FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The sound of his phone ringing had awoken Mark from a restful nap on the couch, rousing him from his reminiscent dream. With a long groan of annoyance, he sat up from the couch, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before he rose to his feet and trudged over to the video phone hanging up on his wall, trying to make himself presentable before he picked up the receiver and the screen lit up to reveal the face of his caller.

Even through a half-lidded gaze, he quickly recognized the face of Professor Birch, distinguished by his portly physique and the fine-trimmed brown beard that grew along his jaw line, starting at the chin and extending up to a pair of sideburns that made the beard appear to be part of his hair.

“Mark Taylor! It's been a long time, hasn't it?" The professor asked.

“Professor Birch; yes it has been," Mark returned, stifling a yawn. “Sorry; I just woke up from a nap."

“Oops! Did I wake you?" Birch asked.

“Don't worry about it," Mark assured. “How are you, professor?"

“I'm quite well," Birch replied. “How about you?"

“I'm... enjoying my retirement, I guess," Mark replied, sighing.

“Retirement? You're not thinking of going on another journey?"

“Well much as I'd love to, I honestly don't know what to do," Mark returned, sighing. “And it bugs me because my Pokémon are getting restless; I can tell they want to start travelling again but I'm just not sure where to go. I've been to every corner of Hoenn and back –twice. There's nothing else for me to see here."

“I'm afraid I couldn't help you there," replied Birch. “My own trainer days have been and gone, unfortunately. I must admit, when I heard you lost the Championship so soon –sorry to bring that up- I was rather surprised."

“I was ill-prepared for Randy's rather deceptive tactics," Mark returned. “But, it was a legitimate win on his part; I don't regret it." He shook his head. “Anyway, Professor; what can I do for you?"

“I'm glad you asked," Birch replied. “When last I spoke with you, you had a Steelix, correct?"

“You mean Tanker," Mark verified. “Yes. What about him?"

“I just wanted to know if, by chance, you had a Steelixite –a mega stone for Steelix," Birch replied.

“I do, actually," Mark replied, turning away and angling the phone's camera towards a glass case on the wall, inside of which two shiny stones were mounted against the back, while a leather bracelet imbedded with a keystone rested below the, wrapped around a plastic stand. “It's the only other mega stone I've found, in fact, aside from Vitesse's."

“Ah, wonderful!" A voice exclaimed from behind Birch.

Mark looked at the video screen at the sound of the unknown voice, arching an eyebrow. “Who was that?"

“Oh, sorry," Birch replied, stifling a laugh. “I was actually calling you to ask on behalf of an associate of mine from the Kalos Region." At that, Birch began to step out of sight from the camera. “Augustine; come over here."

_ _ A few seconds later, a thinner, taller man sat down in front of the video, with unkempt black hair, rather thick eyebrows and striking blue eyes, wearing a pleasant smile on his face as he regarded Mark. “So, we finally get to meet, Mr. Taylor. I've heard much about you."

_ _ “The pleasure's mine, sir," Mark replied. “Unless I'm wrong, you're Professor Augustine Sycamore, aren't you?"

The man's smile faded slightly as he eyed Mark with a questioning glance. “Why yes; how did you know?"

_ _ “I've read some of your publications regarding Mega Evolution," Mark replied. “Those notes about the Mega Stones and how the Pokémon they're meant for can sense them are how I identified the Steelixite –Tanker sensed it from inside his Poké Ball and then popped out, leading me right to it."

“Ah, I see," Sycamore returned, nodding in approval. “Well done." He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I actually have a favor to ask of you, Mr. Taylor."

“Please; you can call me Mark."

“Okay, Mark," returned Sycamore. “I'm currently running a temporary lab near Mauville City. The purpose of my work here in Hoenn is in regards to the Mega Stones discovered here in recent years. You may well know, when those stones were discovered, so were entirely new Pokémon with the ability to Mega Evolve."

_ _ “I believe I heard about that," Mark returned, before allowing Sycamore to continue.

“Well although my research is dedicated to understanding Mega Evolution I have yet to actually see any of the evolutions of these new species, such as that of Steelix," Sycamore carried on. “So, that's why I asked Professor Birch if he knew anyone who possessed one of these amazing Pokémon."

_ _ Mark arched an eyebrow. “So you want me to bring Tanker to you so you can see the Mega Evolution for yourself?" He asked, deliberating on the professor's request. It wasn't like he was doing anything else today, and he had to head to Mauville to do some shopping in the near future though nothing said he couldn't do it now. It wouldn't be an inconvenience. With a shrug, he said. “Why not? I had to go to Mauville anyway, so I'll stop by."

“Marvelous!" Sycamore chimed. “I look forward to your visit, Mr. –er, Mark."

_ _ “Where is the lab located?"

At that question, Professor Birch stepped back into view. “You know where the New Mauville project is located, correct?" He asked. “The laboratory is set up on the cliff above the access tunnel leading there. Look for a white modular unit and a large aluminium structure; that will be it."

_ _ “Got it," Mark said with a firm nod, picturing the location in his head; he hadn't been near New Mauville in quite a while, but he knew where it was. The lab would not be hard to find in that area as New Mauville was only a short trip from the city and, by Birch's description, would probably stand out against all of the nature in that area. “I'll see you soon."

With that, they said goodbye, and the screen went black as Mark placed the receiver back in the cradle, stepping away from the phone. Turning from it, he made his way across the room to the case with the stones, fishing the keys out of his pocket and sorting through them one at a time until he found the correct one with which he unlocked the case and retrieved the Steelixite from its mount, pocketing it and then taking the leather bracelet with the keystone, which he slipped over his hand and fastened to his wrist.

'Just one thing I still need,' he thought as he turned his attention to door leading out into the foyer.

Mark exited the living room, turning right and approaching the closet next to the front door, which he slid open and reached up for the pullstring to turn on the light, illuminating the inside. The closet was pretty much empty except for his favorite vest, a pair of boots and two leather belts hanging on the wall at the back. One of those belts was the harness in which he kept Vitesse's mega stone when they went out into the field. The other one, obviously meant for Tanker, was more than three times as large as Vitesse's.

Mark reached in and lifted the larger belt from off the wall, along with his vest, and put on the latter before he turned to look up the hallway. “Vitesse!" He called, but there was no answer from the Blaziken, at which Mark hummed curiously. “She must be outside," he decided before adjusting his vest and turning to the front door.

He stepped through the inside and outer screen doors and out onto the deck of his modular home, hopping over the four steps that led the ground and tucking his hands into his pockets as he stepped out into his yard. The sound of his footsteps caught some attention, as he heard a familiar barking sound, and turned to look up at the porch towards the large doghouse on the deck, out of which stepped a Mightyena. “Morning, Fang," Mark bade.

Fang shook himself as he emerged out into daylight, raising his backside and flattening out his front as he stretched, yawning loudly. As Mark started to walk, the Mightyena eagerly dashed down the steps and trotted up to walk at his side, padding along quietly and raising his head up for Mark to scratch him behind the ear. “Seen anybody this morning?"

Fang whined in response, reminding Mark that he had only just woken up. “Oh right, sorry," the trainer said, going back to looking around the property. “I guess Vitesse's out jogging around the ridge; usually what she does in the morning." Cupping his hands around his mouth, he called out another name. “Tanker!"

They did not have to wait long before they felt a mild tremor through the ground, hearing a grinding noise echoing from nearby, like something massive dragging itself across the soil. Following the sound, Mark looked over by the barn, a short wait revealing a massive Steelix coming around from behind the structure, making its way over to Mark and lowering its head as it neared, letting Mark reach out to stroke its jaw and look into its two red eyes.

“Hey big guy," Mark greeted. “We just got a call from one of the brains of Kalos; feel like going for a road trip?"

The Steelix rumbled in reply, the sound emanating from his throat reminiscent of a train engine and making Mark's ears ache from its pitch. “I'll assume that's a yes," he said, rubbing his ear. 'Can never get used to how loud you are, big fella,' he thought as he reached into his vest, finding Tanker's Poké Ball and holding it up to him. “Alright, let's go," he said before tapping the ball against Tanker's nose.

The ball opened, and the massive Steelix dematerialized, converting into a red energy form that was drawn into the ball, which clapped shut as the last of the energy was drawn inside. With that, he returned the ball to the inside of his vest, shrinking it down before putting it into its holster.

Mark turned his gaze down to Fang, who was sitting patiently at his side. “You want to come too, boy?" He asked, receiving a happy bark in reply. “Alright then," Mark returned, turning on his heel once again to head for the pickup truck parked by his house.

Heading around to the passenger side first, he let Fang jump into the vehicle, before walking around to climbing in the driver's side, starting up the engine and rolling out from the parking spot, heading making a right towards the dirt road leading off the property. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark spotted movement. It was Vitesse, running to meet him. He applied pressure to the brake, bringing the truck to a stop, and rolled down the window as she approached.

“Good morning, Vitesse," Mark bade his Pokémon. “Fang, Tanker and I are just headed to Mauville for a little while; we'll be back with dinner. Keep an eye on the place while we're gone, okay?"

The Blaziken nodded in reply, and leaned forward to let Mark pet her crest before he put the truck back into drive and resumed his trek, leaving her to watch them as they proceeded down the hill towards the main road. Once they were off the dirt and onto the pavement, she turned and headed over to the house to wait inside for them.

~~~~~

From the desert area of Hoenn, to the oddly designed city of Mauville along Route 11; the drastic change in scenery always muddled the Ex-Champion a little, to be one minute in a sandy wasteland, the next along open plains before finally coming to what, to him, was Hoenn's most unusual community; an entire city, built inside of a single larger than life structure like some sort of western Mega Mall, only several times larger, home to almost a hundred thousand people.

Mark often wondered what the apartments in Mauville were like and what drew people to them, but he had always been fonder of the countryside, choosing to live there instead of in the city. Besides, in such a crowded place, larger Pokemon like Tanker could never live there; he'd have to leave them somewhere, and that just was not something he was willing to do.

Having now arrived, Mark had the decision to make of whether to visit Professor Sycamore first, or go take care of his shopping. He had promised to be at the lab within an hour, but already half of that time had passed on the trip to Mauville. It was unlikely the shopping would take him very long; he only needed to pick up some food for his Pokémon, and his usual stop for those items wasn't far from the entrance he was close to.

Eventually, he shrugged. “I'll get the groceries first," he said, before he started heading towards the city entrance, with Fang padding along at his side, his long nails clicking on the paved ground and, soon, the tiled floors of Mauville's 'streets' when they entered the city.

Along the way, they walked around a crowd that had gathered in front of a massive television just outside the square, staring at it in awe. He would have kept going, if he had not heard someone mention the word Champion, which caught his ear and stopped him dead in his tracks. Immediately, he turned around, and rushed over to the back of the gathering, staring over them towards the television at the battle it was broadcasting, with an announcer detailing the battle through the speakers; it seemed this battle was live instead of private like Mark's own battle with Randy had been.

Randy's opponent was a young man in a red shirt with a black 'T' on the front of it, and black jeans. Upon his head he wore a white hat with a black band resting above the brow, with black –maybe brown hair, peeking out from underneath. The Pokémon he had just used was a Mega-evolved Swampert; Mark had arrived in time to see it knocked down by Randy's Sceptile –no surprise as it had a double advantage over the Water/Ground-type Swampert, not to mention being notoriously faster- and devolved back to its regular form.

“The Swampert is down!" The broadcaster announced. “The remaining Pokémon count is two to one; the battle has become one sided! People of Hoenn, it looks like once more our reigning champion, Randy Calvin, is set to seize another victory from his latest challenger!"

The challenging trainer recalled his Swampert to its Poké Ball, looking at it blankly for a moment before placing it back onto his belt. Bringing his hand back out, he was clenching another Poké Ball in his palm; an Ultra Ball, identified by its distinctive black top with a yellow 'U' painted over. Mark and the gathered crowd watched with intense awe as the trainer cast the ball forward, and his final Pokémon was revealed.

Even Mark was awestruck when the gigantic red behemoth emerged from the ball, casting a shadow over Thorn as it stood tall over him and unleashed a roar that brought static to the television speakers. The Pokémon had a body covered in red, segmented skin plates resembling armour all the way down its back, as well as a mask-like plating over its face, with a crest of four fins on top. Its sides were covered in thick spikes, and it had a long, heavy flat tail ending in four dozer like blades, and its short yet powerful arms each ended in four claws.

“Is that what I think it is?" Someone in the crowd demanded.

“How the hell did he catch that?!" Another chimed in.

Mark's jaw was hanging open in utter disbelief as he mouthed the name of the Pokémon –the only one that this awesome yet terrifying beast could possibly be...

“Groudon_._"

“People of Hoenn, this is a shocker! Our challenger's final Pokémon is the Legendary Ground-type Groudon! I don't know where our new Champion-hopeful found such a creature, but will it be enough to defeat our reigning champ's Mega Sceptile?"

The battle began, with Groudon lunging forward to attack Thorn with its mighty fist; the clumsy giant did not even come close to landing the blow as Thorn banked out of the way, running to the side and avoiding the Hammer Arm attack. Thorn dropped to all fours, counter-attacking with a Seed Bomb barrage that assailed Groudon repeatedly with a Grass-type attack; a weakness to a Ground-type like Groudon.

Unfortunately for Thorn, it took much more than that to stop this giant; Groudon turned on him and at its trainers call, raised both claws high over its head, both of which were suddenly surrounded by floating stones, covering them from the tip to the root of the claw, creating stone blades around them, unleashing its infamous Precipice Blades.

It swiped both claws at Thorn, missing the first when Thorn jumped over it, but the second attack struck him and sent him flying through air, disappearing off-screen from the camera. Thorn reappeared a moment later to rejoin the battle, trading attacks with Groudon again and again, and though he was clearly hurting Groudon, he wasn't stopping him, and was quickly becoming tired as the battle raged on.

Finally, Thorn's luck ran out, for although Groudon was a Ground-type, it was also known to specialize in several Fire-type moves, one of which it finally unleashed as Thorn was using Frenzy Plant, sending dozens of thick, thorny vines to assail the giant and hopefully finish off the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon unleashed a mighty Lava Plume attack, not only incinerating the vines but catching Thorn in the blast as well, as the room across which the television screen could reveal became ablaze with red-hot fire.

The heat was so intense that the camera feed was lost; the screen became snowy and crackling irritably, until it switched to a blank white screen and fell silent, replaced with text reading 'Please excuse our technical difficulties'.

The audience broke into a fit of complaint, cursing at the television as if it were to blame for stopping them from seeing the battle's conclusion –although, at least to Mark, the outcome seemed obvious.

Randy had lost...

The crowd began to disperse, leaving Mark standing alone in the middle of the corridor, with a curious Fang sitting down next to him, staring up at his trainer as Mark stared up at the television blankly as if waiting for the feed to come back. Finally, his head slumped, his gaze falling to the floor and fists tightening.

“So now even Randy lost," he said. “The very same guy who beat me -who took my champion title, beaten only a few months later?"

It angered him... he did not understand why- he had come to terms with that defeat long ago, but knowing that Randy had been defeated as well upset Mark in a way he had never felt before. He had fought hard, journeying across Hoenn for more than a year, collecting badges and training his Pokémon to reach the peak of their strength; he had raised them well, faced challenges with them at his side, defeating trainers and Gym Leaders along a long, treacherous road, until he had finally reached the Pokémon League himself.

He had battled the Elite Four, defeating them one by one, and even came face-to-face with the Champion, Steven, easily his toughest opponent ever at the time, and yet Mark had still triumphed. He had earned the right to the title of Champion. Until Randy arrived, merely ten months later, and soundly defeated him, losing only half of his Pokémon while exhausting the five Mark had carried.

'What does it all mean?' Mark thought, feeling a sense of doubt welling up inside of him to mix with his frustration, his fingers tightening into fists and causing his knuckles to crack noticeably. 'Was my becoming Champion... just a fluke? Was I just a fraud all along?'

Fang could sense Mark's turmoil, whining at him and rearing up to lick Mark's shaking fist, showing tenderness in an effort to try and alleviate his trainer's anger. At that, Mark's hand loosened, unclenching and letting his fingers hang low. He turned to look down at Fang, seeing the sullen look on the Mightyena's features as their eyes met.

Letting out a long sigh, Mark knelt down, placing his hand on the back of Fang's neck and stroking the mane of black fur running along his back. “I'm sorry boy," he said, softly. “I'll be okay, really."

Mark couldn't tell if the Mightyena believed him or not, but Fang leaned forward to bump Mark's cheek with his snout, dampening his face with that cold nose of his. Mark continued to pet him for a moment as he collected himself, remembering what he was there to do, and standing up once more. He tucked his hands into his pockets, sighing again. “Come on," he said in a barely audible mutter, before he continued down the corridor away from the white-screened television.

~~~~~

Mark's shopping had taken longer than he had intended; so slowed down and distracted by the television broadcast he had seen. By the time he realized what time it was he was already late to get to Professor Sycamore's lab; snapping out of his melancholy at last he half-ran out of Mauville with all of his groceries in hand, dumping them into the back of his truck before he and Fang hopped back in and left the parking area.

Circling around the city he found the side road leading to New Mauville; as the project had been abandoned years ago, the road was largely overgrown, but crushed weeds and dirt tracks in the foliage were sure signs that the road was in use again –albeit it was still really bumpy.

Shortly, he saw a modular building further ahead, sharing a lot by the woods with a couple of cars, a large satellite dish, a diesel-fueled generator at its side, which was currently active, and a large aluminium structure near the treeline, also with a generator. Mark pulled his truck up alongside the cars, shutting off the engine before he stepped out, followed by Fang.

“We're in the right area; this must be the place," Mark stated, looking around before he raised a hand to his mouth to concentrate his voice. “Hello! Professor Sycamore? Professor Birch? Is anyone here?"

The door to the modular opened, and through it stepped Professor Birch. “Mark! There you are," he called, and looked down as Fang approached to sniff his leg. “Hello there, Mightyena," he bade as he knelt down and let Fang smell his hand.

“Sorry I'm late," the trainer apologized as he approached Professor Birch, who stood up from Fang and shook hands with the trainer. “I uh... got a bit held up at Mauville."

“That's fine; we were still setting up the equipment for the test," Birch assured. “I just came out here to make some coffee; can I offer you any?"

“Sure; I'll take a cup," Mark accepted. “Thank you."

“You're welcome," replied Birch, leading the way back into the trailer, holding the door open for Mark to follow him inside, with Fang right on their heels.

Entering a foyer, Mark removed his shoes and followed the professor into the kitchenette of the trailer, where they proceeded over to the coffee pot on the counter. As Birch retrieved cups from the cupboard, he asked, “How do you prefer your coffee?"

“Two cream and sugar, please," Mark replied.

“Coming right up," Birch replied.

As Mark found a chair to sit in and waited, Fang lying down on the floor next to him, he voiced a question of his own. “So, I was wondering, Professor," he began. “Why are you working with Professor Sycamore on his Mega Evolution research? I thought your field was in Pokémon Habitation?"

“Yes that's true," began Birch. “But Augustine invited me on his project here in Hoenn because he needed someone who knew the Pokémon of the region to help him. Besides, understanding Pokémon Habitat is a big part in understanding the Pokémon themselves, wouldn't you say?"

Mark nodded. “I guess that's a good point," he said. “Sorry if I sounded like I was prying; I just wasn't sure how your work cooperated, but I guess that clears it up."

“Any science can be relevant to another, my friend," Birch returned as he finished mixing Mark's coffee and his own, crossing the room with the cups in hand and passed one to him, chuckling. “Quite profound that; I better make sure I write that down."

Mark chuckled heartily, accepting the cup from Birch with a gratuitous nod. “Brilliant, Professor," he said, the two of them sharing the laughter.

“Am I missing out on a jolly moment?"

The two turned towards the voice as Professor Sycamore entered the modular, climbing in through the door and greeting them with a wave. “Hello, Mark," he bade. “Finally we get to meet in person."

“Good afternoon, professor," Mark replied.

“Coffee's ready, Augustine; hot off the pot," said Birch, gesturing to the counter. “Already poured you one, but I didn't know how you liked it so I just left it."

“Quite alright, Birch," returned Sycamore as he headed over to retrieve the cup, adding a pouch of sugar and two spoonful of cream to it before mixing them together. He then blew on it before he proceeded to take a sip. “A fine grind; Hoenn grows some tasty coffee beans," he said before turning to the two, leaning against the counter. “Anyway, Mark. I'm glad you could make it out here on such short notice."

Leaning back in his chair, Mark gave the professor a dismissive wave with his free hand. “It's no problem," he assured. “It's not like I'm really doing anything these days. I was also a little late getting here."

“Oh? Why is that?" Sycamore inquired.

“Well," Mark began, frowning. “I got distracted by a live broadcast while I was shopping." Sensing his returning turmoil, Fang stood up slowly, looking up at his trainer with flattened ears. Mark reached down and gently stroked Fang's neck as he carried on. “It was a battle, between Randy and this other trainer; I think they said his name was Brendan."

Birch's eyes lit up slightly at the name. “You said Brendan?" He asked, receiving a nod from Mark. “I know him."

“You do?"

“He's from Littleroot Town as well; went on his journey a couple of years before you did, and became an exceptional Pokémon Trainer," replied Birch. “He's also Norman's son."

This time it was Mark's turn to react. “Norman? The Petalburg Gym leader?"

“The very same," replied Birch. “Brendan and my daughter May began their respective Pokémon journey's at the same time, in fact."

“I never met Brendan before," Mark commented. “Norman's son, huh?" He asked, staring into his coffee cup for a moment before he sipped some of the bitter brown liquid. “The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree," he commented, reminiscing the day that he had faced off against Norman himself to obtain the Plain Badge, and how the Normal-type gym leader had proven to be a strong opponent when he had nearly pushed Mark to the brink of defeat. Back then, Vitesse had still been a Combusken, and only through her Fighting-type moves and speed had he been able to win his fourth badge.

Somehow, learning who Brendan was didn't exactly alleviate his disdain about the results of the battle, but he let Birch carry on with his story. “Brendan actually became the Champion for a while, and after that May unfortunately gave up trying to be a Pokémon Trainer, instead focusing on being a performer in the Pokémon Showcase. Not that I don't approve, mind you; I'm proud of my daughter." Clearing his throat and finding a chair of his own to sit down, he looked at Mark. “Tell me, how did the match go?"

“Unfortunately, I didn't get to see all of it," Mark replied. “During the match, Brendan called out the Legendary Pokémon, Groudon, and then it used Eruption and, I guess it fried the cameras because the feed went dead after. I don't know for certain, but it sure looked like Randy lost."

“How unfortunate," Sycamore commented. “Well, you know the current Champion, don't you? Having faced him yourself, do you think there is any chance he won?"

Mark's gaze lowered. “I doubt it, honestly," he replied. “Not even Randy could beat a Legendary Pokémon as powerful as Groudon. Thorn would have been his best chance, and that's who I saw fighting him, but that Eruption attack, even without a weakness to fire, would've been the end of it for Thorn."

“So it's quite possible Hoenn has another returning Champion," Birch stated.

Mark grimaced. “Yeah... seems so," he said as he took another long sip of his coffee, nearly finishing it off as he continued to pet Fang, deciding the change the subject when he looked at Professor Sycamore. “So, this test you want to perform with Tanker; what exactly will it entail?"

“Mostly I want to just monitor the changes in energy and anatomy of your Steelix," Sycamore explained. “I promise it won't be anything intrusive or that might put your Pokémon in any danger."

With only a moment of thought, Mark eventually nodded. “Alright," he said. “I'll show you Tanker's Mega Evolution."

“Wonderful!" Sycamore chimed, holding up his arms in triumph. “My friend, I cannot thank you enough!"

“You spilled your coffee," Mark pointed out, finishing off the last of his own.

Sycamore looked into his cup, noticing that the contents had indeed gone down since he had last looked at it. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a brown splatter on the floor, and flushed with embarrassment. “Oh my," he said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. “My apologies, Mark; I guess I got a little carried away."

Birch was only snickering at Sycamore's careless excitement. “Next time you express your joy, Augustine, you may want to put down your cup first."

“My thoughts exactly," Mark agreed, and both he and Birch shared a laugh at Sycamore's expense, while the Kalos Professor retrieved some paper towel to clean up the mess he'd made.

~~~~~

Upon relocating to the large aluminium structure at the other end of the lot, Mark let Tanker out of his Poké Ball, leading him through a large set of doors into the building. Some more equipment had to be moved in order to make room for the giant Steelix, who struggled to keep his head down so that he did not gouge the ceiling with the ridges on his skull, but it was difficult without his large head bumping something else.

“Maybe we should do this outside," Birch suggested. “I've heard some Pokémon get bigger when they Mega Evolve, and Tanker barely fits in here already."

“I agree," Sycamore returned. “I can't move all of the equipment outdoors but maybe I can move some of the scanners if we bring the other generator over here."

“I can get it," offered Mark. “How do I power down the trailer?"

“There should be a breaker box over on the left side," replied Birch. “Flip the switch down, then it should be safe to disconnect the generator."

“I'm on it," returned Mark, looking up at Tanker. “Wait here big fella."

Tanker rumbled in response, watching as his trainer jogged out of the building and headed back towards the modular unit, with Fang trotting along at his side once more.

While Sycamore and Birch worked on moving some of the necessary equipment out of the lab, Mark found the breaker that Birch had described, opening it up and pulling the switch down to cut power to the trailer, before he turned his attention to the generator, using the instructions written on a sticker on its side to disconnect it from the modular. When he was done, he walked around to the front of it, hoisting it up the front and rolling it over to the lab.

Tanker was ushered back out of the building again by Sycamore, and the necessary monitoring equipment was hooked up to the extra generator, powering them up. Waiting for the equipment to reboot, Mark further assisted the professor by repositioning a couple of scanners to strategic locations to cover as much of the area around Tanker as possible, until finally everything was ready.

“All systems go," Sycamore stated. “Mark, you may proceed."

The trainer, standing directly in front of his Pokémon at a minimum distance so that he was out of range of the scanners, looked up at Tanker, both Pokémon and trainer nodding their heads to one another before Mark raised the arm on which he wore his bracelet. “Okay, Tanker," he said. “Mega Evolve."

Touching the keystone housed in his bracelet, both it and the Steelixite worn around Tanker's neck began to glow. A rainbow-pattern of glowing colours enveloped Tanker's body, and a violet, crystalline sphere formed around him like a chrysalis, engulfing the giant Steel-type as he ascended beyond evolution.

“Power levels increasing," Sycamore informed, looking up from the console in front of him with awe as he waited for Tanker to assume his ultimate form, eager to know what would emerge from that sphere...

The crystal shattered, the light dispersed, and Tanker's mega evolved form was revealed. The first noticeable change was actually his head; it had expanded, becoming more heavily armours and rounded to a sharp, curved shape, with the lower left and right portions of his jaw sporting three conjoined protrusions, almost like blades, from them. His eyes had turned from red to a medium blue colour, and the ridges above his eyes, forming over the top of his head, had become sharper and more pronounced.

The rest of his body had become denser, and the metal spikes protruding from the upper, middle and end of his body –including the tip of his tail, were replaced with prismatic crystalline spikes that were much denser. But the largest change of all were the metallic scraps that seemed to be floating around his neck in a ring pattern, as if caught in some unnatural, gravitational field like the asteroid belt of an alien planet, but reacting to his movements accordingly –if he lowered his head, they moved closer, never once touching the ground, but if he raised himself higher, they spread out again.

Sycamore had not even turned his attention back to the console as his eyes took in the sight of a Mega Steelix for the very first time, his heart aflutter with excitement and his mind swimming with new theories and realizations. “Merveilleux; astounding!" He chimed, finally looking at the console to check the readings. “So much power, and such drastic change! It is like another Pokémon entirely!"

Sycamore's glee, even with having seen Mega Evolutions before, was nowhere near the bewilderment on Professor Birch's face as he witnessed the Mega Evolution himself, staring at Tanker's new form so intensely that if his eyes had opened any wider they might have popped out of their sockets. He had not seen as many Mega Evolutions as Sycamore had, though to say he wasn't just as amazed by them would be giving him too little credit.

“Mark, this is truly a whole new step in understanding mega evolution," Sycamore called, beckoning Mark over to him to show him the console. Although Mark couldn't understand what all of the flashing lights and other nick-nacks meant, not being very tech-savvy, Sycamore's explanation helped him paint a better picture of just what the transformation meant.

“According to these readings," he began, “the density of Tanker's metal body has increased to nearly double what it was before. Metallurgy is not my strong suit, but I would dare say his body is as hard as titanium now." His eyes narrowed in disappointment. “Unfortunately, I cannot make sense of those metal scraps floating around him; there does not appear to be any sort of gravity distortions or unusual magnetic activity –were it the latter some of our equipment would probably be shorting out."

“To be honest, I wondered that myself," Mark admitted.

“Tell me; has Tanker ever battled in this form?" Sycamore asked.

Mark shook his head. “Not yet," he replied. “Truthfully? This is only the second time I've Mega Evolved him since I found the Steelixite, but I've yet to use him in an actual battle. I didn't want to risk it until I was sure the power didn't have any sort of adverse effect on him."

Sycamore's ears caught the tone in Mark's voice as the trainer used the word 'adverse', turning to look at him. “You have seen such effects before?"

Mark nodded. “Vitesse –my Blaziken," he replied. “She couldn't handle the Speed Boost ability at first; the way her speed kept getting higher every moment she stayed in that form. Eventually, while she was sprinting, she lost control and nearly knocked herself senseless on a tree –funny as it was at first, I quickly noticed it had actually hurt her; she just couldn't stop in time. We spent the next month helping her master control, feeling the increase in her leg strength and overtime adjust to how her speed continued to climb. It was a long process, but eventually our efforts paid off."

He looked away from the professor to stare up at Tanker. “I'm still working on trying to find out just what other effects Tanker's mega evolution has on him, beyond increasing the density of his body and altering his form so... extensively. I always feared those rotating scraps meant something was distorted in his own center of gravity –if you can believe it, I was afraid he would float off into space or something."

At that, Sycamore allowed himself a laugh. “Fortunately, that does not seem to be happening," he replied. “Especially since the increased skin density has actually made Tanker nearly twice as heavy as he was before."

“That," Mark began, his eyes scanning along Tanker's metal tail and noting how much thicker he had become, “does not surprise me."

“I think I have all the data I need," Sycamore stated. “He can power down now."

Mark nodded, and looked up at Tanker. Reading his face, the Steelix let out another low growl in reply, and his body once more became engulfed in light, this time the colour blue. The metal scraps hovering around him vanished as though they never were, and he shrank down to a smaller size. When the light dispersed from him, he was back to the form of an ordinary Steelix.

“That will be all, then," Sycamore said as, with the touch of a button, the humming of the scanning equipment began to lessen, returning silence to the area once more.

Sycamore turned to Mark again, giving him a warm smile. “My gratitude for your help, Mark," he said. “This will go a long way in my research."

Mark nodded to him. “I'm glad to be of help," he said, reaching for Tanker's Poké Ball housed in his vest, aiming the front of it towards him. “Thanks for your help too, big guy," he said before he used the recall function to draw him back in. Tanker compliantly returned to the confines of the Poké Ball, after which Mark replaced it into its holster in his vest. “So, if that's it, I guess Fang and I will be heading home."

Just as Mark turned to look down at his Mightyena, he was surprised to find that Fang was gone. “Hey, where'd he go?" He asked, elevating his gaze again to look for his Pokémon, before resorting to calling out to him. “Fang!"

“Mark!" Birch called, waving his arm to get Mark's attention and pointing with his other to his right, just outside of the lab building. “He's over here!"

Following where Birch was pointing, Mark found his Pokémon, standing near the aluminium building with his gaze turned towards the modular. Mark strode over to him, approaching the Mightyena and was about to speak when he noticed Fang was growling, deeply, his face contorted with displeasure and baring teeth as he stared towards the trailer.

“Is he okay?" Sycamore asked as he and Birch noticed the drastic change in the previously quiet Mightyena's mood.

Mark knew Fang could only have one reason to be growling in such a way. Following Fang's gaze towards the modular, he called out in a raised voice. “Who's there? You may as well come out; we know you're there!"

At first, nobody appeared, and Mark repeated the command for the intruder to reveal themselves, this time threatening to let Fang loose if they continued to hide. He knew he probably looked like an idiot at that moment, since there was not anyone to see from where they stood, but shortly, a man stepped out from behind the trailer, walking out into view and stepping into the sunlight to reveal themselves.

“It appears I have been found out," the man stated as he walked within earshot. “Forgive me for failing to announce myself." He put his arm across his chest, bowing slightly in a mock gesture of apology. “I did not wish to interrupt your work."

“You were watching us?" Birch asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. “Who are you, and what're you doing here?"

Fang's growling continued, wanting to charge the intruder, but he would not make a move without his trainer's command. To Mark, this man did not appear to be at all threatening; he was a tall, thin-figured person, dressed in a white, long-sleeved button-down shirt under a sleeveless green vest, a matching tie worn around his neck, black dress pants and shoes, and slicked-back dark hair. He had gray eyes, and smooth, pale skin with not a blemish to be seen on his finely chiselled face; Mark was not sure whether to get a princely or businessman impression from this stranger, but at the moment it wasn't his primary concern.

When the man realigned his posture, he produced a large gold coin from his pocket, and began to flip it between his fingers in a remarkable display of dexterity. “I go by the name of Marvin Gold," he began. “But it is who I represent that is more important. My employers are very interested in your work with Mega Evolution, Professor Sycamore, and would appreciate it if you would consider a business proposal."

“And just who is it you work for?" Sycamore asked, his brow furrowing suspiciously.

“In good time, my good man," Marvin returned, clenching the coin in his fist before continuing. “But know they are willing to offer you a considerable contribution to fund further research, if..." He paused. “You agree to come work for them."

“I refuse," Sycamore returned without hesitating in the slightest. “The last time I got involved with some big-name organization, things didn't exactly turn out well for anyone. Tell your employers they can keep their money; my research is private and it shall remain such."

Marvin's cocky smirk faded from his pursed lips. Oddly enough, Mark felt a twinge of satisfaction when he saw that smile fade, praising Professor Sycamore in his mind without taking his eyes off of the man. Fang clearly did not like something about him, and that was enough to make the Ex-Champion suspect this man was less-than-honest about his intentions.

“That... is unfortunate," Marvin stated. “You see, my employers made it clear I was not to come back without you or at least your research notes."

Sycamore afforded himself a smug grin. “I hate to be such a nuisance," he said, cordially. “But that is my decision."

“So you can see yourself out now," Birch added.

“You misunderstand," Marvin began, shutting his eyes as he pocketed his coin. “I'm not leaving without that research." He brought his hand out of his pocket, and snapped his fingers.

At first, nothing happened. But all of a sudden, following a twitch of his ear, Fang whipped around and let out a snarl, startling the professors as they at first thought that it was directed at them, until they heard a crackling noise behind them and looked over their shoulders just in the nick of time to see two men in dark clothes and goggles that had been sneaking up behind their backs, holding metallic rods in their hands.

With their approach compromised, the men rushed. Sycamore reacted quickly, avoiding the baton weapon as it was thrust at him, but Birch was not so quick; he was jabbed harshly in the stomach with the weapon, an electric crackling preceding a cry of pain from the professor before he doubled over and fell to the ground, curling into a fetal position.

Fang lunged, going for the man that had attacked Birch and clamping his jaws around the man's leg. The thug let out a holler of agony as Fang's teeth penetrated through his boot and pierced skin. With a sharp yank, Fang pulled the man off of his feet, making him fall to the ground, but as he tried to pin the thug down, the Mightyena was jabbed with the baton weapon, letting out a yelp as the electric jolt coursed through him.

Throwing the Mightyena off of him with a curse, the man began to sit up, only to see the sole of a show coming towards him, striking him square in the nose and sending white-hot agony through his entire face as his nose was utterly crushed by the kick.

“No one does that to my Pokémon!" Mark roared as he drew back his leg.

“You punk!" The other thug yelled, abandoning his pursuit of Professor Sycamore and lunging at Mark, thrusting his weapon at him. Mark narrowly dodged out of the path of the initial thrust, and then swung his leg in a high kick at the man in retaliation, aiming for his face. But the thug was fast, ducking under Mark's foot and aiming for him while his leg was still off the ground.

Searing pain shot through Mark's body as the baton was jabbed into his side, tensing his entire body with the jolt and sending him careening to the ground. The man lifted the baton over his head, intent to bludgeon Mark with the weapon, until Fang, having recovered from the jolt he had taken, jumped in to protect his trainer. Once more going for the leg, he bit the man on the calf and tried to pull him off of his feet; the man struggled to keep his balance, swinging his weapon feebly at the Mightyena, demanding he let go.

“Excuse me," Professor Sycamore's voice called, diverting the thug's attention, only to be struck in the face by a fold-up chair by the Kalos researcher; one of the lens of his goggles was cracked by the improvised weapon, and he feebly dropped to the ground, with Fang releasing his leg during the fall.

“Pardon me, mon amie," Sycamore jested, before he tossed aside the chair and went to check on Mark. “Are you alright?" He asked, kneeling down to help him.

“Yeah," Mark replied, weakly, clutching his stomach where he'd been electrocuted by the thug's weapon. “Felt like a tazer or something but I'm okay." He looked up at Professor Sycamore, giving him a wry smile. “Didn't know you had it in you."

“Well he was being rather uncivilized," the Professor joked, giving Mark a wink before helping him to his feet and going to check on Professor Birch.

Fang trotted up to Mark's side, whining in concern as leaned his head down licked Mark's hand. Mark lifted that hand, and placed it on Fang's head. “I'm okay, boy," Mark assured, petting him for a moment, before remembering they were not done yet, and turning his attention to Marvin. “Still one more to deal with."

The man had been observing the scuffle, and gone back to flipping that coin around in his hand, considering his options as he watched Mark warily. “It appears I did not plan for every possibility," he said. “I was only prepared for the professors, not a third party."

“Yeah, well, life's full of disappointment, asswipe," Mark retorted coldly. “Now, are you going to leave quietly or am I going to have to make you?"

Marvin scoffed. “Such a rude young man you are," he said, reaching behind his back. “It appears you need to be taught a lesson in proper respect to your elders, boy." From the back of his belt, he revealed a Poké Ball, expanding it in his hand and holding it out. “Perhaps my business partner here will assist in that."

“Fang," Mark prompted; the Mightyena stepped forward at his name, still baring his teeth as he prepared for the imminent battle with the stranger...