PokeSync Gauntlet

Cerulean City was exactly how I remembered it, a small cosy spot nestled by a glimmering blue lake. The Cerulean City Gym stood as the local centrepiece, the vibrant aquarium within it visible from where I was, concealed by a huge glass dome.

The city's infrastructure was just like that of Celadon, making it a pleasant and desirable place to be.

"What is going on here?"

I swerved by a large free park space, spotting a massive banner with the Team Rocket symbol on it; a platform housing a surprising number of familiar faces erected at the back end of the park.

Standing on a platform was Giovanni himself, dressed in a sleek black suit that only enhanced his imposing and authoritative air. He had deep black eyes and neatly-styled hair, his appearance carrying a meticulous aura.

On his right hand side was Red, a tall, pale-skinned youth dressed in his iconic red cap and jacket. There was a strange quiet confidence about his whole demeanour, a strong intensity and determination in his eyes. That being said he was visibly disinterested, discernibly waiting for this whole thing to be over.

On Giovanni's left hand side was Leaf, a pale-skinned girl dressed in a blue dress and a red skirt, her black thigh-length leggings just barely visible. Her whole disposition was the exact opposite of Red's, a cool bubbly smile resting on her face. She seemed to be patiently waiting.

Giovanni finally started speaking.

"I am proud to announce the creation and development of the PokeSync Gauntlet, an extremely advanced technology that allows Pokemon Trainers with strong relationships with their Pokemon to temporarily borrow their abilities."

The crowd in the park gasped at the suggestion, loud mummering filling the atmosphere.

A sly smile stretched across Giovanni's face as he continued speaking.

"To illustrate the full capacity of the Gauntlet, I've enlisted the help of Red and Leaf, the Best Pokemon Trainers in all of Kanto to give you a live demonstration of the Gauntlet's potential"

At the conclusion of his sentence, he stepped back, a swarm of bodyguards quickly surrounding him while Red and Leaf stepped forward. 

They both raised their right hands, each wearing a light blue futuristic glove with a circle in the middle of it, containing the projection of a Pokemon.

In Red's case, it was a Mega Charizard X while in Leaf's case it was a Mega Venasaur. The pair of them closed their fists and a wave of blue energy pulsed out from the gauntlets, washing over their bodies.

'Seeing it in person is a little unreal'

Just like magic, a pair of black wings sprouted from Red's back, the interior a bright striking blue while his eyes sharpened. He managed to toss his cap into the crowd in the nick of time as his hair transformed into mighty blue flames, a pair of wicked-looking fangs shooting out from his teeth.

Leaf's hair transformed into literal leaves, vibrant bright green dangling from her head while wood armour stretched over her clothes, a pair of whips made of wicked-looking vines wrapping several times around her hands. A long pink flowery scarf also draped from her neck.

'It seems like I'm in Pokemon World a little earlier than I thought'

I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding, spinning my body and spurring my hoverboard to move as I floated towards the Cerulean City Dockyard.

At the beginning of Pokemon World, Bond Synchronization technology was already wide-spread and accepted as an additional phenomena that was affiliated with Pokemon, similar to Mega-Evolution, Z-Moves and Terastallization.

It was a mechanic unique to Pokemon World that allowed trainers to effectively become their favourite Pokemon. In the lore, they effectively gained superpowers that scaled depending on how powerful and unique a specific Pokemon was. 

In the Real World, this was one of the major things that put Pokemon World on the map, the fanart and fanfiction community whipped up into a frenzy, even Nintendo eventually getting involved. 

'But just like everything, Team Rocket had to spoil it'

Although it didn't seem like it on paper, Team Rocket were still the bad guys in the Pokemon World story. It was discovered that the stronger the relationship between a Trainer and their Pokemon, the more powerful the synchronization would be.

The most commonly used type of relationship was one of mutual respect where a Trainer and a Pokemon, after several battles and experiences, understood each other, enabling them to blend and merge. This was the kind of relationship Red and Lead had with their Pokemon.

The preferred method of Team Rocket was to abuse and manipulate Pokemon, exerting dominance over them and making them feel helpless and worthless. This enabled them to quickly and easily borrow characteristics of captured Pokemon since they were so mentally subservient to them.

'But I know the story and I'm not going to let them get away with it'

"You wanna rent a Lapras?"

"Yes sir"

A small beep echoed in the air as my limited pool of funds got even smaller.

'This payment is unavoidable however'

I turned my attention to Lapras, the elegant turtle seeming extremely surreal.

It had sleek, blue skin that glistened in the sunlight, each wave of the sea reflecting off it's smooth, shell-covered back. It's large, soulful eyes radiated warmth and intelligence, making it seem more human than animal.

With a bit of effort, it glided gracefully through the water, it's long neck curving gently as I laid my hands atop its head. 

I gently pressed on its ears, beckoning it to surf with greater speed, tilting its head ever so slightly to change directions. 

'What Legendary do I want?'

Now that I was in the Pokemon World for real, the math on what would make the best Legendary would certainly be different as I wasn't restricted as heavily by Game Mechanics.

'Ideally it would be from a later generation'

Although all Legendaries were re-balanced in Pokemon World to make them more deserving of their title, Power Creep was still a real thing. All the Legendary Pokemon that were viable in competitive play received amps that made them even more ridiculous in Pokemon World.

'There's also the practical implications'

Ideally the Legendary would be a lowkey size as well, not something that would draw too much attention while still being a powerhouse. 

'There's also the Quest-Lines too'

Interaction between Pokemon was an important mechanic in Pokemon World, the presence of particular Pokemon in the arsenal of a player resulting in different consequences.

'Speculating won't help me too much'

I steadied my heart as the entrance of Cerulean Cave quickly came into view. 

It was honestly a little spooky, a faint layer of mist surrounding the area while overgrown foliage weakly attempted to conceal the entrance, almost like a warning not to enter. The rocks making up the cave appeared extremely rigid, a dense foreboding atmosphere stimulating my nerves.

A determined smile stretched over my face.

'Let's get it'