Chapter 86 (Patreon)

My team didn't currently consist of my strongest Pokémon. Azumarill and Florges had stayed behind in Sycamore's lab with the goal of practicing Florges's Grass Type moves to let Azumarill work on developing Sap Sipper. This morning, I had sent Altaria back, swapping him out for Whimsicott. I wanted to make sure there were always at least three Pokémon in the ranch so everyone could have company.

Due to my current team composition, my only choices were Whimsicott and Mawile. Ninetales was unable to fight, and Ponyta, Dedenne, and Carbink were all too weak to be able to stand up to Valerie’s team.

When the battle started, I sent out Whimsicott first while Valerie sent out Aromatisse. The perfume Pokémon puffed up as its purple fur bristled with wisps of pink mist drifting off of it.

The referee's voice called for the battle to begin the moment the Pokémon hit the field.

"This is Valerie's personal team,” I called out. “You'll have to play clever, Whimsicott.”

Whimsicott simply giggled in response and floated into the air while Valerie maintained that same demure smile as before. I hadn’t seen her expression shift at all this whole time, even during her fight with the Fighting Type specialist.

I continued to give instructions to Whimsicott. Valerie refrained from doing the same, clearly waiting to see what I would do first.

"Wear it down with your attacks and be careful of its olfactory moves. Don't bother with Taunt or Encore. Those moves won't work on it."

At that, Valerie’s smile widened ever so slightly and she spoke her first words to me. Her tone was level but at the same time I could detect the slightest bit of mirth to it. Also, her voice itself was smoother than I expected, with each word clearly enunciated and properly spoken.

"So you know about Aroma Veil, do you?” she asked. “Not many trainers I battle are aware of its effects."

I gave her a smile in return.

"I've spent too long researching Fairy Types to be tripped up by a Fairy Type's ability. Aroma Veil lets Aromatises avoid effects that limit what moves it could use. While it limits several of Whimsicott’s strategies, we’ve been practicing to get around that. Whimsicott, show them off!"

Finally starting off the battle, Whimsicott released a set of Leech Seeds by throwing them out from his cotton. Aromatise responded by emanating mist from its body to set up a Misty Terrain. It tried to dodge the Leech Seed as it did so, but Whimsicott managed to hide a second use of the move behind the first one, meaning Aromatise fell under its effects. However, the Poison Powder he laced the seeds with was negated by the Misty Terrain.

Following that up, Whimsicott then responded by pulling off several small chunks of his cotton. He threw them forward and they stuck to Aromatisse’s body. The pure Fairy Type purposely didn’t dodge.

What’s it planning?

“Sweet Scent,” Valerie commanded.

The mist that emanated from Aromatisse’s fur ceased as, in its stead, near-transparent pink gas drifted out of its body. At first, the gas resembled a simple breeze traveling through the air. However, it soon grew into a full-fledged gale that threatened to encompass the entire battlefield. Aromatisse looked almost twice as large due to the way its hair was now standing on its end.

Whimsicott tried to back off in the air to avoid it, but the gas was traveling too fast and it quickly enveloped him. As a result, he began to heavily cough and his eyes watered.

In the process of Aromatisse’s attack, an extremely small amount of the Sweet Scent drifted my way. The smell was so extreme I immediately wrinkled up my nose in disgust. It was as if someone just dumped several bottles of perfume on my head. I couldn’t imagine how bad it must be for Whimsicott to be caught in the center of it.

“Tailwind, Whimsicott!” I yelled. “Blow it all away!”

Whimsicott drifted back to hover just above the ground, and he focused for a moment to conjure a powerful breeze behind him. The movement of the wind pushed the entire Sweet Scent back past the other side of the field, freeing up fresh air for Whimsicott to breathe. Additionally, the Tailwind would serve to increase his speed and maneuverability in the air, and hopefully let him more easily release some attacking moves in the future.

However, Valerie’s soft smile grew much wider than it was before. While her teeth weren’t exposed, her lips looked ever so slightly too long, making her seem like some kind of unnatural creature rather than a human.

“Trick Room,” she said.

Aromatisse called out its name as Psychic Type barriers started to assemble themselves around the field. Whimsicott’s attacks weren’t quite at the level to stop that, so I called out for him to use Sunny Day instead. Thanks to Prankster, the sun was up in moments, giving him enough time to start following up the Sunny Day with Growth before the Trick Room became complete.

“Good. Now Flail and follow it up with Draining Kiss,” Valerie instructed next.

While Flail as a move was weaker the healthier the Pokémon was, the inverted acceleration of the Trick Room meant Aromatisse could accelerate to incredible speeds and use that momentum to deal even more damage.

The normally slow Aromatisse began to move forward as it hit speeds I had only ever seen in rare circumstances. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it, but the Cotton Spore from earlier somehow was letting it speed itself up even more. The reality warping effects of the Psychic Type move made it difficult to understand the “why” of how things were happening.

Whimsicott tried to dodge, but unfortunately, the Trick Room didn’t just buff Aromatisse, it also weakened Whimsicott. His normal mid-air movement came to him much slower, and while the Tailwind he set up was pushing him in the direction he wanted to go, it only seemed to be slowing him down instead. He wasn’t able to lift himself further off the ground in time.

Aromatisse slammed into Whimsicott, but a reflexive Protect reinforcing his body saved him from the damage. Unfortunately, it grabbed onto him then pecked its beak-like mouth towards his face. Aromatisse’s face glowed pink with Fairy Type energy as it tried to use Draining Kiss, but quick thinking on Whimsicott’s part meant the only damage he took was from the self-inflicted harm of Substitute.

He repeatedly shifted around the shield-like fluff as Aromatisse tried its hardest to actually land an attack. As it did so, its Leech Seed status meant that Whimsicott was draining it of energy to recover from that damage rather than the other way around. Already, I could see the chunk of torn off fluff starting to regrow on Whimsicott’s head.

Considering Aromatisse’s momentum had temporarily been put on hold, this was as good of a time as any.

“Now, Whimsicott!”

I timed the command just as his Substitute had failed, and Whimsicott released the energy he had built up from Growth. Using the power he had absorbed from the Sunny Day to fuel his next attack, an Energy Ball that glowed so bright green it almost seemed white formed in his hands right in front of Aromatisse.

The only issue was that Trick Room was still up.

While he did form the ball when I called for it, he was still at a significant speed disadvantage. Aromatisse easily saw the attack coming and shifted out of the way with little effect. Whimsicott tried to follow that up with a second Energy Ball, but that was when Aromatisse used a move I was not expecting in the slightest.

“Psych Up and finish it off, Aromatisse,” Valeria said.

Aromatisse’s eyes grew focused as its red pupils dilated while it stared at Whimsicott. His second attack was unleashed as it easily dodged it, and I saw it begin to almost mimic his movements. While Aromatisse never actually used the same attacks, it still managed to trick itself into having the same boost to energy that Whimsicott had. I had no experience with Psych Up before, but now Aromatisse had perfectly copied the extra strength Growth had provided him.

A similarly white ball attack appeared in front of Aromatisse, the Fairy Type forming an overcharged Moonblast attack to launch right at Whimsicott. He tried to dodge, but within the twisted dimensions of Trick Room, Whimsicott could only watch as the attack slowly slammed into him. At first, he was knocked back in almost slow motion, but the second he left the barrier, the power of the move immediately accelerated and slammed him into the wall.

Unfortunately, Misty Terrain wore off at the same moment he fainted.

I quickly returned Whimsicott in a flash of red light before he could hit the floor. Aromatisse had been a poor matchup to him, and Valerie somehow had a counter to everything Whimsicott had to offer. I couldn’t help but to feel jealous of how well she was battling.

Up next was Mawile, and while it was probably overkill, I went ahead and Mega Evolved her. Considering we were in a semi-official battle, and we were fighting Valerie’s personal team, I didn’t want to hold anything back.

Valerie politely waited for us to do so just as she waited for Whimsicott to make the first move before. Mawile grinned after I told her my plan, and I held out my arm with the Key Stone. While Altaria needed a plated necklace to hold his Mega Stone, Mawile had no such necessities. She had years of experience keeping her stone in her mouth, so she always had it available.

With a flash of light and a brief glow, Mawile’s form shifted to be that of the slightly taller Mega Mawile, now with two large jaws instead of one. The few people here watching the Gym Battles today leaned forward to better take in the unexpected and rare sight.

At this point, the Tail Wind had petered out, but the Sunny Day and Trick Room were still up. Aromatisse was benefitting from a boost to its raw power thanks to Psych Up, but it was also still suffering from Leech Seed at the same time. I expected Mawile to easily win.

“Don’t bother with Taunt,” I instructed. “Stick to attacking moves for now.”

Mawile turned to place her jaws between her and her opponent as Aromatisse used Sweet Scent once more. Without a Tailwind blowing it away, the noxious gas moved toward Mawile whose eyes immediately began to water from the scent’s strength. Aromatisse didn’t charge at Mawile like it did with Whimsicott, but instead, it stayed back and screeched. Several Psych Up-empowered Disarming Voices rang out, and the sound-based move meant the reactionary Iron Defense did little to protect Mawile from the vibrating damage.

“Give chase and grab it. Don’t pause for even a moment,” I instructed.

Since Aromatisse was attacking from a distance, Mawile ran forward. The Trick Room meant each side was far faster than normal, which meant Mawile was approaching relatively quickly. However, Aromatisse was slower naturally which meant it was now faster here, and it ran away while continuing its attacks against Mawile. She just shifted one of her jaws to be in front of her to use it as a shield, and pushed through the minimally-reduced damage in her chase.

I honestly thought Mawile would never catch up, but Trick Room wasn’t a permanent field effect. The moment it wore off, Mawile started to close the distance.

“Iron Head!” I yelled.

“Sweet Kiss,” Valeria retorted.

Mawile’s two jaws glowed gray as she swung them forward to hit the perfume Pokémon right in the chest. However, Aromatisse managed to blow out a kiss Mawile’s way right the moment before the jaws crushed its chest. The super effective move enhanced by both Mawile’s temporary Huge Power and the innate power of Mega Evolution meant the dual attack fainted Aromatisse. The constant drain of energy it had suffered from Leech Seed meant the single attack was just enough to knock it out.

Unfortunately, it did seem that the last second Sweet Kiss had confused Mawile. She wobbled in place, face scrunched up in bewilderment as she struggled to fully process what was going on.

While Whimsicott had fainted and Mawile was confused, I couldn’t help but to feel proud of my team. Mega Evolution might have been a bit of a cheat, but that was a far more experienced Fairy Type down for the count. Now we just had one left.

The next Pokémon Valerie sent out was Sylveon, and I couldn’t help but to feel a bit jealous at it’s presence. Sylveon was on my wishlist of Pokémon I’d wanted (right underneath Togekiss, damn its rarity), but I felt strange obtaining an Eevee only to force it into a single one of eight paths. However, I didn’t have long to consider my jealousy as Valeria actually commanded it to start off the battle this time.

“Sand Attack. Follow up with Mystical Fire.”

The pink and white eeveelution jumped forward towards Mawile to get dangerously close. Both of her large jaws snapped forward to try to catch the Fairy Type, but Mawile’s confusion threw her aim off and let Sylveon easily dodge. It turned around and dug its feet into the dirt only to kick them up and knock dirt into Mawile’s face. She stumbled back from the unexpected debris and was forced to close her eyes due to several offending grains of sand. That combined with her confusion meant her accuracy was practically completely shot.

Confused and temporarily blinded, Mawile lashed out randomly around her. Her two sets of massive jaws allowed her to cover a decent amount of space, but Sylveon used its ribbons to its advantage to push and leap off and around the offending appendages.

“Mawile! Snap out of it!” I yelled.

Sometimes, calling out to a confused Pokémon could snap them out of it, but Mawile seemed to be too distracted by the Sand Attack. With her accuracy down, she repeatedly tried to catch Sylveon and failed. I felt as if there was nothing to do but wait and hope Mawile would snap out of it, but then Sylveon made a mistake.

This mistake didn’t seem like a purposeful mistake most Gym Leaders included to test the trainers they battled, but rather a mistake from Sylveon’s training. Still following Valeria’s previous orders, Sylveon wanted to use Mystical Fire against Mawile. To do so, it looked like it wanted to make some distance, and as a result it lingered on the ground for just a moment to bend its knees to jump back.

Mawile capitalized on this moment by demonstrating exactly why her species’s jaws were to be feared. They snapped forward and bit down on Sylveon before it could escape.

Mawile couldn’t see, was confused, and was also forced to dedicate a good portion of her attention on maintaining her Mega Evolution, but in this case, sheer luck made its way through. Swinging up her jaws, Sylveon sailed into the air with a scream and it slammed into the ground behind Mawile. Unfortunately, the Sunny Day had now recently ended, so Mawile’s Fire Fang wouldn’t do extra damage, so I called for Thunder Fang, an old favorite, to be used instead.

Electricity coursed through Sylveon’s body as it spasmed from the damage, and Mawile tried to bring her other jaw down to slam into it with a super effective Iron Head. However, just because Sylveon was pinned, didn’t mean it was completely helpless.

Wisps of flame formed in the air around Sylveon in a move not unlike Will-O-Wisp. A significant number of them built up then sailed forward in a spiraling pattern right towards Mawile. The super effective hit seared into Mawile, but she didn’t let go. The Iron Head still landed, albeit a little off center, and Sylveon suffered the effects of a super effective move boosted by a Mega Evolution, Sheer Force, and Huge Power all combined.

Needless to say, it was a devastating attack.

Mawile raised her free jaw up again to release another one, but paused when a familiar voice rang out.

“Sylveon is unable to battle. Alex wins the match,” the announcer called out from above.

While a Pokémon fainting under the power of a Mega Evolution wasn’t unexpected, what was unexpected was how quickly it did. Thunder Fang basically ensured that Sylveon couldn’t do much else outside of releasing its Mystic Fire, and Iron Head had quickly finished off the job. I had significantly underestimated how impactful Mega Evolving Mawile would be for this battle, but considering the only other time I’d seen it in battle was against a monstrous Mega Gyarados and the similarly monstrous Azumarill, I didn’t have a proper baseline for comparison.

The Mega Evolution faded as I canceled the transformation, and as it did so, the realization set in.

Whimsicott and Mawile just won against Valerie. More specifically, they just won against Valerie’s personal team. As in, the team the Gym Leader put the most work into training and raising up. They beat Pokémon with years of experience in battles.

Mega Evolution was completely unfair.

Valerie returned Sylveon and dipped her head in respect.

“Congratulations, Alex. I did not expect you to bring out a Mega Evolution. The phenomenon is just as powerful as I expected it to be,” she said.

I couldn’t help but grin. I returned Mawile before speaking up, since she did sustain a few injuries and deserved some rest.

“Honestly, I should have realized its power earlier. I doubt the outcome would have been the same without it, but it was nice to see a victory against a Trainer as skilled as you.”

“Indeed?” Valerie said, straightening back up with a smile on her face. “I appreciate the compliment. This battle proved to be worthwhile. I both obtained a measure of your ability, and received a glimpse into the power my Mawile might wield once I obtain a Mawilite of our own. Come, Alex. Let us conduct our business in a more professional setting.”

I nodded my head and followed her out of the room, where she led me to a smaller garden that was just as Johto inspired as the last one. A folding door separated the room from an expansive garden behind the Gym, and she led me past it to sit on a bench that overlooked it. I was able to see several Fairy Types coexisting peacefully nearby.

The most prevalent species I saw were Spritzee floating around, but there was also a small flower garden where a few Flabébé and a Floette were playing. A bubbling brook contained a Marill jumping up and down a short waterfall, and a Slurpuff dozed underneath a berry tree with several pits resting around it. It was nice out here. It’d been a while since I'd been to a place that was so peaceful.

After a while of just silently watching, I went ahead and asked the question I had been meaning to ask.

“What does the Fairy Type mean to you?”

Valerie didn’t wait at all to respond.

“Fairy Types are about beautiful appearances that hide hidden fangs underneath. They might seem frail and delicate, but they are strong. Their very nature is about being deceptive yet mystifying. I consider them to exemplify the very essence of beauty.”

I hummed.

“I agree, but I think there’s more to them than that,” I said.

“Oh?” Valerie asked.

“Fairy Types definitely have their tricks and deceptions, but that’s not all there is to them,” I explained. “They all have their own areas of vested interest. The most basic way I could describe it is to say that they’re each connected to a natural phenomena.”

Valerie stayed quiet as I talked. I continued to speak.

“I can’t say my theory is true, but it’s a pattern I’ve been recognizing. Ninetales is all about snowy mountain peaks, Florges is about flower gardens and fields, and Whimsicott has a pretty close connection to the breeze itself. Did you know his species was once thought to be the Flying Type instead?

“Even taking Legendary Pokémon like Xerneas and Diancie, the pattern holds up. Xerneas is innately tied to life itself, and Diancie is the protector of crystals. This expands even past the borders of Kalos in the Tapus of Alola. They’re all Fairy Types that protect their respective island. I supposed this might be tied to the concept of fairy groves, and, uh, well I’m rambling now, aren’t I? This doesn’t hold up to every Fairy Type, like I have no clue how Pokémon like Mawile or Mr. Mime might be involved, but I just wanted to mention it anyway.”

“...You’ve put a lot of thought into this, haven’t you?” she asked.

I shrugged.

“I want to understand what it means for a Pokémon to be a Fairy Type. I don’t just want to battle with them, I want to truly know the ins and outs of the Type. The first step to reaching a conclusion is to make a hypothesis, and even though I doubt I’ll ever be able to test it, it’s good to try to think outside of what is commonly accepted. You know, to think like a Fairy Type.”

We stayed quiet for a while after that as Valerie sat there and calmly watched her Pokémon. Away from the public areas of the Gym, she didn’t carry herself anywhere near as mysteriously, but her actions were still obviously controlled and well practiced.

Eventually, she turned her head towards me and I got a close look at her pupil-less eyes. While they looked strange initially, I felt a bit of relief when I realized she was just wearing cosmetic contacts.

“I can tell you have put a lot of effort into understanding both your Pokémon and your chosen Type,” Valerie said. “The way you battle reflects that, and although you beat me, you relied on the raw power of Mega Evolution rather than the full use of your Pokémon’s capabilities. You have quite the ways to go until you reach the true understanding you speak of.

“I do have one question for you, however. I wish to know what you plan to do in the future other than just battle Pokémon. Are you willing to share?”

I tilted my head.

“What do you mean?”

“Pokémon battles aren’t all there is to life. I might not be the strongest Gym Leader, but my Pokémon and I work together to design clothing and accessories. Other Gym Leaders have their own hobbies and work, such as Ramos’s gardening, and even Diantha, the Champion, works as an actress in her free time. Even Ace Trainers have hobbies. No one solely Pokémon battles, and I wished to know what you planned to do outside of them.”

“I... I don’t know,” I said quietly. “I haven’t really thought about it.”

Valerie turned back to watch her garden.

“There is no need to worry about it now. You still have your entire journey ahead of you. Most people still on their journeys have little thoughts on the topic, and many Gym Trainers feel the same way. You are young. You will figure it out later.

“In the meantime, I have finished your order. Would you like to see?”

I nodded. I wanted to be excited, but I was still reeling from the point she brought up.

Do I truly not have anything other than Pokémon battling?

Silently, we stood up and I followed her to a new room. I was too lost in thought to speak, so no further words were exchanged by the time we reached the next room.

This room wasn’t as Johto inspired as the rest of the place. It was a relatively simple room on an upper floor with a window that overlooked the idyllic streets below. The walls were pure white with minimalist lights built into the ceiling. On one side there were three covered, human-sized objects, and Valerie moved over to them to pull off their tarps.

“I followed the request the designs Sycamore sent my way. I managed to create three possible outfits for you. They are all yours to take.”

I smiled. Sycamore’s favor had come through. This was a good distraction to get away from my thoughts.

My current outfit, as it stood, was comfortable but it wasn’t very stylish. I had a solid lavender shirt, a pair of loose black shorts, and thick but comfortable hiking boots. In addition, I also had a pink and black jacket tied around my waist.

It wasn’t a very fashionable outfit.

These new outfits, however, looked both comfortable and stylish.

The first one was a combined hoodie and puffer vest combo. The chest of the hoodie was solid purple with a black hood and pocket, as well as pink sleeves. The upper two-thirds of the vest was black with a pink flair around the bottom that matched the transition of colors on Valerie’s sleeves. The pants followed that same pattern as well, going from pink to purple around the ankles.

The second outfit was a bit similar. Its base layer was a pink turtleneck, and it had a black jacket with purple fur reminiscent of an Aromatisse’s feathery fur that coated its inside as well as the edges of its sleeves, neck, and bottom. The pants were pure black with a similar purple fuzz lining it, with a cross-pattern of pink laces on the side to add something that stood out on the solid color.

The third and final outfit consisted of a long purple coat that stretched to about mid-thigh level. It used the same pants of the second outfit, and it involved a similar turtleneck that was dark silver instead of pink. Additionally, wrapped around its neck was a black scarf that ended with Valerie’s signature transition into pink.

All three of them would cover up the belt I kept my team’s Pokéballs connected to, and they used the same, brand new set of boots. The boots were thick, black, and extremely comfy, with a set of either pink or purple laces that were interchangeable just to add a bit more color to them. In addition, they had the slightest of heels that would make me look just a bit taller than usual. Additionally, each outfit matched my backpack’s black colors with purple highlights and straps, which meant everything was reminiscent of what I had now.

“I designed these specifically to be mixed and matched with each other. I understand you mentioned wanting to have a single outfit, but no matter what, your style will be recognizable with these. And of course, they are all made to be comfortable and warm in the cold climates of Sinnoh.

“I also have your... other outfit set up in the other room. I admit, it was a bit of an unusual request, but unusual requests are what I excel in. Do you like them?”

I looked them over once more and smiled.

“They’re perfect.”

_________________________________________________________________________________________

I spent the remainder of my time in Kalos waiting for the Sinnoh season to begin. I spent the next week in Laverre town just to see how other Fairy Type trainers battled. I also battled Valerie once more and was handily defeated without the use of Mega Evolution. Like she said, I had a long way to go.

We meandered through the cities, briefly spent time on the nearby routes, and even visited the Pokéball factory to the north. I made sure to frequently request team members to switch out to ensure everyone had a chance to see this place. Altaria got a kick out of the tour of the Pokéball factory, and Dedenne enjoyed tasting this area’s local variation on Poképuffs. Out of everyone on my team, I think Carbink enjoyed being here the most simply because they had never experienced anything even the slightest bit like this. I enjoyed seeing their wide eyes as they glanced around at all the buildings and fields we passed by.

Thankfully, Ninetales almost fully healed in the week we spent in town. I think the fresh air helped her heal faster, and by the time the next League season began, I knew she would be in her best shape possible.

That would be perfect timing, too, because there was an activity scheduled before our first show battle that she and Florges had been itching to try since Rusboro.

Once back in Lumiose, my team and I continued to train and enjoy our time together while we could. Due to Sycamore’s ranch, I was able to be with all nine members of my team at once. We had our own discussions on how the team would be split for the next region, and as much as it hurt, we ended up going with the division I put in place when visiting Laverre.

Azumarill, Florges, and Altaria would stay behind. Outside of Ninetales, they were the most well-developed Pokémon on the team, and I wanted to help the newer team members catch up. Altaria would temporarily join the team when I needed to fly somewhere, but I felt a bit strange just treating him as a quick method of travel. He didn’t seem to mind, though, and Florges and Azumarill were both okay not having a third member with them during those periods.

However, I did promise to retrieve Azumarill for any major battles, and Florges would come in to work alongside Ninetales when preparations necessitated it.

The team members with me coming to Sinnoh were Ninetales, Mawile, Ponyta, Whimsicott, Dedenne, and Carbink. They all needed more in depth improvements, with the exception of Ninetales who I didn’t want to leave my side.

We only had a few days back in Lumiose to prepare everything to head out, and I made sure to buy cooking supplies so I could better prepare meals in the field. Sycamore also let me permanently claim a spare room he had, since both Florges and Azumarill had made friends in his garden they like to hang out with. I made sure to leave the large Dive Ball plush Azumarill won in Fortree, as well as the Snorlax beanbag chair she won in Ever Grande in the room for them to use at will.

Eventually, once the time was up, I said goodbye to Sycamore, Sophie, his other assistants, and Lacey, then headed to the airport to make my way out of the region. However, the way I was getting to Sinnoh wasn’t what I was expecting.

“Alex! Surprised to see me?” Steven asked. He paused. “Are you taller?”

I blinked at his presence, but my expression was more subdued than he expected. I was slowly getting better at reading Steven’s expressions, and I could tell that even though he stood up straight with a smile on his face, he had deflated ever so slightly at my lack of surprise.

“No, I’m not taller, it’s just the heels of my boots. And I’d be lying if I said the thought didn’t cross my mind, and Sycamore told me there would be a surprise waiting for me here. Considering I knew Hope and Ramos weren’t around, you were the only option left.”

“Ah,” Steven said. “Regardless, I am also making my way to Sinnoh, and wanted to offer you a seat on the Devon Corporation’s private airplane.”

“Isn’t that a bit environmentally selfish?” I asked. Steven just looked confused.

“Why would it be? It’s made out of recycled materials and runs off of electricity like most major forms of transportation.”

I sighed.

“I’m really happy I’m in this world,” I murmured.

Steven led me onto the plane where it soon took off eastwards to travel towards Sinnoh. The trip would take several hours, which meant we had plenty of time to rest and talk.

“So how was the rest of your time in Kalos?” Steven asked.

He was wearing his classic black and purple-striped suit and was leaning back in a padded armchair with one leg thrown over the other. He currently looked to be the peak of a rich individual with the way he was holding a glass of sparkling water up with one hand, and he was staring at me with a perfectly amenable look on his face.

The number of rings on his fingers added to his aura of wealth.

“It was nice. I didn’t do much, mostly relaxed with my team.”

Steven gave me a polite smile, but I noticed that he had barely visible bags under his eyes.

“Ah, I’m happy for you, Alex. Truth be told, I only have a few small bits of business to take care of in Sinnoh. I’m going on vacation.”

“Vacation?”

“Yes! After all, it’s not every day I get to make the most of stepping down as Champion. I admit, I long to return to Hoenn, but my body is begging me to take a break. I’ve worked tirelessly to make sure everything you shared is being handled properly, and now that the information has been passed to the right people, I would very much like to rest.”

“You definitely deserve some,” I said. “You’ve done a lot to make sure the world stays safe.”

Steven looked touched.

“Thank you, Alex. That means a lot to me.”

But all I said is that he deserves to take a break?

“Anyway, my true destination in Sinnoh lies not on its surface, but underground,” Steven said. “Have you heard of it?”

“What, the underground?” I asked.

Steven’s eyes started to sparkle.

“Not just ‘the underground,’ but more specifically, ‘The Underground!’ A vast, sprawling network of tunnels and caverns that web throughout the entirety of the region. It’s said that rare stones literally line the walls.

“Did you know that from the League’s efforts to locate Team Galactic during their capture, a few Ace Trainers stumbled upon an entire forest ecosystem down there?” he added. “Pokémon not normally native to Sinnoh were present, and they even found traces of what seemed to be long-lost evolutions!”

“Huh. Like the Hisuian forms?”

Steven tapped his chin.

“That was the name of ancient Sinnoh, correct?”

I nodded.

“Yes, I do believe there were a few of those. Right now The Underground is littered with trainers trying to discover more of these ecosystems, and I want to be right there with them! I’ve even heard rumors of lava caverns, and I want to see if I can collect some obsidian to add to my collection!”

Steven seemed absolutely pleased with that thought, and I admit, it was rather funny how relaxed he was acting. The thought of rare stones had caused him to throw away all pretense of his controlled appearance, choosing to ramble about the possibilities that he could discover.

While he talked, I leaned back in the chair as I stared out the window to watch the clouds pass by. The extremely visible central tower of Lumiose was far behind us, and this time, no Legendary Pokémon were showing up to fly alongside us. Overall, Kalos had been far less relaxed than I expected, but now with everything I shared, there was little chance that Sinnoh would be any worse.

When last I checked, Ash had competed in Hoenn’s Conference right when I entered the region, meaning that he should now have finished with Sinnoh during my stay in Kalos. With him out of the region, most of Sinnoh’s problems should have been already solved, meaning I could just kick back and relax without the threat of any terrorist organizations pressing on my mind.

Sinnoh had numerous opportunities for me and my team between the Gym Battles, the show fights for Sycamore, and even just my plans with Florges and Ninetales. Thinking about them, a smile bloomed onto my face.

I was looking forward to finally experiencing a region where nothing would go wrong.

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Author Note:

Double chapter on Friday to properly kick off the new region.

Sheer Force + Huge Power represents a potential for devastating damage. I hadn’t realized how massive the Iron Head would be against Sylveon until I checked the calculator, which meant it fainted much quicker than expected. Not to mention Mega Pokémon are more powerful in this fiction than usual. Look out Azumarill, Mega Mawile is coming for you.
+2 220+ Atk Sheer Force Mawile-Mega Iron Head vs. 252 HP / 252 Def Sylveon: 644-762 (163.4 - 193.4%) -- guaranteed OHKO
I had to give Mawile a +2 attack boost in the damage calculator to properly represent both abilities at once.

Pokémon mentioned this chapter:
Diancie
Flabébé / Floette
Marill
Mr. Mime
Spritzee / Aromatisse
Sylveon
The Tapus
Xerneas

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