Trials of a Champion - Kanto [Pokemon x OC]

54 The Bonds of Evolution

As my eyes opened, I found a black cat peering down at me. His gold eyes pierced through the blurriness of my vision like a lighthouse in the fog. He towered over me with his gigantic feline figurine.

"Lux ... io?" I croaked. "You look taller. Did you have a growth spurt?"

Lux.

The creature moved closer and shoved his nose against my head.

"Why does your voice sound diff ...?" I froze after realizing the size of this cat's head. I had to reach up a lot higher if I wanted to scratch between his ears like he preferred. "Wait a minute! You're not Luxio!"

I sat up, rubbed my eyes, and then widened them.

A Luxray stood before me. He chuffed and planted his haunches on the cold floor.

"L-L-Luxray?! You evolved into Luxray?!"

He nodded, tail swishing back and forth.

"You evolved? So, was that ...?" I rubbed my head, remembering my final vision before blacking out: a brief flash of various colors emitting from Luxio's body. "... Was that the weird light I saw? The light of your evolution? But, it seemed different. When a Pokémon evolves, they usually look white, or blue. You looked ... purple, and yellow, and even green. It was like a rainbow.

"Also, you looked a little different, too. Like, I think your paws were different. Or, did I hit my head too hard?"

He tilted his head, eyebrows lifted in confusion.

My chest released a sigh. "Yeah, I'm confused, too."

Blinking, Luxray moved closer, made a small noise, and breathed against my face. I cupped his gigantic head in my hands, noticing a few tears glistening in the firelight. "Did you really evolve to save me?"

He whimpered and licked my cheek.

"I'm okay. Other than a little frozen, I'm alright thanks to you." When he purred, I smiled at him. "But, wow! I can't believe it!" I popped onto my feet. "Look at you, Luxray! You're, well, you're a Luxray now! I'm sorry I didn't get to see it. I mean, I sort of did, vaguely. How do you feel?"

Blue electricity crackled up and down his body, making his fur glow.

My eyes sparkled. "Ooh! So cool! We're winning tons of battles from now on! I have to scan you on the Pokédex, though I already know what it's gonna say."

His tail flicked back and forth as I scanned him, "Luxray the Gleam Eyes Pokémon, and the evolved form of Luxio. Luxray is the final evolution of Shinx. Its eyes can see through anything. It can spot its prey hiding in the shadows, locate lost children, and keep track of its offspring."

"Oh, right, I forgot about your x-ray vision." As I returned the Pokédex to my pocket, I let out a tiny giggle. "That'll be useful if you become a daddy one day. Who's gonna be the lucky lady? Any ideas?"

Luxray blushed and faced away.

"I know, I know. You wanna see Eevee bad and make sure she's okay, huh?"

He barked at me.

"Don't lie to me. You may have x-ray vision, but I can see right through that crap."

His whole body sagged in defeat.

"Don't worry. We'll get back to them soon. Or, well," I peered around the cave while scratching his head, "where are we, anyway?"

Luxray gestured to the far wall of the cave, the one opposite us. A layer of snow sealed us inside and protected us from the stormy winds outside, which I could hear. The fire sat atop a pile of charred twigs and rocks.