' Before I start, I'm going to guess why you want to know. ' Floette said. ' It's from curiosity and from the fact that the ultimate weapon has been found, correct? '
' ...Yes. ' Decidueye answered, downcast. ' It's currently being... well from the last time I've observed it, being used. '
' I see... well, 3000 years was far longer than I had initially hoped. ' Floette said.
' For what? ' Sylveon asked.
' For the weapon to be used once more. ' Floette sadly said.
' Couldn't... you have destroyed the weapon back then? ' Sylveon asked.
' I've tried, Arceus knows I've tried. ' Floette said. ' The weapon itself can handle large amounts of pure energy and fire a blast capable of wiping a region of the face of the planet, so the weapon was made from the combined steel of multiple steel-type Pokemon to handle that power. At this point, the only that could destroy the ultimate weapon is the ultimate weapon itself. '
' That's... ' Sylveon snarled.
' Tragic? ' Floette finished. ' Very. '
' The war that ravaged the lands of Kalos, resulted in many Pokemon and human deaths. it went on and on, we never seemed to reach an end. Comrade after comrade, yet it never stopped. I was part of the war and my friend or trainer if we use the current norms, was the King of Kalos at the time. '
' The mega evolution phenomena that are used now, was a product of experimentation all those years ago. Many lives were taken to have more power, power to end the war entirely to one side, Kalos. It worked and plans were being made for it to be out to use, but the process had been leaked and given to the other side. They made their mega stones and the war continued, even bloodier than before mega evolution. '
' I was ignorant, ignorant to the suffering, ignorant to the atrocity, ignorant to everything... till the time I died. I realized what had happened, but far too late. Then, in a surprising twist, I was given a new life. I was brought back... in exchange for hundreds of others sacrificed. The ultimate weapon was originally used to bring me back to life, made by the King, who wanted to bring me back. '
' At first, I thought that things would be... for the better, but I was sorely mistaken. I couldn't recognize my trainer, who was far too gone. To end the war, he was going to use the weapon to wipe out the entire opposing force... but I couldn't have that. I attacked him... knocked him back. I activated the weapon which still had a bit of energy in it after my resurrection, and fired it as warning shots. '
' I ran away soon after that and went into hiding. I watched from a distance as the war came to an end, the attempts to destroy the weapon and soon its eventual burial. I watched from afar as my trainer walked out of the castle and went on his way, but I never made any effort to see him. ' Floette sighed.
' ... Isn't 3000 years enough time? ' Spectreon asked. ' Can't you go speak to AZ now? '
' AZ? Is that what he goes by now? ' Floette asked.
' It's his authorname. It was on the book he wrote. Made by AZ. ' Spectreon said.
' So, he's still alive... ' Floette smiled.
' Yep. ' Spectreon said. ' You can go meet him. '
' Perhaps... no I should, but where would he be? ' Floette muttered.
' You know, it's really hard bringing this up. ' Sylveon sighed, ' Makes me feel bad for doing so, but I think this needs to be asked. How do you activate the ultimate weapon? '
' Doesn't... the person who found it have the key already? ' Floette asked.
' No. ' Decidueye said. ' They have only been sacrificing Pokemon to charge the weapon right now. They haven't activated it, otherwise we'd all know. '
' Yes, we would. ' Floette said. ' The automatic deletion of large areas would be a clear indicator. '
' Agreed. Anyway, you mentioned a key. ' Sylveon said.
' The key is the activation mechanism for the weapon. The stored energy inside can't be released until the key is used to facilitate the launch. ' Floette said.
' Where is the key now then? ' Sylveon asked.
' Isn't it obvious? ' Spectreon asked. ' AZ! It's clearly with him! '
' She's right. ' Floette said, agreeing with Spectreon.
' Great. At least we confirmed that. ' Sylveon said. ' Anything else we should know about? '
' Hmm... No. I think that's everything. ' Floette said cheerfully. ' I must admit, speaking about this has been far more... freeing than I thought It would be. '
' I know right? ' Spectreon said. ' Hey, what did you guys do when you were hanging out? '
' Mostly talking, everything except everything we just spoke about... and me teaching him a little move I enjoy. ' Floette said.
' Which move? ' Sylveon asked curiously.
' A move to create a field of flowers. ' Floette smiled.
' A field of... flowers? ' Sylveon asked, the answer being unexpected.
' That sounds cool! ' Spectreon cheered. ' Can you show us? Please? '
' Sure. ' Floette chuckled.
Grassy Terrain.
One of the various terrain-altering moves. At the base level, Grassy Terrain creates a small grassy field that powers up grass-type moves when the user touches the ground, heals every Pokemon touching the ground a bit every few seconds, and reduces the impact of the moves Earthquake, Magnitude, and Bulldoze.
But in the hands of Floette, the move became something else entirely. Instantly, the meadow Spectreon, Sylveon, Decidueye, and Floette inhabited was suddenly met with a field of beautiful flowers. The flowers were of various colors, red, yellow, orange, and more, with petals drifting in the air and a sense of calm spreading across.
' Pretty! ' Spectreon smiled, jogging forward in the newly created meadow filled with flowers and happily playing in the field.
Sylveon smiled, then proceeded to join Sprectreon as the two played together.
' It's amazing, no matter how many times I see it. ' Decidueye smiled.
' Considering you can do this as well, are you reveling in your power? ' Floette asked.
' A bit. ' Decidueye responded. ' But, mine doesn't come close to yours. It's a work of art. '
' Thank you. ' Floette said. ' For the compliment and everything else. It's been a long time since I've been able to experience joy. '
' It's no problem. ' Decidueye said. ' I enjoy spending time with you as well. '
' Hey, you two! Come here! ' Sprectreon called out. ' I'm trying to make flower crowns and I need to measure the size of your heads! '
' Flower crowns? ' Floette asked. ' What are those? '
' Come over here and I'll show you! ' Sprectreon said.
Decidueye chuckled and began walking over to Sprectreon and Sylveon. Looking back, he gestured for Floette to join them and Floette smiled, as she floated her way over to them.
...
" Morning Alexis, the usual. " Atsumu said upon arriving at the counter.
" Morning, " Alexis greeted. " I'll have that whipped in a jiff. Take a seat. "
" 'kay. " Atsumu responded, finding a place to sit down and wait.
Getting comfortable, Atsumu sighed, placing his arms on the table and putting his head on them. His face flushed from remembering the events that occurred in the morning.
' Did I go too far? ' Atsumu thought.
' Not really. ' Gengar said, sitting in the chair beside Atsumu. ' Besides, Valerie enjoyed it, so why worry so much? '
' She did huh? I should've waited a bit more before leaving then. ' Atsumu thought, picking his head up.
' You really should have. ' Gengar giggled, thinking about what happened.
After waking up in the morning, Valerie ran into Atsumu who had just finished his morning routine, and exited the restroom, toothpaste, and toothbrush in hand.
" Morning. " Valerie sleepily replied, hair a bit frazzled.
" Morning. " Atsumu greeted with a smile, feeling refreshed. " I'm about to go get breakfast. Is there anything you want or just the usual? "
" The usual, please. " Valerie said while yawning.
" ... Were you not able to sleep well last night? " Atsumu asked, a bit worried.
" Yeah... " Valerie said, making Atsumu feel guilty for about a second. " because I was thinking about the fact I kissed your cheek. I don't know why, but I was thinking about it for a while. "
Atsumu stood silent before he started to chuckle, causing Valerie to look at him in annoyance.
" What? What's so funny? " Valerie semi-glared.
" The fact that I was worried over nothing. " Atsumu smiled. " Also... "
Stepping in close, Atsumu's face was right in front of Valerie's who had a small blush on her face from the proximity. Turning his head, and stepping to his left, Atsumu planted a small kiss to Valerie's right cheek.
" There... Now we're even. " Atsumu said. " I'm going to go get breakfast. See ya in a bit. "
Turning around, Atsumu walked away. Behind him Valerie watched as he left then a large blush appeared on her face. Valerie brought her hands to cover it up, silently squealing, the sides of her mouth giving away the fact that she was smiling.
' She liked that. ' Gengar said.
' Oya? ' Atsumu smiled. ' Perhaps I should do it again... though, would I be pushing my luck? '
' No. No not at all. You'd be wasting it instead. ' Gengar deadpanned.
' ... I see. ' Atsumu responded.
" May I... take a seat? " Someone asked, standing close to the table Atsumu was sitting at.
Looking up, Atsumu recognized the face of Gurkinn and his Lucario standing beside him.
" Sure. " Atsumu said, gesturing for him to take a seat. Gurkinn sat down across the table from Atsumu, as did his Lucario who sat across from Gengar.
" It's been awhile... " Atsumu started. " How are you doing? Considering... "
" The exploding Golem you dropped onto me the last time we met. " Gurkinn finished.
" Yeah... That. " Atsumu said.
" ...Decent. " Gurkinn responded. " I've... mostly calmed myself down and have been re-evaluating what I know so far. While I don't condone the existence of megastones and keystones now, I also... don't know much about where they come from. I now know they were created by humans, but the more I questioned it, the more I questioned myself on how this even works. I don't know if you're busy right now, but we can do this later, I can wait, but... can you put my mind at ease? "
" ... I don't think you'd like what you'd hear though, " Atsumu said. " Plus, it'll be pretty short. "
" Perhaps... but I'd rather have closure. " Gurkinn said. " It's all... eating me alive. "
" Alright. " Atsumu agreed. " I'll tell you what I know so far. "
" Thank you. " Gurkinn said.
" Well, like I said, It's pretty short, " Atsumu said, then sighed. " So basically, there was a war that occurred 3000 years ago and in that war, Mega Evolved Pokemon participated. What ended the war was a weapon... that was charged with the life energy of Pokemon. Considering megastones and keystones were made from the sacrifices of specific Pokemon and humans, and were used way before the weapon was created... "
" It can concluded that this was... " all the rage " back then. " Gurkinn sighed.
" Yeah. " Atsumu agreed, looking down at the table.
" ... It's quite the eye-opener. " Gurkinn said. " I didn't have enough knowledge and was parading around the title of being the Evolution Guru, someone who held vast ' knowledge ' in the field of Mega Evolution and believed it to be a symbol, a representation of how powerful the bond between Pokemon and Trainer can be... "
" Yet I was parading a false, horrifying creation made solely for war over a thousand years ago. " Gurkinn silently raged, his voice cracked and his fist was tightly clenched. Taking a deep breath, Gurkinn relaxed.
" What is your stance on this? " Gurkinn asked. " What is the right answer in this situation? Should we still be using Mega Evolution or should it be banned? "
" I... have no idea. " Atsumu said. " Honestly, I don't think there is a right answer. The creation of megastones and keystones, is wrong. How they were created was wrong. But, that was over 3000 years ago. All the Pokemon that were sacrificed, probably don't even exist inside the megastones anymore. That one Lucario was probably an exception. "
" I don't... know what the right answer is. I don't even think there is one. " Atsumu said. " All I know is... that any measure that's similar to the decision of trying to create a megastone or keystone, would be the wrong one. "
" I see... and what would be similar to that? " Gurkinn asked.
" Well... not similar in terms of process but intention. Back then, it was probably a last resort to end the war, since nothing else was working. But all it did was bring something terrible into the world. A decision born from desperation. "
" ... How intriguing. " Gurkinn smiled softly. " Thank you. "
" ... This helped? " Atsumu asked in confusion.
" Yes. It did. " Gurkinn smiled. " You've eased me and given me something to positive to hope for. Thank you. "
" No problem, I think. " Atsumu said.
" If you have time, come and stop by the Tower of Mastery. " Gurkinn said, standing up. " I'd love to have another conversation with you, perhaps over tea. "
" Alright. " Atsumu agreed. " I'll stop by. "
" I look forward to it. " Gurkinn said, then turned around and walked away.
" Well, that was unexpected. " Atsumu muttered, Genagr nodded her head in agreement.
" Hey Atsumu. Your order's ready. " Alexis called out from the counter.
" Oh! " Atsumu jolted, got up from his seat, and walked over to the counter. " Thanks. "
" No problem. " Alexis said. " Hey, tell Valerie not to overdo it considering the fashion show 3 days away. "
" ...Got it. " Atsumu said, handing over the money. " Thanks, Alexis. "
" Anytime. " Alexis responded.
Alexis went to tend to another customer as Atsumu walked out of the shop and headed back to the gym. Gurkinn walked around with Lucario by his side, before coming to a halt.
" I think... it's time for me to speak with Korrina. " Gurkinn muttered.
' Yes. I believe that's the best choice. ' Lucario conveyed through his aura.
Gurkinn nodded his head and sent out his Gallade. Sending a command in his head, Gallade picked up on it and the trio teleported, arriving in front of the Tower of Mastery.
...
" Hey Korrina, you got a vistor. " One of the trainers called out to Korrina was spending her time rollerblading.
" Okay. " Korrina responded, rushing over with practiced ease, coming to a stop next to the trainer. " Thanks, Mark. Where is the visitor and who is it? "
" The visitor is waiting in the lobby and... " Mark hesitated, then spoke. " it's your grandfather. "
" Huh? " Korrina uttered in surprise. " He came here?! "
" Ye...yeah. He's waiting for you. " Mark said.
" ... That's surprising. I thought he'd never show up here again, wonder why? Guess I should ask him. " Korrina shrugged. " Thanks again, Mark. "
" No problem. " Mark responded as Korrina skated away.
Lesiuraly skating through the corridors, Korrina entered the main lobby where she saw her grandfather waiting, arms crossed, and his Lucario beside him. Gurkinn looked in her direction upon hearing the familiar sound of her rollerblades.
" So... why are you here? " Korrina asked.
" Not even a hello, huh? " Gurkinn pondered.
"Didn't think that's necessary for this. " Korrina said. " Considering the last time I saw you, you stormed off. I never thought you'd show up here again after that. "
" ... I thought the same. " Gurkinn said, unfolding his arms.
" I... I had a chat with Atsumu this morning, a few minutes ago in fact. " Gurkinn said.
" Oh, him. " Korrina sighed. " Why am I not surprised? At least tell me the talk went well. "
" It did. " Gurkinn confirmed. " What were expecting? "
" Something bad. " Korrina responded.
" I see... " Gurkinn said. " As I said, it was a good talk, and it... helped me get a good grasp on my situation. It ended up leading me back here, to you, Korrina. "
" There is a question I want to ask. " Gurkinn said. " Knowing the truth, what is it you intend to do? "
" ... Is this really why you came here? " Korrina asked bitterly.
" Yes. " Gurkinn said. " I'll be making my decision after I hear your answer. "
" And what decision would that be?! " Korrina questioned. " The complete eradication of megastones and keystones, destroying this entire tower!? Like that's going to solve anything. "
" ... Korrina, please. " Gurkinn asked, his eyes focused solely on her, startling Korrina.
" What's with that look? " Korrina asked, but Gurkinn remained silent. " ... Fine. I'm going to keep Mega Evolution a thing. The stones are indestructible, and won't even gain a dent. Considering that, at least this way, every single one of those Pokemon can finally rest in peace. "
Gurkinn's eyes widened.
" Doesn't change the fact it still feels wrong, but the way I see it, to get rid of Mega Evolution we need to keep using it until it dries out. At most though, I'll make sure Mega Evolution isn't used for the wrong purposes. " Korrina stated, looking at her grandfather dead in the eye.
" Korrina... you have surpassed me. " Gurkinn smiled.
" ... What? " Korrina said, shocked. " What the hell are you talking about? I'm not at your level... "
" Yes, what you're thinking is right. " Gurkinn interrupted. " You're not at my level... in terms of battle. In terms of ideology, you far surpass me. "
Gurkinn smiled, feeling extremely happy by that notion. Korrina's idea, her solution to the problem, was far better than anything he could come up with. It felt, and sounded, right.
" ... What is going on? " Korrina asked. " Are you high? "
" No. I'm not. Also, don't insinuate I'd ever do drugs. " Gurkinn said.
" Then what the hell are you saying? " Korrina asked.
" I'm saying... that you are the new Mega Evolution guru. " Gurkinn said. " I'm not stepping down, you're taking the mantel, because you are better than me. "
" Wait, wait, wait! " Korrina yelled, then calmed down. " First off, I was already the Mega Evolution guru, I don't need your blessing. Secondly, what the hell? You just show randomly, out of nowhere, and pull this on me! Where were you for the last month? "
" I... was pondering on everything I knew up to this point. " Gurkinn admitted. " After that revelation, it felt like my entire world began to crumble before my eyes. I felt lost, I didn't know how to proceed. Thankfully, the person who ended up showing me the truth also ended up showing me a different perspective. And it led me, back to you, Korrina, the one who showed me a much better path to tread upon than the ones I thought of. "
Korrina stared at the smiling face of her grandfather, his eyes conveying gratitude and pride, all aimed towards her. She remembered how he looked when he left, how it felt when he wasn't around.
' It... wasn't even that long. ' Korrina thought. ' Maybe... '
" Are... you going to storm off again? " Korrina asks.
" If I do that, you can ban me from ever returning to this place. " Gurkinn said, resolutely.
" And... you are prepared to honor that commitment? " Korrina questioned.
" Yes. Yes, I am. " Gurkinn responded.
" I see. " Korrina smiled. " I've missed you. I've missed you a lot. "
" As I did with you. " Gurkinn smiled, bringing his granddaughter in for a long overdue hug.
___________________________________________
Sup.
How was the chapter?
What do you think of the story?
Leave a comment.
Leave a review.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Have a nice day.