Route 10

I spend a while training near town. After battling through swarms of yanma Beatrice evolves!

Beatrice ♀ Lv. 25

Geosenge Town

Other than a sort of interesting stone formation in town there isn’t much to see. A couple of flair folk seem to be hanging around but they aren’t getting in my way.

Hello again, Caldar!

- Oh, hi.

I’m glad I could catch you here. See, I think we should battle right here.

- What?

Just keep in mind this won’t be for a badge. I want to test you and your bond with your pokémon. I wonder if you can tell which of the two Lucario I have here is the one that showed an interest in you.

- Um…

Go Lucario!

- Go Lautrec!

- Karate chop!

Power up punch!

Lucario bops Lautrec on the nose while building energy, dealing critical damage. Lautrec chops lucario in the neck.

- Karate chop!

Swords dance!

While lucario builds up energy Lautrec immediately puts a stop to it with a chop to the throat.

Go Ve- uh I mean Lucario!

- Karate chop!

Power up punch!

Lautrec gets another critically damaging bop to the face but quickly chops lucario in the gut in return.

- Lautrec return! Go Gwyn!

Feint!

Gwyn quickly tries to dodge a left jab but receives a right hook.

- Flame charge!

Metal sound!

Lucario makes a loud and offputting noise but it doesn’t stop Gwyn slamming into it at speed while covered in flames.

I think you’re just about ready. Come meet me at Shalour City and I’ll share with you what I know of mega evolution.

- Huh?!

See you!

- But-

Korrina zips off on her roller blades.

Route 11

This route doesn’t seem to be very long, I could see the cave entrance from town. But I still take the opportunity to recruit. A nidorino. Pokéball go!

Nidorino: This thing evolves from Nidoran… the boy one.

- Welcome to the bench, Siegmeyer!

Siegmeyer ♂ Lv. 21

Reflection Cave

It looks like someone lined the walls of this cave with mirrors. Many trainers are just standing here, staring vainly at their reflections.

With all the mirrors it’s kinda difficult to find my way, I bump into a floating rock. The rock bumps back and reveals itself to be a carbink, pokéball go!

Carbink: It’s a fairy trapped in a rock?

- Welcome to the bench, Sieglinde.

Sieglinde Lv. 23

Shalour City

Once my eyes adjust to the sunlight again I notice a huge tower in the distance.

Hey! I’m glad we caught up to you.

We received word that some clues about mega evolution are in The Tower of Mastery.

- Right.

Let’s go! We’ll meet the girls there.

The tower isn’t very far, just a quick walk along a sand bank. Inside the tower is a huge statue of a lucario.

Welcome, I see you’re all here now.

Took you guys long enough!

We’ve been waiting all afternoon!

So you’re all here to learn about mega evolution?

Yes, Professor Sycamore sent us to gather information about it for his research.

Right, I don’t want to spend all day quibbling with the details so here it is: Mega evolution is a temporary transformation that transcends normal evolution. To achieve this you need a keystone and an appropriate mega stone for your pokémon, also trainer and pokémon must have a strong bond. That is all.

Well that seems simple enough.

If you’re looking to try it for yourselves we don’t just hand out keystones to anyone, besides we’ve only one left to spare.

It’s a big responsibility, not every trainer is capable of achieving mega evolution.

Sounds scary…

It doesn’t seem like it’d help with my studies.

I’m sure Caldar could handle it!

- But I’m not sure if I need-

I wants it! I won’t be the strongest without it!

- Fine with m-

Hey! How about Caldar and Serena battle for it!

- But-

Bring it on! Go Meowstic!

- Go Solaire!

- Peck!

Fake out!

Meowstic slaps Solaire about the face, making him flinch.

- Peck!

Psybeam!

Meowstic blasts Solaire with a multicoloured ray as he swoops down and pecks at meowstic’s face to little effect.

- Solaire return! Go Petrus!

Light screen!

As Petrus leaves his pokéball meoswtic surrounds itself with a glowing bubble.

- Bite!

Psybeam!

Petrus leaps on meowstic and bites it’s ear, making it flinch.

- Bite!

Psybeam!

Petrus bites meowstic’s other ear and gets a multicoloured ray to the face for his trouble.

- Bite!

Psybeam!

Petrus continues to chew on meowstic’s ear until it passes out.

Go Absol!

- Scald!

Bite!

Petrus sprays boiling water on absol, leaving a nasty burn. Absol bites Petrus on the arm.

- Scald!

Quick attack!

Absol quickly slams into Petrus before getting more boiling water to the face and succumbing to it’s burns.

Go Frogadier!

- Petrus return! Go Lautrec!

Water pulse!

Lautrec immediately gets a blast of water to the face, knocking him into a wall.

Lot of good that did!

- Lautrec return! Go Max!

Water pulse!

Max shrugs off a blast of water as he leaves his pokéball.

- Razor leaf!

Water pulse!

Max flings a flurry of sharp leaves at frogadier before frogadier blasts Max upside the head with pressurised water, making him look a little woozy.

- Razor leaf!

Water pulse!

Max struggles to aim but manages to line up another flurry of flying cutting leaves before getting further concussed from another blast of water from frogadier.

- Razor leaf!

Quick attack!

Frogadier zips past Max at high speed, slapping him on the nose on the way. Max tries to make chase but crashes into the pillar in the middle of the room.

- Max return! Go Beatrice!

Quick attack!

Frogadier gives Beatrice a slap across the face as she leaves her pokéball.

- Disarming voice!

Water pulse!

Frogadier blasts Beatrice with a wave of water before she lets out an ear piercing noise that somehow hurts frogadier.

- Beatrice return! Go Petrus!

Quick attack!

Frogadier slaps Petrus as he leaves his pokéball.

- Bite!

Water pulse!

Petrus bites frogadier until it passes out from the pain.

That’s not fair! It’s not fair! It should be me!

Caldar won fair and square.

Fine! I’ll find another way to be the best! Come on Shauna, we’re leaving!

Um, okay…

Oh and one more thing before I can give you the keystone: you need the badge from my gym, I’ll meet you there!

A quick visit to the pokémon center later and I head to the gym.

So you came for the badge. Good, you’re still committed to the journey.

- Uh…

Go Mienfoo!

- Go Beatrice!

- Charge beam!

Fake out!

Mienfoo slaps Beatrice across the face, making her flinch.

- Charge beam!

Doubleslap!

Beatrice fires a yellow beam at mienfoo while building extra energy. Mienfoo responds by slapping Beatrice three more times.

- Psybeam!

Doubleslap!

Beatrice fires a multicoloured ray that blasts mienfoo into a wall.

Go Machoke!

- Psyshock!

Rock tomb!

Beatrice’s eyes glow and machoke collapses to the floor grasping it’s head.

Go Hawlucha!

- Psybeam!

Hone claws!

Hawlucha sharpens it’s claws before being blasted against a wall by another multicoloured ray from Beatrice,

Congratulations, you’ve earned the Rumble Badge!

Meet me at the top of the tower, we need to talk in private.

With not much else to do today I decide to climb the tower, eventually reaching a balcony overlooking the sea.

I’m glad you could make it. I’ve got a lot to tell you.

- About mega evolution?

That too. Where do I start… well… I’m not Korrina.

- Okay…

My name is Zinnia. You may have met me for the first time a few days ago but that was far from my first time meeting you.

Well that doesn’t compute…

I’m a time traveller like you. I saved the world once, but there were… complications. I was eventually recruited by a group dedicated to keeping the timelines in order.

- Wait, those people who keep following me?

Well they don’t just follow you around, but yeah it’s them. I was designated as Agent 12. But I can’t go back now, they consider me rogue after my recent actions. Even being here right now is dangerous, I’m crossing my own timeline.

- Crossing your own timeline? And how did you convince everyone you’re a gym leader anyway?

Well I have a knack for disguises, and my younger self is in Kalos right now. She’s still with the agency, investigating an unprecedented number of disruptions in time.

- So why’re you here? I mean, the you standing before me now.

I’m here to help you. Something important is about to happen, you need all the help you can get. Plus I owe you one, and I owe the green fairy too.

- What now then?

First of all, this Lucario is yours.

Zinnia hands me a pokéball.

- You’re giving me a lucario?

You misunderstand. This Lucario is yours. It’s difficult to pinpoint his origin, it’s possible you’ll catch him in your future or you’ve already caught him in an alternate timeline. After I left the agency the green fairy entrusted him to me, partly to protect me from the agency and to eventually pass him back to you at the right moment. You named him Velen.

- Velen…

Velen ♂ Lv. 32

And take this too, it’s a keystone needed to trigger mega evolution.

Zinnia hands me a black bracelet-thing with a colourful stone set in it. I slip it on my wrist, it feels oddly comfortable like a wristwatch I’ve had for years.

- But I’m still not sure how it’s done!

Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out. I’ve got to go now before I bump into myself or something!

Before I can ask more questions, Zinnia skates back into the tower.