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Lumiose City - Kalos Region

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Marinette had some difficulty with the Cyllage City Gym Leader, as rock types were brutally identified as her team's weak point, thanks to Grant and his Tyrantrum. Alex advised her to find new team members, and to not give up, as most Trainers usually either lost and quit, or got tripped up around their sixth gym. He notably left out mention of his own sixth gym badge, Skyla's, and how easy Leo and Hydrus had made acquiring that one. While Marinette sought a hard counter to rock types in the wild, Alex had gotten a time and a place for his Ultra Class match, the one that would see him enter their ranks, or be stopped at the gate. Apparently, he could have such a match three times, before he'd lose his shot at the finals completely.

He wasn't worried though, as his win streak since the start of the tournament had yet to be stopped. They'd planned to rendezvous in Lumiose City once Marinette got her new partner and her badge. Connor and Adrien were also waiting in Lumiose, as Adrien had also gathered six badges, and wanted to get the final two alongside Marinette.

As Alex strode into the open Lumiose Gym, he saw Connor and his apprentice in the stands. Apparently Connor thought seeing his qualification match would help Adrien learn. He nodded to them as he took his place in the Trainer box. Across the field was his opponent, a man wielding an electric guitar.

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He had long straight black hair, his eyes were covered by a large old school style of sunglasses, and his grizzled face was sporting a respectable beard around his mouth. He looked over Alex, seemed to nod, and then they both glanced upward as Clemont himself appeared in the referee perch. "Welcome to the Lumiose Gym! This match will determine which of our competitors will be moving on to the Ultra Class. I've been asked to hold off on starting for a few minutes, as the League claims there's some interest in seeing this match. We will begin in five minutes."

Alex nodded as he noticed the Rocker summon a Charizard and a Dragonite, and they began planning. For his part, and seeing his opponent only had three balls, Alex picked his three, and levitated them in the air around his head. Adamanteus, Blaze, and Kalagon would suffice, and he'd chosen an Ace, a bulky physical attacker in need of experience, and one of his newer partners, on purpose.

As promised, more people began filling the stands as time passed, and within five minutes, the gym had a sizable crowd watching eagerly. Alex smirked as, judging by their attire, they were his fans, and they were a majority. He stared at the ground as he tried to come to grips with the idea that people liked him, or at least his battling style, enough to make the effort to form a club around it, apparently. They'd all arrived around the same time, which implied linked communication vectors. The others seemed to be locals, just eager to watch a World Tournament match, let alone an Ultra Class qualifier. Connor had gotten a similar reception in Wyndon Stadium. As Clemont returned, Alex's opponent let out what he could only describe as a roar with his guitar. "I'm about ready to rock, if you are…whatever your name is."

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The crowd seemed to chuckle, and Alex assumed a combination of distance and aged eyes kept him from recognizing his opponent. So, Alex flourished his cape, showing off his growing team glinting on his cape as he bowed. "Alex Redwood, Champion of the Victory League. I look forward to our Battle."

The man clearly knew his name, at least, as he went still. His face stayed in the same seemingly perpetually angry expression, as he nodded, and then belted out a brief screeching tune on his guitar. "They call me Rocker Mills."

Their respective stats appeared on the gym's high tech screens, along with their Trainer cards, and Alex did a double take as he saw the Rocker's win record. Seeing his reaction, Clemont got his attention, and then subtly tapped his head. Taking the hint, Alex established a mental connection. "Is this okay…?" Alex asked hesitantly. Establishing a link like this often unintentionally led to private information being absorbed by the psychic establishing contact. Alex could tell without meaning to pry that Clemont was generally happy with his life, with someone called Allie, probably a wife or girlfriend, and he was happy to be hosting an Ultra Class match in his gym, as it meant revenue, and more currency he could put towards his experiments. These were just the thoughts on the surface, and Alex found their content being processed unintentionally by his own mind just by connecting. Clemont's willingness and knowledge of psychic connections also contributed to how much was shared, which seemed to indicate he didn't mind it being known. Just from a brief 'glance', Alex could tell the inventor was special. His mind was both organized, and constantly churning away deeper within. He could sense it processing information rapidly, with a sense of logic that Alex found mirrored his own.

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"It's fine." Clemont answered. "The League says this Trainer's rise through the ranks is…suspicious. His opponents, those who beat the Charizard and Dragonite, claim he overpowers Trainers who agree to a rule exception in the third round, at which point he rolls their whole team. They figured if anyone could find the truth of this matter, you could, since your team famously has yet to be rolled through. If he's cheating, we don't want him advancing in the tournament."

Alex nodded in response saying only, "I'll find out what he has in that third ball." With that, Clemont began the match.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Lumiose Gym! Today our Ultra Class qualifier match is between Rocker Mills…" He paused, trailing off purposely as the master guitarist strummed loudly on his guitar with obvious skill and then threw up Giratina horns with his pointer and pinky fingers. The crowd ate it up with loud cheers. "…and Champion Redwood, of the Victory League!" The cheers this time were louder, and Alex smirked. He tipped his hat towards the stands, but otherwise remained the personification of chill, arms crossed, as his chosen three orbited his head. "This will be a three on three Battle! Trainers, summon your partners!" Hearing that, Mills seemed to tense up a bit, but he said nothing, and let the match progress uninterrupted. If there was an issue with his third, they'd get to it eventually.

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The Rocker sent out his partner first. "Let's rock! Dragonite!" Out came the absurdly proportioned yellow dragon, though Alex noted this male specimen had filled out his upper half with significant muscle, almost enough to counteract his large and equally muscled, yet still rotund bottom. He looked ready for a battle as he smashed his round claws together, and as Alex sensed his intentions, he felt the dragon take notice, as he met Alex's gaze. He didn't seem hostile, or secretly embracing the Shadow. Indeed, he seemed like the ideal opponent for his own dragon to test his measure against…and perhaps even go beyond his limits. They were on the cusp of the Ultra Class, after all. If the new team members were going to contribute, they needed to get stronger. And evolve.

Kalagon appeared on the field, and fell into his attack stance, confident, and undeterred by the gleam in the Dragonite's eye. Both he and Alex were aware he would likely lose, but the battle would still be a test of how far Kalagon had come, something he was eager to know, and how far he had yet to go. Like his other partners, the Gabite had grown to a large size in a relatively short time, and by Alex's measure, he was close to evolving. Alex called their move first, "Let's go, Dragon Claw!"

Mills seemed unamused by Alex's pick as the middle form dragon lumbered forward. "Thunder Punch."

Alex arched a brow, and the crowd murmured, but then, they saw the point the Rocker was making. His Dragonite struck the charging Gabite, moving in front of him in the space of an eye blink, and while the electric damage did nothing to the ground typed land shark, the physical force of the blow sent Kalagon soaring, fast, out of the field, past his Trainer, and into the gym's wall, where the force of his crash made an impact crater.

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Alex ran over, and Clemont joined him via his square floating ref platform. Very rarely did Pokémon so outmatched take so much damage and stay conscious, but to his credit, Kalagon was already on his knees by the time they reached him. "I'm not…done yet!" He snarled as he wiped his mouth with a claw hand, and Alex smirked, as he recognized the affirmation, and its source. Once Alex had started his early morning anime binging, the rest of his team had joined in on watching, unless they were asleep. Lux also had the ability to replay the episodes for those who were sleeping at four A.M.

"No. You're not." Alex affirmed , as he whirled, and pointed at the Dragonite across the gym. "Use Dig!" Kalagon dove into the field's ground once he returned, and Alex bamfed back to his spot as well. Clemont signaled for the round to continue, and the Rocker called his next move. "They're going to get some air, Dragonite! Fly high, and Dragon Dance!" He strummed out a heavy beat for his partner, and Alex chuckled to himself as the yellow dragon head banged his way to a stat boost.

"Match them." Alex ordered, and beneath the ground, Kalagon utilized the move he'd learned from Shruikan, and Tao, a boost not usually learned by his species line, but with it, he promised to be even more absurdly powerful as a Garchomp. Alex noted he was mimicking the Dragonite's movements in the air, and as they unintentionally harmonized their dances, his eyes noted the sudden surge in natural energy in the area, which in this field, was electricity. The air became charged, and a hum flowed through the field turning it into electric terrain, as Rocker Mills was also, naturally, a big fan of electric type moves, and with the power his dragon was summoning, he unintentionally created a field effect. Lightning coursed over everything with intense sparks, and Alex found himself grinning. It had become decidedly more epic, in the gym all of a sudden.

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Finally, Kalagon leapt from the ground, and Mills called his move. "Dragonite! Bring down the Thunder!"

"Kalagon!" Alex countered, "Dig through it! Ride the lightning!" His dragon did as ordered, and masterfully rode the ineffective bolt of plasma upwards, shielded from the heat by a shroud of ground energy, probably the one thing that a bolt of burning plasma couldn't damage significantly. Once they had height on the Dragonite, Alex called the counter. "Rock Slide!"

The Dragonite raised an arm against the attack, but cried out as it found it was a critical hit this time. Kalagon was motivated after being so easily punched back, and fate had smiled upon him. Using instincts that would serve him well as a Garchomp, his body rotated in the air, and then shot downwards after his prey, as his Trainer shouted, "Dragon Claw!"

"Giga Impact!" The Rocker countered, and despite the heavy hit downwards, his Dragonite had already brushed off the rocky rubble, and was capable of a counter. A super effective claw ran down the burly Dragonite's chest, but it tanked the move with ease, and countered with a thunderous orange colored uppercut to the jaw. Kalagon's momentum shifted rapidly, as he went soaring into the roof this time. Alex winced along with the crowd, but Kalagon still wasn't done. He'd hung on by sheer force of will, once again showing how determined he was to be strong, but Alex knew he'd had enough.

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He managed to glide-fall back to the field, and the Dragonite raised a fist to end him, then lowered it, as he realized the dragon had fainted while standing. Kalagon roared, still very much intending to attack despite his semi-unconscious state driven by sheer willpower, but Alex recalled him, first. Clemont called the round then, as Kalagon was running on fumes, with not even enough strength to resist his ball's recall.

"You did well." Alex said to him, as he sensed the young dragon's frustration. "The time to evolve will come. Just not today. You got in a lot of hits for being so much lower in level. Remember that power. You'll be able to match it some day soon. For now, it will be the bar by which you measure yourself."

The disappointed Gabite growled an acknowledgment, but it was mostly his pride that was actually injured. Gabite scales were absurdly tough, especially this close to evolution. As Alex summoned his next pick, Rocker Mills changed out his Dragonite for his Charizard, and while Alex was tempted to match a Charizard with a Charizard, he'd already picked Adamanteus for this round. He calmed his eager Charizard, claiming he wanted him fresh for whatever Mills had in his third ball. He could guess which rule the Rocker had asked his opponents to accept overlooking.

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His Steelix gave the fiery lizard a glare, and then both Trainers shouted at the same time, "Mega Evolve!"

Alex raised his fist, and Mills whammied the bar on the lower part of his guitar. This made it start to shine, and the strands of power reached out to both Pokémon. The crowd whooped as the gym, sensing Mega Forms, began belting out some intense battle music suited to Kalos that the Rocker quickly started harmonizing with, to the crowd's enjoyment. Both Pokémon gained a stat boost, as the cheers escalated.

"Fire Blast!"

"Stone Edge!"

Once more the calls were simultaneous, and once more what should have been type advantage was canceled out by the Charizard's superior strength and level in an explosive collision of power.

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Seeing that, Alex stopped aiming for a type advantage, as it was clear the Rocker was ready for such moves. "Use Dig!" He shouted, and with ease, the massive Mega Steelix dove into the ground like it was water.

Rocker Mills was undeterred, and unbothered by the move. He continued rocking out as he shouted, "Bathe the field in flame!" His Mega Charizard Y inhaled, and did as ordered. Very quickly the gym became sweltering, but Alex was used to much hotter temperatures from Blaze. As was Adamanteus.

Alex examined the field, and then said, "Give us some cover. Sandstorm from underground!" Out of the holes Kalagon and Adamanteus had left came a torrent of sand that quickly filled the air. Alex wasn't done yet though. "Now get some air, and use Slam!"

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Once more, the Rocker proved to be cool under fire, calling his move masterfully as he continued to harmonize with the gym's music. "Blow away the stooorm! Whirlwind!" The Charizard started beating his wings as Alex called for the move. The quickly summoned storm of sand was blown away easily, and Alex remarked at just how strong the Y strand's wings were. Blaze began formulating a move that, ideally, would come out as a strong substitute for Air Slash.

The storm dissipated as Adamanteus soared into the air, and found himself without cover. Undeterred, he continued into the air with a combination of electromagnetism and inertia, and Mills called the counter. "Flamethrower!"

Alex found himself wincing again as Adamanteus took the hit full on, but Adamanteus was as sturdy as ever, and he countered with his usual brutality. His long body arced through the air and smashed the fire lizard down towards the field, where he had a hard landing.

Alex raised a hand and clenched it into a fist as he called his own counter. The wind from the Mega Charizard's impact sent his cape flaring as he shouted, "Finish it! Rock Slide!"

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With a torrent of rumbling finality, Adamanteus buried his opponent in stone from his aerial perch, and the quadruple weakness caused the Charizard to faint. Adamanteus roared from his lofty aerial position, and made no move to lower himself as the crowd whooped and cheered at the brutal KO. He wanted a shot at the Dragonite.

Mills called him out, and once more, the attacks were simultaneous.

"Rock Slide!"

"Fire Puuunch!" The Rocker strummed hard as he vocalized the move in harmony with his axe.

The shower of stone hurt the burly dragon, but he survived intact brushing the rocks off as easily as Kalagon's, and knocked Adamanteus out of the air with a merciless flaming fist. Alex recalled him before he hit the ground. Alex caught the ball as he pulled it back to his hand. "Well done. We'll make more use of that flight power of yours in the future." He hadn't been aware Mega Steelix could essentially fly, or more technically, glide, but having aerial superiority from a ground type was classically a deadly combination, and what made Garchomp's line so notorious. The ball rumbled in his hand as Adamanteus spoke in his mind. "I tire of almost fainting from one hit in every Battle…"

Alex nodded, also responding mentally. "I am too. We're going to have to power you guys up, if we realistically want to win this tournament, assuming everyone else at this level has trained as well as this Rocker has…which means we'll need to visit Selva Muerta." There were some groans from the rest of the team as he said that, and those who had experienced the jungle largely didn't want to return. The younger members though, naturally, began pestering their brothers for details, and Po, naturally, was amazed and astounded, and then, the rest of the newbs were suddenly quite eager to go as well. Terra filled them in on the reality of the jungle, as Alex smirked. It seemed they were all as eager for them to evolve as he was, and in his experience, that was half of what they needed to reach their next evolutionary stage. Blaze came out then, but in a reverse demonstration of power, he brought down the already rather injured Dragonite with a single Thunder Punch, roaring in victory above the friendly crowd as he celebrated.

For his part, the Rocker was holding his third ball in his hand, but didn't throw it. His playing had now also ceased, though the battle music had not. He looked at Clemont, then. "My third is uhh…technically against the rules…but I can tell that he wants to bring this Battle home, for his team. He's helped us out a few times, and won us a few Battles, when my opponents have agreed to face him…I'll just bring'em out."

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He threw the ball then, and Alex and Blaze flinched as they saw its occupant, as stunned as the rest of the gym. A Lugia spiraled into the air from the confines of the Ultra Ball, and roared at Alex. It was smaller than Ash's, and by Alex's estimate, barely an adolescent. But still very much a Lugia. It, or rather he, reached out psychically as he greeted the human and Charizard and said, "I hope you can give me a worthy Battle…"

"Looks like we're going to be getting in some proper training, Blaze.." Alex said, confidently, as his eager flame lizard returned to his side of the field after his victory lap. Blaze in particular had been practically salivating at the chance to battle a Lugia in the spring of its youth. Seeing an ancient Lugia use Aeroblast was informative, but it was like watching a martial arts master use a move known only to their style. He could only guess at how to do it. But a younger Lugia promised, potentially, a less experienced attacker, on a scale that Blaze could and would replicate. Typically, Alex kept his original six for battles with Trainers who had either reached or surpassed eighty levels of power. The Lugia was closer to Canis in terms of level and experience, but since he was a Legend, that likely would not hinder him much, especially if his Trainer had trained him up half as well as his other two partners, who'd been much closer to Blaze in terms of level.

Clemont nodded, as he understood what had happened. Given the loose nature of the tournament, exceptions to the rule of what species were allowed had been made more and more frequently, which was fine for the Normal and Great classes. "I'm afraid Lugia aren't a-"

A loud, furious roar erupted from Alex's side of the field as Blaze roared and let out a burst of flame worthy of his name, and once more turned the gym's temperature up. The air shimmered, as he flapped his wings and hovered in the superheated air. "It's alright, Leader Clemont." Alex said. "We're more than fine with facing a younger Lugia. I've seen the Guardian, the source of the legend of their power, in person. This one is…more than a match for Blaze, and as you can see…" He chuckled, as his Charizard's tail flame turned blue, and increased in size. "We're eager to Battle."

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Clemont pushed up his glasses, and the light in the sweltering gym covered his eyes. "I'm afraid I can't make an exception this time, gentlemen. The World Tournament has always been a place for natural born Pokémon to show their power. We don't need to see Legendary Pokémon here, they're already legends. This tournament is where a Trainer and their team can make their own legend, on a world stage. For an Ultra Class Qualifying Match, I'm afraid Legendary Pokémon are not allowed. In which case, the match is a draw."

The Trainers sighed, and the crowd booed, but Clemont wasn't done. "However." He said, using a robotic arm apparently built into the blue and yellow suit he was wearing, to gain their attention. "In the event of a draw for a Qualifying Match, the two evenly matched Trainers can decide how to settle who advances on their own terms."

Alex arched an eyebrow at the Gym Leader. "Our own terms?"

Clemont elaborated. "One of you could decide to forfeit, for example…and the other would then advance. How you decide who does the forfeiting is a conversation you two need to have. Perhaps a contest of some sort. Otherwise, you'll just have another match with someone else in a few days." A slight smirk came to his lips.

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Alex snapped his fingers. "I see. So if Rocker Mills and I were to, say, have a Battle unbound by the World Tournament's restrictions to decide the draw…?" He spelled it out for the crowd, as the guitarist seemed to have taken Clemont's meaning as well. They started murmuring as they realized what the clever Gym Leader was doing.

"Then the League would honor that decision, and one of you would advance, while the other would lose one match against the three they would have to enter the Ultra Class. I take it you're still going to Battle?"

Both Trainers nodded at Clemont's question, and Blaze and the Lugia roared simultaneously. They'd been staring each other down in an intense eye lock while the humans deliberated, but it seemed that deliberation was now over. Neither cared for the human's little rules, they were going to battle either way, at this point, and the crowd roared, very much eager for such a showdown between an icon like a Charizard, and the Legendary Lugia. By this point, word about the Lugia facing down Champion Redwood's Charizard had brought the gym to full capacity.

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Mills gestured to his opponent. "My partner is a Legend…so we'll let you two go first."

Alex and Blaze smirked in unison, as the crowd's cheers empowered him some more, with a boost that, by Alex's count, made both combatants evenly matched, stat wise. "You may regret that." He said, before putting his closed right fist, against his open left palm. His Key Stone flared, but he didn't draw from it this time, rather he summoned his own inner dragon energy, and used its reaction with Blaze's Flame Plate to achieve Mega Evolution. Blaze's eyes went wide, as his essence connected to his Trainer's, and catapulted him down one of the two evolutionary branches his species could take. His leathery scales turned black, his wings became more curved and suited to gliding rather than flying long distances. His claws grew longer and tougher, and as he roared, the symbol of Infinity appeared over his new form, blue flames began leaking from his mouth. "Smokescreen!" Alex called, as he finished powering up.

"Blow it awaaay!" The Rocker shrieked alongside his guitar. The Lugia vocalized after his Trainer, and a single wing flap completely blew away the smoke covering Blaze, but the flame dragon was already charging. Alex called the move as he was revealed.

"Get close and Crunch!" Blaze was still rather fast, despite his limited flight capability, and speed had been one of the boosts their fans had given them with their positive vibes. He zoomed up by the Lugia's neck, and both he and Alex saw its eyes tracking him as he did so.

"Lugia…giv'em a Dual Wingbeat!" The Lugia roared as Blaze connected the attack, and he used his powerful neck to whip the Mega Charizard X upwards, at which point he spun, striking first with one wing hand, then the other. Blaze went spinning, but Alex used it to reclaim their momentum. Blaze feigned being dazed as he purposefully kept spinning, which goaded their opponents into attacking.

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Mills seized on what he saw as an opportunity. His guitar roared as loudly as he did. "Blow'em away! Aeroblaaast!"

Blaze's eyes shot open at the sound of that particular move, and while the Lugia's eyes narrowed in suspicion, he continued with his signature move. The air in the gym bowed to the Lugia's power, and both Blaze and Alex watched as he masterfully summoned, guided, and condensed the attack as allegedly only Lugia could.

Still spinning and seemingly dazed, Alex started their counter. "Dodge with Dragon Dance!" Blaze's dazed spinning suddenly worked to give his dance momentum, and he sped up his rotations rapidly, in time for the Aeroblast. The humming power of the attack grazed Blaze's stomach as he barrel rolled with his dance, and because it was a flying move, the intense wind still damaged him. Slightly. "Now go high!" Alex shouted as his Charizard managed the dodge. "Rock Slide!"

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At the height of his spin, Blaze leveled out, and with a furious roar, summoned the rock typed power for his attack. The shower of stone fell towards the Lugia, but Rocker Mills wasn't done. "Send them back! Twister!" To the ear pleasing chords of his Trainer's instrument, the Lugia complied, summoning his mastery of the air to redirect the attack back at Blaze.

Alex smirked, as he saw how much focus the Lugia needed for the attack. "Dragon Claw through!" Blaze did so, easily slashing through the super effective attack, as it had lost a bit of its initial power. Then, his right fist started sparking, and Alex called the move. "Thunder Punch!" The momentum of the Twister brought Blaze straight to the Lugia, and the gym hummed as thunder boomed, and the punch struck home. The electrified terrain also empowered the damage the Lugia took, making its eyes widen, as it took more than expected.

The Lugia crashed to the ground with great force, creating a large crater in the gym's field, and as that happened, Rocker Mills began playing a different song, one much more chill in tone that somehow made the gym's automatic battle music fainter in comparison. It was a song Alex recognized as belonging to Lugia's line, and if the stories about Ash Ketchum were true, one capable of healing them.

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As the peaceful rock melody ended, the Lugia's eyes snapped open, and in an instant it was levitating in the air again. A single roar accompanied by a wing flap made the air in the entire gym whirl and stir in a cyclone. Sensing this level of power, the gym's energy barrier sprang to life around the crowd. Suddenly more condensed, the Lugia's attack actually started to affect Blaze, whose flying skills were significantly lessened in this form.

Sensing a brutal counter coming, Alex shouted, "Smokescreen!" Blaze growled, forced his wings to straighten out, and then flew with the wind's current. Smoke billowed from his mouth as he spun through the air currents, and this time, the smoke filled the condensed space, though it was still being moved by the wind. "Now Crunch!"

"Grab it!" The Rocker shouted, and the large hand of the Lugia reached out to where he sensed Blaze, but the Charizard moved too fast for him, barrel rolling around and then through the Lugia's fingers and past his guard. Blaze landed the powerful Crunch attack, and what vitality had been recovered was chomped through as Blaze then disappeared into the smoke again.

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"Weather Ball!" Mills shouted through the smoke, hoping that would disperse the Smokescreen. The weather-based attack formed, and turned poison type as it absorbed and condensed the smoke. As the Lugia fired, Alex saw a path to victory.

They couldn't dodge the attack, but going through it would give them a chance to end the round. "Dragon Claw through it!" Blaze, now revealed and free of the intense swirling winds, lit up his claws with a fiery orange aura, and slashed effortlessly through the Weather Ball. He tried barrel rolling out of it, but he misjudged how wide the explosion radius was, and caught a mouthful of poison.

As the status effect took hold, Blaze pushed through the pain, and flew close to the Lugia with his Mega Form's speed. Thunder boomed, as Alex called the electric move, and the sparking uppercut to the Lugia's jaw finally brought it to unconsciousness, as it crashed to the field, spread eagle on its back and fainted.

There was a stunned pause, during which Blaze roared about his victory for all to hear. The crowd soon echoed him, erupting in cheers, and he let his Mega Form drop, panting hard, as he landed. The Lugia slowly regained consciousness, rolled onto his front, and then eyed Blaze, giving him a nod of respect. It wasn't often that regular Pokémon could best him, but this Charizard was very motivated, and well trained. Blaze stomped over to ask the Lugia how Aeroblast worked, while Alex and Rocker Mills met in the center of the field for a handshake, and a silent mutual nod of respect. The simple gesture was enough, Alex could tell the Rocker had also enjoyed the battle.

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Clemont updated the stats to reflect the victory, and as quickly as Rocker Mills had appeared, he left on his rejuvenated Charizard. Alex tried to leave the gym like a normal person as well, but he ended up outside of it, chatting with his mob of fans, and eventually relaxing with his team outside the Lumiose Tower in an impromptu Leaf circle. He'd texted Marinette to meet him, and by the time she'd arrived, Connor and Adrien had joined him, and he was mid-debate about letting teenagers get high. He was actually against it, but Connor saw no harm, and Adrien had quietly said he didn't want any at least four times by that point, but Connor refused to let the issue drop.

"I just don't see the harm. We turned out fine after all." He said, passing the bong back to Alex, who hit it and shook his head.

"That's my point, dude. You can't see the harm this stuff does to organs besides your lungs. It's just not a good idea to regularly drown a growing brain with THC. He's got more than enough chemicals up there already."

"Marinette!" Adrien said, leaping to his feet and out of the conversation. He brought her up to speed with their conversation, and she looked at the two strongest defenders of her region with thinly veiled disgust. She found the herb's smell to be too much, like most people seemed to, and she didn't like the idea of Adrien becoming as much of a Leafhead as Alex and Connor were.

"If you two are done, we should be getting our last two Badges." Her tone suggested they should be done. Immediately.

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Alex and Connor shared a look. Once again, they'd rendezvoused at high noon, and the stragglers who'd smoked with them had moved on already. The two men sighed and stood, stretching out their stiffness in unison, before summoning their rides, Blaze and Gar. Once more, and for practicality, they visited different gyms at the same time. Adrien was headed for the ice typed gym, while Marinette, or more specifically Tikki, had suggested they go to the psychic gym in Anistar City.

As they approached, the two human's heads perked up, as they sensed the city's primary landmark, before they saw it. The Anistar Sundial was surrounded by a small crowd as they approached, and Alex noted those around the sundial were all dressed the same. Everyone else, who was standing around the plaza, looked to be with the press. Evidently, they'd either figured out or overheard where he and his apprentice were going. At the head of the party around the sundial was an older woman garbed in a long silver cape that was gleaming in the sun. Her hair was shades of purple and uniquely styled. He assumed she was Leader Olympia.

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Blaze brought them down in a small blaze of flame at a safe distance, and Olympia started speaking, and now that he was closer, Alex felt her using her powers in what he recognized as Future Sight. Her eyes were shining a soft purple and the bangles around her wrists were spinning. "In a blaze of fire they arrive…to rejuvenate the heart of our city." The older woman's eyes stopped glowing and she bowed low as Alex and Marinette disembarked. Alex could tell she was using her power to keep herself looking like she always had, as she straightened again. "I have looked forward to meeting you for some time, Dragon Emperor. It is an honor to be in your presence."

Alex respectfully nodded at her. "Leader Olympia. I'm glad I'm able to visit. Your Sundial has always interested me, and if I'm honest…every time I've been in Kalos I've felt a…pull. I've ignored it so far, but I can tell this is the source…"

Olympia nodded sagely. "It draws you to it. A rare occurrence. Only one other person has been drawn to it like this."

Alex arched an eyebrow. "Who?"

She smiled at him, "The Imperator of Mankind. It must have been…twenty seven or so years ago, now. He arrived without fanfare, and in simple robes. A disguise of sorts. I know not what he came for…but I believe he left disappointed." She eyed him in a manner that made his spine fill with chills. "I do believe you will do better. After the Gym Battle, of course."

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Alex nodded at Marinette then. "You're up, Padawan."

She blinked at him. "So we are just copying the Pokémon Wars Saga?"

Alex shrugged. "It was more of a friendly nickname, but you're right, we probably shouldn't…" Behind him, he heard the reporters start buzzing as they started talking, and as he scanned their surface thoughts, he frowned at what they were saying. Apparently they also thought that was the name for the younger scales.

Olympia chuckled. "When one leads nations, one must mind what they say. Always. The same is true of Gym Leaders." Her Gym Trainers moved in unison, and with a quiet bamf, Olympia took her place on what Alex realized was a battlefield. "Join your…Padawan, Emperor Redwood." She proclaimed loudly, further cementing what the apprentices would be known as. "I'll give you a Badge as well. If you two manage to win. We can count it towards your World Tournament ranking too. Congratulations on reaching the Ultra Class."

Stolen novel; please report.

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Alex was about to politely decline, as he was well aware of what he'd need to do if he wanted a Tera Orb from Naranuva Academy, but Marinette smiled at him with her big blue hopeful eyes, and judging by Olympia's expression, she already knew what was going to happen. Thus, instead of fighting fate, he nodded.

Olympia sent out her partners then, seemingly only having two at the moment. A Meowstic and a Slowking appeared, and both were female. Alex just nodded, and then summoned Noir. "Handle the Slowqueen. We'll take the Meowstic." He glanced at his partner then, and smirked. Noir was trying to hide it under a facade of aloofness, but anyone with eyes could see the feminine psychic cat had caught his eye.

As Marinette picked her partner, Olympia raised a hand towards Noir, and the bracelet floating around her wrist started to spin. "Ooh my." She murmured, before meeting Alex's gaze. "That one will be…quite fierce. But loyal. A worthy partner, for a worthy Trainer."

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Noir grumbled. "There's nothing fierce about being a girly cat magician."

Olympia looked at Alex expectantly, and he translated. "He doesn't like the idea of being a 'feminine magician'." Alex said, employing literal air quotes.

Olympia chuckled. "He does not have to be."

Marinette paused her partner picking in surprise, as she knew Meowscarada didn't have a record of an alternate form. It wouldn't be the first time a starter line had diverged, though.

Alex and Noir had a similar reaction as they shared a look. "How?" Alex asked, at the same time Noir did.

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Once more Olympia chuckled, and closed her eyes. "Bring him…to the Forest of Death. Bring him to Selva Muerta. He will find himself there. Or, he will die. You know how reading the future can be."

Alex nodded sympathetically. It was like watching a movie with no context and jumbled words, and it was always in constant motion. Future Sight could make it clearer, for a time, but what was viewed could change if the present altered drastically enough.

Alex just smirked, as he sensed Noir was very much on board with not becoming a standard Meowscarada. Alex was sad that Flower Trick, a somewhat 'holy' move to Leafheads because of the amount of power it had when used by a Terastalized Meowscarada, was not something that his would probably learn. He was glad Noir had an alternative though, as he considered that better than being crippled in high level battles by not evolving at all. "We were already planning to head there after we visited Paldea. Is there somewhere specific we need to go?"

Olympia gave him a coy smile. "I'll tell you, if you can manage a win!"

At that moment, Tikki joined Noir, and upon seeing who she was battling alongside, giggled at a joke only she understood. As a being that existed across multiple universes simultaneously, the multidimensional similarities she experienced always amused her. She floated around Noir excitedly. "Let's do our best, kitty!" She held a hand out for a fist bump then, and after eyeing her for a long moment, Noir uncrossed his arms, bumped her fist, and then fell into a battle crouch with his claws extended.

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Olympia went first. "Slowking, use Psychic. Meowstic, use Shadow Ball." Both of her Pokémon formed their attacks, and fired them off. Just by looking, Alex could tell they'd mastered these moves, and probably their others as well.

"Bug Buzz, Tikki!" "Noir. Night Slash." The two challengers leapt straight into the attacks, with Tikki overpowering the wave of psychic power, and Noir masterfully slashing through the Shadow Ball, leaving it in two explosive halves. Noir took the initiative, dashing forward, and hesitantly striking the female Meowstic.

Seeing his half-hearted attempt, the Meowstic slashed at him, and Olympia gave her another command. "Psychic!" The Meowstic's ears extended, and Alex winced, as he knew what came next. Noir was about to learn the same lesson most feline Pokémon did when they found their eye caught by a female Meowstic.

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Noir yelped as he was unceremoniously levitated into the air, and then violently shaken around by the Meowstic, who true to her nature, held nothing back. Beside him, the Slowking and Tikki were exchanging special attacks, but Tikki kept overwhelming her psychic moves with bug type counters. As Noir was slammed into the ground, he was slow to rise, and Olympia called for another Psychic attack. Once more Noir was yanked into the air and tossed around like a rag doll.

He reached out mentally to his Trainer, who was grimacing. "A little…help…"

"I can't do anything, Noir…but Dark Type energy negates Psychic Type energy completely. If you can cowl your body in it, it might protect you." He activated his Dread Plate, and urged the dark energy towards Noir. Verbally, he said, "Noir! Activate your Aura Shield!"

Olympia frowned briefly, but then smirked. "He hasn't mastered it. Don't let him don his shield, Meowstic."

Noir tried to do as his older brothers had shown him, but before he could so much as try, Meowstic once more had him in the air, violently shifting around. Alex's mind was with him though, a center of balance and calm in the violent movements of the attack. "I'm here, Noir. Focus. Embrace the power. You won't be able to hear us too well in your mind once you have the shield up, but we're still here. Always."

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Noir heard his team encouraging him, and then, there was silence. The first silence in his head since Alex caught him. As much as he liked his teammates, he found he also valued his privacy. He felt the dark energy surrounding him, and it just felt…right. Cold, ominous, powerful, but a part of him, and his species. He felt his feline instincts right his body as he landed in a three point crouch, and stood. Darkness flared from his eyes as he opened them, and he took in the Meowstic.

Much like Meowscarada, the darkness had formed a cape around his shoulders, and he found he looked a bit like his Trainer, as it was a full, long energy cloak that hung down to his lower paws, not unlike a Meowscarada's, save that his wasn't split. He'd made a literal cowl of darkness.

"Noir." His ears perked up at his Trainer's voice. "End this. Night Slash." Noir dashed forward, his shield flaring as he did, and the Meowstic tried knocking him out with a Psyshock. Had it landed, he would have fainted, but he blocked with his aura shield, and then leapt masterfully at the Meowstic. Any hesitation he'd had earlier had faded with the Psychic slamming, and the revealed nature of what Meowstic was like.

Between Leo and a few other older teammates, Noir had learned Night Slash early, and as he leapt and critically slashed his target twice in a row, thanks to Night Slash's crit rate, Alex was certain he'd mastered the move. As he finished his opponent, Tikki did the same, eventually winning the contest between waves of psychic and bug type energy and causing the female Slowking to fall over.

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Marinette offered a fist bump to her master, who didn't leave her hanging, and Olympia approached them after recalling her partners. "Well done, you two. There weren't any combined attacks, but you two didn't seem to need them." She approached Marinette then. "You have the same potential as your Master." She let out a little chuckle. "Learn well…Padawan." Marinette and Tikki eyed their seventh badge, and Olympia handed one to Alex as well. "Now that you have this…I ask that you approach our Sundial."

Alex slowly raised an eyebrow. "And what do I do, exactly…?"

Olympia just gave him another mysterious smirk. "You will know."

As he approached the massive pinkish red crystalline structure, he realized quickly just how massive it was. The crowd of news hounds behind the battlefield all started jabbering as they tried to approach Alex, but Olympia and her Trainers psychically held back the crowd.

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Alex barely heard what they said to the reporters, as he felt the sundial psychically react to his proximity. He had a sudden and inexplicable urge to get his Key Stone, and as he pulled it out of his shirt, it started shining as it had when it was first given to him by Indius's aspect of the Qilin, in a rainbow of very obviously shining colors.

On its own power, the radiant Key Stone flew out of its setting on his pendant and booped the sundial. The massive monolith began gleaming with the same rainbow of colors and Alex just watched, in awe. His Key Stone floated back into its setting, and seemed just as sturdy as ever once it stopped glowing. The sundial also faded in its shining rainbow brilliance, though it still glowed with light that had been hard to see previously. Alex sensed what he could only describe as gratitude from the seemingly semi sentient stone. Curious, he used his earthbending to feel what was going on beneath the stone, and then he started to better understand. It felt like pieces of rock were moving, but they were incomplete, as if their cores were a material even mighty earthbenders couldn't break. Figuring it was diamond, that would make the movement below from Carbink, and where there were Carbink one could, sometimes, find Diancie. Though if one was around, she did not make herself known to him.

"You're welcome…" He murmured.

Then, something strange happened, something that, judging by Olympia's reaction, she had not foreseen. A small circular hole appeared in the sundial, and yet another stone floated off of his person, though this time, he recognized it as the Soul Dew that Shruikan had given him after returning from wherever he'd spent his brief vacation.

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He reached out a hand as the Soul Dew floated into the circular opening, but stopped, as he sensed the sphere of dragon and psychic energy pulse with power. It radiated through the sundial seven times, and then everything started glowing impossibly bright, blinding Alex, the gym members, anyone looking at the sundial, and the press.

When the light faded, Alex glanced around, seeing nothing out of the ordinary immediately. Then, he heard the press murmuring, and he felt Olympia's mental presence guide his eyes skyward. He gasped, as he saw what everyone else did.

Floating just before the center of the sundial was the Soul Dew, but now it looked more like a Pokémon Egg, less of a sphere, and more of an oval shape. Then, he spied a crack in its shell as it floated down to his eye level, and settled in his large hands. With a final brilliant flash, the egg popped open, and a cute little Lati face gave him a big smile from under what was left of its shell.

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The tiny baby wings popped free next, and the little snoot reached towards Alex, booping his nose. The baby giggled then, and Alex raised a hand to pet its head. Its feathers were gray, instead of red or blue, but upon petting him, Alex saw blue tones underneath that would likely come in after he molted, assuming his feathers would behave like normal ones.

He yanked his hand back in surprise then, as upon having the baby's snout touch his palm, it suddenly and inexplicably burned and then cooled rapidly. It was more surprising than painful, and as he looked at his hand, he saw a silvery mark reminiscent of the symbol that appeared above Mega Forms when they first ascended to that level, embedded on his lower palm. The little one curled up in his hands then, and after confirming with Shruikan that he had not known this would potentially happen, Alex turned, and showed the crowd of onlookers the little Latios, holding him up like Simba as he did so. Sensing this, the little head lifted again, as he warily took in the crowd of humans with psychic potential, and those with bright flashing lights.

For his part, Alex sensed a new connection to his mind, a sensation he was quite familiar with by now, and he carefully wove it into the mental network that his team shared. Even Eremus and Arthur paid notice, as the young but powerful mind joined theirs with…delight? Amusement? Alex's eyes were closed by this point, and in the spacious mind space he called his own, he and his team psychically greeted their newest teammate. The little Latios was ecstatic, and, Alex noted, greeted his team in the order he'd caught them. Saur and Terra were first. Then Leo, Hydrus, Blaze, and so on. He greeted them all, flitting about the mind space with joy, until finally, he returned to his Trainer. Then, to their immense shock, the freshly hatched baby spoke with words, instead of emotions. "I like this team. I like the look of you, Human. Will you be my partner?"

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"I have questions." Alex said, as the latent excitement from his team made him smirk. They were all very much on board with having a Latios among them, especially his dragons.

"I'd be disappointed if you didn't!" The baby chirped.

"First things first…you need a name. Do you have one already…?" Alex asked, and the Latios chuckled.

"I do. In past lives I have gone by Aevum. But you may call me something else."

Alex shook his head. "Aevum will do nicely. It seems you've answered my other question as well. Exactly how many past lives are we talking, here? Do all Latios eventually reincarnate?"

"I've lost count." Aevum said, doing a little loop in the air as he floated around Alex. "And yes…sometimes, over a very long period, we can revive with our memories intact…provided we are kept near a source of Dragon energy. When one of my kind wishes to persist beyond the death of the flesh, we can…deposit our essence into what your kind calls Soul Dew. We persist in our bodies, but our minds, our essence, is in the Soul Dew. Sometimes…we enter it as we perish. And not all Soul Dew eventually reincarnates. Our energy can be spent, and in that case, we will return to the cycle as any other Pokémon does. It's actually a pretty rare phenomenon, among my species. I believe I'm the one who's done it successfully the most, but that's because I always return to the same place, a place suffused with Dragon Type Energy. Shruikan knows what I'm talking about."

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Alex pondered this information, and his smirk got smaller. His granduncle would've flipped over a discovery like this. "I take it you don't want me talking about how any of this works?" Aevum nodded, and Alex sighed. "In that case…we need to address the crowd, right now. You've revived quite publicly this time…which brings me to my last question. Did you intend to revive right now?"

Aevum chuckled, and met his gaze straight on. The eyes were young, but the Latios was quite intelligent. "Not entirely…I had a bit longer to go until I reformed, but I sensed going with you, traveling the world as you have since acquiring me, would lead me to an early awakening. The Sundial was kind enough to help me, because you rejuvenated it. Now, here I am. Once more, I get to fly the skies of this world…once you train me of course." Aevum pointed at the intimidating mental vision of sparking draconic death that was Shruikan. "I need to be around his…level, as you'd call it."

Alex smirked at his newest partner. "We can get you there." With that settled, Alex and Aevum opened their eyes, shared a nod, and then the 'young' Latios went into the Luxury Ball that Alex brought out for him. He walked towards the crowd of cameras as he caught his latest partner. "I have places to be, so I'm going to answer the obvious questions before I leave. No, I didn't intend for any of that to happen. No, I didn't know my Soul Dew could reincarnate, and yes, young Aevum is now very much a part of my team." With that, he turned back to Olympia as the reporters started shouting other questions. "Sorry about all this. Your city is probably going to get popular for a while."

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Olympia waved a hand, seemingly uncaring towards the press as she had been so far. "It's nothing I did not expect. You should challenge our League, sometime, Dragon Emperor. I'm not sure if you heard, but Galar's Chairman was disappointed you left without so much as entering a Gym."

Alex gave her a tight smile as he said, "The Galar circuit is a bit…intense, for my other partners right now, but not strong enough to give my top ten too much of a challenge. Maybe I'll revisit them after we hit Selva Muerta. Most of their Gym Leaders are in the Ultra Class already. They might just get us to the top of the bracket."

Olympia nodded, eager but still poised, as always. "Your Battles through the strongest Trainers of this era were too bright to see clearly. But I know that team of yours will give us some of the best we've seen. Train hard, Dragon Emperor. Harder than you currently intend to." With that, she winked, and was off, her squad of Gym Trainers. Alex quietly pondered her words. He understood how altering the future worked. It wasn't quite as simple as just telling someone something, there had to be action, and right now, it seemed the actions he intended to take would not be enough to surpass the heights that Ash Ketchum had dominated for decades.

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Alex and Marinette watched them go, and then promptly departed as well. They met Connor in Snowbelle City, which was unique in that it was a snowstorm in a temperate area. It didn't take long to figure out the gym was the source of the deep freeze. As they arrived, Adrien's name appeared on the pillars that typically displayed the names of victorious challengers. Further up, Alex spied Connor, Serena, Calem, and then even Ash's name. There weren't many other names, a testament to a gym that was usually faced at the end of the Kalos circuit.

"We'll meet you two in Lumiose again once we're done with Olympia." Connor said to Alex, as the two teenagers had a private moment. Once they were done, Marinette faced the entrance of the gym's layout.

"Remember, Wulfric is usually number eight. He's strong enough to freeze an entire town. Fire may not be enough."

Marinette nodded at Alex's counsel. "What else beats Ice Types?"

Mentally, Alex added memorizing most type matchups to their to-do list, and said, "Fire, Rock, and Fighting Types will be your best bet. I would save Trixx if you can. As long as possible."

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Marinette nodded, affirming her resolve as Adrien made his way down from the back of the gym, along with Wulfric, whose eyebrows were singed thanks to the ferocity of Adrien's Incineroar. Prepared as he was for Fire Types, Wulfric had melted and shattered before the burning onslaught that Incineroar were known for. As they approached, Wulfric greeted Marinette, and excused himself for the Pokémon Center, promising to be back soon.

Alex and Connor gave the teens a minute, and stepped outside. "I'm going to see if I can get some of my young ones to evolve." Alex said, eyeing the nearby route leading to the Pokémon League. Adamanteus could get some real practice in, and the littles would benefit from the experience.

Connor nodded. "They seem close. I'll leave you to it. My team could use a rest too."

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The pair of Champions split up, and Alex stood on Shruikan's large back as he flew over route twenty one, and victory road, certain that the display would attract at least one Trainer.

In the end, he attracted six Trainers, all of which were masterfully crushed by Adamanteus. The giant steel snake quickly learned the difference between a battle with stakes, and a battle on the road, and found battles against worthy Trainers to be far more desirable. It wasn't that they were weak, necessarily. They were some of the strongest in the region, the problem was that Adamanteus was strong enough to one shot most of them, and yet still low enough to be taken down with type advantage from Pokémon higher leveled than him. He made decent progress towards closing that gap, though.

Wanting to evolve after their own wins, his Oshawott and Sobble, Maromnis and James, opted to face wild Pokémon, despite their superior levels. With some clever tactics, namely camouflage, James managed a win and surged to the next stage of his life, upon which he immediately started staying in his ball all the time and watching anime and the other James Bond movies. He was reluctant to leave his ball, except to 'hone his spy skills'.

Maromnis opted to wait for something more his level, after a rather strong Bisharp rolled him with its superior fighting skills. After the sixth match and James's evolution, Alex got a call from a very satisfied Marinette, and within minutes, Shruikan had them reunited and on their way to Lumiose to meet up with Adrien and Connor.

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The rest of the night went quickly, since it was so fun. The restaurant the Kalos locals took him to also served their teams, and after that they split up for the night. Alex and Connor introduced those with thumbs to Super Smash, and after restarting their rivalry after years, Alex was forced to admit defeat. He was out of practice with Roy, and Connor had somehow retained his god-tier skill with Marth. Po and Gren ended up playing late into the night as everyone else who was interested joined Alex for the anime marathon that lasted until he fell into his trance, though even in that state, he absorbed the plot. More or less. There was a lot of filler to get through.

They rose late the next morning, and after successfully completing the entire Kalos circuit in only a few days, the two Champions said the teens could challenge the League on their own time, as they were both eager to get to Paldea. Connor also knew of the ideal spot for grinding up one's attack power, and had some tweaks to make to his team, as well.

They decided to traverse the more manageable mountains between Kalos and Paldea on foot, since there were so many Trainers on the 'routes' between the regions. Alex and Connor split up, for some semblance of fairness against their generally less skilled opponents, while the two teens made their way as a pair.

Romulus, who had since stolen Leo's spot on their Trainer's lap during their rest time, was tag teaming with Maromnis against a Birdkeeper with wild curly hair called Tobias. Toby, as he preferred to go by, was also training some younger members of his team, though he had a full set of ten already, and like Alex, was in the Ultra Class. They'd tried having a World Tournament match, but it seemed there were limits to even a Drone Rotom's reception. Toby claimed the 'strange crystals' that had been popping up in the area between the two regions were likely the cause, but they'd agreed to battle anyway, and let their younger team members get some experience.

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Having already decided to become a Day Form Lycanroc, Romulus was quite eager, and Maromnis hoped that, as his Trainer claimed, becoming a Samurott would make him on par with foes like Bisharp. Their opponents were a young Togetic, and a Pidgeotto who seemed as close to evolving as Maromnis was.

Being the faster pair, Maromnis and Romulus went first. Unlike most of his battles, Alex was going with psychic commands, as Toby wanted experience against other psychic Trainers who had less moral standards than Alex. The higher one went in the World Tournament, the less rules there tended to be on how one could battle. The idea was to limit one's battle style as little as possible, though Alex preferred an even contest nine out of ten times.

Maromnis kicked things off with an Ice Beam, while Romulus aimed a Rock Slide at the Togetic. Toby stayed cool though, as he raised a gloved hand with a Key Stone embedded by the wrist and shouted, "Dodge and counter! Aerial Ace!"

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His Pidgeotto reacted with the instincts of a battler, but the Togetic was too slow. As it got buried by a shower of rocks, its teammate dodged and weaved gracefully through the Ice Beams from Maromnis. Seeing that, Alex simply smirked, and the aspiring samurai otter switched to his scalchops.

Maromnis had his sight linked with his Trainer's as well, and while the Pidgeotto's attack was masterful, time seemed to slow for Maromnis as he readied his scalchop. The Pidgeotto's attack suddenly went off course as the Oshawott began shining with the light of evolution, and instead of waiting for it to finish, Maromnis drew his new, second scalchop, and delivered a devastating critical Razor Shell to the strong bird as fate smiled upon him. He kept up the pressure too, but Tobias countered with a continued Aerial Ace. At the buried Togetic being stalked by the Rockruff, he shouted, "Get out of there with Ancient Power!"

Romulus flinched as he processed Alex's counter, and while he felt bad, he also wanted to win and evolve like Maromnis had. The Ancient Power raised the Rock Slide slowly, only to then be ruthlessly crushed by a Rock Tomb. As Alex sensed it faint, he had Romulus shift the rocks off of the poor two foot fairy, and as he did so, he started to shine as well. "We'll make this a one on one now, in the interest of fairness." Alex said, as Maromnis and the Pidgeotto faced off.

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The Bird Keeper raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Your Dewott might be a bit…underleveled."

Alex's smirk widened. "I know my partner will do his best. I can ask no more."

Toby shrugged, and then called the move with the same panache as before. "Dodge in close with Aerial Ace! Don't let up!"

As ordered, the large bird's beak started shining with flying energy, and said energy made dodging Maromnis ease itself. Then, suddenly, the Dewott stopped, and sheathed his scalchops. Like Noir, Leo, Po, and everyone else, Maromnis had found a fondness for animated entertainment, and naturally upon learning Gren could use Iai sword strikes, he'd endeavored to learn, but he'd been limited by only one scalchop. Now, Alex could see just how well he'd learned the ninja frog's techniques as he crouched before the oncoming bird of prey. The long hours their teams had spent together were paying off. Blast had also grown stronger thanks to Connor's strength training.

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Once more, fate smiled upon the aspiring samurai, as he struck critically once more using a trick that Connor had once used on Saur. There was a flash of bright energy as Maromnis struck simultaneously with the Pidgeotto, but as Toby saw his icy Razor Shells, he knew he'd been beaten. Maromnis looked supremely satisfied, as he spun his shells back into their sheaths and free of the ice.

Tobias just grinned as he recalled his partner. "Ice covered Scalchops… I love it! And that technique! I hope we can Battle again when he's a Samurott." The Bird Keeper offered a hand as he joined Alex on the rocky battlefield. Alex clasped the hand as Maromnis ate enough berries to recover the damage he'd taken from blocking Aerial Ace.

Both Trainers blinked in surprise as their Key Stones started shining and reacting. The hand clasp ended as the Bird Keeper examined his Key Stone, first with worry, then with awe. "It's like it…woke up, or something."

Alex nodded, eyeing his own now non-glowing stone. "The Guardian of Indius gave me mine. It keeps reacting to stones everywhere I go. I'm sure yours will still work…it might even work better."

Toby eyed Alex's stone, and then locked eyes with him. "Has it…awakened any new powers?"

Alex shook his head. "Not really. Not yet anyway. It woke up my Soul Dew which hatched into a Latios, but other than that and empowering Anistar City's Sundial, its pretty much been a regular Key Stone."

"Hmm. Well if you discover something new…share it! The world is already watching you after you figured out a new use for Plate shards. And solved the damage that unchecked Infinity Energy can cause."

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Alex waved away the Bird Keeper's words. "I don't think I'm that well respected. Yet."

Toby shook his head adamantly. "You are though, Victory League Champion. Trainers listen to you. Especially now. You have more fans than you know. Perhaps you should speak to them more often."

Alex just chuckled and shook his head. "It still boggles my mind…having fans. In a club, no less." He straightened up, and met the Bird Keeper's gaze evenly. "I'll take your advice, Bird Keeper. It's long past time I interacted with my fans in an organized space. I hope we can have a proper match, in the finals."

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With that, the pair of Trainers split to continue their search for experience to grind. Romulus ran around, testing his new limbs and his new vocal chords as he howled at the sky. Noir also got some exercise, and Alex rotated his newer teammates until they were all at a high enough level to survive and thrive in the Forest of Death. The Trainers and wild Pokémon gave them enough experience, and as they reached the far northeastern edge of Paldea, they reconvened with their group, and had lunch.

Alex joined Po at the edge of their steep and mountainous camp site. The young bear was now equal parts muscle and floof, and he had ignored his food, temporarily, in favor of the goal before him. As he got his first look at the bamboo forests and obsidian capped mountains, Alex said, "Behold, young Po. This, is Paldea. This, is what they call…Area One, of the northern province."

Po cracked his knuckles, and his eyes were on fire. "Finally…Area One…I will conquer you!" He declared loudly, and Alex just smirked knowingly, guessing correctly in this instance that the Pokémon below had heard his declaration.

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Underground Arcean HQ - Central States, Dragon Empire

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"You have been lied to. About a great many things. Caleb Pravus lied to you because he thought little of your intelligence. His predecessor lied about something much worse, though. The true nature…of those with psychic powers." Proditor addressed the crowd of Arceans, as many as they could gather, and his own psychic power was already scanning the crowd for those with the potential his ascendance would require. Unfortunately, the Fornian Dictator had been ruthlessly thorough in rooting out those with psychic abilities. Those the Arceans had captured and taken from their homes were already in the Original Dragon's claws, but he held out hope.

"Our beliefs are ancient, as am I. I was chosen to succeed the Holder of Arceus, but the greedy men of my age kept me from my destiny. Now, they are long since dust, and their descendants lack their power and foresight." He psychically made the humans among the Arceans with psychic potential shine with a bright purple aura. "The worthy among you will learn to harness your powers and use them in service of our goals! You are not half breeds or impure of blood! You are what the ancient ancestors of our race called Newtypes… a new type of Human, the next stage of our evolution as a species! Come! Join me on the stage and let us welcome those who will rule in the new era we will create together!"

The glowing candidates looked like they'd rather be anywhere else, and maybe two were grinning confidently, very much on board with having more power and status. As the twenty or so potential psychics stood on the stage, Proditor grinned beneath his shadowed hood. He knew how base humans, especially religious zealots with a severe lack of intelligence like these, reacted to being told that the minority they despised and discriminated against were being given authority and power.

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A murmur went through the crowd as Proditor gestured to his candidates now standing on the stage with his other, richer, minions. As instructed, what was left of the muscular meat heads that had answered to and protected Pravus and his Hands gathered the bigots into a small crowd before the stage set at a far wall of their underground base. With some psychic assistance, Proditor had them gather those with dissenting thoughts as well. There weren't many in this crowd with the mental fortitude to hide their bigotry, but what few there were, were also gathered.

The rest of the Arceans watched quietly, as they started to notice the armed guards at each exit of the chamber, keeping anyone who tried to leave from doing so. Proditor approached the edge of the stage, and sneered down at them. "You who cling to your Bigoted ideals…you desire to voice them. What makes you think you are superior to the psychics gathered before you?"

It was bait so obvious only a complete imbecile would fall for it, but that was the caliber of human that Proditor had to work with. The imbecile who stepped forward had a beard that had never seen a razor, which more than covered his neck, and had facial features that suggested his mother had imbibed alcohol while pregnant. His outfit was as rural as the rest of his traitorous peers, with sturdy blue overalls and a plaid shirt underneath that was stretched tight against his fat, doughy gut.

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"You psycho-freaks are jus' born inferiur to Pure Bloods liek me! We aint got no vakseenz or guvurnmental expurimentin in these parts. Jus' folk wit' clean blood that don't go Mukkin 'round with Psychic Pokémon."

Proditor's grin widened as he did his best impression of the Cheshire Cat. "Oh hoho…inferior, are we?" He chuckled. "So a Gardevoir is out of the question, but your cousins, aunts, uncles, even brothers or sisters are all fair game in your…Pure Blooded opinion?" Proditor's tone was dripping sarcasm as he side eyed Octavius Thorne, but the former Hand of the Prophet shook his head. Proditor had wanted to simply eradicate the inbred farmers and elevate the worthy psychics among them, but the Fornia appointed Champion had vehemently insisted that the low IQ farmers were still of use, and necessary to defeat the Dragon Empire.

The southern drawl unwisely continued, as he felt emboldened by Proditor's lack of a response. "Yur duhvoshun to that ancient Cult yew want us followin' hasn't done jack against Redwood's empire! An' he's got far more psychic scum followin' him than yew. I bet he's stronger, too."

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Thorne subtly facepalmed, as he could guess what would happen next. Even his wildest prediction however, did not compare to reality. Proditor simply raised a hand toward the simpleton. Psychic power surrounded his throat in a tight ring of dark purple energy, and despite his weight problem, the man was lifted into the air with ease. Proditor was still grinning maniacally. "I find your lack of intelligence…disturbing. You will serve me better without that genetically inferior brain getting in the way."

His red glowing eyes turned to the crowd then. "Behold! The creatures that will guarantee our victory over the Original Dragon…and the World." He felt the Shadowmind's eagerness, within himself. If it could salivate, it likely would have in that moment. Normally, a man like Proditor might have hesitated in creating a 'infinitely replicating life form', as his dark passenger called it, from potentially infecting all of humanity, but after fusing with the being on a level that few but the Shadowmind truly comprehended, his inhibitions had been slowly, subtly stripped away.

This…this is the…Spice…that gives this existence its worth…the Flood shall begin anew…and all thanks to you…Cassius Proditor.

A hint of wariness formed in Proditor's mind as his dark passenger mentioned a flood of such creatures, but it was already far too late. Tentacles of Shadow formed from Proditor's arm, making use of a few of his cells as they were taken, transformed, and elevated into something that should not have existed. At least, not in this universe. They penetrated the choking simpleton, and much of the crowd watched in genuine horror as his body was remade into a form that would make far better use of all his extra flesh.

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The grotesque abomination before them was massive in size, standing at a height of twelve feet or three point six meters once it stopped writhing. Its shoulders were lopsided, with the larger arm sporting a grotesque but sharp claw of bone, and the smaller one acting as some sort of club. Most disturbing though, was its face. The head had split open forming into tentacles, and where the face should have been was only a void leaking literal darkness.

"Unsightly…to be sure…" Proditor proclaimed to the stunned crowd. "But a warrior that will have no problem against plasma swords. Thus the suppressive and genetically tainted become useful…and obedient." Proditor faced the creature then, and its gaping void face turned towards him. It began lumbering for him, and Proditor sensed its hostile intent.

He summoned his combined power, and spoke again. "Kneel." The creature stopped as the sound reverberated through his being, then, it took another step and fell onto what passed for its knees.

In his skull, Proditor heard the Shadowmind speak. This form…while useful in ages past…can be improved upon. When we are away from their eyes…yes…I will Create.

As the creature knelt and the silence grew, Proditor spoke again. "Those who stand against our cause, will continue to serve us…those who cling to their useless Bigotry will still find a purpose, in our movement. Remember this well…as you return to work."

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The crowd began dispersing as they were dismissed, but those who had clung to their skewed hatreds were kept in place and fear dominated their faces and their minds. Once it was just them, Proditor and Thorne and the potential psychics on stage, and the stave armed guards around them, Proditor said, "I know what fears fill your minds. I can hear them. You don't want to become flesh monsters, and I don't blame you. I didn't know what to expect, myself…but it wasn't this." He gestured to the still kneeling monstrosity. "Listen. I understand no matter what I do, or do to you, you will not so easily give up your prejudices. It's not entirely your fault that you have them, and I don't particularly care that you do, but you need to understand me, here and now, for I will Not be repeating myself. Psychics are to be Respected, their orders, listened to. Act like your pompous peer did, and this will be your fate. Nod if you understand me."

The fearful farmers nodded in unison, and while he still didn't care for their subversive thoughts, he waved a hand at them. "Good. Now get back to work." As the more hate-driven Arceans scurried away, Proditor waited until they'd all left the chamber. Then, he spoke to the shadows. "Triad. Monitor them. All of them. Bring those flagrantly defying my edicts to me, and be as discreet as possible. Tell me, if they start forming groups." He knew they would have quite the rebellion on their hands if the disparate factions of unsatisfied workers were given the chance to band together.

"Yes, Successor." Came a masculine voice from the darkness. Then, the three hidden presences were gone. The Shadow Triad personally creeped even Proditor out, but they saw him as some sort of dark messiah, and he had to admit, they were quite effective.

What Octavius Thorne, Bryce Blackwood, and Veronika Caligo, the remaining Hands of the Prophet, had created was essentially an underground city that stretched and connected to the entirety of the Wyogon, Nevouri, and Arciana regions, the same region the triad had ruled over in the Church's name. Upon being forced to accept the reality that Sacreus was going to fall, the so-called Champions of those three border-sharing regions went underground with everyone they had, and over time had used their usual tactics of pressuring people to stay. On the surface, nobody had seemed to yet notice these people going 'missing' and not returning, but the reality was that many of the Arceans who lived in said regions were more than glad to give their flesh and blood to the cause, no matter how many dark truths the Dragon Empire shined a light upon.

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He expected their compliance to shift, now, though. With a new figurehead and a very public and grotesque display, transforming one of their own no less, he knew it was a matter of time before a bloodbath attempting to kill him and the upper management of the Cult's remnants ensued. That was what always happened, when power shifted. The trick, was to make sure the right people were dying, and that his people were doing the killing. Once the Arcean remnants were violently purged, he could reforge them into his power base, and they could start making real moves with the accumulated currency his wealthy subordinates had at their disposal. The only thing to do now, was what they'd already been doing, convincing as many people as possible to join Subterra, as the simpletons called it, and try to minimize casualties.

The Shadowmind thundered in his skull, impatiently. I desire…Creation. Assign your minions quickly. That form… will not kneel forever.

Guessing what might happen during said 'creative session', Proditor turned to the still-glowing psychics. Calling them that, was generous. Maybe three of them had the potential he would've sought in his era. Another five might have proven worthy in time, but the rest would be lucky to have enough power to lift a pebble. He briefly regretted letting the Shadowmind burn his bridge with the Scales. They were quickly becoming the largest organization to join, if one had psychic power, and wanted a plasma sword.

"We will begin your training soon. For now, return to your lives and your work as you have been. If you do not already have quarters in Subterra, you will be provided with them, as well as new status, among your peers. What you do with said status, is up to you. Impress me." With that, he vanished into the darkness, and re-emerged in his own private area, even further below Subterra. He was the only one who could reach it, and unless he desired company, nobody would ever find him. He could also bring, or leave, whoever he wanted. The Shadowmind had pulled the abomination along as well, and it now stood before him, 'breathing' and writhing even now, as its cells continued to process their host's biomass, and grow. It had gained at least two feet of height, putting it at fifteen feet tall, up from its original twelve. It was like a walking flesh tank.

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"Before you start, wait a moment." Proditor said, to his dark passenger. He withdrew the Burst Heart then, and set it into a simple but very effective and expensive safe that he'd installed into the floor himself. Once it was safely ensconced, he triple deadlocked it, and turned on the security software designed to teleport the Heart somewhere else, if its container was breached, a place only he knew, and could reach. Then, he started separating himself from the Shadowmind. Not de-fusing, but rather, taking what they had become, and splitting it into two equal halves, each occupied by one of their minds. Like cutting apart fleshy playdough, the darkness coalesced into a roiling mass of flesh cells, where a single, malicious cyclopic eye appeared in its center. "In these separate forms, we can achieve more of our goals, simultaneously. I advise against you trying to escape or tinker with my space here. Even you are not aware of all the traps I have in place over my things, and things that ought not to be touched. Do your work. Create. Improve. Evolve. I will gather more psychics for us…right from the source.

He snapped his fingers then, and his psychic power, which wasn't really reduced even when split, remade his image into that of what he considered an aspiring hopeful to the Dragonspiral Tower, and an initiate, acolyte, or even Padawan seeking to become a Scale of Balance. The Shadowmind formed a mouth, and razor sharp teeth sprouted from it as it created the organs it needed for grinning, and speech. "That is…inspired. I like it. I will focus on my task, you need not worry about your little trinkets. I will…try…not to break them."

Satisfied with that, the handsome, square jawed youth with short black spiky hair and a black and white martial arts outfit with a Yin Yang symbol on its back bamfed out of the subterranean chamber, and the Shadowmind faced the Tank Form with glee. "It has been…Ages…since I…We…have…Created. Let us begin…" And though no living being was around to hear the sickening sound of flesh being reworked, it did indeed still fill the chamber, and what little remained of the human who had once been, was utterly destroyed as the Shadowmind, like any creator, reduced the Tank Form to its base components, and began anew.