//------------------------------// // A Marvelous Bond // Story: My Little Pokémon: Grander World // by Amarvax //------------------------------// Kanto. Goldeboron Mountain Pass. Afternoon. On a quest to retrieve the Lucarionite, Ash and his friends found themselves in Goldeboron Mountain Pass. An area that was related to the Rota Kingdom. The Wild Pokemon here are all candidates for Mega Evolution, attacking Ash's group as a means of testing them. Mainly Ash and Lucario. And with these attacks and sudden surprises from all the Mega Evolution Candidates, one of them caused some of his friends to separate and end up in two caves apart from each other. The cave had a rather slippery slope despite being made out of rocks and being near magma pools. Ash held onto his hat with Twilight, Korrina and Applejack tumbling on their way down. The only one managing to keep steady was Fluttershy while everyone else lost their balance. Fluttershy would slow herself down but she was unable to stop them all from going down this slippery slope. It was a long way down too. The entrance to the cave was already out of their sight with how long this slope was but eventually, they would come to the end as Ash would be the first to fly out of the exit. This cave had the same gemstones that were coloured after the Lucarionite, plastered on the walls and parts of the ground. "Ow-ow-ow...Geez..." Ash rubbed the back of his head after crashing face-first into a wall. The Trainer from Pallet Town recollected himself, wobbling while getting back up. He then raised his fists triumphantly after withstanding such a fall. "Phew. Still in one piece!" "Gah!" But his moment of triumph was interrupted once Korrina fell on him, causing Ash to drop on his face. This was followed by Twilight falling onto Korrina, taking damage as well, followed by Espeon and Pikachu landing together. Applejack would then join the pile of her downed friends with Fluttershy being the only safe one yet again. It was a pile of humans, ponies and Pokemon with Fluttershy lightly descending, standing next to them all, hearing them groan. "Are you all alright?" She asked after descending next to them. Eventually, they would all get off each other, ending the pile. "Yeah...Still doing great here." Ash stood up, adjusting his hat while Korrina helped Twilight and Applejack up. Pikachu slapped his face a few times. It was a rather perplexing drop, but they would all manage either way. "Doing fine here." Korrina would get back up she was only with Ash, Pikachu, Twilight and Fluttershy. But noticeably, no Lucario. In this dark cave, some of their friends were not here with them. "Lucario?! Where's ya go?!" Ash gasped, noticing the disappearance of Lucario. He had most likely fallen into the other cave that was outside, joining with Rarity and the others. "Ah, man...Split up." "They should be at the other cave," Fluttershy replied. "So at least we know where they went. But I don't think we're that close to the Lucarionite. It might be in the centre still but the Pokemon here are making it hard for us." "Let's hurry and find them then," said Korrina. "Just on the other side, right? They might've gone down a slope as well." "The other cave looked higher than the one we're in actually." Twilight managed to observe the opposite cave, seeing how both of them differed in positions. This one went to a lower part of the mountain pass while the one her group was in had a lower pathway. "Wherever they went, they might at a higher point of the mountain pass." "Alright then. Let's head up." Ash raised his head before moving along. His friends would follow as now they had to focus on reuniting with all of their friends. And just like what Twilight figured, they did end up at a higher point of the mountain pass. The cave that Lucario, Rarity, Goh and Pinkie Pie fell through only led to more magma pools that were nearby. They might as well be inside of a volcano. Rainbow Dash would soon follow them all into this volcano after pushing away the Aggron that sent them all tumbling down the mountain. Here, more Camerupt could be found. "Camerupt?" "Geez..." Pinkie Pie's eyes spun after she got up. "Oh, my back..." "Mew-Mew." Mew felt that sentiment as he transformed into a Dusclops for a moment to make a singular eye spin instead of both of them. After he regained his vision, he would transform back into his original form. "Now I really wish we had gone to that camp instead." Rarity groaned as she and her friends all got back up. But there was no time for everyone to process what just happened and where they were. In this part of the mountain pass, the magma was violent compared to the pools outside which seemed peaceful. Lava would burst out of the ground, startling them all, not giving them the time to think or recollect themselves.s In the presence of magma, they had to think fast and move fast. However, this part of the cave looked cramped so far, having a tighter space compared to the one at the lower levels. There would even be some lava that flew out of the walls at a vertical angle, going straight for Goh's group. Already, they were in immediate danger. "Not like this! Appear, Milotic!" Rarity would quickly throw out her Poke Ball, summoning her Milotic. "Milotic!" "Take out the magma! Hydro Pump!" "Mii...Loooo!" From her mouth which made a beautiful sound, Milotic released a powerful jet of water, shooting at the violent lava. The jet of water clashed with the stream of lava, intercepting it. It was a mild struggle but Milotic managed to win, taking out the lava by fully consuming it. The lava would simply become steam afterwards, overtaken by the water. However, more would show up in this destructive part of the mountain pass. As such, they all started moving along while the magma flows approached. And in such a hot place, a Steel-Type like Lucario was feeling the heat already, sweating from being here. It was bad enough that he had to be separated from Ash. They fled from the continuous magma flow that was seemingly chasing them down, attempting to leave the cave as soon as they could. They searched for the way they came in, moving through different passageways. Lava would continue to fly out of the walls and ground, startling them as Milotic would continuously use Hydro Pump to put them out. The Tender Pokemon had to stay alert each time, spraying water at every lava burst. Rainbow Dash caught up to them, witnessing Goh and the others running for their lives. Even if she was in the air, the pegasus was also at risk of being consumed by the lava. Without a doubt, Ash's group was having an easier time. Rota Kingdom. Cameran Palace. Back at the Rota Kingdom, Queen Ilene patiently awaited for their return, sitting in her throne room, where the portrait of Sir Aaron and Lucario hung high. Ash and the others promised that they would all return in one piece with the Lucarionite from Goldeboron Mountain but Eileen certainly knew about the dangers of that mountain. "Oh...Maybe I shouldn't have said anything back then." Eileen said to herself. "I've gotten Ash and his friends tangled up in a rather violent issue. Perhaps it would've been better if I didn't tell him more about Delayed Aura Ataxia. Then again, he would have found out earlier." "Mime?" Ilene's Mime Jr. looked at her, seeing how troubled the Queen looked when thinking about Ash and his friends. "That mountain pass, your majesty. You sent the boy there because the Lucarionite was waiting for him and his Lucario, correct?" Her maid asked her. "Is it Sir Aaron's will that manifested it and that's why it was waiting?" "No. Not at all. Anyone is worthy of receiving that Mega Stone, but no one has gotten this far. That stone is connected to Sir Aaron and Lucario though and Ash and his Lucario are the only ones who I can see being fit to hold it. I just hope that they don't end up like Sir Aaron and Lucario. They were gone too soon. Aaron give up his life for the betterment and safety of our kingdom and Lucario did the same. With Delayed Aura Ataxia, Ash might be going through the same thing. He's constantly putting his own health at risk with this drawback. And even though he's gotten better at regulating it, that problem still exists." "That's true. If only there was a remedy for something like that. But do you think they'll really end up like Sir Aaron and Lucario?" "I hope not. I hope that retrieving the Lucarionite and completing the Mega Evolution is the answer to all of our problems. I fear that there'll come a time when his Aura completely destroys him. But...I have faith." Ilene put her hands together in a praying gesture before then looking at Sir Aaron's picture. "Amazing faith in both of them. Isn't that, right Aaron?" Goldeboron Mountain Pass. Eventually, Goh and the others made it away from the violent lava bursts, all thanks to Milotic. And along the way, Goh managed to catch a Camerupt, adding its data to his Pokedex. For now, they were safe, with no other Pokemon in sight. And from all over Milotic's Hydro Pumps, all of them were now wet and drenched in water. "Thank you so much, Milotic. Return, please." Rarity thanked the Tender Pokemon after she successfully saved their lives. "Rrr..." Wanting to waste no more time, Lucario closed his eyes, allowing his Aura to flow. It became visible once more, making his dreads rise. "What's he doing now?" Pinkie Pie wondered after looking at Lucario's Aura rise. "Mew?" "I think he's trying to sense Ash's Aura. It should be pretty big. It's bigger than all of ours after all." said Rainbow Dash, observing Lucario's concentration. Indeed, Lucario was trying to call for Ash. Their Auras were heavily connected after all so this was the right call in Lucario's mind. And to his friends, it was a good call. But in this mountain pass, Lucario wanted to make sure Ash came straight to him, letting his Aura flare out some more to the point where it was almost blinding to the eyes. Rarity and the others would squint when Lucario's aura brightened. He wasn't just trying to sense Ash, he wanted Ash to sense him. And Ash certainly did. When running along the cave with the rest of his friends, his Mega Stone suddenly had a mystical reaction. He felt this reaction tingle through his hand, looking at the Key Stone. "The Key Stone's acting up..." Ash uttered. "It must be Lucario's Aura. He's calling for you, Ash." said the Shalour City Gym Leader. "Ash. Try sensing his Aura in return." "Good idea. You don't usually do that so now might be the best time." Twilight insisted on that. "Alright. I'll give it a shot." Ash nodded as he never really tried sensing other Auras that much before. He can only recall a few times when he's done it but they were very few. With how things are developing, it might just become common for him. The Alola Champion closed his eyes, allowing his Aura to flow naturally through him. It had the same vibrancy as Lucario's as they forged a connection that quickly. "T-That was fast?!" Korrina gasped at how quickly the vibrancy of Ash's Aura appeared. It was practically instant. "That's only natural. Ash and Lucario had a strong bond on the very first day they met when Lucario was just a Riolu Egg." Fluttershy replied, thinking back to that day when Riolu's egg first hatched. Even before that, when they all came across the egg. "Riolu's Egg had been closed off for so long until he met Ash, waiting for someone like him." Just then, a pulse would fly out of the Key Stone and through Ash. And for Ash, everything went deep blue. He entered a deep state of mind because of this deep concentration with no one to disrupt him. His mind became clear with only the Aura existing around him. And in the darkness with his eyes closed, he saw a blue light in front of him. And in that light was the Aura Pokemon Lucario, raising his arms to search for Ash. "Lucario...Lucario." He spoke the name of the Fighting-Steel-Type, calling out for him. Ash didn't even need to shout for Lucario. All he needed to do was speak casually and the Aura would handle the rest. And it certainly did, taking Ash's voice and transporting it across the Mountain Pass at lightspeed so that Lucario could feel and hear it. In return, Lucario would also see a blue light in the darkness with Ash standing in it. He saw Ash nod, knowing that he was picking up on Lucario's presence. Both of their Auras expanded, showing the rest of their friends and all of their Auras. Before Ash knew it, he was able to sense everyone else. Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Goh had been sensed. Even those around him as well. Twilight, Fluttershy, Korrina and Applejack respectively. And Korrina and Applejack were letting out large Auras because of their connections to the Riolu and Lucario line as well. Ash was surprised. He managed to push his Aura capabilities even further. Now, he had the power to sense others. It didn't matter who it was. He could pick up on their Auras and decide who to focus on. This quest for the Lucarionite also managed to hone his skills. "It's Lucario! And everyone else!" Ash said after opening his eyes. "I can feel them! All of them!" "Sounds like someone improved greatly," Korrina commented, knowing that Ash had received a vast improvement after concentrating. All he needed was the suggestion of his friends to pull this off. "Ca!" And at Lucario's side, he knew where Ash was. Now that both of them sensed their Auras, they knew where to go. In unison, Ash and Lucario would start running. Their friends would all follow them as guides. With this focus on their Auras, they had a clear path in mind. Through the trees and the hills, they advanced, racing to one spot where they would reunite. All the while, Lucario had his eyes closed as a way to continue focusing. And because of this, Lucario improved as well. Just like Ash, his Aura capabilities increased thanks to the connection they had. And the great increase they gave him resulted in Lucario sensing something else. It wasn't another one of his friends. Instead, it was a sparkle of light that belonged to an object. Ash saw it too, noticing this sparkle as it had the colours of the Lucarionite which were easily identifiable thanks to Korrina. Prior to this, Lucario couldn't sense the Lucarionite at all. But thanks to the deep focus and honing his skills, now he could and so could Ash. They could now reunite and find the Lucarionite together, being one step closer to their goals. "Aggron!" However, the Aggron from before had suddenly returned. The same one that sent them all tumbling into the caves as it broke through a nearby corner, startling everyone with that thunderous noise and sudden appearance. "You again?!" Rainbow Dash and her friends gasped after the Iron Armor Pokemon made its return to try and stop Lucario and everyone else. "Rrr!" Lucario growled, agitated that Aggron would stand in his way again. With Aggron returning, it would try something else to slow them all down. This time, by getting physical. Since it appeared right in front of them, jumping out of the corner, it swung its massive arms down to try and knock the group over. "Ca!" But this time, Lucario came prepared. He clashed his paws with Aggron's arms, preventing him from harming any of his friends. The collision between them was heavy as a mild shockwave emerged, pushing the ponies and Goh back a bit. "A-Aggron...!" "Luca...!" Lucario and Aggron growled at each other as it was now a strength contest. They both looked each other in the eyes, wrestling for dominance as the ground beneath them would start cracking thanks to this struggle. Aggron did have the advantage thanks to its weight, starting to push Lucario down a bit. The Aura Pokemon's legs would start breaking through the ground as he was beginning to lose the struggle because of this weight difference. "Lucario!" Lucario roared before letting his Aura explode, wanting Aggron out of the way. A burst of Aura left his body as he overpowered Aggron in that instance, startling the Iron Armor Pokemon. Aggron gasped before being thrown in the air by Lucario. "Agg?! Aggron!" "Luca!" To finish things off, Lucario would use Aura Sphere, putting his paws together to form a powerful sphere of concentrated Aura. By throwing it upwards, he would shoot at the Steel-Rock-Type, going straight for its chest. With that direct hit, the Aura would explode, sending Aggron flying, much like how Team Rocket sometimes blasts off. With that, Aggron was out of the way. "Oh, nice one, Lucario!" Rainbow Dash gawked in amazement at that raw display of power. Lucario then stood tall before continuing on his way. He had to keep moving just so he could meet up with Ash again. There was no time to admire his feats. There was only the thought of the Lucarionite and Ash. Rarity and everyone felt safer now with Lucario's sudden development. Ash and Lucario understood each other, knowing where to reunite. They would meet up where the Lucarionite was since they both knew where it was. The more they ran, the closer the sparkle was. Now that they both had the Lucarionite within their sights, they could only focus on that, strengthening their concentration. At last, they met up once more. By following the Lucarionite's Aura, Ash and Lucario reunited, along with all of their friends. And when reuniting, they came across a field that was clear and devoid of any obstacles compared to what they encountered. No magma pools, no high mountains to scale and no Pokemon to disturb them. The place they sensed the Lucarionite was surrounded by these crystal mounds that also replicated the colours of the Mega Stone. "There you are. It was a good call having the Auras do it. I think that worked out better than Xtransceivers usually work out." said Twilight once they all reunited. She had Ninetales heat up those that have been drenched in water, fixing their hair and coats in the process. "Well, we reunited. Now what?" Applejack asked. "Did ya'll find anything? Maybe the stone?" "Apparently, Ash sensed the Lucarionite. And it should be in this field somewhere," uttered Korrina. "But I don't actually see anything. Are you sure you sensed it here? "Yeah. It's here somewhere. Lucario." Ash walked up to Lucario, who already knew what needed to be done. The Aura Pokemon would approach one of the crystal mounds that surrounded the field. With his Aura still flowing, Lucario placed his paw on the mound. Everyone stayed silent, watching as Lucario focused on this crystal. Suddenly, his Aura would envelop the entire crystal before then latching onto the others. An Aura String started moving, engulfing the other mounds in a perfect circle. All of them would light up once Lucario connected against one. The mounds then began moving from their spots, dragging across the ground. Everyone watched in awe as the mounds smashed into each other, letting out a flare of Aura. The mounds were no more once engulfed by the light. And from this light, it could be seen. The Lucarionite. In all of its glory. It hovered in the sky, surrounded by the remains of the crystals. The way it shined so beautifully, illuminating in the darkness of this Mountain Pass. "Is that it?! The Lucarionite?!" Goh asped. "Why isn't it falling though?" Rainbow Dash wondered as the stone was simply hovering there, not showing any signs of dropping. "Ohohoho! Correct!" Suddenly, a voice would reply to Goh, laughing in a strange manner. Everyone looked past the Lucarionite to see someone hovering over it. Someone that looked very familiar to Korrina's eyes the second she looked up, seeing this strange individual with a strange laugh descend. "The Mega Evolution Sage! That would be me!" "...G-Grandpa?" Korrina saw through that instantly. It was her grandpa wearing a disguise, covering his eyes with his eyebrows and styling his hair. But even with that style change, Korrina still recognized her grandfather along with Twilight. "Seriously?" "Awesome! A Mega Evolution Sage?!" But Ash, Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie didn't see through it, amazed by the existence of such a character. "And he's floating!?" "Is this what he wanted to do at Mega Island?" Twilight asked. "It is." And Korrina confirmed it, already knowing about this since yesterday. "Oohohoho! There's a new face! So, so! You've come for the Lucarionite, have you?! You've gone through a lot. I've seen it. Encountering Pokemon and strengthening your Aura. But if you cannot get past me, you cannot possibly hope to achieve the stone!" The Sage said as an Alakazam would suddenly appear behind him while he was descending. Obviously, this was Gurkinn's Alakazam. "But that wasn't enough?!" Rarity exclaimed. "It's fine, Rarity. I wanna do this so Lucario and I can earn the stone for real!" Ash was all for it. "We'll take you on, Mega Evolution Sage and go home afterwards!" "Luca!" "You got it." Korrina moved out of the way, allowing for this to happen even if she knew it was her grandfather. The battle for the Mega Evolution Stone would begin and Ash and Lucario's future of stopping this dangerous force known as Ataxia was on the line. "Behold! The Mega Evolution Sage shows his strength!" The Sage held his hand out, revealing a Mega Ring. And from that ring was the Alakazamnite. It would react to Alakazam, beginning the process of Mega Evolution. A flare of Infinity Energy burst out of Alakazam, enveloping him in it as he went through a transformation. "Alakazam!" Out of it emerged Mega Alakazam. And of course, Pokedexes would be taken out to read about this Mega Evolved Form. "Alakazam. The Psi Pokemon. As a result of Mega Evolution, its power has been entirely converted into psychic energy, and it has lost all strength in its muscles. Its hidden psychic power has been unleashed. A glance at someone gives it knowledge of the course of that person’s life, from birth to death. When attacks completely miss Alakazam, that’s because it’s seeing the future. "Here we go, Lucario! Aura Sphere!" "Luca!" From his paws, a quick Aura Sphere was thrown like a baseball, zooming through the air as Lucario attempted to get the first hit off. "Psybeam!" "Ala...Kazam!" Alakazam manipulated each and every one of its spoons, releasing a multicoloured beam from them at the Aura Pokemon. It was a direct clash of two opposing forces as the Aura and Psychic Energy clashed against each other before reaching a stalemate. Both attacks blew up, forming a blue and purple smoke cloud. "Double Team!" "Rrr!" Lucario would then advance, summoning clones of himself that would mimic his movements. All of them jumped out of the smoke, focusing on the stone and not Alakazam. "Hoh? Fire the spoons!" "Kazam!" Alakazam would fire all of its spoons, attempting to stop Lucario from reaching the Lucarionite. Each of the spoons rained down, taking out the clones and making them fizzle. However, the real Lucario simply knocked the spoon out of the way, continuing to advance. "Yeah! Go for it!" Ash cheered as Lucario held his paw out. Just then, his paw suddenly acted like a hand, separating all three of them as if they were fingers. "Those things can act like hands?!" Pinkie Pie gasped as she and many others thought that Lucario's paws were just that. Paws. Not actual hands. "Tri Attack!" "Aa!" Mega Alakazam formed an orb of yellow electric energy, light blue ice energy, and orange fire energy around its body, harnessing the three elements. It then fires each orb at Lucario in succession. "Rrr..! Ca!" Lucario cried out as he was bombarded by the three elements, forcing him back down to the ground. The Aura Pokemon crashed into the earth, sliding afterwards. "Lucario?! Are you okay?!" Ash gasped. "Lucario...!" Lucario would be fine, only suffering fall damage. However, one of the effects of Tri Attack managed to affect him and it ended up being paralysis. "Rrr!" "Ohoohoho! Is that all?" The sage chuckled. "Don't tell me that was your best." "It ain't! Just watch! Strike the ground with Force Palm!" "Luca!!" With a mighty roar, Lucario would bellow, smashing his paw into the ground. The sheer force of his fist hitting the earth would send him upwards, causing a powerful shockwave. Lucario used this to advance into the air, continuing to pursue the Lucarionite. He twitched as the paralysis was holding him back from going any higher. "You can't seem to reach that point with that paralysis! Ohohohoh!" "Oh yeah?! Aura Sphere!" "Rrr! Ca!" Lucario cried out as he prevented himself from falling by using Aura Sphere. He would turn around, holding his arms out to generate the sphere. And fixating on one point, Lucario put most of his strength into this attack, unleashing it. This Aura Sphere had enough force to send Lucario into the air. Everyone marvelled at Ash and Lucario's usage of the air, doing what they could to stay airborne. The Sage AKA Gurkinn had to respect this but he wouldn't let them reach it so easily, preparing to shout out his next command. Thanks to Mega Alakazam's power, it could predict what move could be used to stop Lucario. "Oh?!" "Ala!?" At least, that seemed to be the case. Ash and Lucario spoke to each other with Aura, choosing a different route. Instead of going straight for the Lucarionite, Lucario would suddenly grab Alakazam's beard. Alakazam didn't see that coming as Ash and Lucario said it between themselves. And this kind of tactic was odd considering what the goal was. "Lucario!" But that was just part of the goal as Lucario used Alakazam as a booster, launching off the Psi Pokemon after grabbing its beard and stepping on its beard. Disrespecting Alakazam, Lucario got the height he needed. And with style and effort, powering through the paralysis, he swiped the Lucarionite. The Lucarionite had been retrieved at last by a slippery and determined Lucario. He and Ash grinned as everyone's jaws dropped. To top it all off, Lucario descended to the ground, knocking some rocks into the air. It was done. With a proud look on his face, he held the stone up, revealing it to Ash and everyone. "Yeah! Way to go, Lucario!" Ash pumped his fist into the air. "We got the Lucarionite!" "Yes! Finally!" Goh and all of his friends cheered for Ash and Lucario's achievement. All of them jumped of flew for joy as the supposed method of getting past the threatening force that was Delayed Aura Ataxia had been achieved. "Hm. I was hoping that would last longer." The Sage smiled. "But it's fine...They've earned it already. Even before this." Ash and Lucario ran at each other for a hug, celebrating their achievement. And the best part of this was the fact that Delayed Aura Ataxia did not rear its head once. Twilight noticed this. Despite today being so focused on Aura, the Ataxia was nowhere to be seen. With a smile on her face, Twilight could already guess why this was the case. The growth Ash and Lucario gained together was already gaining an effect. And this was without even using the staff of Sir Aaron. Ash and Lucario's newfound power, Mega Evolution. At last, it had been attained. For the Pokemon World Championships and bringing true peace to those that would suffer from this dangerous force. As the journey continues. Chapter 93 End.