*Note: you know, if you want to read the Pokémon League before anybody... suscribe to my Patreon. Link at the end of the chapter.
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"What should I do?" I asked curiously.
Crystal Onix is definitely a good Pokémon and I don't want to leave it out of the Pokémon League. Besides, because of its rarity, it could be difficult for other trainers to deal with the first time they see it, since they won't know its type. That could give me a momentary advantage.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of informing the Pokémon League. Just register a normal Onix and I'll handle the rest," Emma said.
"Alright," I nodded.
Ash didn't think much about it and simply followed Emma's instructions without wondering how the whole process would work. How would Emma explain the existence of such a Pokémon? Would she manage to get the Pokémon League to allow that Onix to participate? Ash simply didn't ask and just gave Emma all the information about his Onix — its appearance, types, etc. Everything necessary to inform the Pokémon League.
After registering the normal Onix and finally signing up for the Pokémon League, Molly and Ash said goodbye to Emma and headed to Celeste's house, where everyone was enjoying a pleasant and peaceful afternoon.
…
The next day.
Without wasting any time, Emma called the Pokémon League and reported what had happened with Ash. She told them about the Onix, its appearance, types, and everything else so they would allow it to participate. Surprisingly, the Pokémon League had no objections to accepting Ash's Onix. Why was it so easy? While it wasn't common for a trainer to try to participate with a little-known Pokémon or one that hadn't been discovered yet, it had happened before in history. The world is very large and there are hundreds of different Pokémon species, so it's normal for new ones to be discovered from time to time, especially by Pokémon Trainers or researchers. That's why the Pokémon League accepted it without issue after collecting all the information about the Crystal Onix. However, what did not go unnoticed was a very special Pokémon.
Normally the Pokémon League never checks every participant individually because dozens of trainers compete each year and it's almost impossible for someone to cheat their way in, since security measures are very strict. Their only job was to check that the system hadn't detected any irregularities. It didn't happen often, but it was better to be safe than sorry. However, due to the issue with Ash's Onix, the people in charge of fixing it noticed that Ash's team was truly peculiar, full of rare and powerful Pokémon.
"It looks like this year's Pokémon League will be more entertaining than previous years," a man said.
He appeared to be around 40 years old, wearing a black suit with a red tie, and had a stern expression, as if he were angry with something or someone.
This man was one of the people in charge of reviewing the system in special cases. Normally other people handled this job, but on certain occasions he personally took care of such irregularities — like in this case. And it wasn't precisely because of the Crystal Onix. In fact, he had already heard legends about that Onix, but in the Pokémon world, legends sometimes turn out to be true, so he wasn't too surprised to see the Crystal Onix. His interest came from another Pokémon — the one his subordinates had informed him about. A Pokémon that had never been used by anyone in the Pokémon League before. No, not even in the entire world, at least as far as anyone knew.
"I thought I should inform you personally when my subordinates told me," another man nodded.
This man wore the same suit, but unlike the previous one, he was much younger — around 30 years old, maybe less — and very slim. The expression on his face showed indifference, as if this matter held no importance to him.
"You did well. It's been a while since I've seen such an interesting team as this boy's… Ash Ketchum, from a small town called Pallet Town. Curious… why do the most talented trainers from Kanto always come from that town?" the man asked.
Although it was a question he asked himself, the other man answered.
"Sir, Pallet Town is the home of Professor Oak, the most famous Pokémon researcher in the world. It's possible he has a gift for spotting talent and trains them from a young age," the man said.
As the most prominent and well-known Pokémon Professor in the world, it was possible that Professor Oak had the ability to detect people with talent for battling and, as a result, trained them himself. Although of course this was just a supposition and not a confirmed fact.
"Mmm, it's possible, but it's still interesting," the other man said.
The best talents from Kanto had always emerged from Pallet Town. Everyone in Kanto knew that.
After dealing with that matter, they simply continued talking about other things — important things related to the organization of this year's Pokémon League. While the trainers who had already won all their badges rested at home, they would have many meetings over the next few weeks. After all, the Pokémon League would begin soon.
…
One month and three weeks later…
Almost two months had passed since Ash won his eighth badge and, as a result, qualified to participate in the Pokémon League.
After registering for the Pokémon League more than a month ago and spending a day with Celeste's grandmother, our heroes returned to Pallet Town to enjoy a short but pleasant stay.
Nothing extraordinary happened during this time. It was simply a period of rest, training, and even defeating Team Rocket a couple of times — they hadn't appeared for a while.
{Note: I decided that, aside from key chapters, Team Rocket will be mentioned this way. Otherwise the fic could become boring. You might not think so now, but after 10 episodes all involving Team Rocket, you'd probably tell me I'm using them too much just to pad chapters. So I decided to keep them around but only feature them sporadically, so I don't bore the readers. In other words, I won't use Team Rocket for everything like it happened in the anime.}
During this time, Ash also took the opportunity not only to train and improve his strategies, but to deepen the bonds with his Pokémon, his girls, and his family in general. In short, they looked like a genuinely happy family. Anyone who saw them would undoubtedly think they were a happy family.
Today was a normal day in every sense — a day meant for relaxation, because everyone needs to relax. In fact, resting can help improve performance by clearing your mind and being more rested for what's to come. Ash was no exception. A few days before the start of the Pokémon League, Ash decided to stop training and rest, because too much training could also be harmful for both him and his Pokémon. So during this last week he would simply relax with his family and his Pokémon.
With that said, today Ash had promised to spend an entire day with his sister Molly, having fun and enjoying the day together. Nothing complicated — just a peaceful and quiet day. That day, Ash got up from bed and went straight to have breakfast with his Pikachu, who was still sleepy and lying in Ash's arms — something that had become very common for everyone.
The house was lively as always. Sitting around the large table were Ash, Celeste, Roxanne, Molly, Celia, Ash's mother Delia, and finally Spencer — seven people having breakfast and chatting calmly about trivial topics. Beside them, all of our heroes' Pokémon were also enjoying a pleasant breakfast, except for both Onix, who were enjoying a delicious meal at Professor Oak's ranch. But… why there? Simply to avoid drawing attention. Just imagine two enormous crystal Onix eating in one of your neighbor's houses. Wouldn't that be surprising? Wouldn't it attract attention? That's why Ash and Roxanne decided to leave their Onix in Professor Oak's care. At his ranch, they could relax without fear of being seen or causing a stir. Besides, this was also good for Professor Oak, who had studied both Onix in detail to learn more about them and their biology.
In the end, as Celeste had said and confirmed by Professor Oak, the Crystal Onix turned out to be Water and Ice type — types opposite to their Kanto counterparts, which were Rock and Ground type. Apparently, according to Professor Oak's research, living surrounded by large bodies of water and with limited space, these Onix had adapted. In other words, they were regional variants just like Alolan Vulpix or Galarian Zigzagoon. The only thing was that Professor Oak couldn't determine which region they came from, as there were several possibilities. Alola was a perfect example, Hoenn… there were many possibilities, and for now Professor Oak had been unable to determine which region these Onix came from and why they had ended up in the Kanto region and the Orange Islands.
Back to the main topic. After breakfast, when everyone went off to do their tasks, and just before Ash left with Molly and Pikachu for a walk, Spencer called him over.
"Ash, before you go, there's something I want you to have," Spencer said.
"Hmm? What is it?" I asked curiously.
"It's a small gift," Spencer said.
Then, from his pocket, he took out two crystal-like marble spheres, but…
"Mega Stones?" I asked, surprised.
"That's right. They're two Mega Stones. One will allow you to Mega Evolve your Charizard into Mega Charizard X, and the other is a Lopunnite. I think no further explanation is needed," Spencer said.
Then he handed them to me.
"Why and how?" I asked, perplexed.
It should be said that obtaining Mega Stones isn't as easy as in the games. In this world, it's very difficult to get them. One way is to go to Mega Island, an island located in the middle of the Kalos sea. To get there you need to take a ferry that leaves from Lumiose City only once a year, although you can also go on your own, though it's not very recommended. Another way is to find them by chance. However, Mega Stones aren't something you just find lying on the ground while walking — they're found like minerals or fossils, underground. Although some can also be found in caves, they are very scarce. The last way to obtain them would be by buying them, but there was a problem: since Mega Stones are so scarce and very few people are willing to part with them… the prices are exorbitant, to say the least. A single Mega Stone can sell for more than 10,000,000 Poké — an unreachable amount for a normal person, only within reach of the rich. That's why I was surprised that he gave me these two Mega Stones.
"Well, since you're going to participate in the Pokémon League, you need all the resources possible. That will increase your chances of winning, even if only a little," Spencer said.
"But these Mega Stones have exorbitant market value… they must have cost a fortune…" I said.
The truth is I didn't know what to say.
"Was that what worried you? Ahem, these Mega Stones didn't cost me anything. Some people owed me favors and I cashed them in," Spencer said.
Favors? But isn't he some kind of Pokémon Professor who studies ruins related to Legendary Pokémon? I don't understand why there are people who wouldn't hesitate to give him Mega Stones to repay a favor, especially considering the enormous price these Mega Stones have on the market. Could it be… that Spencer is hiding something he hasn't told us?