Ash and Brock were in the middle of a Pokémon Battle. Both were left with their final Pokémon. Ash, with his faithful partner Pikachu, while Brock was on the other side with his starter Pokémon, Steelix. It was as if the two trainers were replaying the past. Brock had just activated his Keystone, which responded to Steelix's Steelixite.
Ash, Pikachu, Misty, Gary, and Tracey watched the transformation unfold with amazement and wonder in their eyes. No matter how many times they see it, mega evolution will always look amazing.
"Grroooooouuuhhhh" Steelix roared loudly as it Mega Evolved into Mega Steelix and was feeling the mega evolution energy rushing through the course of its steel body. Its steel body had doubled in size and almost doubled in mass. Mega Steelix's eyes turned a more crystal-blue color and its lower jaw became more heavily armored with a round, curved shape. Not only that, floating minerals and crystals formed around its segmented body.
"Mega Evolution is so awesome," Tracey breathed out in awe from the spectator stands. Tracey had already started on a brand new blank page on his sketchpad and was already quickly drawing Brock's Mega Steelix.
"Heh, my Mega Blastoise can rough up that Mega Steelix, no sweat." Gary scoffed and started boasting about his Pokémon.
"I don't know about that Gary. Brock's Steelix is very powerful and Mega Evolution only enhances its power dramatically." Misty argued in Brock's defense. Gary didn't reply back and just continued to spectate.
"This will be one tough match, no doubt about that," Ash said to himself, but continued to have a determined face. "Let's go Pikachu!"
"Pika-chu!" Pikachu squeaked out in determination.
"Steelix, go! Gyro Ball attack!" Brock shouted out. The iron snake Pokémon immediately started building up momentum to the point where it was spinning around at a rapidly fast pace. Steelix started to quickly close in on the electric mouse Pokémon with its large steel body.
"Pikachu! Use Quick Attack to dodge and cancel out Steelix's Gyro Ball with an Iron Tail!" Ash ordered out, as he pointed in a certain direction. The electric mouse Pokémon quickly dodged with his Quick Attack, then immediately used his iron-coated tail to slam it onto Steelix's head. However, it wasn't very effective as Steelix was a steel/ground-type Pokémon and has a large resistance to most of Ash's Pikachu's attacks.
"Nice try Ash," Brock smirked. "But Steelix has the type advantage. Steelix! Use your tail to bind Pikachu now!" Brock shouted out while pointing forward.
"Grroooooouuuhhhh!" Steelix roared and screeched as it picked up Pikachu with its tail and started squeezing the electric mouse Pokémon.
"Pikachu! Give it a Thunderbolt!" Ash shouted out.
"Pika-CHUUUUUU!!!!" Pikachu squeaked as he let a large amount of electricity out of his body.
"Grroooooohhuu..." Steelix roared as it flinched in pain and was feeling the effects of the Thunderbolt. Despite that, Steelix hasn't let go of Pikachu. In fact, Steelix tightened the grip of its tail, squeezing Pikachu even tighter.
"Chuuu..." Pikachu groaned.
Ash gritted his teeth and started thinking of a strategy to get his partner Pokémon out of Steelix's grasp. "Thunderbolt won't work, maybe if Pikachu uses a combination of attacks then-"
"Steelix! Let go of Pikachu and slam him to the ground! Then use Iron Tail!" Brock shouted out his command.
The raven-haired teenager was definitely surprised with Brock's decision, but he didn't waste a second thinking about it. Now was their chance!
"Pikachu, use Quick Attack to escape from its grasp and then use Electroweb!" Ash suddenly yelled as Steelix started to purposely loosen its grip on Pikachu. If this strategy didn't work, then nothing would. Pikachu obeyed as he quickly zipped out of Steelix's bind and then charged up an Electroweb with its tail.
"Pi-KA!" Pikachu squeaked, the moment he launched the Electroweb out of his tail. Pikachu aimed it right onto Steelix's head.
"Steelix! Reflect Pikachu's attack away with another Gyro Ball!" Brock shouted out in an effort to counteract the attack. Steelix once again spun rapidly, but remained in a stationary place. When the Electroweb hit Steelix's body, it was successfully reflected. However, instead of the Electroweb fading away, it latched onto the ceiling.
Then, something amazing happened that gave a sense of déjà vu to the two battling trainers. The gym sprinklers were accidentally activated by Pikachu's sparks of electricity due to the Electroweb. Both of the trainers just stood there, reminiscing about a similar event that occurred when they first met in the very same room years ago. But then Ash just grinned and looked at Pikachu, who also looked back at the raven-haired trainer with a determined look on his face.
"Pika Pi!" Pikachu squeaked and gave Ash a nod.
"Yeah, well okay Pikachu! Let's show him what our full power looks like!" Ash called out as he slipped a familiar-looking black ring onto his wrist. Attached to it was a yellow crystal carved into the shape of a Pikachu lightning bolt tail. In one swift motion, Ash took off his red cap and tossed it in Pikachu's direction. Pikachu hopped up in the air, allowing for the cap to land on top of his head.
"Pika! pika!" Pikachu squeaked.
Ash and Pikachu then fist-bumped and shared a high five. Ash's hand slapped Pikachu's tail, while a yellow and white light emitted from the both of them. While in sync, Ash and Pikachu started making a certain movement that has to be done in order to activate the full power of the ring and crystal.
"Much bigger than a thunderbolt! 10 million volt thunderbolt! Yeah, super volt power!" Ash started chanting.
"Pika! Pika... Pika..." Pikachu began charging up a vast amount of electricity and focused it onto a certain part of his body.
"A Z-Move eh?" Brock grinned amusingly. He then put on a serious expression and frowned. "Well then let's go all out too! Mega Steelix! Use Stone Edge MAX POWER!" Brock ordered as he began hyping himself up.
"NOW! FULL POWER!" Ash yelled out. Pikachu then jumped in the air as many thunderbolts of various colors shot out and were aiming towards the mega evolved iron snake Pokémon. There was yellow, blue, green, red, purple, you name it. Unfortunately for Brock, the Stone Edge Steelix summoned was no match for the powerful Z-Move as all the rock pillars were disintegrated.
"Looks like there is no way out of it..." Brock muttered. "Steelix, take the attack head-on!" This was a strategy Brock used against Kiawe when he used the Z-Move, Inferno Overdrive with his Turtonator.
"I just know that Steelix can survive the attack. Especially at its mega evolved state, its defenses are boosted to the max." Brock thought to himself. He was placing full confidence on Steelix at this point.
When Pikachu's Z-Move finally struck, large amounts of smoke and dust formed in the aftermath of the collision. In fact, the entire room was filled with debris and smoke. This caused everyone to cough, even Misty, Tracey, and Gary who were spectating the match.
Fortunately for everyone, the sprinkler system reactivated and the smoke detectors gave off. When the smoke cleared out, Brock's Steelix could be seen standing tall, with scrapes and bruises on its body. Despite taking all those multi-colored thunderbolts head-on, Steelix was still standing with a proud look on its face.
"GGRRRROOOoooooouuuhhhh!!!" Mega Steelix screeched out loudly, its segmented body parts and floating minerals were shifting at a quicker pace, signifying that Steelix still had a lot of fighting spirit within it.
"Looks like Brock's Steelix just won't give up," Ash sighed as he looked at the mega evolved iron snake Pokémon that was towering over everybody.
"Pika..." Pikachu squeaked.
"Well, of course. Steelix natural steel body can withstand almost anything," Brock explained. "Mega evolution only enhances this natural ability." The tanned spiky-haired young man looked up at Steelix with a caring look. Steelix glanced back at its trainer and gave Brock a slight nod.
"Okay, Ash. Steelix and I will surrender this battle. There is no point in pushing our Pokémon to their limits in a friendly game like this," Brock shouted out to the raven-haired trainer. "I'd say you and Pikachu won this round. You both battled impressively."
"Gruoh..." Steelix roared, but it was calmer. It then reverted back to its base form, much to the surprise of Ash and Pikachu.
"Due to a forfeit by Brock, Ash and Pikachu are the winners!" Forrest declared. He cleared his throat a couple of times before declaring the result of the battle.
Ash blinked a couple of times in disbelief and just stared at his friend with at first a confused look. But then realization struck him and he grinned.
"Yes! We did it Pikachu!" Ash laughed with joy as Pikachu jumped into his arms for a friendly hug. Ash took the cap off of Pikachu's head and placed it back on his messy raven hair.
On the other side of the battlefield, Brock sighed as he returned Steelix to its Poké Ball. "You did well, old friend."
Brock and Ash then both walked to the center of the battlefield.
"You did well, Ash. That was a very fun battle, and I got to learn some new things from you," Brock said with a smile, as he extended his hand for a handshake.
Ash smiled as he returned the handshake. "You too, Brock. I had a lot of fun. I forgot how much energy Z-Moves can take out on people," The two long-time friends simply smiled at each other with silence, satisfied by the outcome of the battle.
However... the peaceful silence they shared was disturbed by a certain orange-haired tomboy of a gym leader.
"ASH!!! BROCK!!!" Misty yelled out in utter rage. She was in so much rage that you could practically see Misty form a mallet from thin air.
"Ugh! Ash, Brock, you got me all wet!" Misty shouted in irritation, while clenching her fist. She was referring to the sprinklers that activated moments before their final moves collided.
"I thought you liked getting wet Misty. You are the Cerulean City Gym Leader, aren't you?" Tracey questioned with a slightly sarcastic tone in his voice.
"I am wearing regular clothes, not my swimsuit, you dummy!" Misty shot back with a glare that sent shivers to everyone's spines in the gym. She always looked more intimidating than an Arbok or Seviper and that's a fact mutually agreed by many boys that dared to cross her path.
"Something tells me that we are going to die before we even get to reach Pallet Town," Ash whispered to his friend. Brock nodded his head slowly and sweatdropped. Despite being much older than she was back then, she still had a bad temper. However, they knew she was really just a tsundere at heart.
"We should make a run for it, while we still got the chance," Brock whispered back. So that's what the two of them did. Ash and Brock slowly stepped back, while Misty was complaining about her wet clothes and was about to pounce on Tracey. The only thing holding her back was Gary Oak, who started struggling to keep her at bay.
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When Ash and Brock stepped outside of the Pewter City gym, they were pleasantly greeted by the beautiful morning sky and a pair of Spearow cawing by a nearby tree. Ash, Brock, and Pikachu couldn't help but absorb their surroundings.
Ash looked up at the sky and couldn't help but admire it. It was a cerulean-blue color that matched many things he has seen before. "The ocean... sapphires... the ribbon I gave Serena... Serena's cerulean-blue eyes..."
Ash paused. He immediately had a faint blush as he realized that his thoughts were thinking about Serena once again. He really needed to get to the Kalos region soon. "Oh yeah, I have to call Clemont soon to discuss my plans."
"So Ash, what are you going to do when we reach Pallet Town?" Brock questioned his raven-haired friend and nudged him to catch his attention. It seemed that Ash was thinking about something and Brock noticed a slight blush on Ash's cheeks.
"He is really growing up, huh." Brock thought. He couldn't help but feel proud that Ash was finally maturing and is understanding the concepts of romance.
"Well, first we gotta visit my mom at home as she probably will have cooked some sort of big feast." Ash started. "Then we can head over to Professor Oak's laboratory, so I can see all my Pokémon and introduce them to one another. We can start training the day after. Gary, Misty, you, and me." Ash concluded to his older friend. "Oh, and maybe Tracey can join in too. Though, he isn't much of a battler."
"That sounds like a plan to me," Brock replied, shooting his friend a soft smile. "So, Ash what are you going to do about that Serena girl?" Brock asked with a teasing tone. Ash's blush returned in response to the sudden question.
"Well, as I said earlier I have to sort out my feelings first. I can't confront her yet until I do that. Besides even if I want to confess to her, I am not sure where she is at the moment. She could still be in Hoenn doing Pokémon Contests or back in Kalos participating in showcases." Ash explained. Though, that was a lie. Ash asked Clemont some time ago and learned that she returned to Kalos around a month ago.
"I see," Brock responded, but then put a hand on Ash's shoulder, which caused Ash to stare at the serious eyes of Brock.
"I am proud of you, Ash. Finding true love is no easy task. Take it from someone with experience." Brock said.
"Is it because of all the Nurse Joys and Officer Jennys that have denied you?" Ash asked sarcastically, which caused the two to erupt in friendly laughter.
"Ha, you could say that." Brock agreed. He wasn't going to deny that his love life is in shambles, maybe even beyond repair. "Well, there were a couple of ladies that liked me." Brock suddenly remembered.
"Well yeah, maybe Pike Queen Lucy..." Ash muttered with a slight chuckle. But then he looked at Brock with a confused expression. "Wait, aren't you dating a Nurse Joy? That's what you told me when we last talked on the phone."
Brock nodded. "Yeah, she is a nice girl. Unlike other Nurse Joy, she seems... different to me... but a very nice Nurse Joy at that."
Ash and Brock continued to admire their surroundings in a peaceful silence before a thought crossed Brock's mind. He turned to the raven-haired teenager.
"By the way, Ash, my father found a couple of mega stones here near Mt. Moon when he was collecting stones. He gave them to me, but I have no use for them. Please take them. I think they will be in better hands with you." Brock said as he pulled out two small different-colored spheres from his jacket pocket. "I'm not sure what mega stones they are, but maybe someone you know can find out more about those stones."
"There is no need for that," Ash said with a smile. "When I was at Kalos three months ago, I met up with Professor Sycamore and he downloaded a special extension to my Rotom Phone which can scan types of mega stones if they are documented in the database. It is still in its prototype stages, so only a select few have this extension."
"Wow, that sounds useful," Brock replied. "Let's give it a go, shall we?" Ash nodded as he pulled out his Rotom Phone. Ash carefully scanned the two mega stones with the device.
Rotom Phone: Pidgeotite
The phone then scanned the next mega stone.
Rotom Phone: Tyranitarite
"Woah, so a Pidgeotite and Tyranitarite..." Ash said out in awe.
"Good to know, please have them. But you probably need to find yourself a keystone." Brock said with a chuckle.
"Well, actually Brock..." Ash started with a grin. He pulled out a keystone. "I already have one!" He smiled.
"Where did you get that?" Brock asked. He wasn't aware that Ash had a keystone of his own and he never talked about having a Pokémon with their own mega stone either.
"Long story, but I found it during my Kalos Journey. There are a couple of known places in Kalos that are known to have keystones and mega stones: Geosenge Town and Anistar City. When I was traveling with Serena and the others, we encountered a girl named Korrina and her Lucario. She is the Shalour City Gym Leader. We helped her find a Lucarionite in a cave near Geosenge Town, and during our quest for that Mega Stone, I found a piece of Keystone on the ground. So I took it and never told anybody, except Serena." Ash explained.
He blushed and remembered how Serena accidentally knocked over his bag and found the ore of keystone under his possession. He was grateful that Serena was so trusting as she kept her promise and never told anybody about it.
"Wow, that sure is some luck. Do you have any mega stones for that?" Brock asked in curiosity. Ash nodded and took out a brownish blueish stone.
"Well besides the two you just gave me right now. Yeah, I got a Lucarionite." Ash answered. "When Korrina and I met up again recently, she offered me one when I was asking her about mega evolution. Lucario and I are planning to use it when we start training." Ash suddenly remembered something.
"This is great, now that I have this Tyranitarite, I can use mega evolution on Tyranitar too," Ash said with a grin.
"Wait, since when did you get a Tyranitar?" Brock asked, expressing his surprise. Ash has been getting all these pseudo legendary Pokémon recently, which made Brock happy for how much Ash has improved as a trainer.
"You remember the Larvitar that traveled with us in Johto?" Ash asked Brock. Brock then jaw dropped as he realized what his friend is implying.
"Wait, so is that the same Larvitar?" Brock blurted out. Ash nodded.
"Yeah, while Goh and I went to Johto to look for a set of Raikou, Entei, and Suicune ruins near Ecruteak City, two large wild Tyranitar confronted us. During the time, Team Rocket tried to catch them, but we managed to stop them and blast them off. Before they were gone, however, Meowth translated what the Tyrannitars were saying, and the same exact Tyranitar that we raised back then as a Larvitar egg wanted to join me. So I caught it." Ash explained as he was smiling fondly at the flashback.
"Pi." Pikachu squeaked and nodded to confirm Ash's story.
"Interesting story, Ash. That reminds me, so I heard you are planning on using all your Pokémon for the World Coronation Series Tournament?" Brock asked.
"Yep. There will be many rounds during the tournament, so all my Pokémon should be able to battle at least once or twice, by the time I reach the finals." Ash explained.
"Even your 30 Tauros?" Brock teased. Ash just gave Brock a "Are you serious?" Look which made Brock laugh. At that time, Misty, Tracey, and Gary chose to join them outside the gym. At this point, Misty seemed to have calmed down from her rage. Unfortunately for Tracey and Gary, both had noticeable bumps on their faces.
"Hey you guys, what are you guys talking about?" Misty asked her two former traveling companions.
Ash and Brock then glanced at each other as they mutually agreed to tell them what they were doing. For the next few minutes, Ash had to retell his story about Tyranitar and his keystone, while Brock talked about the two mega stones he gifted Ash moments ago.
"Oh!" Gary gasped as he snapped his fingers. "I remember that grandpa has a surprise for you when we visit the laboratory tomorrow!"
"A s-surprise?!" Ash asked in shock. "for me?"
"Yeah, Ashy-boy. I won't spoil it for you though, but it's a very good surprise." Gary said with a smirk. "I already received my gift from him, so it will be your turn."
"What did you get then?" Ash asked, hoping that what Gary got would help him narrow down the possibilities of what Professor Oak has for him.
"Not telling you that," Gary replied while shaking his head. "But I can tell you this, you already saw me use it."
"Man, now I'm even more excited for what is in store tomorrow," Ash exclaimed as he fist-bumped Pikachu.
"So, Ash. What are you going to do with the Pidgeotite? If I recall, you don't have one back at the laboratory." Tracey noted. "But then I heard you did own one back when you were younger."
Ash nodded and sighed. "I used to have a Pidgeot, but I released it after the Indigo League. The reason why I released it was so it could protect a flock of Pidgey and Pidgeotto that were attacked by a rogue flock of Spearow and a powerful Fearow." Ash explained. He then looked up at the sky, his eyes glimmering with... sadness and hope?
Misty and Brock were silent, but comforted their raven-haired friend as they knew how hard it was for the boy to release one of his first captures. He did it because he had heart. Not many trainers would have done what Ash did.
"Don't worry, Ash. I'm sure Pidgeot will be-" Misty was saying, but was suddenly interrupted by a loud cry from a distance. Many smaller caws, tweets, and chirps followed. Pikachu perked his ears up as everyone looked at the sky. There were many Pidgeot and Pidgeotto, but one stuck out from the rest, due to its massive size.
"PIDGEOT?!?" Ash cried out with sudden astonishment. Brock, Misty, Gary, and Tracey were also looking up in awe at what was up in the sky. There was a single Pidgeot, leading a flock of smaller Pidgeot, Pidgeotto, and Pidgey.
"Pidjah! Pidjah!" the Bird Pokémon cried out fiercely. Its thundering screech had made the entire area become dead silent.
To be continued...