Chapter 13

Utterly defeated, Gurkinn falls forward on his knees. everything he knew, and believed in, shattering in his mind. Mega evolution, something that was passed down to him from his elders, told by them as a method to gain power through a strong, unbreakable bond between human and pokemon, made possibly through that very concept, broken by the cold hard truth.

Mega stones were created by humans, using the corpses, thousands of corpses, of the target, specifies, extracted souls stuffed into an orb as a well of power that can be tapped into while using a keystone, made from the corpses of humans.

' This... monstrosity!!' He thought vividly, staring at the stone, embedded in his glove, something he wore with pride, earned from passing the very test he gave his granddaughter back in his own youth.

His Lucario stood beside him, coming out of his Pokeball when felt the presence of the spirit, the Lucafio trapped inside the stone, unable to fade away through sheer rage, wanting to escape.

Lucario stared at his mega stone the same way as his trainer. He was looking at an abomination to nature, everything was a lie!!

Korrina and her Lucario watched as her grandfather and his Lucario, grabbed the stones and violently took them out, ripping the gloves and wristband they wore.

Simultaneously, they screamed, bringing the stones down onto the ground, trying to break the glistening orbs.

Korrina couldn't recognize him. That is her grandfather right? The one who takes care of her, the one that guides her, the one who trained her to be his successor. That was him, Right!!??

Ash and Clemont rushed forward, respectively grabbing Lucario and Gurkinn, and holding them back.

" Let go of me!! " Gurkinn yelled, writhing madly, trying to shake off Clemont who held on.

" No!! " Clemont said, refusing to let go.

" Let me go!! I will destroy this accused object! " Gurkinn yelled.

" That won't do anything!! " Ash yelled, still holding onto Lucario, who unconsciously was holding back not to hurt him even when in rage.

The synchronous slap caused both trainer and pokemon to falter in their way, shock running through them as they registered the strike.

" Your granddaughter has seen enough. " Atsumu said.

Gurkinn looked over to Korrina, who had a face of shock. Ah...he had acted irrationally in front of her, hadn't he. She was terrified of him.

Calming down, he lay limp in Clemonts arms, Lucario had followed suit in Ash's. They both Let go when they felt the defeat set in.

" What was the point? " Gurkinn asked. " Everything I did until now, all that I have preached was a lie. "

" Not everything. " Korrina said as she knelt beside her idol, grabbing his shirt, and making him face her.

" A strong bond between humans and pokemon is still needed to make this work. That is a fact. If you don't have a strong bond, the pokemon is overcome with rage and lashes out.

That hasn't changed. That is still true. All that's changed is the origins of where mega stones come from. That's all. Everything else is the same. " Korrina said resolutely.

" Perhaps... But I can't in good conscience follow suit. All this power comes from the lives of others. I will not use them anymore. " Girkinn said, dropping the stone and removing his glove. Like friends, Lucario did the same.

Gurkinn stood up, his eyes now glazed over in sadness and anguish, he closed his eyes as he spoke,

" Korrina. You can do whatever you want with the Tower of Mastery. It's all yours. "

" Don't screw with me!! " Korrina yelled, grabbing Gurkin's shirt, and shaking him. " You can't simply hand over that to me just like that! What was the point of everything I had to go through!! "

" If I hadn't known, I wouldn't be doing this. But I do... " Gurkin croaked out, tears welling in his eyes. " And I wish I could have lived in ignorance. "

Korrina's grip loosened, and her eyes looked on in disbelief. This was the man she admired, aspired to be like...well, not anymore. The weight of truth crushed him.

Gurkin turned around and walked away, his granddaughter, her friends, and the man who had found the truth, watched on as he left, till he wasn't visible.

...

Valerie sat in her office, staring at her computer screen, currently in an online meeting with the other gym leaders, except for Korrina and Clemont, and a representative from the league.

" Why are we having this meeting? " Wolfric asked in a bored tone. " I doubt there's a reason to have a meeting like this for pokemon poaching. "

"I agree. " Valerie said. " This doesn't require all of us. "

" It does seem that way, yes. " The representative said. " However, that would be ignoring the evidence we've collected.

The pokemon that were poached range in the hundreds and all of them were taken from the route between Cyllage city and Geoscenge town. "

" What!? " Grant yelled. Expected considering where his gym was located.

" And what does this have to do with the hundreds of pokemon poached? " Olympia asked.

" None of the pokemon were taken or were put up for sale in all this time. " The representative said.

" Doesn't that just mean there are no leads then? " Viola asked.

" Yes. Considering we won't be able to locate them. However, we're beginning to believe they didn't capture pokemon to sell them. Capturing hundreds of pokemon at once on the same route to sell is nearly impossible. We would have known and got them.

But there was never a move outside of this. We've checked the docks, keeping track of rumors but have come up with nothing. It's safe to say that those pokemon were needed for a different motive. A large-scale one. "

" Do we at least know the perpetrators? " Valerie asked.

" No. They did this for three days from what we could gather and stopped. They may strike again, so please be on guard. That is all. " The representative said before logging off.

"It seems this case is more serious than just mere poaching. " Ramos said.

" Indeed. From what I can infer, there is something much greater going on... " Olympia states.

" I'll be going now, guys. I'll let you know if I find anything. " Grant said urgently before he exited the meeting.

" I'll keep an eye on him. " Viola before logging off as well, knowing where Grant was headed and what he would be doing.

" He's impatient ever. " Valerie said.

" One of us can inform him later or he'll figure it out on his own. " Wulfric said.

" Most of the pokemon on the route are low-level. There are very few pokemon that would pose a threat to new trainers who explore the area. " Olympia said.

" It's that very sane low level that makes them easier to round up after all. " Ramos said.

" If they did go after stronger pokemon, there would be a greater chance for us to spot them, wouldn't it? " Valerie said.

" Exactly. But that's a great risk, it would be hard to not go unnoticed. " Wulfric inputted.

" What are the chances they would go after them? " Valerie asked.

" It's best if we put more lookouts for now. If anything new comes up, we can discuss it when the time comes. " Ramos said.

" Agreed. " Olympia said. Valerie sighed but agreed, nonetheless.

They exited the call soon after. Valerie hunched back on her chair.

' Why would they need so many? ' She thought. The end goal of the perpetrators eluded her. She didn't have enough information to make a complete narrative.

' Come to think of it, he was going through that route anyway. Maybe he saw something. ' She thought, thinking about Atsumu who was in the area.

' I'll give him a call later. ' She thought, knowing she had to get back to work.

...

Korrina stared at the moon, a somber mood enveloped her. Ash walked up to her, sitting next to her. They didn't speak, Ash wanted to make the first move but he didn't know where to start.

Unable to bear the silence, Korrina spoke, voicing out her thoughts of the moments that had occurred hours prior.

" I still want to use them. " She said, " The mega stone and keystones, I want to use them. They were made from the souls of others, but at the same time, they are all dead.

Grandpa rejected them now, he never wished to harm others unless he had to and he certainly never wanted to use others for his own gain.

But those people are dead. If they were alive, using them against their will would be immoral. But they are dead.

Am I a bad person for still wanting to use them? If Grandpa saw me using them, would he be disappointed in me for doing so? "

" That's... that doesn't really matter, does it? " Ash said, looking at the moon.

" You're you, Gurkinn is Gurkinn. If that's what you believe you can go ahead and do it. Because I don't know the correct answer.

I mean...depending on the person who uses mega evolution, they can refuse as well but why should they give them up? After all, they didn't make it in the first place.

And as you said, there's no more consciousness in them anymore. So, isn't there only energy in those stones now? What use would they have otherwise? We would just keep them on a shelf. "

" Yeah. That's true. " Korrina said.

" Hey. What do you think of him? Atsumu, I mean. " Korrina asked Ash.

" Atsumu. " Ash muttered. " I thought of him as someone way above me... No. He still is.

When I first meet him in Santalune City, he told me his thoughts on what a battle means and I understand clearly after rethinking my past fights.

Pokemon battles are between pokemon vs pokemon and trainer vs trainer. Pokemon can have rivalries with other pokemon, just like trainers can have rivals.

It made... so much sense! My mind was blown away! I wanted to fight him once and witnessed soemthing incredible as well. I even learned how strong he actually is.

But today, he felt... more out of it than usual. He was... upset before since no one could give him a challenge, but today... today was different.

It's like he experienced something terrible and couldn't stop thinking about it. And it wasn't because of battles nor it was because of the whole, putting souls into a stone through sacrifice for power plot.

I just don't know... what would shake him up like that. "

" You think highly of him. " Korrina surmised.

" Yeah. I do, a lot actually. " Ash realized, for hearing himself speak.

" Remember what he said, when I had asked him if he would still use mega evolution? " Korrina asked.

" Yeah. " Ash said.

' Dusknoir is a special case but for others, I would, only when I absolutely need it. '

" When do you think he would actually need to, if he's so strong already? " Korrina said.

" I don't know, but it may be when something important is on the line. " Ash said.

" Guess so. " Korrina said. " I'm thinking of heading back to Shalor city tomorrow. I'll have to take care of the tower now. Maybe... he's there. "

" That's doubtful. " Ash said.

" Yeah... You're right. " Korrina chuckled.

" Though, I'm still expecting a gym battle once I reach. " Ash said.

" Don't worry. You'll get one. " Korrina said confidently.

" That's great to hear. " Ash said with a smile of his own.

The two got up and walked inside. It's been a long day for them.

Yet for others, the day hadn't ended just yet.

Atsumu had made a call, a call only when he reached Shalor city, and now, he would soon be meeting the man who was in charge of the operation down below the surface of the earth.

It's the dead of night, and the luminescence from street lights permeated around the area. Atsumu sat on a bench next to a lamppost with a light right above him, a reoccurring book in his hand, the rose on the cover, a clear indicator for the man who had the only other book in existence.

" The silence is astounding, isn't it? " Lysandre said, his tone barely above a whisper, yet in the dead of night where no one else was awake except for these two men, Atsumu could hear his voice loud and clear.

His voice was calm and from it, Atsumu could deduce that he was in a relaxed mood. He wasn't troubled at all.

" Shame this is only at night. It would be quite beautiful if this was all day long. " Lysandre said, sitting down on the bench opposite to the one Atsumu sat on, no lamppost beside him, no light above him.

" It does get quite chaotic during the day. " Atsumu said dryly.

" Doesn't it? " Lysandre chuckled. " Anyway, I was surprised when I got a phone card from you, even more so when you said you wished to speak with me in person. So, your answer. "

" I won't hand over the book to you... " Atsumu said, to Lysandre's displeasure. " But I will join you. "

" Oh... " Lysandre said, displeasure turning into interest.

" And why do you wish to join me? " Lysandre asked.

" I'm curious. " Atsumu said. " That's all. "

" That's it? " Lysandre said. " You wish to join because you are curious? Curious about what exactly? "

" Of what you're doing. " Atsumu said. " And what you'll do. I'm quite bored these days, most battles aren't interesting and right now, I want some entertainment. You're the only person I've met so far that can provide me with it. "

" Is that so? I'm flattered. " Lysandre chuckled. " Well, this isn't what I offered you, you've already rejected that. But this is interesting. Let me have some time, I'll call you back when I have an answer. "

" Fair enough. " Atsumu said.

" It's been a pleasure. " Lysandre said with a smile.

He then stood up and walked away. Afsumu stared at him as he left before staring at the sky above, enraptured in silence before the sound of his phone ringing echoed.

Taking out his phone, he looked at the caller's name. Valerie. Answering the call, he put the phone up his ear.

" Sup. " Atsumu said, trying to put some enthusiasm into it.

" Hey. " Valerie responded, " Did I catch you at a bad time? "

" No. Not at all. " Atsumu said with a sigh.

" You good? " Valerie asked.

" Not really. " Atsumu said.

" Figured. " Valerie said. " You want to talk right now or should I call you back tomorrow? "

" No need. Just ask. " Atsumu encouraged.

" Alright. There was a meeting between gym leaders a few hours ago. The topic was the disappearance of multiple pokemon over the span of three days on the route outside of Geosenge town. " Valerie said.

Atsumu's breath hitched, his memory of what happened in the lair, the weapon below the surface, a remnant, just like the mega stones and keystones left after the war had occurred.

One, a moral debate could be made for usage and ozone usage. But the other should be off limits, yet in the hands of someone who wants nothing more than silence all day long.

" Hey! You okay? You're silent. Something happened related to this incident, didn't it!? You were there, weren't you!!? " Valerie asked, worried for the man on the other end of the line, filling the forefront of her mind.

" Yeah. " Atsumu admitted, there wasn't any reason not to.

" What happened? " Valerie asked, waiting for an answer.

" I saw what happened to the pokemon. " Atsumu said.

" You saw what happened to them? " Valerie repeated. " I'm going to need more context. "

" I... I can't say. " Atsumu said.

" What? " Valerie asked confused, but she did not get an answer after that as the call was cut. She looked at her phone and called again. The phone rang but Atsumu did not pick up. She tried again and again but the results were the same.

' He knows what happened, that much is clear. But whatever did happen must have shaken him to his core. Poachers aren't a match for him, he could beat them all easily.

Even then, I doubt he would be phased to this extent by mere poachers as the league thought. No, it's something worse. ' Valerie thought.

The man who played pretend with her in Ambrette Town had made it clear he wasn't afraid of most, something she enamored. Whatever had phased him this bad, would have to be so much worse than what the league suspects.

' I need to know what that is. It hasn't been long, but the gym will have to be closed for the time being. ' Valerie thought, making plans to meet with Atsumu.

Though to her, she seems quite fortunate. Meeting Atsumu had given one of the most memorable experiences in her life and now, a led to a case that had very little going for it.

On the other hand...

Aegislash floated beside Atsumu, Chandelure provided warmth with his flames while Jelicent allowed Atsumu to open the floodgates that held back the turmoil in his heart, in a hug. The quiet night is the perfect cover, for no one will notice this moment, or even hear it, muffled in Jellicents giant pink body.

Anguished screams delayed by two days, tears overflowed from powerlessness, sobs of despair from the truth that more pokemon's lives would be lost before this would end, and fear, from the realization that he could have lost all he held dear for the first time.

____________________________________________________

Sup.

College has given me the longest case of writers block I've had up to this point so I wasn't able to release till now.

Anyway, I'm back with a new chapter. How was it?

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