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Connor Gladstone raised his hand to knock on the room the Pokémon Center's nurse had directed him to, when he'd returned from thrashing Marlon, and enrolling in N's latest League challenge. He figured he could train the rest of his team on the tough Trainers in Unova, and having travel companions would be a boon, as Triple Battles were all the rage, lately. His hand froze, as he heard a sound no brother ever wanted to hear, but as a male human, he physically could not ignore, thanks to how his brain was wired, and almost three hundred thousand years of instinct. What was worse, was that he recognized who the grunting and moaning was coming from, and that, made something snap in his head. The slightly curled hand he'd been going to knock with tightened into a fist, and he turned around, promptly departing the Pokémon Center with a look and attitude of rage. Without a word, he summoned Gren, who seemed concerned for his Trainer, but obeyed the orders he was given with the precision and ability of a frog ninja.

They surfed to Undella Town in only a day thanks to Gren's ridiculous speed, at which point, Connor made two rather angry phone calls to his parents, and the Redwoods. He'd informed Alex's parents of what their son was up to, and had then angrily disconnected the call with the appropriate amount of dramatic flare, before calling his own parents. As he explained the situation, his mother seemed appropriately shocked, but his father had simply smirked, and said, "Damn it. I owe Gil quite a bit. My money was on Eric." At which point, his wife had elbowed him. It was at that moment that the Redwoods called the Pokémon Center back, and ended up on the same line. The four neighbors greeted each other, awkwardly mentioned the situation, and then Connor had watched in growing anger as they rationally and calmly suggested there were worse matches for Jess, and a union between the families had been probable for quite some time.

Connor stared in disbelief, unable to fathom how his parents were okay with this. Before they could cement anything, he had ended the call, cutting the line, and glaring at the black screen. His eyes darted to Gren, beside him. "Gren." The Greninja stood at attention, ready to act. "It's time we welcomed my old Friend back face to face. Help me prepare."

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Undella Town's Main Road, Several Days Later - Unova Region

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The crowd ducked again as the fierce impact of the Water Pulse and Energy Ball shook the small resort town with their collision. By sheer willpower, the Pokémon had managed to guide the stray balls of energy purposefully into the ground.

The road was littered with craters, but it was a dirt footpath, and the Pokémon knew that if they were going to destroy things, as was inevitable in a battle at this level, the humans would rather have to fix the dirt road than their houses. This knowledge didn't stop the locals from being angry, however.

It was far past the point of no return, as that point had arrived rather quickly in the battle. Gren's opening Water Pulse attack had bounced apart from Terra's Energy Ball in a collision of energy, and hit the dirt and sand road on either side of the crowd, effectively trapping anyone who didn't want to get dirty behind the raised sand barricades, which in this crowd was everybody. Not one article of clothing there was priced under several thousand units of their currency.

The barricades had isolated the main road into Undella Town from the north, effectively splitting the town into two sides. Once Alex and Jess had arrived, holding hands no less, Connor had blocked their path, and with his ninja arts, Gren had summoned the sandy walls, trapping their quarry. The few sensible rich folks, like the Redwoods and the Gladstones, had already dirtied their clothes to get the hell out of this battle's path, though they watched from the sturdier stone path up the hill, right in front of the Pokémon Center.

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Connor had summoned both families to the town, and further infuriating him, they'd turned it into a group vacation trip. While Connor's news did merit at least a phone call, after a talk with their daughter by way of Holoceiver, both parents were satisfied that she seemed genuinely interested, and after a bit of awkward questioning from her dad, they discovered she was serious. As long as the two stayed together, there wouldn't be an issue.

Connor had not accepted that, however. His sense of what was and was not honorable had shifted over the long years spent in the oriental communities sequestered within the borders of Southern Kalos, a region known as 'Gaulia'.

He'd gone there to train his Froakie into a true Greninja, and as the two had matured, Gren and his Trainer had become masters of the ninja arts, streamlining the Water Pulse technique into a form so fast and powerful, Gren couldn't be beat. Not by the villagers anyways.

So, Connor had left, conquered each of Kalos's Gym Leaders with his Greninja's speed, ultimate technique, and his large move pool, then returned to Lumiose City in time for the Pokémon League that year.

He'd lost, however, beaten in the final round by a superior Sceptile. It had been a six on six battle, but Connor had only entered Gren, as his other Pokémon were still too weak to compete in a Champion ranked match safely, and after five difficult opponents, including a rather powerful Charizard, Gren had finally fainted. Nobody could solo the Kalos League. Not anymore. The reigning Champion, Alain, was too powerful.

Connor had returned to Unova after that, to train his other Pokémon, and challenge the Victory Plateau. While Kalos was difficult, the current Elite Four of the Victory Plateau were considered the hardest Elite Four team in the entire world. Their latest Challenge was considered ridiculously hard, as it required Trainers to take on the Elite Four, one of the other Champions meaning Hilda, her brother Hilbert, Nate, or Rosa, and then the reigning Champion and Hero of Unova himself, N. Both Champions were using one of the Unovan Dragons. Challengers had to prove they could both defeat and battle beside a piece of the Original Dragon. According to rumor, N used the other Legendary Dragon, and the rumor was that he and Zekrom were still unbeaten among the other Champions of Unova. The final match with him required a Challenger to be able to draw upon either Zekrom or Reshiram's power, to unseat N. Given that he had beaten Champion Nate's team after returning from his worldly travels with only Zekrom, N had established himself a dynasty to rival Leon's over in Galar, and had remained unbeaten ever since returning to Unova. His title as Champion was up for grabs, if one could face the elite teams of Unova's Gym Leaders and come through victorious.

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After preparing his trap, Connor had plied the Trainers swimming and battling on the route between Undella and Humilau for information about the pair. If the rumors were to be believed, they had been seen or heard on the route to Undella several times, in the throes of passion, not caring who might overhear them. In Connor's mind, the punishment for such brazen acts was total humiliation, thus he'd summoned their families, and enlisted their aid in setting the scene.

But it wasn't playing out right. Instead of being neutral to water, Terra seemed to enjoy the Water Shuriken that hit his tree, and sank into the bark harmlessly. Seeing that his grass typing was being used as defense, Connor had waited for the ground type offense, to counter with a water attack. Alex gave his Torterra the command in that moment, and Connor responded by telling Gren to block. Unfortunately, the Earthquake had been far too powerful for Gren to block completely with his streamlined Water Pulse that formed an orb of condensed water energy, in true Kalos style. It had made a triangular swathe of untouched ground around Gren and his Trainer, but to the rest of the coast and into the ocean, the earth had been shattered.

Earthquake wasn't an issue for Gren though, not like it had been for Squirt and Tyran. His nimble feet jumped from each large boulder easily. At eighty eight pounds, he barely shifted in the mass of rubble. Terra had then planted his trunk like feet into the soft sandy dirt, and launched a massive ball of swirling green energy right at his opponent.

As expected, the blue frog had leapt high enough to dodge, but could now only fall aimlessly, as he'd strained himself getting to that height. He needed to land and recover his leg strength, but before that could happen, his eyes widened as another ball of green energy, but clearly one more condensed and powerful than the one he'd just dodged, shot towards him from below. The ninja frog's eyes narrowed, as he realized what the turtle was up to. He'd hidden his Seed Bomb behind yet another Energy Ball.

Terra was firing off attacks like a cannon, crushing the rubble around his feet with the force of the push-back. Gren barely had a chance to raise a defense as the Seed Bomb hit him, hard, but surprisingly to Terra and his Trainer, not hard enough for a K.O. Gren was clearly looking rough as he landed, but Connor knew he could still win.

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For the past four minutes, he and Terra had exchanged attacks constantly. Normally, Water Pulse would win because it could be used more, but not only had Terra become capable of surpassing his Energy Ball limit, by about five, which would leave him quite drained, Gren's streamlined attack took up a lot more power. At least five hits worth. Doing the math, the two Trainers met the other's eyes, and their Pokémon stopped as well, sensing a pause.

"Not bad, Alex... I expected to crush your Torterra a lot quicker. You've only had him for a year. He's easily strong enough to solo the Kalos League."

Alex just smirked as he fixed his hat, "You have no idea, my friend. This isn't even his final form."

Connor's eyes widened at the claim. While no longer shiny and new, Mega Evolution was still a bar by which Trainers were judged. If you could battle a Mega Pokémon with one of your own, you were taken seriously by pretty much anyone in the Pokémon League. If you could make a Pokémon without a previously documented Mega Form attain that level, you were in a league of your own.

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Connor's eyes burned, his issue of honor momentarily forgotten. He hadn't expected his neighbor to be this strong, and Connor smirked slightly, as he realized his suspicions about Alex had always been right. The guy was a natural with Pokémon. Now that he had partners, Alex was seemingly every bit as competent a Trainer as Alain, and his Torterra was at the same level as Alain's Sceptile had been. If not higher.

"Enough fooling around, Gren." Connor spoke softly, his deep voice barely louder than the waves hitting the ruined beach behind him. The fire in the Greninja's eyes flared, and like their opponents, they became linked.

Alex's own fiery gaze seemed to increase as well. "So…you got him to do it too?"

Connor smirked, "I may not be the first…but since nobody but him has ever done it…that's my claim to fame. Certainly better than beating a Charizard with a Charizard."

"Oh, I'm about to be famous for another reason entirely." Alex said, smirking. "I've found Torterra's Mega Form."

After dinner on that first day back, Alex had examined his two crystals, and theorized that if the fire one had made Blaze evolve further, the grass crystal should do the same for Torterra. Theoretically. Once he'd figured out that to use the crystal's power, he had to have a clear, focused mind, it became easy for Terra and Blaze to draw on the power, and mega evolve.

Arthur had helped with understanding that, and Alex had shown his entire team the power Terra and Blaze could achieve. He promised to get all of them to that level, and their bond became even stronger. They were truly a team now, with a unified goal: to be the best team the world had ever seen. They'd trained with impressive intensity ever since leaving Humilau, and Hydrus, Leo, Arthur, and Shruikan were rapidly closing the gap between them and his Torterra.

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At his opponent's words, Connor made a cross with his pair of pointer and middle fingers, and Gren copied the stance, his form shifting like water, and glowing as he took the form that only Ash Ketchum's Greninja had been recorded using. The main difference between them, was Gren's fin 'hair' being a reddish brown, rather than black. Meanwhile, all Alex did was smirk as his pocket glowed green, and his Torterra ascended to the next level as well. His entire body grew, becoming armored around his head as the spikes jutting from either side of his head formed a helmet of sorts around his skull and jaw. From said jaw now dangled a mossy beard.

Three more massive spikes grew from the other side of his shell, and the ash tree on his back became heavier, older, and moved to the center of his back. His tail had grown longer, and formed a club on the end of it. Said club slammed the ground, causing the debris on the field to shudder. Without a word, battle was joined again, but now only Connor could see Gren move, such was his speed.

"Ice Shuriken!" He shouted, and from seemingly every direction, spinning stars of ice slammed in Terra simultaneously, and evaporated into a mist after hitting his hide, so cold were they. Terra yawned, and gave a smirk towards his opponents that mirrored his Trainer's.

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Seeing Connor's confused look, Alex spoke up, taking on the tone of one who thinks they know more about Pokémon, and is about to demonstrate that fact. It was something he'd learned to mimic ages ago, and was to be expected when your mentor was a Pokémon Professor. "Like most Mega Evolutions, he gained a new ability upon evolving. He's easily over a ton now. And his Thick Fat has adapted to ice."

Connor's face tightened. "I see. Well that's irritating. I guess we're back to plan A." At those words, Gren formed another Water Pulse, and met Terra's countering Energy Ball full force. The two balls bounced off each other once more, further damaging the ground. Connor hid his emotions, but his tight expression was slow to fade.

Gren should've been able to handle any grass type after he'd learned to make his shuriken into ice. He supposed that if any grass type were to have Thick Fat, it would need to be similar to Venusaur, who had the same ability and thus defense against ice, in body type and species. Torterra was lucky, it seemed, as he was also a ground type, and now his quadruple weakness to ice was gone. On top of his species' natural affinity for defense, he was now, in this form at least, very hard to beat.

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Despite the damage from earlier, Gren kept fighting, but unfortunately, mega evolving was only straining what little stamina he had left. Knowing he had but one shot left in this state, Gren landed, and faced Terra head on.

He raised one finned hand over the other, and his arms curved around to his waist as the energy began to form. The giant Water Shuriken on his back faded, and reappeared between his hands, spinning fast between them as the rest of his power was channeled into this one , it started spinning faster, so fast the hum from the rotating blades of the shuriken could be heard.

It was as this water attack was being prepped that Terra drew deep from the resort town. Once more, he was lucky.

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This place had enough sunlight this time of year to match Alola, and the amount of energy he could use from the local flora right now was nearly unlimited, after an entire season's worth of sunlight. He drew in enough to finish the ninja frog off, swirled it, condensed it, and made it stronger. Just as Tyranitar had shown him.

The two Pokémon fired, and this time, type advantage won out. Their Water Pulse could deflect Terra's attacks with enough time, but their current Water Shuriken was designed to cut through an attack with its incredible speed. With the dense amount of power in Terra's Seed Bomb, that was never going to happen. Thus, the grass attack won out, pushing through the shuriken, sending it hurtling into the sky, and slamming into Gren, finishing him. He was sent flying and tried to recover in the air, but then he hit the ground, losing his Mega Form, and collapsing in a tired heap. The exhausted Greninja clung to consciousness though, and pounded the sand with a fist as once again, a grass type beat him.

"I think that's enough." Alex said, as he started slowly crossing the ruined ground. He nodded at Terra, who began repairing the terrain by slamming each foot into the ground, and pulling it back together. Something he could only do in this new form, or so Alex thought. The ruined coastline slowly came back together, and it took Terra's entire focus to keep it like that as he guided the earth in mending itself.

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Alex stopped short, as he noticed Connor move for his belt, shouting, "Dammit! Two on two, then! Dragon Rush!" A Garchomp appeared in a flash of light, and sighting Alex as his target instead of Terra, due to his closeness, he prepared to fire the attack. Had he been a Charizard he might've hesitated at the mere idea of attacking a weak human, but his Trainer had ordered a command, and he had to obey.

Connor was halfway through the word "Wai-" as he'd realized that Alex was the chosen target, not his Pokémon, when a burst of black light appeared in front of Alex, taking the super effective attack. The Garchomp smashed into a barrier of energy, called forth by Alex's Shelgon.

Enraged and unharmed thanks to Protect, Shruikan retaliated with the kind of Dragon Pulse only a truly angry dragon could produce. This outsider had attacked his Trainer, with a dragon type move, and not the Torterra. Now, Shruikan was taking revenge.

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The attack hit the Garchomp point blank after his Dragon Rush, and he went flying back towards Connor, landing with a crash, not fainted but he was slow to rise. Shruikan turned his furious gaze on Connor then, reasoning that his Trainer had been attacked, therefore Garchomp's Trainer deserved no less. It was a draconian punishment, fueled by the rage Shruikan felt, and embraced as he prepared another Dragon Pulse.

He opened his mouth to attack Connor, but instead found himself soaring through the air, before crashing into the sand several feet away. He'd felt a slight tickle on the right side of his shell, and when he rose from his hard landing and looked at his attacker, he saw the new Gallade, arm blades extended in a fighting stance, protecting the blue clad human.

Shruikan snarled. That arrogant psychic type was rapidly starting to irritate him. A few road victories and an easily attained evolution had given the Gallade an enlarged ego. Shruikan didn't hesitate, a powerful train of blue fire burst towards Arthur, and the crowd behind him. Arthur crossed his arms, and using Psychic, forced the flames from the crowd, or their homes.

The path was ruined even more though, parts of it turned to glass by the power of the dragonfire. Arthur refocused his Psychic attack, turning it on Shruikan then, levitating him into the air, and facing him towards the sky, where he couldn't hit anyone with his flames.

This made the dragon furious, as he struggled against the psychic hold. He'd closed his eyes and prepared to counter with Zen Headbutt, when suddenly, he was forcibly returned to his ball. The normally stone faced Alex looked furious as he eyed the Timer Ball, which had been strangely warped by the trip to the dragon mountain. Apparently, it didn't matter what badge he had, the eighth one received would always be the one that earned him total control.

As it stood, he had one. He needed to move faster to account for his growing team, but first he had to deal with Connor, and their families. He nodded at Terra again, and the earth walls were shattered as well, allowing the townsfolk to move into the sturdier part of town, and get on with their day.

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He walked with heavy steps over to his rival, and sighed as Connor recalled his dragon, realizing that his rival was not changing the battle rules at the last second. "That was low. Your Garchomp would've ended me without a thought. What was that you always told me about 'being in control of a force of nature'? Garchomp is probably the only Ground Type that can handle a Torterra evenly, but he was aiming a Dragon Rush at me. I might've survived a Rock Slide, but no, you ordered the most destructive move he has." Alex looked down at his rival, who had fallen to a seated position on the sand. Connor mumbled softly, realizing what he'd done.

"I didn't…I didn't mean…" Ordering your Pokémon to attack a fellow Trainer was unheard of, and now, he'd done it to one of Unova's alleged 'rising stars'. Who was supposedly his friend, no less, in front of a crowd of witnesses. Not even team members sunk that low. They'd use harmless moves like Smoke Screen or Supersonic, but never an attack move as powerful as Dragon Rush.

Alex noticed a familiar looking crystal pinned to his rival's jacket. The symbol of water types was within it. Alex reached out, and snatched it before Connor could blink or protest.

"So. That's how you did it. You figured out how strong these crystals are, what they can be used for. Well, clearly, you're not ready for one of these. This is my 'prize money' for winning. You can have it back when you beat me. These should be a last resort, not a crutch." With that, he turned on his heel and headed for the Pokémon Center.

As he passed Jess, he spoke quietly. "Your turn. Once you're done, tell me, and we'll move on. Clearly some of my team needs training still." He switched Shruikan to the sixth slot on his belt, behind Arthur. His last resort, until his dragon could control his rage. He went out of the town, and the two worked out the dragon's frustration as Jess handled her relative. He knew Shruikan was being protective, and he thanked him for the timely save, but the follow up attacks had just been dangerous, and wild. Now somewhat calmed, Shruikan seemed apologetic for attacking Arthur, and Alex cleaned off the sand from him and Terra, before returning to town.

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Jess took several hours to chew out her brother, deflect their family's inquiries, and heal her own Pokémon who were tired from road battling. Alex and Shruikan agreed they needed to keep an eye on his temper, but given he was a dragon type, and an adolescent at that, one outburst was easy enough to forgive. Nobody had been hurt, thankfully. They all got a needed rest from the constant training, and left early in the morning, surfing down the side of the road on their water Pokémon for strength training. Eventually, they passed the edge of the White Forest.

The forest had been small once, but over time it had grown in size from the coast of the river, to the coast of the bay, the forest was enormous. A Trainer could spend a month in there if they left the path. It was heavily warned against, but Trainers often left it because they spied a rare colored Pokémon, and chased after it endlessly. That was the trap of the forest. It tempted you with what you wanted most, and kept you lost and wandering for weeks if you didn't pay attention. That said, it did contain hundreds of rare Pokémon, namely starters given out in labs. Nobody knew why there were so many, but it was a good place to find foreign favorites for Unovan Trainers just starting out.

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It was rumored that some of the remnants of Team Skull had come over from Alola several years back, after being beaten out of their home region by a pair of thirteen-year olds. Rather than run this team out of the region to be someone else's problem, the local Gym Leaders and top Trainers of Unova trapped them within the Black City, after forcing them into White Forest. Indeed, remnants from Team Rocket, Galactic, and especially Plasma also called Black City home. It was the one city on the continent that had no laws, and only the strongest survived there. For all their power though, they were infuriatingly contained by the magic of the forest, and the powerful Gym Leaders of Nimbasa and Castelia, who could fly over and subdue them even if they managed to escape.

The few who could escape the forest had been forced to stay within it, to serve out the time in the prison meant specifically for evil team members, but when their sentence had ended, they typically didn't want to leave again. The haven of crime and lawlessness was ideal, and more than a few of the local Trainers preferred living in Black City to living in society. Quite a few businessmen and women from all over the States went there when they needed something outside the law, but all traffic in and out was carefully monitored by the Unovan government, who naturally kept a list of such visitors.

Thus, despite being considered a prison, Black City had become a haven for all kinds of undesirable types, and due to the enormous forest surrounding the city, they had all become a bit…strange, as isolation from society tended to have that effect. The forest itself had adverse effects on evil minded people as well, but neither Alex nor Jess were worried it would repel them. If their hearts were tainted, their Pokémon wouldn't have warmed up to them so quickly. In either case, the locals of Unova typically avoided the city and the forest, often by surfing around or flying over them entirely. Travelers to Black City were advised to keep their Pokéballs either in a PC box, or close at hand, for the Trainers within had no qualms about stealing them.

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Despite the numerous warnings, Alex had declared that he had a number of Pokémon to catch now that his team was finally assembled, and catch them he did as they entered the White Forest. They spent a full three days among the trees, as Alex used his Luxray's incredible eyesight to track what he was after by scent and print, and to keep sight of the road. A quick Thunder Wave usually made the young Pokémon weak enough to capture, and it got repetitive after a while.

He knew he was taking on a larger responsibility with so many new faces to train, but they would be well looked after back at the lab. He could find time to take them out, one by one, and train them up once he found a Box Link in Castelia. The advent of modern technology like Box Links and Rotophones hadn't quite reached the farming town he was from, and they were quite pricey in Mall Town, but in Castelia one could usually find anything at a decent price. He didn't quite know how to feel about shoving a Rotom in a cell phone, but it seemed rather convenient, and his own gear was quite out of date by comparison. He'd wanted to try putting a Rotom in Pokégear, but his granduncle had advised against that.

With Leo's help, Alex was able to track down, one by one, the various starter Pokémon he'd wanted. They tended to be pretty powerful, if trained correctly, but having now trained six Pokémon, he understood it would take time to level them all up. His Chikorita, he found laying on his head after walking rather far with Leo, initially finding nothing, and then taking a short toke and nap. He figured she'd been drawn by the smell of the Leaf he had with him. He asked if she wanted to come with him, and after she happily replied and nuzzled him, he booped her snoot with the Ultra Ball, and called her Meg. He explained where he was going to send her after training her up against the numerous Patrat in the forest, and while disappointed, she had understood he could only have so many Pokémon with him at once. For now.

Leo had found his Chespin, zapping him with a timely Thunder Wave as the quick grass hedgehog scurried by them. Alex called him Invictus, after giving him a Cheri Berry and going through nicknames. He seemed ambivalent towards going on the ranch, but eager to train. He was patient though, and could wait for his time. His Torchic actually found him, and he'd had to dodge through the trees with it Pecking at him rather fiercely. They had Torchic on the ranch, but those were more trained to become Combusken, and lay eggs. They had no desire to train and become a Blaziken, when food was so plentiful. Upon hearing what the Torchic at the ranch were like, the newly named Garuda seemed eager to go there.

He'd snagged a Treecko, Arbor, and his Totodile, Chomper, with similar Thunder Wave and curve-ball throwing technique. Arbor seemed content to wait on the ranch, but Chomper was spastic, and reluctant to leave his Trainer. Alex spent almost an entire day battling with him in the forest, by the end of which, he became a Croconaw. At that point, he seemed content to live on the ranch, and as there was a lake nearby, he would be just fine. Evolution had also cooled his tendency to randomly bite. He also caught a Starly and a Rowlet, who he dubbed Caero and Coryn, respectively. That one had been a rarely attempted and even more rarely successful double catch, but the two seemed content with their new Trainer, and upon hearing about his Gruncle's Noctowl, Coryn was eager to go visit the ranch.

He also had a list from his younger cousins, who he had conspired with just before leaving on his journey. Their parents restricted them to one partner, but if Alex just happened to catch one they wanted, and by total coincidence it bonded with them as they took care of it every day while giving it a break from the PC storage in the Redwood Lab, what cold-hearted parent could deny a bond between child and Pokémon? While Alex's parents had certainly had issues with Pokémon, seeing them as little more than tools, his relatives had always been sympathetic to his plight, but ultimately unwilling to risk the roof over their family's heads, and lack of rent, to give him a Pokémon. Alex had a feeling their own children having more wouldn't be too much of an issue. They were older now anyways, and he sympathized with their losing streaks. Most kids wised up and gained full teams early on, if they intended to go on a journey, or be a serious Trainer. That made victory over people with one partner much easier. Usually.

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He had Ultra Balls, so the going was easy, the hardest part was navigating the ever-changing maze of a forest, but Leo's eyes saw through whatever illusions were clouding Alex's eyes, and was able to find the path again, and from there Jess was easily spotted. She mainly stuck to the path, with her tendency to get lost, but her little Mareep, Amphi, was also getting some decent training on all the first form flying and normal type opponents. He'd also found an entire nest of Eevee, and after capturing their eldest brother, who he'd named Espeo, convinced the rest to come along in balls of their choosing. He'd described a good place on his farm they could reside, and in time, he would make them strong. They'd each agreed, after he convinced them that he did indeed know how to make each of them into the form they desired. He used the fire, thunder, water, ice, and leaf stones first, giving those Eevee who were willing a chance to start adapting to their bodies posthaste.

The others would change with time, and friendship, and he intended to carry his future Umbreon and Espeon around for a bit as they traveled Unova's Trainer-rich roads. Those two had agreed to protect his home, from whatever threatened it while the others in their family were free to live in peace on their land. His father had been reluctant to train guard Pokémon for their ranch, and had instead left it to the Arcanine belonging to Jessica's father. He was getting older though, and while it was sad, defending the herds had to fall to a new generation.

He had enough stones for every eeveelution but Sylveon. Jess wasn't idle either, as she'd caught the remaining Eevee he was missing, a lone runt from a different litter, and agreed Sylvi was destined to be a Sylveon, if she had her way. Ultimately though, they agreed to let the Eevee pick their own forms. Alex's only caveat was that none of them became identical, which was apparently fine by them.

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Jess continued to train her new Flaaffy, alongside Alex's Marshtomp against what Trainers they met on the road to Black City. Once they were strong enough and Alex had satisfied his catching spree, they decided to move on to Black City itself. Home to TMs of every kind, rare Pokémon trading, specific battle types, and a bunch of other modern Trainer items that while hard to find, Alex didn't care for. His main focus was to find the hard-to-craft TMs that never ran out of uses, for moves typically deemed too powerful to simply sell in a PokéMart.

They even sold mass-produced Rare Candies, though the only place to get them was from street dealers, who would rob you just as soon as they'd sell to you. They were very much the out-of-place rich kids in a city full of criminal elements.

He had one goal for Black City; get his TMs and Get Out, as the White Forest was typically considered safer than the city. In response to so many criminals residing in the central area of the region, many strong Trainers had come to the White Forest, to make sure the criminals stayed put.

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Over time, they had decided to make the forest their home, and had even made the White Forest grow somehow, to be a thousand times larger than it had been in the past.

Now, it was common sense for Trainers to avoid it, lest they lose themselves to chasing imaginary rare Pokémon. To help with that, the forest Trainers provided flight training for flying types at both ends of the forest, so Trainers could simply fly over it if they wanted. The one they had passed on their way in had claimed Blaze was well on his way to handling a large Trainer as a rider, and even both of the humans at once. With time, he'd grow larger, and it wouldn't be an issue, or so the flight master had claimed after battling him.

As bad as the city was however, the people who lived in the forest had become the kindest on the continent, and had managed to, allegedly, cure the team member's grunts, who came to them to rid themselves of their desire to do violence. Most grunts managed to find redemption, peace, and were allowed to rejoin Unovan society after an evaluation from the Trainers in the White Forest. They also directed Trainers who dared to chase the forest's Pokémon and became lost to the exit of the forest, but there were too few of these strange, nature-loving folks to help every Trainer who got lost.

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To call Black City creepy was an understatement. It was definitely a 'counter-culture' type of place, given the lack of dedicated law enforcement on the streets of the city itself. Alex and Jess were almost immediately set upon by the locals, and the two Trainers battled at least ten such thugs before Alex finally unleashed Terra, hopped on his back with Jess, and stomped off. None of them dared to test their Zubat and Woobat against a beast like that, especially once he'd mega evolved.

The Pokémon Center at least, seemed like a haven of sanity in a prison city, but the local nurse looked tired. She was different from most of the Joys that Alex had met thus far, as her hair was black, she had a spiky neck choker that was definitely not part of the League's uniform, and she'd painted her nails to match her hair. She perked up when she saw the two Trainers enter however, glad to see a pair of comparatively normal people, instead of the usual punks who hit on her constantly.

She had a black dyed uniform on, and make-up that probably wasn't approved by the League either, but she was genuinely cool, as she'd been mid bong-rip when they'd entered to the familiar dank stank of the grass Trainer's favorite herb. She demonstrated that not all in the city were bad. Just most. Despite the criminal element, it seemed some regular non-sentenced citizens lived here too, presumably so they could hide from society. The couple convinced 'Cool Joy' to join them for another bowl of the Leaf, before going to bed.

At her advising, they spent the night in the room with Hydrus blocking the door with his weight, and Leo watching the window with his sharp eyes. Their room was almost broken into twice, but both times the would-be robbers ran away with searing electrical burns, and a bite mark. Leo was very protective, and while he was silent, the yelping locals were not. Eventually the local scum seemed to understand that their room was inhabited by powerful Pokémon. From the noise outside their room, it seemed they'd simply moved on to other people trying to rest.

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The rest of the trip to Nimbasa City was spent much the way their last time on the road had been. Alex had managed to find weights that Jess had sewn into vests for their teams during his re-supply. It was convenient, as Black City had almost anything a Trainer could want, but no massive crowds to slow him down. Just the occasional biker thug who thought a Koffing and a Stunky had any kind of chance against his team. They'd stocked up on training weight items before leaving the city, and heading for Nimbasa.

They were challenged to battle, of course, and Alex let Hydrus, Arthur, even Shruikan battle on their own against the less experienced Trainers they came across, mostly school kids from Nimbasa, enjoying the summer sun on the route outside their city. The only aid Alex gave them was, "Use what Moves you think I would tell you to use, and you'll win. Be clever, and above all, stay in control." He'd glared at Shruikan after that until the dragon averted his gaze.

He'd been embarrassed by his rage in Undella Town, but had since calmed down. He and Arthur had gone around Black City, fighting double battles together, and had repaired their budding friendship, to a degree. They would always be rivals, a knight against a dragon, but even they admitted that together, they were hard to beat. Alex imagined that once Shruikan had wings, they'd be even more powerful.

The training vests had paid off, though they'd made every Pokémon but Terra pause at first with the added weight, eventually, each of them became used to it thanks to the constant training on the road. They also became more used to taking initial attacks, and then following up with a super effective counter that, more often than not, took whatever they were facing down in one shot. Alex had a tendency to change his partners based on typing, though he didn't always go for an advantage. Blaze could've burned through every Scolipede or Leavanny they faced, but Hydrus got better experience from them than Blaze would, at his current level. They sacrificed progress for training time, but eventually, they reached Nimbasa City. The whole trip through both sides of the forest had taken a fortnight, and the trip down the route to Nimbasa took another three days, thanks to their constant training.

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Nimbasa, New Tork City - Unova Region

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Alex had planned to skip Nimbasa's Gym and hit it when they came through New Tork City again, but fate had other plans. Elesa happened to be at the Pokémon Center when they arrived, and though Alex was unremarkable to the aged model's eyes, Jess drew looks wherever she went. Alex washed and fed his team, while Elesa approached the redhead. Alex heard a vague mention about clothes, or something fashion related, but he paid the older woman no mind. Her aged face wasn't what he was expecting from Nimbasa's Gym Leader, and thus, he did not recognize her at first, familiar as he was with images of her younger self.

Jess had no such problems, as she kept up with the fashion world, but Alex was more focused on feeding his team, and eating with them, than the conversation the two were having. Once he was done eating, Leo climbed into his Trainer's lap, and demanded belly scritches. Alex obliged him, leaning back, eyes closed, as he felt the electric cat's energy flow up his arm, and make his hair stand on end as he purred.

"Such a tingle...you can even feel it in the air. That Luxray of yours is something else...and those colors...I've always liked black and yellow." Alex opened an eye to see the old woman Jess had been chatting with had approached him. She was in black and yellow again, and that throwback along with a proper look at her helped him recognize Elesa. The redhead was in tow behind her, smirking, as she saw Alex's hair.

Alex and Leo both opened one eye, and then the other as they saw she intended to chat. Leo stretched, slid off him, and then sniffed Elesa. The thunder cat purred against the older woman, who smelled too much like Zebstrika for his tastes. Alex met her gaze as he said, "I bet you have...Leader Elesa."

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Alex's team twitched their hearing appendages as he spoke, and each of them eyed the woman, as she continued speaking. "Your girlfriend here was just telling me you were planning to skip my Gym. What's the matter, Trainer? Not confident in your skills?"

Alex shrugged. "I wanted to start in Striaton, like the twins did. As we are now, my team might win against yours, but I'd be more confident after earning a few more Badges."

Elesa chuckled behind her hand, as she held it before her mouth. "I see. You know, once I heard your name, I remembered all the buzz around you lately. I've met your granduncle, you know. Beating Marlon, getting lost on and surviving Draconis Mons, they say you're a Trainer in the same vein as the Champions, but...I don't know." She looked him over then with nothing but pure, undiluted condescension. "I expected...more...after all the hype." Alex kept his face passive, save for a slight eye twitch, as the woman turned away just as suddenly as she'd walked over. "If you decide you do have the skill to challenge me, I'll be waiting in my Gym." Elesa strode out of the Pokémon Center with a knowing smirk, convinced she'd successfully stoked the fire in the younger Redwood's eyes.

Jess watched her go, still smiling. Hearing you had good fashion sense from one of the greatest models alive left a girl in a good mood, though as she looked at Alex, the good mood lessened, as she knew her Castelia City shopping spree was going to be put on hold. Again. "I take it we're not leaving Nimbasa, then?"

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Alex's eyes were on fire, and so were his team's. He stood, once Elesa left the building, and met Jess's gaze evenly. He raised a hand before him, and it clenched into a fist as he spoke. "I'm going to bury her. And her team." He turned slightly towards his team then, "Hydrus!" The mudfish dumped the rest of his bowl of food into his maw, and stood, giving his Trainer the best salute he could manage, with ungainly fins. There was a mad gleam in his Trainer's eye, as he spoke. "It is time you learned, little fish. Terra! You're with us! The rest of you, basic exercises until we return. Arthur, Blaze, you're in charge."

The Gallade and the Charizard shared a look, nodded, and then went back to eating. Shruikan was also still mid-meal, and Leo had begun a tongue bath that he had no intention of stopping until it was finished. Alex left as Jess retrieved her own healed team, and began feeding them. He led the pair of partially ground typed Pokémon to a large clearing, and after Terra told the local Pokémon to evacuate, he took his place on a small incline just above the grassy field.

"I know you've seen him use Earthquake before, but the time has come for you to learn this Move as well, Hydrus. You have a natural tie to the Ground Typing, and frankly, your Mud Shot is much stronger than your Water Pulse at the moment. This is good though, Ground Type Moves are going to be key to beating this Gym." The mudfish nodded along as Alex spoke, and then fixed his eyes on Terra. "Watch how he uses his weight. All of his weight."

Terra crouched low then, before his powerfully muscled legs surged upwards, managing to lift even his titanic bulk off the ground momentarily. At the height of his lift, Terra shifted his weight down, purposefully, and hammered the hillside with his ground energy infused legs. The clearing before them shattered, as the entire area shook, and was turned into a roiling mass of chunks of earth. Alex blinked in surprise as the scope of the damage exceeded his expectations. Several young trees fell, and the grass was properly ruined. Alex glanced at his starter Pokémon as Terra lumbered back down the slight incline. "Well done, Terra...you are getting...seriously good with that Move."

The grass turtle snorted hot air at his Trainer's face. "Terra."

Alex turned to Hydrus, then. "First, you must learn to fix that which has been Earthquaked. From there, we can move on to the Move itself. Take your place, Hydrus." The mudfish did as ordered, and climbed the slight incline. He wasn't worried about reforming the land, as Marshtomp and Swampert were capable of molding the ground to be ideal for raising Mudkips. Despite their name, the adaptable mudfish could make nests on beaches, water-filled caverns within mountains, and of course, in swamps, which was where their genus originated.

Much like Charizard, they had become popular in recent years as well, and the result was a surge in their number in the wild, across the world. Scientists had, after discovering Swampert did indeed nest in more than just swamps, begun studying how human popularity trends affected Pokémon populations in the wild. Lapras, was also a good example, though some people in and around Japan still hunted them, as they always had.

Applying this new skill to the earth was a bit tricky, but in a few minutes, Hydrus had the area looking somewhat restored, even if the grass would take time to recover.

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"Now, while the Ground Energy is in your fins, let it build up, raise them as high as you can, and then bring them down hard. It takes a lot of force to break the earth. Don't hold back." Alex said, as he watched from his perch on Terra's shell.

"Marshtomp." Hydrus said, as he started raising his fins. The training weights still covering him, along with the ground energy itself, were rather hard to lift, but he did manage to get them above his head. At the height of his lift, he let gravity drag them back down, and the ground rumbled slightly as they hit. A single rock rolled down the hill from where Hydrus stood. Without a word from his Trainer, he tried again, and twenty minutes later, he had managed to replicate the move. Another twenty, and he had learned how to guide the shattered earth so that it dealt damage to whatever was unlucky enough to be caught in his Earthquake. He wasn't as proficient as Terra was yet, but he had it down well enough to use in a battle.

Alex gave the pair some regular Elixirs before they headed back into the city. They returned to the Pokémon Center to find that Jess had already gotten them a room. Alex's team was lounging around within, chatting with the girls, napping, or just babbling about things their Trainers could only guess at. Terra returned to his ball, thanks to his size, but Hydrus joined the others, and it seemed they congratulated him when he evidently told them he'd learned a new move. For his part, Alex joined Jess on the balcony, as their room was on an upper floor of the Pokémon Center.

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Jess had bigger meals brought up for them, and they were still warm as he joined her. They largely ignored the barely contained chaos within their room as they ate, and made full use of the balcony's railing and his large, muffling hands for several hours. By the time the humans came back in, most of their teams were sleeping, and they soon did the same, cuddling up on either side of Leo as they went to bed, and his natural electricity kept them warm.

The next day, Alex and Jess were at the Nimbasa Gym rather early, and Jess went to join the crowd of screaming Elesa fans while the Gym Challenger took his place on the catwalk. Three lovely models waited for him, and behind them, was Elesa. He made short work of her warm-up Trainers, between Hydrus's Mud Shot, and Rock Slide for the annoying Emolga the model's used. Many tried basing their teams on what Elesa had, but after watching several of her past Gym Battles, he knew they were no comparison.

He could tell which of the models were more focused on fashion than Pokémon, and as Hydrus brought down the last Blitzle, he cried out through the boos of the crowd, and his fins smacked his chest in victory. Alex healed and revitalized him with a Max Elixir, as they finally reached Elesa.

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The crowd had several mixed ages, but the vast majority were tweenagers, prepubescent fangirls whose high pitched keening would've gotten to Alex on any other day. After Elesa had thrown down the gauntlet however, he was focused, and so was his team. When a Gym Leader challenged a Trainer, it was typically a big deal, to other Trainers. To Elesa fans, it had made many wonder who exactly the awkwardly dressed large framed man even was. After seeing him thrash the other models though, a few in the crowd understood that at the very least, Elesa was in for a rough match. The majority however, had blind faith in an Elesa victory. Alex tried finding Jess several times, but the poorly lit sea of faces did not yield the one he was hopelessly infatuated with, which was, he decided, for the best. He knew she was out there, he could feel her eyes on him, but staying focused for this match was a good idea.

"Hydrus...wait. I'm removing these, for this match." Alex walked up to his partner, and took away an item, leaving him with only a small, shiny egg tied around his neck. The Marshtomp grinned, hid it away, and crouched as he faced down the Gym Leader. As she drew a Pokéball, Alex held up a finger, and didn't even try shouting over the crowd. He instead produced Marlon's Elite Wave Badge, and the Gym Leader nodded in understanding. She snapped her fingers then, and the catwalk began to shudder. The crowd around it moved back, as if they knew what came next, and in moment, the shifting platform had revealed a standard Gym battling field hidden beneath it. There was a PC next to Elesa's Trainer box, and Alex let her retrieve whoever she liked. Hydrus's eyes never left her, that is, until she threw the first ball, which as expected, was an Emolga.

The referee, a fellow model, shouted and had her voice enhanced by technology. "This match is part of the Victory League's latest Elite Challenge! Both Trainers may use up to six Pokémon. There will be no item usage, and only the Challenger may substitute. Let the match...begin!"

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Elesa opened the match with her standard Attract and Aerial Ace combination, but the mudfish dodged the strange pink floating heart, and the following Aerial Ace might as well have been Tackle for all the damage it did against a ground type. Alex called the counter move quickly, an Ice Beam, and Hydrus turned swiftly on the field, tracking the Emolga with both eyes and fins before firing his icy projectile, and nailing the Emolga with a critical hit. It crashed to the field encased in ice, and fainted. The ref called the round for Alex, and Hydrus beat his chest again, before dropping into the same ready crouch. Elesa nodded, as if her Emolga had been meant to test just how strong the Marshtomp was, and then drew her next ball.

With his weights off, Hydrus appeared to be much faster than a Marshtomp should've been. No doubt the illusion of speed would spawn another ridiculous rumor, but this one he had on video, as Elesa had a habit of recording all her Gym Battles. Showing N and the other Champion's matches with her from back in the day, was always amusing. Hilbert and his Serperior, Caesar, had not liked the pair of Emolga she used on them, and even Hilda had struggled, though when she came back with a Flame Charging Emboar, the flying electric squirrels hadn't lasted long.

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Elesa's next choice was her Zebstrika, and though Alex knew it was powerful, he also knew Hydrus was well equipped to take it down. "Flame Charge!" She shouted, opening as she usually did, relying on the speed her Pokémon would gain after enough uses of a move that did little against a water and ground type.

"Water Pulse!" Alex countered, as Hydrus doused the flames, and the electric zebra's building speed, as the dense water projectile hit one of his legs, and sent him tumbling. To the Zebstrika's credit, he was up again quickly, and still ready to go. This time though, the challengers took the initiative. "Don't give it a flat surface! Earthquake!"

Hydrus grinned, and with surprising ease, his ground energy suffused fins rose easily, and rapidly over his head without the weights restraining him. He brought his fins down hard on the field, and the entire building rumbled, as it became a sea of rolling boulders and crushing earth. "We're not done yet!" Elesa shouted, once the shaking fell off, "Get close with Flame Charge, and then Double Kick!"

"Get ready to dodge, Hydrus, then hammer it with Mud Shot!" Alex said, and the mudfish nodded confidently, as the electric zebra smashed through the rubble of the field, flames burning as he came close. He dashed past Hydrus, and then, the Double Kick came. Hydrus bobbed around one hoof, weaved past the other, and then raised his fins above his head. A dense sphere of ground typed energy formed between them, and he brought it down, hard, on the Zebstrika, leaping back once he landed the move. The ref came over to look and clear away the dust, and then called the match. More boos came from the tweenagers, but all of them, even Elesa, paused as the mudfish began to glow bright white. He cried out triumphantly, beat his chest again, and then held still as he ascended to his adult form.

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The largely as yet undamaged Swampert slammed his fists down on the field and roared at Elesa, as she watched, and kept her expression neutral. Her eyes gave her away though, and Alex could tell she understood what was going to happen next. His Swampert was bigger, bluer, bulkier, and perfectly typed for this Gym. He'd tossed around most of her team, and the other model's partners, without taking much damage at all. Alex wondered what she had left, that kept her confident. She smirked and threw another ball, "Ampharos! Use Signal Beam!"

"Ice Beam!" Alex countered, as the shorn electric sheep appeared in a flash, and fired off a beam of bug typed energy towards his Swampert. Effortlessly, Hydrus matched the bug beam, and type advantage canceled out the move, keeping him fresh for more. Alex continued after that, shouting even as Elesa opened her mouth. "Earthquake!"

Once more, the building shook, once more, one of Elesa's partners was caught in the roiling sea of ground typed damage, and once more, she emerged battered, but still conscious and willing to battle. Alex let the Ampharos crawl free, and have its attack, which Elesa was eager to call. "Confuse Ray!" The weakened Ampharos lowered its head, and from its raised tail came another beam of sorts. As it hit Hydrus, the mudfish shook his head, trying to clear his senses, but it was clear he was confused.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

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Alex nodded, as Elesa's strategy bought her time, but only delayed that which was inevitable. "Hydrus!" The mudfish straightened as he heard Alex's voice. "Use Mud Shot! Trust your fins, not your eyes." The Swampert nodded, closed his eyes, and then twitched his head fins, as he homed in on his target.

Elesa didn't wait for him, though. "Ampharos, Cotton Guard!" Wool erupted around the formerly shorn electric sheep from seemingly nowhere, as white as a Flaaffy's and looking just as comfortable. Unfortunately for the Ampharos, it was not enough to stop the heavy, condensed ball of ground energy that came hurtling her way, and sent her sailing into the wall behind Elesa, just under her massive electronic screen showing their battle as it unfolded, for those in the crowd who couldn't get close. After an Earthquake, this combined damage from a Mud Shot and a concrete wall left the Ampharos fainted, and the Swampert still largely untouched. Hydrus began pounding the field rhythmically, and the shattered rocky terrain reformed, as they waited for the Gym Leader's last Pokémon.

For their part, the crowd seemed to know what came next, and were almost frothing at the mouth in their excitement as they screeched Elesa's name, and called for Alex to get crushed by whatever she had left. Alex had a good idea of what it was, as he'd done his homework the night before, but he expected the worst case scenario. Elesa was universally considered a tough Gym Leader, tougher than Burgh or Clay, even though they were also serious Trainers, and had been training as long as Elesa. She usually handled ground types better with her Emolga, but Hydrus had proved that a flying electric squirrel was not going to be enough to stop this Trainer.

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Elesa seemed as refined and cool as she ever had, as she held her last ball. "The time has come. Elektross, take the stage!" With an ungodly shriek, the Gym Leader's former Tynamo in its final form took the field. As the shriek overpowered the crowd, they silenced, for about half a second, before the cheers and fangirlish screaming resumed tenfold.

The challengers stayed focused, as Alex expected Elesa's secret weapon knew exactly the right kind of move for Hydrus's type combination. "This is going to sting, Hydrus, but I'll try to keep the Grass Moves from hitting."

The Swampert snorted, unfazed by the idea of pain from grass type moves, even with a quadrupled weakness. "Elektross!" Elesa said, starting the round, "Use Giga Drain!" Alex grimaced, as the worst was confirmed, and countered in the same moment. "Protect, Hydrus! Charge it while you block!"

The grass energy radiating from the Elektross' patterns on its palms didn't touch Hydrus, as he stomped forward, arms crossed, and protected himself. The Move's barrier was surprisingly heavy, even for a Swampert's super-strength, and he wasn't as close as Alex wanted by the time the energy faded. It would have to be enough. "Now, Hydro Cannon!"

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The Elektross dodged as Elesa told it to, by forming a circle in the air, but the levitating electric eel soon realized a Hydro Cannon was more than wide enough to smash into it, and send it hurtling back into the part of the wall as yet unsmashed. A mirror crater to the Zebstrika's appeared, and after taking a water flavored Hyper Beam to the face, and a concrete wall impact, the Elektross was slow to rise. Hydrus panted heavily after the move, and Elesa tried to even the scales.

Or she would have, if Alex hadn't called their next move first. "Get in close again! Hammer it with Mud Shot!"

Elesa smirked, confident their ground move would miss. "Giga Drain!" Grass energy leeched strength from Hydrus as he charged the Elektross too slowly for Alex's tastes, but he had enough stamina to survive the hit. He would not stay conscious through another, but Alex didn't intend to give Elesa another. As the Giga Drain ended, Hydrus loomed over the Elektross, and then leapt up to its height, where it floated in the air. Both powerful arms brought the condensed ground typed energy down, and the following cloud of dust obscured the victor. That is, until Hydrus hopped backwards out of the cloud, and beat his chest twice, while he roared his name. He then nodded at the ref, and she came forward to inspect Hydrus' handiwork once more.

"Elektross is unable to battle! The Challenger from Derrion Town wins!" Hydrus gave the referee a lick then, as he celebrated the win, and she tried not to visibly recoil from the slime. "Yes yes...well done...thank you..." She walked quickly off the stage then, and Alex did not see her return.

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He gave Hydrus a Max Elixir and Potion before they approached Elesa, who had done something similar with her Elektross. In short order, the electric eel was levitating again, and the Gym Leader's partner eyed the pair of challengers with the same look his Trainer had. One of hard won, but mutual respect. "Well done, Challenger. I can see why Marlon lost, if that Torterra is anything like your Swampert."

Alex nonchalantly slid his thumb across his nose, as it itched. "Terra was my first, actually. He's stronger. But this one is catching up fast." He grinned, as he patted his slick Swampert, and the mudfish stood a little straighter.

"It seems Professor Redwood's grandnephew is as good at hustling me as he is. You were more than ready for me and my Gym. The Elite Bolt Badge is yours. I know you mentioned Striaton yesterday, but I confirmed today that the Triple Threat has retired, to go pursue their own ambitions in their golden years." Alex might've imagined it, but he sensed what might've been envy in Elesa's tone. Judging by the crowd of fans, some older, most younger, he knew why she couldn't leave. Nimbasa loved Elesa as much as Castelia loved Burgh. New Tork's Gym Leaders had been in their positions for years, and had defended Unova on several occasions alongside the other Gym Leaders, and even the Champions. They were every bit as much Heroes as Hilbert and N were. "Burgh and Clay know that you're coming. I look forward to seeing how high you rise, Redwood. The Champion has been searching for someone who can topple this challenge for a long time. Don't get complacent, and you will have a very good shot at the title."

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Alex bowed, thanked Elesa for the information and advice, and then made his way to the exit of the Gym, where the models he had thrashed were chatting with his better half. His eyes slid passively over the other three women, and resumed burning once they fell on Jess. "I owe you a shopping trip, I think. We've been training a lot on this journey."

"We have." Jess said, matter-of-factly, as she took his oversized hand in one of hers, and dragged him from the gym. "We're going to hit the Join Boulevard first, and then, the finest shops in Castelia!" She looked over his clothes again, with a slight frown. He made them work, but the lack of synergy between the black and white hat styled after Champion N's, his spare, as the green and brown one was still quite dirty, and the deep green and brown jacket along with the longer Unova styled black pants didn't quite fit together. "We'll need to do something about your clothes, too mister."

Alex groaned. "My clothes are fine. They fit, and they cover the naughty bits. I don't need new ones."

"Nonsense!" Jess said, as she led him back towards the center of Nimbasa, and its Pokémon Center. "If you're going to be a serious Trainer, you need to not look like you dressed yourself for your journey."

"But I did dress myself for my journey..." Alex muttered, but Jess was already focused on what was ahead. The terminal that led to the Join Boulevard, an entirely indoor and massive connecting tunnel that brought the two boroughs of New Tork's southern and center parts together. The houses that had lined the route had eventually fused with the ever-growing Join Avenue, and the result was the shop-filled tunnel that was crowded with people of all nationalities, and the Pokémon to go with them. If one wanted to see just how diverse New Tork City was, the Join Boulevard was the best place to take in the multiple cultures that had come to call the ancient capital of the Dragon Empire their home.

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As he and Jess left Nimbasa and began traveling down the Join Boulevard, it took him a minute to realize they were getting looks, as it seemed quite a few eyes had seen Elesa's latest match. They tended to get stares wherever they went thanks to Jess. If he was honest, he'd won half of his random road battles thanks to them being distracted by Jessica's looks. That applied to both sexes. As they walked further down the absurdly large metropolitan tunnel leading to Castelia, packed to the brim with shops for literally everything, the going was slow. The sheer volume of people made it hard to move, and with one half of the tunnel flowing towards Nimbasa, while the other went towards Castelia, stopping off at the shops was tricky. For someone with a smaller build. Alex despised crowds, but this time, he was being used like an icebreaker ship by Jess, who hid behind the absurd tallness as she stopped at many, many stalls.

Like most women, his was not immune to the lure of shopping, and given that she'd coaxed a certain black piece of plastic from her father, her spending was wild. Naturally, Alex ended up shoving half of it into his bag. It was bigger on the inside, a 'secret Redwood tech trick' as his Gruncle had called it, but even it had a limit. He didn't mind the extra weight, though. She'd resisted her womanly impulses in Mall Town so he could focus on finding his Shinx, and had trained hard with him, almost every day, on their way down here. The least he could do now was carry her stuff.

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The Join Boulevard had once been a small passage on the long road from Nimbasa to Castelia, but after years of support from Unova's many Champions, it had grown massive. The twins, Hilbert and Hilda, along with Nate and Rosa, all had entire sections of the avenue devoted to merchandise they specifically supported. As popular as they were though, Champion N had the largest booth, from black and white hats not dissimilar to Alex's, to replicas of the wrist bangles he still wore to this day, they had any N themed merch an N fan could ever want.

All along the Join Boulevard, Alex and Jess were challenged regularly by Trainers with actual teams, not just six Magikarp in a row. The experience was tough on their less experienced members, but no tougher than training with their weight vests had been on the road to Nimbasa. Every few stalls, there was a room that split off, went underground, and led to a Pokémon battlefield. The Trainers who recognized Alex, most of them female and most from Nimbasa, all found out why Elesa had fallen, though it was largely Arthur and Blaze who participated in these grudge matches from fans who sought justice for the thrashing he'd given their idol. Shruikan hopped in against the occasional dragon type they brought out, thinking that would be enough to crush his team. After the sixth such battle, Blaze wanted to remove the weights, so he could fly, and upon seeing how strong his wings had become over the past few weeks, Alex wondered if his fire lizard wasn't already strong enough for a proper Pokémon/Trainer flight.

Keeping the vests on too long could end up weakening his team in the long term. There was a limit to how high one could boost one's Pokémon partner through weight training, but both Alex and Jess had agreed to balance the training with rest, and Unova had no shortage of luxury available for those willing to spend. They had eventually been forced to rest in one of the motels along the boulevard after a long day of battling, shopping, and eating. Jess had a win streak going as well, though she hadn't wanted to face Elesa quite yet. Her team was still coming together, and she didn't have the benefit of a water and ground type like Alex had.

She too had purchased TMs in Black City, and now her team was rapidly becoming a challenge to his. They didn't battle however, not officially, as each of their teams considered the other a part of their road-bound family by now. Battling them seriously was just unthinkable, to most of them. They would spar and practice moves, of course, but an actual battle simply never occurred.

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After a few more hours the next day spent battling genuine Trainers on the massive Join Boulevard, they reached Castelia City, a borough of New Tork City that never slept. Alex was eager to challenge the local Gym Leader that very night.

He was stopped however, right in front of the Castelia Gym, by an aide from the Poké News Network. John Crimson apparently wanted an interview that night, and Alex agreed, saying, "Right after I beat Burgh."

The aide mumbled something about make-up and checked his watch constantly. He'd been told to collect Alex within two hours by John Crimson himself, but Alex was already inside the Gym.

He and his team knew the drill by now with the warm up Trainers, and he had Hydrus get used to using his Ice Beam on rather fast bug types. It made Hydrus stronger, too. He'd been battling a lot lately, to try and bridge the gap between Terra, Blaze, and the rest of his team. They all needed to be that strong if they were going to take on the Victory Plateau. For the battle with Burgh himself though, Alex's choice was different.

Blaze had begun to get twitchy, and while Alex knew Hydrus needed to train, his Charizard needed to battle strong opponents, and he could also do with more experience. The first few match ups went as expected, as Blaze Flamethowered his way through Burgh's openers. Then, he was left with three balls, and Blaze had yet to be touched.

"Alright now Scizor, give us a happy little Battle! Do your best!" Burgh said, as he summoned the crimson bug type. With a quadruple weakness to fire, and a match against a living Flamethrower, Alex knew all the encouragement in the world wouldn't help. Seeing his Challenger was confident still, Burgh smirked. "Let's...take things up a notch. I can tell you enjoy Battling, Challenger! We'll come at you with all we have! Scizor! Ascend!" Burgh raised what looked like a light green version of Alex's own fire crystal, ready to go in his pocket, if Blaze needed it. A cocoon of light green energy surrounded both Burgh and Scizor, and when it faded, a Mega Scizor stood ready to go.

As his Charizard's tail flames shifted to blue, Alex's fire crystal responded on its own, as Blaze drew from it, and the two Pokémon ascended to their Mega Forms at the same time. Burgh spoke again, then. "You've started a bit of a trend, my friend. I'm not the only Gym Leader to figure out how to use these. I always knew they were special. All it took to wake this one up was a little bit of Light. Now, let's get down to business! My Scizor is quite the technician, as you will see! Wing Attack!"

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"Dodge, and Heat Wave!" The Mega Charizard outmaneuvered the slower steel and bug type, as it surrounded itself with flying energy, and sought to hit Blaze. He dodged gracefully, with his weights off and Alex was impressed at how far he'd come from flapping around like a Noibat under Draconis Mons. Suddenly, the temperature in the room Burgh held his battles increased in temperature, and the Scizor slowed, then lost its Mega Form and dropped to the floor. Blaze remained unaffected, but his Trainer, Burgh, and Burgh's paintings, all suffered from the combination of Drought and Heat Wave.

"That's alright, Scizor. It is a Charizard after all. Next, comes my Scolipede! Show this Charizard that we're not the only ones with a quadruple weakness! Rock Slide!"

Alex mentally kept track of what moves he'd used, as Blaze knew more than four, but he generally stuck to four in battle. He'd expected rocks to get involved at some point, and thus, he used their shield. "Block with Steel Wing! Then Heat Wave!"

The Charizard made a wing tent that turned deep silver-gray as the Rock Slide came down on him, and while he did take damage, he took about as much as a steel type would, against rocks. Then, the wings unfurled, and a new wave of heat turned the studio battlefield into an oven once more. The Scolipede tanked the heat, but Alex could see one more hit would end this round, and he needed Blaze for Burgh's ace.

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"Scolipede! Dodge their next assault with Rollout!" Burgh said, staying as calm and good natured as he'd been since Alex had come in.

"Blaze, barrage it with Air Slash until it's down." The Charizard nodded, flapping into the air above the ground-bound Rollout as he began aiming, and firing, Air Slashes at the Scolipede. The massive form of the high speed rolling bug trying to dodge sent the studio into chaos, but if Burgh minded, he didn't mention it. If anything he seemed to be reveling in the chaos a little bit. Alex didn't see his eyes fall on his tilted easel, but titled as it was, and from what it was made of, he knew his Scolipede could use it. He'd need a new easel, as Scolipede weighed a few tons, but the chance to win the battle was worth it.

"Use my easel as a ramp! Smash that Charizard with Rollout in the air!" Burgh grinned, knowing his Scolipede had been building up power over time. Now, was the moment to unleash it. The heavy rolling bug winced as his spiky balled up form ruined the canvas Burgh had been working on, and though the easel bent, the blend of metal and modern crafting techniques were just enough to give the Pokémon the air it needed to do as its Trainer asked. Blaze never even saw it coming, though instead of a direct hit, the Scolipede got a wing, and then went sailing towards the String Shot covered upper portion of the battle studio. It hung there, struggling to get free, but only becoming more entangled as it moved. It gave a mournful cry as Blaze landed, and then aimed his maw at the Scolipede.

"Trying to hit a flying type with Rollout was a mistake. Flamethrower!" Alex said, eager to finish the round, but Burgh wasn't done yet.

"We don't make mistakes. We have happy accidents! Spin around in the webs Scolipede!" The bug type did so, and as the flames washed over it, it took damage, but not enough to make it faint. "Good, now cut yourself free with Steamroller, then use Toxic!"

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Alex's eyes widened, as poison was the last thing he needed, and these matches didn't allow item usage. "Dodge high and use Heat Wave!" Purple sludge melted the floor where Blaze had been standing, and though his flight pattern was wobbly, the Charizard managed to stay in the air long enough to exhale, and for a third time turn the room into an oppressively hot cauldron of Battle.

Burgh was sweating as hard as Alex, and he winced, as his Scolipede finally went down. "You were amazing, my friend. Get some rest." The Gym Leader paused then, and glanced around his studio as the heat faded. After three bouts of it though, he new there would be little to salvage from his paints, and he easel had been thoroughly crushed. "I had a feeling we were gonna get wild, when you walked in. You have the same passion for Battle that the Champions did, when they came on through. Tell me Alex, does battling make you happy? Or is this just a hobby?"

"I spent most of my childhood and teen years doing a hobby. I thought I was going to be doing it for the rest of my life. Then, finally, I got a Pokémon, and now I'm here, in the biggest city in the free world, battling a legend like Burgh Ross. I could do this for the rest of my life." Blaze took the moment to recover his breath as well, as his wing was still folded. He roared in agreement at his Trainer's words though, still ready to Battle.

"That great! Battles against people who love training are some of the best...why don't you go ahead and heal up your Charizard there? That wing looks a bit...bent." Burgh replied, concern clear on his face.

Alex blinked, and Blaze glanced at him, and then the referee. "Is...is that allowed?" The ref chuckled, as this was pretty common in Burgh's matches, and then shrugged. Some Trainers refused to heal their partners and stick to the rules, but those with flying types typically understood that wing injuries needed to be fixed quickly.

"I hate seeing a Pokémon hurt, and honestly..." Burgh looked down, smirked, and then met Alex's eyes again as he held up a Pokéball. "I want to Battle your ace at his best. This Leavanny and I have been together since the start. I know she wants a fair Battle too. Go on ahead and heal'im up, I don't mind."

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Alex began the process of dealing with a wing injury then, as it was a bit more complicated than point, spray, heal. It needed to heal correctly, but once Blaze managed to unfurl it, Alex applied the potion to the areas most impacted by the Rollout. Burgh called out his Leavanny as this took place, and Alex glanced over, wincing slightly as the bug and grass type embraced the intensity of the sun from Blaze's ability, and increased her speed. She still had not one but two quadruple weaknesses to both of Blaze's types, but Alex expected Burgh's starter Pokémon to be a challenge regardless.

"Let's begin then, shall we?" Burgh said with a smile, before raising his hand as his eyes hardened again. His fist glowed the same green as before, as he said, "Leavanny! Mega Evolve!" Light green energy enveloped both Burgh and his Pokémon partner in cocoons, and when they faded, Leavanny was wearing what could only be described as a grass helmet. She had four arm blades now, and the 'waistcoat' of leaves covering her enlarged thorax split, revealing a pair of wings that brought the bug and grass type into the air, with the fire lizard she was trying to face down.

Alex blinked, and watched with fascination, though he did give Blaze an order. "Stay high in the air, and get ready to Flamethrower."

That, only made Burgh smirk. "Double Team! Then Swords Dance to dodge the flames!"

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Blaze attacked, as the Leavanny cloned herself, and then danced past his fire. He still got several of the clones, but the real one eluded him. Another turn passed, the dancing become faster, and Burgh clapped along, to a beat only he and his partner were hearing. "Pick up the pace! Swords Dance!"

Alex switched tactics, to a move far harder to dodge. "Heat Wave!"

As Blaze inhaled, and prepared to yet again raise the temperature, Burgh countered. "String Shot its mouth!" Faster than either Blaze or Alex could follow, the Leavanny disappeared, and then reappeared elsewhere, with a better angle on Blaze. The finest woven silk from what was likely the strongest Leavanny on the planet wrapped around Blaze's fiery maw, and the hot air he'd built up was not enough to burn the wrap now covering his mouth. Being a masterful weaver of such silk, the mouth cocoon had even left air holes for the Charizard, by his nose. They charred as he exhaled, but seemed unnaturally resistant to catching fire.

Alex's eyes narrowed slightly, irritated at yet another delaying tactic. The longer they took to hit, the harder Leavanny was going to be to beat. "Use your tail, free your mouth, then bathe the field in a Flamethrower!"

Burgh countered as once more Blaze inhaled, and started to spew intense flames into his studio battlefield. Burgh's eyes widened as he said, "Use your String Shot to avoid the floor, then Poison Jab!"

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The now very speedy bug and grass type bamfed around the room on strands of her own String Shot and it became very clear that they were in her lair. Between her and Scizor, Alex assumed those without a powerful fire type had quite a hard time against Burgh. Four poison imbued blade arms slashed Blaze in the stomach, in what Alex knew was a critical hit. Worse, he saw a purple hue come over Blaze's face, and he grimaced, knowing Burgh would not allow another healing session. Probably. He genuinely seemed nice enough to allow it if Alex worded it well, but he could think of nothing to argue his point with mid-battle. Seeing only one option, Alex decided to try a different tactic, before Blaze became too weak from the poison to battle. He had other Pokémon that could win the badge for them, but he knew Blaze wanted a solo sweep. They had expected an easier time, but the advantage was still theirs.

"As hot as you can, Blaze! Heat Wave!" The Charizard had used the flames and intense heat of the scorched battlefield to hide behind, as he shot flames at the rapidly dodging Leavanny. As Alex gave the order, he inhaled, and drew the heat from the battlefield into his mouth again, before exhaling rapidly, and once more baking the inside of Burgh's studio battlefield.

As he exhaled, Burgh attempted a counter. Having no supereffective moves, he went with one that would deal regular damage, when it hit. "Use Throat Chop!"

Alex nodded, as he'd been hoping the Leavanny would get close. The hot air Blaze was expelling had been far more intense than his previous Heat Waves, and thanks to the already scorched field, it didn't take too long to use against a Leavanny who'd been increasing her speed under the sun. The grass and bug Pokémon came down from the ceiling despite the heat with four dark energy infused blades of the move her Trainer had called. The intensity of the heat would get her, but she still wanted a final hit.

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As fast as she was, Burgh's Leavanny went down before she could strike, fainted, and the referee called it through a hacking cough. "Blaze, beat your wings, let's clear the air." Alex said, and his Charizard did so, as he urged the oppressive heat by way of manipulating his Air Slash to more quickly exit the Castelia Gym.

Burgh stepped forward as the air cleared. "Thank you for that, I appreciate it. Heat is terrible for my kind of paint, though after your barrage of Heat Waves, I'm going to need to make more anyway. That was a well-fought Battle, and another good choice of partner. A Swampert for Elesa, a Charizard for me. Is that Torterra I've heard about being saved for Clay?"

Alex chuckled. "Terra is...definitely down to handle Clay. He's more than strong enough...I just need the rest of my team to catch up to him...I think my Swampert will handle Clay...my Gallade can take his steel types, but his ace? I can use Terra for that Battle, I think."

Burgh grinned. "Sounds like Driftveil is about to have another underground rumble. One of the Champions...I think Rosa, she turned his Gym into more of a garden for a long while with Frenzy Plant. They say all of Driftveil shook, when she and Clay went head to head."

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As Alex recalled a healed and cured Blaze to his ball for a rest, the pair of men walked from the still steaming battle studio, to find another adult male waiting in the hallway. His shirt was roughly the color of bug typed energy, he had a dingy patch of beard on his large chin. His frame was akin to a stick bug's, but on and around him, Alex scented an impressively dank smell of Leaf. Burgh addressed him first. "Heeeyyy, what's up Shaggi? Is it time for our introspective Leaf smoking session already?"

The man introduced as Shaggi shrugged. "I don't know man, you tell me! I was just walking by when I saw smoke coming from the top floor of your Gym! I figured I must've forgotten what day it was again, and you started without me."

Burgh chuckled. "No, not this time. That was this Challenger here. Alex Redwood, from northern Unova. He and his Charizard thrashed us pretty good. He won an Elite Insect Badge." Burgh said, with a subtle waggle of the eyebrow.

Shaggi looked impressed, but it was Alex who spoke up, even as he knew one of the PNN aides was still waiting below at the lobby for him to be done. "If there's Leaf to be smoked, I have come prepared." Alex said, procuring his bong from his backpack. It was pretty much identical to his granduncle's red and transparent piece, save that it was green, and the bottom was more brown from excessive use and a seventy eight percent effective cleaning method. He looked to Burgh then. "I take it you have somewhere you prefer smoking that isn't around your paintings?"

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Burgh tapped his nose, winked, and then led the pair to a silken cocoon that Alex hadn't been able to open on his way up. Now that he looked at it, the tunnel where it led seemed to go only further upwards, and wasn't connected to the String Shot pods that Gym Challengers used to traverse the Gym these days. As they entered and then exited, they came to the top of the skyscraper allotted for Castelia's Gym. The roof, like the studio, had an easel, and there was a shed of sorts that Alex surmised was used for storing paintings, and whatever Burgh used to make them.

Alex felt less guilty, as he saw a second easel, and a third older one, folded against the shed. Across from the storage space were several chairs, some folded some not, placed around what looked like a fire pit. Shaggi sat down, and Burgh and Alex joined him soon after. Shaggi reached into his own backpack then, the same color as his shirt. First came a Pokéball, which was then followed by the biggest bag of unground Leaf Alex had ever seen. "This, my fine friends, is the finest Leaf this side of Unova. They call it...Pinap Express."

Burgh fiddled with the fire pit as he looked at the bag. "Very impressive, I can smell it from here, Shaggi."

Shaggi opened the bag and took a whiff. "Nnngggaaaahhhhh. Sweet mana from the Dimension of Light!" He opened his ball then, and the goofiest looking Houndoom Alex had ever seen joined them. "Hey there, Scoob. Mind giving Burgh a hand?"

"Doom."

The Houndoom crouched low, and waited until Burgh had the fuel arranged properly, before lighting it with an Ember. While that happened, Shaggi's eyes turned to Alex, who was maintaining his usual air of perpetual chill. "How about you, my man? Care for a whiff of the dankest herb I have?"

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Personally, Alex had never found the scent of the Leaf appealing. It was very similar to a Skunky, and what Shaggi was holding smelled worse. Like a Skuntank. He nodded anyway, flashed Shaggi a smirk, and inhaled, doing his best not to cough. He feigned passable awe, and said, "Mm. Now that is some dank herbage. Are you a bong man, or a joint man, Shaggi?"

Shaggi shrugged. "I go with what I have, my dude. Bongs break, and paper is cheaper."

Alex nodded. "Well, my bong hits like a Mudsdale with Double Kick." Shaggi nodded as well, as the owner of a dark type, and a big fan of Alola, he knew exactly how hard that could be. "We must make them stronger up north. My granduncle has had his for five decades. The inner slide bit is a bit chipped. Apparently he let it freeze by accident one winter, and in the process of melting, a bit of ice got it, but otherwise, it's still intact and useable."

Shaggi pondered as he seemed to genuinely listen. "I see. And where do they make such a quality bong?"

"Bostonia. I think the shop was called...the Happy Hoppip? Or something?" Alex shrugged.

Burgh spoke up then, as he finished grinding a green nugget of dankness into something smoke-able. He looked between the two then. "You're over twenty five, right Alex?" Alex nodded, and Burgh continued. "Good. This herb can have negative effects on a brain that's still growing. Most brains are done growing, at twenty five. That's why I don't smoke up anyone younger."

Alex blinked, and quietly wondered if his had been damaged perhaps more than he expected it would be, given how long he'd had this habit. He'd long since accepted the repercussions of said habit. Every herb smoker expected lung issues eventually but surgeons in their world could easily replace and regrow lung tissue, but brain damage had always been a nasty rumor, an unproven one, usually peddled by those who abstained from and despised the happy herb. Burgh didn't seem a liar, or uninformed, so Alex took him at his word, and put the worry from his mind as he had no regrets about his smoking sessions and what they had led to, or would eventually cause as he filled his bong with the perfect amount of water, and Shaggi packed his slide with the Pinap Express.

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As Alex mused quietly, Burgh and Shaggi shared a look, and the skinny man spoke up, as he scratched his Houndoom. The already goofy face of the Pokémon became goofier as Scoob grinned, and the pointed tail wagged, smacking the rooftop as he enjoyed the scratch. "I've been doing this since I was fourteen. I didn't really have money, or access to it until my twenties, but I'm not worried. Humans have been smoking this herb for thousands of years, man. How bad could it be?"

Burgh sighed, and then turned to Alex. "So tell me Trainer, is there a reason you're on this journey, or are you just following the trend until you settle and find a career?"

Alex smirked. "I waited too long to get here to just give up. I'm not stopping until we reach the top. I don't lose often, but it does happen. I don't let it get to me, and we trainer harder because of it. Until we understand our mistake, and find a way around it. Everyone on my belt wants to reach the top. This journey is just my long awaited first step."

Burgh nodded, as he puffed, passed, and peered at Alex. The Trainer felt a chill go up his spine, as he reacted to the sudden seriousness in Burgh's tone. "And if you do become someone like Lance, or Leon? What then? You will eventually lose the top. Everyone does."

Alex nodded in agreement. "Mortality is irritating, but inevitable. I'm not worried. I've found I like pushing my Pokémon to reach their highest potential...and I think I'm going to be doing that with all of my partners. Eventually. I have to reach the top, first, but I can see spending my de-throned years just filling societal niches with my Pokémon, helping wherever they can, because they want to, and they're strong enough. I'll probably try catching them all, but that's a big number to reach."

Shaggi chuckled, and passed the bong back around to Alex. "Sounds to me like someone is trying to become a Pokémon Master. Burgh?"

"I agree." The Gym Leader said as he nodded, and his perm nodded with him.

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Alex smirked as he kept the ember alive, and then passed to Burgh, who continued speaking. "I like this dream of yours, Alex. It's realistic, and the way you Battle, it might even be attainable. I'm going to give you some foreknowledge about this Challenge that most people don't get. Clay is usually seen as a wall, that separates Challengers from the east side of Unova, from the west. He's pushed Skyla to become stronger for years, and with Brycen's return from his journey, as well as Iris guarding the gates to the Elite Four, the west part of Unova is typically seen as the harder half, but for this challenge, you'll need to master a certain kind of Move, if you want to have a chance at victory."

Alex arched an eyebrow. "A certain Move?"

Burgh nodded sagely. "A Move that balances two types of energy, into a single attack. In my experience, opposite types work best when they're balanced together. It's like life, or painting. If you can find balance in the dark times life throws at you, you can appreciate the light ones so much more."

Alex pondered, as Burgh partook then. "I understand. I don't collect regrets. Hmm. Balancing energy, eh? Maybe in a sphere...and opposites do best, but what about combinations that work well together?" He kept mumbling to himself, as he started thinking up what moves would work. Terra would have to learn Mud Shot, but Hydrus could, theoretically, already try it. Then there was Blaze. Alex only knew of one Move that was flying typed, and spherical, and he didn't know of any Lugia that would be willing to show his Charizard how Aeroblast worked. Blaze didn't really need a special move though, he was already ferocious in battle, and it was easy to see he enjoyed it immensely. He shifted to Arthur then, and wondered if the Gallade could manage two typings, one on each arm. That kind of battle strategy would make him rather hard to beat, if he could learn something like Metal Claw to block with.

The session continued for several more minutes, until Alex felt a disturbance in the Force, and bid farewell to the two adults as they gaze at the stars and enjoyed the herb. When he'd left, they'd been trying some sort of 'triple spliff' but Alex had never been a big fan of joints in general, and had left them to it. By his estimate, there was still time to walk across the street to PNN.

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Alex returned to street level to find that Jess and the aide for PNN were still waiting. The aide had, upon hearing who she was, wanted Jess to interview as well, but she declined, when Alex mentioned Burgh probably wouldn't be battling again until tomorrow.

The aide was a few years older than them at most, but his forehead already had signs of wrinkling. He wore a navy-blue uniform that seemed strange in public, and had no belt of Pokémon either. There was no name tag, and his general demeanor slowly led Alex to wonder just how badly PNN was treating their people. He decided to act like how he assumed every other Trainer John Crimson interviewed did. They usually had far more badges, or at least had former Champion titles, but every once in a while, the legendary reporter brought in someone green. The twins, Hilbert and Hilda, had been such Trainers, and like Alex, they had agreed to chat after thrashing Burgh's Gym team. Twice.

Deciding one Trainer was good enough to keep his job, the aide gave in, and brought Alex to the station, where he refused attempts to have make-up dumped on him, and offers to trim his scraggly beard that still had a few patches of lighter fuzz in it. He also got an offer for a new wardrobe, and though he was seriously tempted with going black and gold, he decided to stick with his own clothes. Jess had managed to get another spare outfit for him in Nimbasa, and he switched to the clean one in the PNN's dressing room. His jacket was still dark, but instead of brown it was black, and on the back was a black and white Pokéball, outlined in white. His new undershirt was white, and the pants had a similar dual color scheme, that went all the way down to the shoes that managed to perfectly encase his awkwardly large feet. Black and white, along with red, white, and blue, were typically seen as Unova's colors. He was more black and white, as he understood what they represented. His granduncle had made sure his relatives understood the concept of Balance.

Burgh's Gym Battle had been quite heated, and even on a cool summer night like this, Castelia City might as well have been an oven. Alex handed over his dirty undershirt and pants, letting them be taken to be washed after the people assigned to make him presentable insisted he do so.

It seemed that keeping their jobs depended upon them aiding him in some way, and they told him as much, when he asked. It made his stomach curl, but he stayed polite, knowing it wasn't the aide's fault they had to act like this. Their usual clientele was probably a lot different than he was.

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Their world didn't have many problems, it was true. Once, supposedly before Pokémon ever came to be, humans had been forced to deal with issues of water shortages, air pollution, violence, etcetera. It was commonly taught in history classes of multiple grade levels that the old world had eventually collapsed in a very large war, only rising again when Pokémon appeared, and solved many of these problems.

Energy, water, food, pollutants, there were Pokémon to combat every negative aspect of human existence. Some people claimed Pokémon had always lived with humans, but Alex's granduncle had disagreed when the subject had inevitably come up during their many basement chill sessions. Alex in his naiveté had regurgitated what he'd been taught in public school, and as was his wont, his Gruncle had expanded his knowledge with some hard, factual truths, namely, movies from the ancient world, revived and reformatted for modern technology, that had no Pokémon in them whatsoever. Slowly, Alex realized that these movies had Pokémon added to them, giving them the 'classics' that Pokéstar Studios had simply re-made for the modern age.

Like the skeptic he was, Alex had asked for more evidence from the Professor, as he too had thought a world without Pokémon simply impossible and anyone with a phone could make a movie, and in response, had been shown stories in truly ancient books, now only existing on the PokéNet, that didn't contain a single mention of Pokémon, but had plenty of animals that had long since gone extinct. It was hard to believe, since everything in the world he'd known had some tie to Pokémon, but the stories he had been shown when he was younger contained no trace. Just humans with the aforementioned problems, and many others in addition.

The ancient fairytales about King Arthur or the notorious archer of Galar, Green Hood, were good examples of tales without Pokémon, but most people saw them as just that: tales. Pokémon had been around longer than anyone could remember, and a few fairy tales from pre-history would not be enough to convince the Poké obsessed humans they had once never existed on this planet. Most simply said it didn't matter, they were here now, and were worth bonding with. After a very long time since their initial contact with humanity, Pokémon and their Trainers had become an integral part of any advanced society, as they were immensely superior to most firearms, though that hadn't stopped those with darker agendas from advancing projectile weaponry anyway.

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Some problems still remained in their all but utopian society of peace and plenty, with the largest being, as always, human greed. Money controlled many aspects of the 'real world', as Alex's father had called it. It was fine for Pokémon Trainers to run around on the road, eating for free, and battling for fun. But, he had been told, society needed currency to function.

That was one point his granduncle and his father intensely disagreed upon. The aging Professor had insisted that many of the issues they did face would disappear if humanity gave up currency. They existed in a society capable of supplying them with whatever they could possibly need thanks to the rising popularity of Item Printers, and it wouldn't be long before those were taking in basic ingredients and printing out food.

He'd claimed that as long as greedy humans had some kind of currency to hoard, they would do whatever they could to hoard as much as possible. Far too many simply didn't care what they had to do to achieve a comfortable lifestyle, even if that meant ascending to disgustingly wealthy levels by stepping on the backs of their fellow man.

His father had responded by saying new issues would rise to replace those that had been solved. Alex had done his best to remain neutral in this debate that he, as he'd gotten older, realized was at the core of the separation in their family.

But now, looking into the faces of total strangers who all but begged to serve him, lest they lose their job and their access to currency if they failed to do so, he started to understand why his granduncle was so passionate about defeating human greed. If these people just relied on Pokémon instead, they could be just as well off, but no, they needed currency like a crystal addict needed dust. Crystal was one of the 'harder' substances available in shadier places, that had similar effects to Leaf, but far worse consequences. It was also highly illegal, mostly because it was so dangerously addictive, and damaging.

For his part, Alex didn't really see the issue with jobs in their world, as most gave more than enough to live somewhat modestly. In the infamous League Court case against three members of the now disbanded Team Rocket, evidence had been presented that showed, on numerous occasions, the criminals in question had scraped together funds for hundreds, if not thousands, of giant robots designed to catch Pokémon.

They obtained these funds, supposedly, by working at menial jobs that nine out of ten times had involved hard work and selling things. Apparently, they paid just as well as Pokémon battles, and were far more reliable for income. The cost of living in this modern age was low, thanks to Pokémon. Said criminals had then eventually gone on to create the first of many PokéNet streams, and their imprisonment had led to the rise of the next generation of streamers, like Iono.

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As Alex subtly watched and spoke briefly to the numerous aides flitting about the dressing rooms of the PNN building's lower floors, he realized these poor people were essentially slaves to whatever 'celebrity' happened to be entertaining their audience that night. It was a business, and like every business, some parts were considered more important than others.

The aides assigned to him were obviously on the bottom of this business totem pole. They didn't even have name tags, and as he looked closer, more than a few had bruises. He felt Arthur's ball shake, as he waited to be called onto the stage for his interview.

He thumbed the release. "You sense it too, don't you." It wasn't a question.

"Gallade." The response was solemn and understanding, but under the surface, Alex sensed the same fury at this ridiculous workplace setup. The more he saw, the more he noted flagrant violations of Unovan laws meant to keep employees somewhat dignified as they toiled. It helped that Arthur had a strong nose for dark intentions, and Alex decided that while some jobs were probably fine, preferred even, the majority of humanity's potential was simply wasted on ones like the aides found themselves in. He also doubted most people wouldn't mind not having to work them, in favor of doing literally whatever they wanted.

That wouldn't be true for everyone, of course, but if there was some way of assigning the right people to the places they were needed most, he was sure the reliance on Pokédollars would diminish further. He didn't have a better alternative for distributing currency. He knew others had been tried before, only to succumb to power hungry tyrants.

This current currency based system had eventually beaten all the others, and his Gruncle had warned him that speaking against it, especially in public, would make you a pariah. One simply did not question the system.

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The door opened, and the younger male aide from before, who had to have been around ten or twenty years older than Alex, came in. He had the strange navy-blue uniform on still, the PNN logo was sewn into the chest of it, but otherwise, it was little more than a bland suit.

No name tag, no Pokémon belt. Even the man's features were unremarkable. Brown eyes, dark hair that was cut short, a clean-shaven face. Each of the aides assigned to him had looked this way.

"Mr. Crimson is ready for you, sir." He said, looking hurried.

Sir. Alex had never been called 'sir' before he'd left home, but as he'd traveled, he noticed that amongst the few who'd heard of him, he was regarded with more respect. They'd called him 'sir' too. 'May I have a Battle, sir?' 'Might I have your autograph, sir?' 'Please sir, keep your Torterra from defecating on the grass.'

Was that what he had to look forward to? A future where, eventually, he stopped even noticing aides like this entirely? He noticed Arthur staring at him, and the Pokémon smiled, sensing his emotions, and put a hand on his shoulder. Confidence filled him. He knew that his Gallade would keep him honest, if nobody else did. Alex nodded, smiling back, and then recalled him to his ball.

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"Thank you. What was your name? I didn't catch it." The aide blinked, and Alex could tell, nobody had ever asked him that question. His face betrayed a hint of nervousness, and Alex understood. He wasn't supposed to have people ask him his name. Judging by the beads of sweat forming on his brow, he thought he was in trouble.

Which meant that his superiors were either listening, or he thought he'd somehow offended this guest, which was, he assumed, an offense that resulted in being fired. Alex put a hand on his shoulder.

"Relax, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to know your name." If the younger man had looked put-off before, he was doubly so now. A Trainer with enough nepotism to be interviewed by the legend, five-time Pokémmy award winning reporter John Crimson, taking notice of him? Unlikely, if not impossible, or so he'd come to believe. And yet, it was happening.

Alex gave the shoulder a squeeze, and the aide finally stammered a response. "I-I'm Joey."

Alex gave what he hoped was his best comforting smile. It needed work. "Well Joey, I need you to do me a favor, and it's going to sound unusual." The man's eyes faded back into the practiced neutrality he maintained as part of his job. Eyes that were dead, with no spark of hope whatsoever. He hadn't been noticed, this was just another wannabe celebrity with a fetish or something.

Even his response was robotic. "Of course, sir. Whatever you need, PNN will provide."

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Alex had expected such a response, you couldn't undo programming like this with a few sentences after all, and he was due to be on the air. "After I'm done, when I come back for my things, please bring in the other aides that were assigned to help me. Can you do that, Joey?" The man blinked again, wondering what new perverted hell awaited him and his coworkers now. You could never tell with Trainers.

"Of course, sir." He said, not betraying a hint of worry. "We'll be waiting here once you and Mr. Crimson are done. Now if you please, we really should be getting upstairs."

He was shown to the stairs leading up into the studio where he'd be interviewed, and before he could utter a word of thanks, Joey was off. Putting the man from his mind, and focusing again on his public face, he wandered onto the studio.

"Ahh, there he is. Mr. Redwood! Over here." Being waved over in such a friendly manner by a legend like John Crimson was going to take getting used to. He began walking over, and did a double take when he saw who the legendary reporter was talking to, over a shared dinner of steak, waffles, french fries, and of course, Scotch.

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Professor Gilroy Redwood. His granduncle. He broke into a smile. If John Crimson was someone his Gruncle could stand to talk to, he couldn't be all bad. From the way they were sitting, close, friendly, and with a pair of Scotch glasses, they seemed like old friends. He'd always assumed the old man had been full of it, when he'd mentioned he had connections.

John Crimson offered a hand as he made his way over. "It's nice to properly meet you, lad. Your granduncle and I go way back, and you're the only relative he ever talks about favorably."

Alex returned the handshake, smirking at his Gruncle, and then the reporter. "I usually go by Alex. Only this old fart calls me 'lad' anymore."

Alex grunted as he felt a hand slam into his back. He gave his Gruncle a look, and the old man shrugged. "What? I had to be sure you were really back. And that this crimson fox didn't take advantage of your naivete."

The aging reporter feigned offense. "Take advantage? Me? I'd never do that, Gil. You're practically family, and he's your grandnephew, which makes us…"

"Very distantly related." Alex said, smirking. The blood tie to his favored relative was already thin enough, he had enough trouble remembering all his cousin's children, let alone all the family more closely related to his granduncle.

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At a hand signal from one of the crew, who were similarly garbed as Joey had been, but did actually have name tags, at least, John Crimson led Alex onto the stage. It was a simple setup. Two chairs, a table, and glasses of water. There were of course, many ways to interview people.

John Crimson however, liked to say he was 'old school'. For a reporter, Alex supposed this was as old school as it got. He took his seat, the old reporter took his, and the countdown began. Alex knew the drill, as he'd told them earlier that he'd seen plenty of these interviews before. Mr. Crimson would start them off, but it soon became obvious he was reading directly from the holoprompter, thanks to his squinting, and failing eyesight.

"Tonight, on Poké News Network, we have a story from our home region of Unova! I, John Crimson, will be reporting on and interviewing one of the newest hotshot Trainers in our region; Alex Redwood, a supposed rookie with a winning streak, an epic adventure, and even an Elite Four level win on his record already. There's been a lot of talk about his exploits lately, and as always, we're here to separate fact from fiction. Shit from seed."

Hearing the intro for his own interview was almost surreal, and Alex wished he'd actually done more before agreeing to it. Three badges was nothing. That wish faded as one of the crew mumbled into their ear pieces, "Stay on script John. We're live. And manure is actually used to fertilize crops."

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"Well that is disgusting. Poop does not belong on food." Crimson said, loud enough for the mic to pick it up. "Script!" came the voice again. The old reporter turned his focus on Alex then, and he put on his trademark smirk as he desperately tried not to burst into laughter.

"So Alex," He said, dropping formality as he'd requested, "Hows life? Two Badges and a string of victories from here to Unova University. Not many people would believe it, from a rookie Trainer in his first year."

He let his smirk grow appropriately, before answering. John Crimson was stroking his moustache very obviously as he spoke, and he seriously considered a career in acting as he managed not to laugh.

"Three Badges, actually." He managed in a weak tone. He coughed, and spoke stronger, louder. "Burgh was kind enough to allow me a challenge before I came here tonight." He paused, enjoying the look of surprise on the old reporter's face. Interviewees didn't usually drop a brand-new story at the start of an interview, but it seemed like John Crimson was more interested in the badge itself.

"Can we see it?" Alex stared for a moment, then shrugged, and nodded. The old man stared at it openly and spoke not-so-subtly, "Ooooh. Shiny. But wait, that's not a standard Burgh Badge, is it? It looks different."

Alex blinked, wondering if he'd meant 'bug badge', despite the fact that the official name for it was 'Insect Badge'. "Erm. No, it's not. It's part of the League's latest challenge. You ask the Gym Leaders to Battle you with their original teams, and in return, you get a special version of their Badge, showing you beat them at their best."

The silver fox nodded, still very obviously stroking his moustache. "Interesting. You know, I Battled Burgh, once. Great guy. Great Trainer. We made a bunch of happy little clouds after the Battle. Good times." Alex blinked. Did he just imply that he too had shared Leaf with the bug training painter? It didn't seem too hard to believe. His Gym was right across the street.

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"As for how I am?" Alex continued smoothly as the crewman shouted "SCRIPT!" through their earpieces once more, "Well, I've watched your show since I was five. I never thought I'd be on so soon…not before beating the Victory Plateau, at least. It's exciting. Thank you for having me." His own prompts were more free form, and Alex had to reply on the fly.

John Crimson tried to sip his water smoothly, but ended up taking too much at once, and began coughing. "Ugh! What is this...tasteless garbage? Vinny, who was in charge of getting the Scotch out here?" The old man looked back at the stage as his crew manager grabbed a piece of white cardboard and wrote 'SCRIPT' on it.

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As the crewmen tried to keep from laughing while on the air, John Crimson eventually recovered and found his voice again after sliding the glass of water away in disgust, and turning back to squint at the prompter, "So...who was the herdest...oh, oh, hardest...who was the hardest Leader you've faced, so far?"

Alex paused a moment, stroking his patchy beard, and biting his lip hard as he tried to focus, and not laugh. "Marlon. His Mantine had my Torterra at a field advantage, and a type advantage with Wing Attack. Terra was really hurting after that fight, but we managed to pull it out in the end."

"Always a good idea to pull out, lad." The crew burst into giggles and heavy sighs, but John Crimson continued, unfazed as Alex facepalmed, and tried not to smirk. They'd given up on shouting 'script' over and over.

"Terra…so I'm guessing that's the one you beat that Tyrantrum with at the start of the summer?" John asked again, this time apparently reading from a folder full of scripted notes that he'd failed to secret away before recording started, and now had broadly open on his lap. It seemed the prompter's script was too small for his old eyes.

Alex nodded, unable to stop smirking. "Aye, I took the University's final test with a bit of a handicap, but we made it through." Mr. Crimson adjusted his seating then, and Alex felt the tone shift.

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A look of competence came over John Crimson, and Alex saw a spark of what had made him so famous flare to the surface for a moment, and he sat a little straighter. "The last time we spoke, you'd just returned from Draconis Mons after a fairly harrowing experience. I know that I, and many of our watchers have been eagerly waiting to hear the full account."

Alex let his smirk fade, and then sighed, nodding. "I don't know about the full account, that would take quite a while, but if you have questions, I'll answer them with as much detail as I can."

John Crimson nodded, and continued, flipping very obviously through his folder and tossing cards he'd already read behind him while the crew tried not to laugh. "Very well…let's see...ah!"

He underlined the holo prompter's words with a finger in the air as he read them. "What we saw on that video was quite an aerial display. Many have been wondering; how exactly do you give commands to a Pokémon that's in the atmosphere?"

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Alex chuckled, and wrung his hands out of reflex. "You don't really. What you need to understand is, at that point, we'd been living in that mountain for weeks. It was hot, uncomfortable, and what little food we could get was usually pretty nasty. Blaze couldn't leave the mountain, and I had to appear dead so that Lizardon wouldn't have a reason to attack him."

Alex paused, for a moment, then continued, "Blaze and Shruikan were doing whatever we could to beat that monster, and free not just ourselves, but the entire mountain. He was dominating all of them, even the Dragon Types. I told Blaze that, if he flew high enough outside in the sky, he'd eventually run out of air. I guess he remembered that, and figured he could get the advantage on his larger, healthier, and more experienced opponent if he fainted from lack of oxygen. But I didn't command him to do it. Once they Mega Evolved, they were fighting on instinct."

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The old reporter grinned, and Alex knew what question was next. "I see," he said in his smooth baritone, "So I guess the next question is…how did a wild Charizard Mega Evolve?"

Alex gave a mirthless smirk, and then looked into the camera directly behind John. "Well, there are a number of ways. We've seen it before, but only in Legendary Pokémon, and only with a stone containing Infinity Energy. My granduncle and I theorized that Lizardon must've had a stone like mine somewhere nearby, and used it on his own. I think he could've been classified as a legendary Pokémon, more or less. His speed was clocked at matching known Latios and Latias, and he was, at heart, half dragon. He lived among Dragon Types. He was a unique case, to be sure, but he lived in a unique environment. That mountain is...special."

John Crimson gave him his best attempt at a knowing look. "I see. A good answer that, but I assume you've heard that many are starting to claim that this transformation was an Act of Arceus, as the same satellites that caught your Battle also caught a familiar outline in a nearby cloud, according to the Arcean Church. Would you agree with that assessment?"

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Alex sighed, "No. And even if it was, I couldn't really blame Arceus for bestowing the power. That Charizard was a product of our society. Some rich snot probably thought he'd be the next Leon because he had Daddy buy him a unique colored Charmander. He probably lost a few Battles, and went back to doing whatever it is rich snots do, abandoning his Charmander."

Alex looked down at the floor then. "I've never seen so much rage in a Pokémon before, and when I started to beat him with my Shelgon, he was roaring at the sky in frustration. Even I pitied him then. You didn't have to be a Pokémon to understand that he was asking why he couldn't have been the Charmander who got a skilled Trainer. I don't think he wanted to end up on that mountain, powerful and alone."

He looked up at the camera again, staring it down. "But of course, none of the Arceans claiming Arceus gave this power on purpose to wipe out Humanity or something, were actually there. They didn't see that part of the Battle. I did. And while I pitied him, truly, he was too far gone to ever be reached by a Human. In the end, his rage consumed him. Act of Arceus or not, the deed is done, and Lizardon is a threat that Unova won't have to deal with. The Dragon Mountain is free again, and as long as Humans have enough sense to stay away, it will remain free."

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John Crimson sat, listening, fingers entwined as he let his interviewee speak. "I see. Bold words from a strong Trainer." He gave a slight smirk then, his deep tone taking on a humorous tint. "So, how is it you know the mind of the Alpha Pokémon so well?"

Alex chuckled, and shrugged. "I don't claim to, I want to make that clear. But, if I were in his position, with the power to help that abused, vengeful Pokémon in his hour of need, I would've done the same thing. Blaze was going to Mega Evolve anyways, as I planned to use the crystal, somehow, just not that early. We wanted to damage him more, then finish him quickly, but fate had other plans. All his evolution did was balance the scales, and Blaze still came out the victor."

John Crimson nodded. "I see. It's getting late now, and I need a Reuben, so we should wrap this up. A few final questions. What's next? What should your fans be on the lookout for?"

Alex blinked, speaking before thinking. "I have fans?" He knew he'd been asked for battles, autographs, Holociever numbers, but he always assumed that's just what you did when you met a strong Trainer. Fan clubs were for Champions, no?

John Crimson nodded, pointing at words only he could read within the folder. "Quite a few it says here, after that video of your Battle. All around the world, in fact. What a surprise. People like a strong Charizard."

That was when it finally hit Alex. He was on, live, with arguably the most famous news man on the planet, being watched by uncountable numbers of eyes, in an uncountable number of countries, and this footage would exist on the Pokénet, forever. Even if human society collapsed, modern humans had perfected and quadruplicated their backups, in case of another mass extinction. He resisted shivering as he felt a cold chill up his spine.

PNN had a presence everywhere, and TV sets sold cheap these days. Then of course, the Pokénet would have this interview on it tomorrow, too. There was a whole playlist of John Crimson interviews that was always growing. He was on a stage, and a good portion of the Trainer world was probably watching him, either live or in the future. He took a deep breath, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of millions of eyes on him. His voice came out shaky, and he had to clear his throat several times.

"Wh-what's next…let's see... I'll be hitting the rest of the Gyms, of course. Then…uh, Victory Road, and... on to the Unova League. I'll challenge the Elite Four, so…I guess I would tell them... to keep an eye on the next Champion of Unova...?" He spoke with what he hoped was confidence.

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John gave his 'I'm-going-off-script-look' to Alex, and said, "Whooooee. Boys got some balls. Where does this confidence come from, eh? You do realize who the Champion is, yea? The Tamer of Reshiram and Zekrom. What training method makes you so confident that you can go up against two Unovan Legends?"

"Well," Alex said, smirking, "I want to be a Master, and we have the skills to be the best. But, I admit freely, that without my friend Nick's training plan, I wouldn't have a chance. Legendary Pokémon are forces of nature, and Reshiram and Zekrom will be...intense. "

John Crimson tilted his gray head. "Who is this...Nick?"

Alex waved his question off. "A friend from University, from my home town in fact. My first year there, he helped me devise a training regimen for my future Pokémon team. Diet, vitamins, exercise method, everything. It was his goal to be a Gym Trainer, although, not in the Pokémon sense. He trains people, mostly. I followed his plan to the letter, for months, and my Turtwig reached a level of power that beat a Tyrantrum. It's not for everybody though. In fact, you'd have to be insane to follow the same regimen he does…but I managed to survive intact, and so did my partner."

In actual fact, the plan had called for even more workouts than Alex had done, no days off, and a diet of strictly vegetables. He'd had to change it up a bit, as he would always be an omnivore at his core. Meat was as much a part of the 'circle of life' as any vegetable, and after raising a grass type, he didn't see a difference between killing animals or vegetables for food. It always came down to survival. You either ate something once living, or you died. Just like his Gruncle had said.

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His response made the old reporter chuckle, as he clearly understood about a fraction of what he'd just said, and then he closed out the show with his usual catch phrase of 'Stay Classy Castelia'.

Before Alex left the set with his granduncle, John Crimson stopped him and said, "Lad, I hear from my loyal man, Danny, he's right over there behind the camera, that you have quite a lovely lady traveling with you." The old five-time Pokémmy winner handed him a dark bottle that was black, light blue, and streaked with gold. "Musk up with this before you see her. It's Luxray Musk. Illegal in nine countries. Makes women crazy."

Alex stared at the old man with the glorious mustache that was offset by his crooked bottom teeth, for a long time. Then, he pocketed the bottle, and said, "Thank you. I don't really need it though. I actually own a Luxray."

"Getting it from the source. I like that. It's smart. But trust me, sixty percent of the time, it works every time." John Crimson winked, as he watched the Trainer leave. Alex shook his head.

"He took the bottle." Professor Redwood said, grinning, and the two old timers laughed for a good minute before their aged lungs forced them into a coughing fit.