trial. They'll be crushed."

The Chief smirked at the woman. "Our Alolan cousins survived it."

The young woman's brown eyes narrowed. "They had a full set of Z Crystals. And Plates. You know well that these two do not.

The Chief eyed the foreigners again, and Alex suppressed a shiver up his spine as he felt the man's gaze staring straight through his disguise. The Chief smiled slightly, and shrugged. "They have what they need."

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The Majestic Canyon - Fornia Region

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After some sleep and some breakfast, the Chief led the two foreigners to where the Trial was held. Deep within the Majestic Canyon, even deeper than the Rebel's base, was a series of large valleys that were home to Fornia's Charizard. They were known for being hard to control, as well as for their love of battling. The only other concentration of their species large enough to rival these canyons was the Charicific Valley, in Japan, who were known for exactly the same thing. This was a place for their species to grow stronger.

The Dragon Mountain of Unova was considered a home for them as well, but in truth, Charizard were not as abundant there as they were in these valleys, given that the mountain was shared by many species. Here, only one predator reigned supreme, and the only other carnivorous species were ones who fed on the remains of what the fire lizards ate. When it wasn't entirely ash.

It was a perfect environment for them, really. The sun burned brightly, and made the battles that much more intense. Alex stared down into one valley in particular. Most of them were lush and green on their narrow bottoms, save for the dots of orange and red that marked the younger members of their species. Caves marked the sides of these fertile areas, and flashes of orange could be seen within them, as well. Nests, then. Avoiding them would be a good idea.

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The tribespeople had a tradition of battling the strong Charizard, and instead of capturing them in Pokéballs, they were given an egg, if victorious, and judged worthy. It was what made this particular tribe able to live so close to Arcean territory. As long as nobody outright attacked them, their partner's flames wouldn't be a threat to 'civilized society'. That hadn't stopped Pravus from trying, but in recent years, he had focused on fossil hunting, rather than the potential ore the Canyon could give.

The threat of annihilation didn't stop the Tribes from helping the Rebels, for they knew well that there needed to be peace, trust, and above all unity between their people, and their pale-skinned neighbors. They could not ignore Pravus. He wasn't going away. Tales from eras so far past the modern world had forgotten them, always kept the tribespeople wary, and while in the beginning there had been suffering, eventually, peace had been reached. The fall of the human race had ensured that. In the chaotic aftermath of humanity's downfall, they had been faced with a similar decision: ally and work together with the pale-skins, or die.

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"Why do your people wish to help the Rebellion?" Alex asked the Chief, as they hiked. Though it was easy to mistake from up above, these valleys were truly massive in scale, and traversing them on foot was sweaty work under the blazing sun. Still, this too, was a tradition. He had no intention of disrespecting the tribe's ways. From what he'd learned of them, there was likely a very good reason they needed to walk. In a canyon this large he doubted the only things that flew were Charizard.

"Caleb Pravus is a blight upon the land. His Cult has mined the earth relentlessly for fossils, though, recently they've lessened…rumor is, they found what they were mining for. But they've ignored the cost. Homes, destroyed. Pokémon, captured…or worse. This land needs to heal, and it will not be able to until the Arceans are no longer spurred into destroying it in the name of their leader." The Chief's tone was even, calm, but Alex could feel the latent tension in his words, a simmering rage. The Arcean's Prophet had done…something to earn the Tribe's fury.

"If you'll pardon my bluntness, Chief…this seems to go beyond a simple desire for a change in leadership. Your people are as involved in the base's operations as the former Cult members. The Yavano educated me, somewhat, on my way here. I know how much you're risking."

The Chief paused in his walking, and then turned his head towards Alex. Given that they were at the back of their group, which included several other Trainers, the others kept going. "Mmmmm. Your words are indeed blunt…but honest. Your…insight…serves you well, Champion of Unova." He continued walking, and speaking, for their journey was long. "You are correct. My people have a personal stake in seeing Pravus brought down."

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Alex kept his words short, and direct. "Why?"

The Chief did not answer for a long time, but eventually, he spoke, "When he first came here, Pravus convinced your fellow pale-skins to follow him with…disturbing ease. We suspected treachery, for even then the Arceans began slandering us, despite our long-standing friendship. Their attitudes changed…almost overnight. Then, Vega was destroyed. For well over a century, he had his minions persecute and belittle our people, making us out to be worse than savages. Any who associated with us, were shunned. Trade stopped, and tensions grew…then, one day, many years ago, we received a message. An offer for peace, an apology, and the promise of trade. The first in generations."

He was silent for a long time again, but Alex let him think. He hadn't been lying when he said he'd understood just how much they risked by helping the Rebels so much. His entire tribe, if things went poorly, would likely be wiped out. All their history, stories, practices unique to them, and their home, gone. He was, in short, risking everything to help stop a tyrant. They all were.

"My…daughter offered to meet with Pravus when he sent word that he wished to establish more…concrete ties to the Tribes, and to stop the slanderous lies his followers perpetrated about us. I told her not to go. I told her it was a trap. She did not listen. She went to the Oasis of Glory, and for a while…we had peace." He almost spat the word.

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Alex couldn't see his face, but he did notice the reddish skin on the Chief's knuckles turn white as he gripped the strange metal staff that marked his station, a long silvery metal rod essentially, decorated and carved with runes he couldn't rightly place. It also served as his 'belt', for Pokéballs in the colors of his tribe, brownish red, yellow, green, and blue, filled each slot on the staff. Alex did a double take as he noticed there were ten balls, not six.

His distracted gaze took in something else, a symbol of sorts on each ball. A circle split into four parts, depicting what looked like the waterfall that hid the entrance to the Rebel's base, rocky outcroppings in the red stone of their home, an image of the food they grew, Cornn Berries, amongst other things, and an image of a Gogoat with a Charizard circling above it in the sky. Each image surrounded another two toned circle in the center, and he had to resist a smile. He'd know that black and white symbol anywhere. Tao's influence still remained here, even after so very long.

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It was good that the Chief paused for long periods of time between speaking, but as he spoke again, Alex's attention refocused. "One day…we received a summons to the Oasis, the place where, supposedly, Arceans go to relax and enjoy the fruits of their toil, for a time. Pravus and my daughter had decided to wed, and he invited every member of every Tribe in the region..." The Chief sighed, heavily. "With his natural charisma, he offered peace, and all the while his followers continued to call us savages. I did not go, as I did not approve. I could not speak to my daughter either, for Pravus had his claws in her, and she refused to speak to someone who wasn't a part of 'Arceus's calling'."

"Obviously, it was a trap. I warned my fellow Chieftains, but even our combined words of caution could not dissuade all of our people who were curious, angry, or a mix of both, from going. I…am told that my…my daughter addressed the crowd of her own people who came to see a ceremony our tribes simply do not practice, and with a word…betrayed them. The Arceans in this 'Oasis of Glory' are little more than soldiers, and underneath the pretty resort façade, lies a labor camp, full of prisoners…and anyone Pravus doesn't want causing trouble. To this day, he claims my people can leave whenever they wish, and yet they do not return. The bars and electric fences make that rather difficult, as do the armed Humans, and their Pokémon. Only a few have managed to escape, and apparently, many do not survive their attempts."

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The Chief glanced at Alex again, as their group stopped before the edge of the flame-marked valley of rock that served as the arena for the fearsome fire lizards that called this place home. "This is why every Tribe has agreed to help this Rebellion. We must free our people…and theirs. Fornia must be free, again. Then, perhaps, balance can return to our home."

Alex pulled out Tao's Pokéball, and he resisted a smirk as he heard the other Trainers, mainly those of the tribe, inhale sharply at the symbol upon it. They had all listened quietly as they realized the Chief was telling a story, essentially. Now, this foreigner pulled out a ball that, to their eyes, was infused with the Original Dragon's aura. Or rather, a trace of it.

This ball had held him at one time, evidently, but this Trainer had wisely kept him free of it. Alex offered the ball, and the Chief eyed it closer, and then handed it back. Alex held his hand on it, for a moment, as he spoke "I am the bringer of that Balance. The Dragon's will works through me. You have my word, Chieftain, I will see your people free. We will set them all free."

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He took the ball back then, pocketing it. The Chief nodded, once, and then stopped walking, and raised his staff. "We shall see. Behold. We are here."

The valley in the center of this area was a canyon in its own right. It was also where most of the contests of strength were held, and as a result, the once red rocks had turned black from centuries of fire duels. As they looked into the blackened valley of stone, they saw him. Every colony has a leader, and this one was no exception to the rule that such leaders were, usually, large, powerful, and stronger than normal.

The Charizard that served as the king of these fierce Pokémon, for no other title fit his bearing, was massive, and napping. As the group approached the edge of the blackened canyon, the massive fire lizard opened one eye, and in an instant, a fiery aura of red and white surrounded his form. Alex swore, loudly. He had no illusions as to what this trial would likely entail. Battling a beast like that, that had mastered its own power to such a degree, promised to be a challenge.

The Charizard of the tribe's Trainers popped free of their balls as they watched, and the two foreigner's partners were called out. Blaze and Chari twisted high into the air, before heading down towards the Totem Pokémon. Apparently, that was what they were called here, as well.

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As Blaze landed before his opponent, he glanced at his Trainer, and nodded. Alex called on the crystal again, and empowered his partner, who took what he needed to reach his Mega Form, and then cloak himself in a similar aura. The power faded, and the magma colored aura held perfectly. Alex smirked. Blaze had been trying to perfect that for months. Naturally, he understood it when he needed to. That was how he'd always learned, after all.

As the older Charizard stood, Alex noticed that they weren't all that different in appearance and skin tone. It was the shape that was different. The king's wings were smaller, but his claws were enormous. He could likely fly when he needed to, but this Charizard obviously preferred the ground. That meant he likely preferred physical moves as well.

A torrent of Flamethrower burned over Blaze, and the fire lizard yawned, as he inhaled the intense flames, and grinned. His tail flame turned blue, and his claws became shrouded in deep sparking red, and orange colored energy. The same as the magma from which he'd evolved.

The younger Pokémon shot forward, and after a flash of red, Chari was behind him. The older Charizard glanced at the pair, and snarled. Technically, one's mate could join a duel. If it was to the death, or for leadership. He glanced at the humans, and then understood. They wanted his help for something, and they were fighting to prove they were worthy of it.

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The older Charizard smirked, and rapidly spun in place. A tornado of flames shot into the air, then, a similarly dark red and sparking pair of Dragon Claws rose out of the flames, towards the two fighters. Though the claws were massive, they missed Blaze, or rather, skirled off his aura. Chari went down, landing hard, but relatively uninjured, save for her wing which had taken the impact. Blaze eyed her, and then bid her to stay put as he rejoined the battle and roared.

The female did as she'd been asked, as she'd smashed a wing into the canyon's hard rock wall after being hit. There was no reason to go in now. In the air, Blaze would have to defend her and also attack, and on the ground…well, this Charizard could handle her there, too. She stayed back, as the two males smashed together repeatedly.

For all the fire and claws, neither one seemed to be damaged much, and once it was clear they were drawing towards a stalemate, Alex gave his partner useful information, and a strategy. Battles were as much mind games as they were fights, in contests like this, anyways. A moment's distraction would tip it.

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Blaze smirked as he heard and agreed with the plan. His Trainer was convinced that this Charizard was his sire, or at the very least, related by blood. They shared the same facial features, though Blaze's wings were nowhere near as small.

Blaze's Dragon Tail canceled out another Dragon Claw, and the younger fire lizard snarled in the tongue of their species to the older one. "You…are related to me, aren't you…we are similar…"

The elder paused, and the battle did as well, as he eyed his opponent properly, and then nodded. "I did not smell it, but now I see it. You are of my blood…a son I thought lost." He raised a claw and it burst to life with red draconic energy, "But that changes nothing. You started this contest…I will finish it!"

Blaze then did his best imitation of a human shrug, which actually looked halfway decent. He fell backwards in the air as he dodged under the enormous claw. His own Dragon Claw ran along the outer edge of his opponent's. "Very well. I just thought you should know, I have offspring as well."

The older fire lizard's attack paused, eyes widening at the news, for it was always a wonderful thing to have more family. Blaze took the second he needed, and slid his Dragon claw up the older Charizard's burly arm, neck, and then face, in a powerful upwards slash.

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The two broke apart then, and the elder was panting. A critical hit, and one that had taken out an eye. Not permanently, but it would need to heal. The claws hadn't actually cut his skin, either. Only faint black marks showed where they'd passed, scraping against the elder's aura shield. Blaze had actually gotten through it around the neck area, and it had not re-formed. In fact, the aura had dissipated entirely now, once he'd broken through.

Slightly irritated with this new injury, the elder snarled. "Enough, whelp. What do you and your Humans want of me?"

Blaze glanced up at his Trainer as he mumbled softer growls. "Something about a Trial…"

The older fire lizard grinned. "Ahh. The Trial…why didn't you say so?" He rose again, and though the aura didn't re-form, two other, smaller, Charizard stepped forward to join him. They were comparatively large, but against the King and his offspring, everyone was small. The two arrivals engaged Blaze immediately, but he had fought battles like this before. He could handle a pair of his kin, but he flew higher into the smoky air regardless, as their flames followed him. He didn't want his sire interfering as he dispatched these two.

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Occupied as he was, for the two the King had chosen were skilled aerial fighters, Blaze did not notice what went on below. Five other Charizard, each an elder in their own right, surrounded their king, and tented their wings as they freely gave their power…so that he might attain the same level as one bonded to a human. Focused fire type energy poured into the massive Charizard, and like his offspring, he retained his typing and colors as he Mega Evolved. He was stronger now yes, but most importantly, his wings were now capable of lifting his massive form, which was mostly muscle.

The air boomed as he lifted off, and the weakened elders below curled into circular piles of orange scale, their wings forming a tent above them as they meditated, and kept their own power supplying their King's.

Luckily for Blaze, he had a pair of eyes in the back of his head with a cliff-side view, and saw his sire coming. There was a layer of thin cloud between them, though it was mostly just smoke, it obscured one's vision regardless. Blaze maneuvered his opponents into position, and then kept them there, as his father ascended.

He burst through the clouds with a powerful Dragon Tail, unable to pause as he realized who he was swinging at. The two new opponents went down, and once more, the battle was even. Like Chari, they had smashed into the stone canyon walls, and would need time to recover in order to battle again.

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Father and son clashed again and again as the sun turned the sky red, and began to set. Getting here had taken almost a full day, and the days had begun to grow shorter. The summer was halfway finished, and the days were once more shortening to reasonable length.

Seeing another stalemate approaching, Blaze knew this would likely be it. Though he wouldn't admit it, those two had damaged him, almost as much as he'd damaged his sire. The next decisive blow would finish this contest, and he intended to win.

"Wait for an opening…do not rush…" His Trainer's words echoed in his skull, and this time, he listened. His partner had become a skilled fighter of his own kind, and what worked well in battle for him had often translated just as well into his team's battles. "Move with the wind, and let him strike the air. He is tired, though his stamina will likely outlast yours. Use your speed to deliver a blow, you can't match him physically."

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Blaze did as ordered, looping through the air as his sire's claws furiously slashed through it. He was picking up speed now, and could feel his wings starting to strain. Moving fast enough just to dodge was taking a lot of focus. He would need that focus for a useful attack. Then, he had an idea of his own. His Trainer smirked, and encouraged him to go for it. His Charizard's battle instincts were great, after all.

He flew high then, high into the smog-filled clouds over this part of the Canyon. Each wing beat cleared it away, and Blaze knew he couldn't use it a second time. He'd need a different trick.

Finally, he flew straight up, and in a masterful display of aerial maneuvering, he came down at his still ascending opponent with a Dragon Tail propelled by gravity. Two large claws came towards him, and then his sire launched them at his progeny and an x-shaped cris-cross of their uniquely colored dragon type energy flew through the air. Blaze smashed through the energy claws with his tail, and rolled in the air until he was soaring downwards with his own pair of Dragon Claws. He used the momentum and opening from the Dragon Tail to minimize the damage, and then roll into an attack from above.

The elder had let his upwards momentum stop, but Blaze had far more speed. Smashing through the dragon energy had slowed him only slightly, and once more the offspring scored a hit upon the king, who grunted, and fell back first towards the ground. He turned slowly in the air, and let his massive wings stop him, but he still slammed onto the ground quite hard, and did not rise to battle again. His Mega Form faded, and he lifted his tail up into the air, the sign amongst their species that told their enemy they were done battling. Charizard did not typically kill fellow Charizard, after all.

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Up on the cliff's edge, the Chief turned to Alex, and smiled. "You have trained that one well. If all of your partners are that strong, Pravus is doomed."

Alex shrugged, scratching his blonde hair. "Well, six of them are. The other three are a work in progress…and I still need my last one."

The Chief eyed him again, and then nodded. "A Ghost Type…I think I know one who will work well with you…if you can convince him to Battle."

Alex raised a brow, but the Chief spoke before he could. "But we will see to that in the morning. For now, let us feast among our fiery brethren!" The other fire lizards standing and watching with their Trainers shot their flames into the air, and as they did, Blaze flew past them, spinning into the air, and then fanning his wings out as he came down again, and landed on the cliff. Chari followed soon after, favoring her wing, but still capable of flying straight up. It was, after all, one of the easier maneuvers fliers used.

That night was spent around the King's tail flames, and as the entire group of humans gathered around, their own partners joined their tails with his. Blaze did as well, and together, they shared and recovered energy as the humans partook of their intense fire to burn and inhale their smelly plants.